Romeo and Juliet
Balthasar
Romeo's servant
Romeo's loyal servant, who has to carry the news of Juliet's death to Mantua.
Balthasar is Romeo's faithful man. He appears first in the street fight as one of the Montague servants, then reappears as the messenger who rides to Mantua. He is earnest and honest, a young man who loves his master and wants to serve him well.
He has the misfortune to be in the wrong place with the wrong news. He reports what he saw, which is Juliet's funeral. He knows nothing of the potion or the plan, and no one told him the truth.
In the story
Contains spoilers.
Balthasar comes to Mantua with the news that Juliet is dead and laid in the Capulet vault. Romeo, hoping for letters from the Friar, hears the opposite of what he wants. Romeo sets out for Verona, and Balthasar goes with him to the tomb.
There Romeo tells him to stand back and not interrupt. Balthasar is seized by the Watch with Friar Laurence after the deaths, but is not blamed. He stands as a witness to the last moments of a master he could not save.
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