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The play begins with a large fight between the Capulets and the Montagues, two prestigious families in Verona, Italy. These families have been fighting for quite some time, and the Prince declares that their next public brawl will be punished by death. When the fight is over, Romeo's cousin Benvolio tries to cheer him of his melancholy. Romeo reveals that he is in love with a woman named Rosaline, but she has chosen to live a life of chastity. Romeo and Benvolio are accidentally invited to their enemy's party; Benvolio convinces Romeo to go.
At the party, Romeo locks eyes with a young woman named Juliet. They instantly fall in love, but they do not realize that their families are mortal enemies. When they realize each other's identities, they are devastated, but they cannot help the way that they feel. Romeo sneaks into Juliet's yard after the party and proclaims his love for her (in the famous balcony scene). She returns his sentiments and the two decide to marry. The next day, Romeo and Juliet are married by Friar Lawrence; an event witnessed by Juliet's Nurse and Romeo's loyal servant, Balthasar. They plan to meet in Juliet's chambers that night.
Romeo visits his best friend Mercutio and his cousin Benvolio but his good mood is curtailed. Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, starts a verbal quarrel with Romeo, which soon turns into a duel with Mercutio. Romeo tries to stop the fight but it is too late: Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo, enraged, retaliates by killing Tybalt. Once Romeo realizes the consequences of his actions, he hides at Friar Lawrence's cell.
Friar Lawrence informs Romeo that he has been banished from Verona and will be killed if he stays. The Friar suggests Romeo spend the night with Juliet, then leave for Mantua in the morning. He tells Romeo that he will attempt to settle the Capulet and Montague dispute so Romeo can later return to a united family. Romeo takes his advice, spending one night with Juliet before fleeing Verona.
Juliet's mother, completely unaware of her daughter's secret marriage to Romeo, informs Juliet that she will marry a man named Paris in a few days. Juliet, outraged, refuses to comply. Her parents tell her that she must marry Paris and the Nurse agrees with them. Juliet asks Friar Lawrence for advice, insisting she would rather die than marry Paris. Fr. Lawrence gives Juliet a potion which will make her appear dead and tells her to take it the night before the wedding. He promises to send word to Romeo - intending the two lovers be reunited in the Capulet vault.
Juliet drinks the potion and everybody assumes that she is dead - including Balthasar, who immediately tells Romeo. Friar Lawrence's letter fails to reach Romeo, so he assumes that his wife is dead. He rushes to Juliet's tomb and, in deep grief, drinks a vial of poison. Moments later, Juliet wakes to find Romeo dead and kills herself due to grief. Once the families discover what happened, they finally end their bitter feud. Thus the youngsters' deaths bring the families together. Romeo and Juliet is a true tragedy in the literary sense because the families gather sufficient self-knowledge to correct their behaviour but not until it is too late to save the situation.
Want to learn more about Romeo and Juliet? Click here for Romeo and Juliet act summaries, study guides, quizzes and more on CliffsNotes.com
At the party, Romeo locks eyes with a young woman named Juliet. They instantly fall in love, but they do not realize that their families are mortal enemies. When they realize each other's identities, they are devastated, but they cannot help the way that they feel. Romeo sneaks into Juliet's yard after the party and proclaims his love for her (in the famous balcony scene). She returns his sentiments and the two decide to marry. The next day, Romeo and Juliet are married by Friar Lawrence; an event witnessed by Juliet's Nurse and Romeo's loyal servant, Balthasar. They plan to meet in Juliet's chambers that night.
Romeo visits his best friend Mercutio and his cousin Benvolio but his good mood is curtailed. Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, starts a verbal quarrel with Romeo, which soon turns into a duel with Mercutio. Romeo tries to stop the fight but it is too late: Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo, enraged, retaliates by killing Tybalt. Once Romeo realizes the consequences of his actions, he hides at Friar Lawrence's cell.
Friar Lawrence informs Romeo that he has been banished from Verona and will be killed if he stays. The Friar suggests Romeo spend the night with Juliet, then leave for Mantua in the morning. He tells Romeo that he will attempt to settle the Capulet and Montague dispute so Romeo can later return to a united family. Romeo takes his advice, spending one night with Juliet before fleeing Verona.
Juliet's mother, completely unaware of her daughter's secret marriage to Romeo, informs Juliet that she will marry a man named Paris in a few days. Juliet, outraged, refuses to comply. Her parents tell her that she must marry Paris and the Nurse agrees with them. Juliet asks Friar Lawrence for advice, insisting she would rather die than marry Paris. Fr. Lawrence gives Juliet a potion which will make her appear dead and tells her to take it the night before the wedding. He promises to send word to Romeo - intending the two lovers be reunited in the Capulet vault.
Juliet drinks the potion and everybody assumes that she is dead - including Balthasar, who immediately tells Romeo. Friar Lawrence's letter fails to reach Romeo, so he assumes that his wife is dead. He rushes to Juliet's tomb and, in deep grief, drinks a vial of poison. Moments later, Juliet wakes to find Romeo dead and kills herself due to grief. Once the families discover what happened, they finally end their bitter feud. Thus the youngsters' deaths bring the families together. Romeo and Juliet is a true tragedy in the literary sense because the families gather sufficient self-knowledge to correct their behaviour but not until it is too late to save the situation.
Want to learn more about Romeo and Juliet? Click here for Romeo and Juliet act summaries, study guides, quizzes and more on CliffsNotes.com
| Romeo | |
|---|---|
| Juliet | |
| Paris | |
| Lady Capulet | |
| Lady Montague | |
| Capulet | |
| Montague |
COMMENTS
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Transcript
Cliff:
Hey, this is Cliff and these are my notes. To the fortress of Bookitude. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. Boom! That?s how William Shakespeare kicks off Romeo and Juliet. You know they?re going to die. He tells you right in the beginning, but it?s how he plays with that impending sense of doom that makes this such a classic.
And it begins in the fair town of Verona, with a feud between two powerful families.
Prince Escalus:
All right, enough of this garbage!
Cliff:
The Montagues ? grrrrr! And the Capulets ? grrrrr!
Prince Escalus:
From now on, fighting will be punishable by death. Makes sense, right?
Cliff:
But Romeo, the only son of Sir Montague, doesn?t care about the feud. He?s too busy wallowing in self-pity over his unrequited love for Lady Rosaline, a Capulet.
Romeo Montague:
Sad hours seem so long.
Benvolio:
He?s a total emo.
Cliff:
Meanwhile, Sir Capulet is approached by Paris, a nobleman who wants to marry Juliet, Capulet?s only daughter.
Paris:
I?m also rich.
Sir Capulet:
Welcome to the family! Tonight, we?ll have a masked ball and you can woo the heck out of her.
Juliet:
Dad, don?t I get a say in this?
Nurse:
That?s one of the themes of the play, dear.
Cliff:
Romeo, hoping to bust a move on Lady Rosaline, decides to crash the party with his entourage.
Romeo Montague:
Oh, dear. My dreams foretell some consequence hanging in the stars.
Mercutio:
Oh, great. Romeo?s talking about his feelings again.
Cliff:
But instead, our hasty and impetuous boy finds love at first sight with Juliet.
Romeo Montague:
Did my heart love ?til now? Foreswear it, sight, for I ne?er saw true beauty ?til this night.
Cliff:
But when Romeo finds out that Juliet is a Capulet and Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague, our star-crossed love affair begins as they always do ? with a total stalker move.
Juliet:
Romeo, Romeo. Wherefore art thou, Romeo?
Romeo Montague:
What light through yonder window breaks? ?Tis the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Cliff:
See how mature their love is?
Juliet:
OMG, that was, like, so hot.
Let?s tots get married.
Romeo Montague:
I?ll get a priest. I?m okay.
Cliff:
The next morning, Romeo explains his newfound love to Friar Lawrence.
Friar Laurence:
Holy Saint Francis! Young men?s love lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes.
Romeo Montague:
No, man. It?s true love. It?s hella true, dude.
Friar Laurence:
But wait! A marriage between the families. This could end the feud. I?m a genius!
Cliff:
But the feud is escalated when Tybalt sends Romeo a challenge to a duel. So, Romeo tells the nurse to have Juliet meet him at Friar Lawrence?s for a secret wedding, and then to meet back at her place for the secret consummation.
Friar Laurence:
These violent delights have violent ends and in their triumph die, like fire and powder, which as they kiss consume. I now pronounce you man and wife.
Cliff:
And they lived happily ever ? oh, wait. That?s right. This is Shakespeare.
Tybalt:
Romeo, thou art a villain!
Romeo Montague:
No, I?m not!
Mercutio:
Man up, Romeo. This rat catch is trying to kill you. Oh!
Romeo Montague:
Mercucio! Oops.
Prince Escalus:
Dude, Romeo is so banished.
Cliff:
And things go from bad to worse when Juliet?s dad tries to comf
