Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet Summary
An age-old vendetta between two powerful families erupts into bloodshed. A group of masked Montagues risk further conflict by gatecrashing a Capulet party. A young lovesick Romeo Montague falls instantly in love with Juliet Capulet, who is due to marry her father’s choice, the County Paris. With the help of Juliet’s nurse, the women arrange for the couple to marry the next day, but Romeo’s attempt to halt a street fight leads to the death of Juliet’s own cousin, Tybalt, for which Romeo is banished. In a desperate attempt to be reunited with Romeo, Juliet follows the Friar’s plot and fakes her own death. The message fails to reach Romeo, and believing Juliet dead, he takes his life in her tomb. Juliet wakes to find Romeo’s corpse beside her and kills herself. The grieving family agree to end their feud.
Romeo and Juliet Act summary
Act I
Romeo and Juliet begins as the Chorus introduces two feuding families of Verona: the Capulets and the Montagues. On a hot summer's day, the young men of each faction fight until the Prince of Verona intercedes and threatens to banish them. Soon after, the head of the Capulet family plans a feast. His goal is to introduce his daughter Juliet to a Count named Paris who seeks to marry Juliet.
Montague's son Romeo and his friends (Benvolio and Mercutio) hear of the party and resolve to go in disguise. Romeo hopes to see his beloved Rosaline at the party. Instead, while there, he meets Juliet and falls instantly in love with her. Juliet's cousin Tybalt recognises the Montague boys and forces them to leave just as Romeo and Juliet discover one another.
Act II
Romeo lingers near the Capulet house to talk with Juliet when she appears in her window. The pair declare their love for one another and intend to marry the next day. With the help of Juliet's Nurse, the lovers arrange to marry when Juliet goes for confession at the cell of Friar Laurence. There, they are secretly married (talk about a short engagement).
Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow
— ROMEO AND JULIET, ACT 2 SCENE 2
Act III
Following the secret marriage, Juliet's cousin Tybalt sends a challenge to Romeo. Romeo refuses to fight, which angers his friend Mercutio who then fights with Tybalt. Mercutio is accidentally killed as Romeo intervenes to stop the fight. In anger, Romeo pursues Tybalt, kills him, and is banished by the Prince.
Juliet is anxious when Romeo is late to meet her and learns of the brawl, Tybalt's death, and Romeo's banishment. Friar Laurence arranges for Romeo to spend the night with Juliet before he leaves for Mantua. Meanwhile, the Capulet family grieves for Tybalt, so Lord Capulet moves Juliet's marriage to Paris to the next day. Juliet’s parents are angry when Juliet doesn't want to marry Paris, but they don't know about her secret marriage to Romeo.
Act IV
Friar Laurence helps Juliet by providing a sleeping draught that will make her seem dead. When the wedding party arrives to greet Juliet the next day, they believe she is dead. The Friar sends a messenger to warn Romeo of Juliet's plan and bids him to come to the Capulet family monument to rescue his sleeping wife.
Act V
The vital message to Romeo doesn't arrive in time because the plague is in town (so the messenger cannot leave Verona). Hearing from his servant that Juliet is dead, Romeo buys poison from an Apothecary in Mantua. He returns to Verona and goes to the tomb where he surprises and kills the mourning Paris. Romeo takes his poison and dies, while Juliet awakens from her drugged coma. She learns what has happened from Friar Laurence, but she refuses to leave the tomb and stabs herself. The Friar returns with the Prince, the Capulets, and Romeo's lately widowed father. The deaths of their children lead the families to make peace, and they promise to erect a monument in Romeo and Juliet's memory.
Romeo and Juliet Main Characters
Romeo
Romeo is the teenage son of the Montague family, who are busy feuding with the Capulets. In the beginning, Romeo is brooding over his unrequited love for Rosaline. When he sees Juliet at a party, Romeo instantly falls in love with her instead. They impulsively decide to marry the next day. Romeo initially refuses to fight Juliet’s cousin Tybalt; but when Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo avenges his friend’s death and kills him. He is banished as a result. Later, believing Juliet to be dead, he kills the mourning Paris, drinks poison and dies.
O true apothecary, / Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die.
Juliet
Juliet Capulet, on the cusp of 14 years old, falls in love with Romeo, the son of her family’s enemy. She subsequently proposes marriage. With the help of Nurse, her guardian, they are secretly married. However, in the wake of Tybalt’s death (and ignorant of her marriage to Romeo) Lord Capulet arranges for Juliet to marry Count Paris the next day. Cut off from all support except for that of Friar Laurence, she takes a sleeping draught to fake her own death, hoping to reunite with Romeo. When she wakes to find him dead beside her, she stabs herself.
Parting is such sweet sorrow / That I shall say good night till it be morrow
Friar Laurence
Friar Laurence is a Franciscan friar and a mentor to Romeo and Juliet. He secretly marries them, hoping to broker peace between the two families. The Friar later arranges for a banished Romeo to spend the night with Juliet before he leaves. He prepares a potion for Juliet in order to fake her death, avoid marriage to Paris, and reunite with Romeo, but his warning message to Romeo never reaches him. When Juliet finds Romeo dead, the Friar fruitlessly tries to convince her to leave the tomb. He is initially suspected of her murder but soon freed.
These violent delights have violent ends.
The Nurse
The widowed Nurse is a loyal companion to Juliet, having cared for her since she was a baby. Her long-winded stories, raunchy comments, and distaste for men generally serve as comic relief throughout the play. She helps to arrange Juliet and Romeo’s secret marriage and often acts as an intermediary between them. The Nurse tries to stand up for Juliet when her family cuts her off; however she later advises Juliet to marry Count Paris—which is ultimately the cause of the falling out between the two. She deeply grieves over Juliet’s death.
She's dead, deceased, she's dead; alack the day!
Mercutio
Mercutio is a relative of the Prince of Verona and a close friend to Romeo. His volatile nature, quick wit, and saucy wordplay serve as comic relief throughout the play. At the beginning of the play, he attends the Capulets’ party with Romeo and Benvolio. When Tybalt challenges Romeo and the latter refuses to fight back, Mercutio immediately attacks Tybalt. Finally, when Romeo tries to intervene, Mercutio is wounded and dies after cursing both families for their futile feuding. His death is a catalyst for the tragedies that follow.
A plague o’ both your houses.
Tybalt
Tybalt is the nephew of Lady Capulet and Juliet’s cousin. The Nurse also considers him her best friend. Hot-headed and proud, Tybalt is always a troublemaker. Mercutio mockingly calls him 'the prince of cats'! Discovering the Montague boys at the Capulets’ party, he is eager to fight but is restrained by Lord Capulet. He later formally challenges Romeo, but Romeo refuses to fight. Mercutio fights Tybalt instead and is mortally wounded. Tybalt escapes the scene pursued by a vengeful Romeo and is slayed by his hand. His death is the cause of Romeo’s banishment.
This, by his voice, should be a Montague.— Fetch me my rapier, boy.
Romeo and Juliet Minor Characters
*Escalus,
*Prince of Verona
*Count Paris
*Page
Montagues
*Montague
*Lady Montague
*Benvolio
*Abram
*Balthasar
Capulets
*Capulet
*Lady Capulet
*Follower
*Cousin Capulet
*Peter
*Sampson
*Gregory
*Servant
*Servingmen
Other
*Friar John
*The Apothecary
*Fiddler and Musician's
*The Watch
*Citizens
*The Chorus.
Created
Lightning god Pradeep
......
Good
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