Street battle between the Capulets and Montagues occur
The brawl is soonly ended by Prince Escales whom gives both families a final warning
Romeo, whom is a Montague confesses to his cousin, Benvolio that he is lovesick for Rosaline, whom is a Capulet
Scene 2
Paris asks Lord Capulet for permission to marry Juliet
Scene 3
Lady Capulet and the Nurse praises Paris and suggests that he would be a good choice for a husband
Scene 4
To cure Romeo's lovesickness, Benvolio and Mercutio persuade to join Romeo to gatecrash (turn up uninvited) to the Capulet's party
Scene 5
At the party, Romeo and Juliet meet
Romeo forgets about Rosaline immediately as he lays eyes on Juliet
Tybalt then recognises Romeo as a Montague then turns for his sword
Lord Capulet reprimands Tybalt and he reluctantly complys with Lord Capulet's commands as he would be punished if he had not
Act 2
Scene 1
Romeo gives his friends a "slip" (evasion) and leaps over the wall of the Capulet's garden into it
Scene 2
From the Capulet's ochards, Romeo could see Juliet from her window where she is thinking out aloud about Romeo ("Where are thou, Romeo?" scene)
Romeo reveals himself to Juliet and she warns how he could be killed for that action
Juliet declares their relationship is "too rash, too unadvis'd, too sudden" and bids goodnight
Romeo offers his "love's faithful vow" in exchange for hers
Romeo promises to make arranagements for their wedding by 9am
Juliet states she will send someone to find the details about it
Scene 3
Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to marry him to Juliet
Friar Lawrence in exchange accuses Romeo of being a "fickle" and "shallow lover"
Romeo protests and says his love is genuine and mutual
Friar Lawrence accepts the offering hoping that it will unite the Montagues and Capulets but worries about the "haste" of the wedding
He advises Romeo to go "wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast" (think carefully)
Scene 4
Mercutio and Benvolio search for Romeo
Benvolio suggests that Tybalt sent a duelling chalenge to Romeo
Mercutio praises Tybalt's skills
Romeo arrives and he and Mercutio exchange in conversation about why he slipped away that night
The Nurse arrives with Peter (her servant)
Mercutio mocks the Nurse whom asks where she can find Romeo
Romeo introduces himself and Benvolio and Mercutio leaves, Romeo promises to follow
Nurse condemns Mercutio's actions describing him as "scurvy knave", she condemns Peter for not defending her
Romeo instructs the Nurse to tell Juliet to go the confessional this afternoon and asks of the Nurse to wait behind the abbey wall to receive a rope ladder Romeo will use that night to climb into Juliet's room
The Nurse departs to tell Juliet the news
Scene 5
Juliet waits for the Nurse's return with the news about Romeo
The Nurse arrives and stalls Juliet instead of telling her the news right away
The Nurse instructs Juliet to meet Romeo at Friar Lawrence's cell where she will become Romeo's wife
Scene 6
Friar Lawrence fears the wedding may have consequences but Romeo insists that he should marry Juliet
Juliet arrives and Friar Lawrence tells her both that he and Romeo should be grateful to her
Romeo invites Juliet to express their happiness however Juliet says her happiness is too great for words
Friar Lawrence then marries them
Act 3
Scene 1
Mercutio refuses to leave the street and accuses Benvolio of hypocrisy, claims Benvolio is the most quarrelsome man he knows and seeking for a fight
As Benvolio feared, the Capulets appear, Mercutio taunts Tybalt however Tybalt remains calm
When Romeo arrives he states Romeo is a "villain" and challenges him to "turn and draw"
Romeo declines the offer for the duel as he has recently married Juliet (Tybalt is now considered Romeo's cousin in-law)
Mercutio is digusted by Romeo's "submission" and accepts the duel in Romeo's place
When Romeo attempts to stop them, Mercutio is stabbed and died
In anger, he fights Tybalt and kills him
At Benvolio's request, he runs and Prince Escales hears the report from Benvolio, he is furious that his kinsman, Mercutio had been murdered
He states he will heavily fine both families
He banishes Romeo out of Verona to reside in Mantua and if he were to return, he would be executed
Scene 2
When the Nurse arrives to Juliet, she is wailing "he's dead"
Juliet assumes the worst, that who "he is dead" is Romeo
The Nurse states the corpse was "all bedaub'd in blood"
She then discovered Romeo had killed Tybalt
Juliet is shocked by this that Romeo had been gulity of the crime describing him as "Beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical! dove-feather'd raven, wolvish-ravening lamb!"
The Nurse wishes shame on Romeo
Juliet still defends Romeo "shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?" She then points out Tybalt had been trying to kill Romeo and is comforted that Romeo is alive more than she is upset at Tybalt's death
Juliet realises Romeo had been banished and states words cannot express her sorrow and that she will "die maiden-widowed"
The Nurse reveals Romeo is hiding in Friar Lawrence's cell and she will tell Romeo to come and comfort Juliet
Juliet gives the Nurse a ring to give Romeo
Scene 3
Romeo seeks Friar Lawrence for help and is hiding in his cell
Friar Lawrence fears Romeo is enjoying is latest "calamity" (significant event)
Friar Lawrence tells Romeo that he should thank Prince Escales for banishing him instead of execution
Romeo insists that banishment is worse as death
Friar Lawrence tells Romeo to be paitent and not to waste time complaining about circumstances that cannot be changed, he states that madmen wont listen to advice
Romeo rejects Friar Lawrence's advice and implies Friar Lawrence is being unwise by ignoring his distress and not acknowledging his problems because Friar Lawrence isnt young nor in love so he cannot understand his feelings
The Nurse arrives and tells Romeo to "be a man" and reports that Juliet has done nothing but weep, fall down, and call out "Tybalt" then "Romeo"
Romeo interepts this as his name is killing Juliet and therefore tries to stab himself, the Nurse then disarms him
Romeo's sinful attempt of suicide engages Friar Lawrence, he tells Romeo he should be ashamed of acting like a beast or a woman
Friar Lawrence tells Romeo to be grateful for his "pack of blessings"
Friar Lawrence tells Romeo to go to Mantua until the Friar can publicise his marriage to Juliet and persuade Prince Escales to paron him
The Nurse is impressed by this advice as it shows he is "learning"
The Nurse hands Juliet's ring to Romeo and is comforted
Friar Lawrence warns Romeo to leave Juliet before dawn so he can safely escape to Mantua from Verona
Scene 4
Lord Capulet offers Juliet to Paris to be wed to him at Thursday, 3 days later, for the wedding Lord Capulet decides on a small one for respect of Tybalt
Scene 5
Romeo spends the night with Juliet and realises it is getting light out so he must "be gone and live or stay and die"
When Juliet insists that is not morning, Romeo says he is willing to stay even at risk of arrest/execution
Juliet realises it is morning and bids Romeo to "be gone"
When he climbs down the rope ladder, Juliet gets a image of him in his grave (foreshadowing)
He reassures her before departing for Mantua
Lady Capulet comes in and assumes Juliet is crying that Romeo, Tybalt's murderer, is still alive. During her exchange, she replies ambigiously
Lady Capulet announces "good news" that Juliet's father had arranged her marriage with Paris, Juliet rejects the marriage and states she would rather marry "Romeo, whom you know I hate" than Paris
Lord Capulet is infuriated to hear of this rejection and threatens to drag her to the wedding, Lord Capulet condemns her actions and berates her, calling her a "curse" and threatens to throw Juliet to let her "die in the streets"
The Nurse attempts to calm Lord Capulet down but redirects his abuse to her
Juliet appeals to her mother but she replies with "Talk not to me, for i'll not speak a word. Do as thou whilt, for I have done with thee"
Juliet accepts the Nurse's advice to marr Paris as he is better than Romeo and he is good as dead
Juliet tells the Nurse to tell her parents that she will confess her sin of disobedience to Friar Lawrence
When the Nurse leaves, Juliet condemns her as a "wicked fiend" and visits Friar Lawrence, if he has no solution then she will kill herself
Act 4
Scene 1
Friar Lawrence tells Paris he is unhappy with the "haste" of his marriage with Juliet especially as its not clear what Juliet wants
Paris explains that Capulet has brought the wedding forward to distract her grief from Tybalt's death
When Juliet arrives she avoids telling Paris she loves him, when Paris leaves, Juliet tells Friar Lawrence she is desperate enough to kill herself if he cannot save her from marrying Paris
Friar Lawrence tells Juliet he haas a "desperate" plan that depends on her bravery, Juliet replies that she would do anything
Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a potion to make her appear dead for 42 hours, while she is buried in the family's vault, Friar Lawrence will write to Romeo telling him of the plan
Romeo and Friar Lawrence will release her from the tomb and Romeo will take her to Mantia
Friar Lawrence tells Juliet the plan will work as long as she is determined and not put off by "womanish fear"
Scene 2
Lord Capulet is pleased ot hear Juliet had gone to Friar Lawrence to confess, when Juliet returns, she asks her father's forgiveness and promises to obey him in the future
Delighted, Lord Capulet decided to bring forward the wedding to the folowing morning, he says the whole city should be grateful to Friar Lawrence for reclaiming her from sin and forgiveness
Scene 3
Juliet sends way her mother and the Nurse, now she is overcome with mounting fears, perhaps the potion will not work or it might kill her, or she will wake up in the tomb to suffocate, driven mad by horrible sights, smells and sounds around her
She calms herself and drinks the potion
Scene 4
In the early hours of the morning, the Capulet household is preparing for the wedding, the Nurse and Lady Capulet try to make Lord Capulet stop interfering and go to bed
Suddenly, they hear Paris arriving with his muscians so Lord Capulet sends the Nurse to get Juliet ready
Scene 5
The Nurse finds Juliet deeply asleep, when she tries to wake her, the Nurse believes that Juliet is dead
Lady Capulet joins in with the Nurse's wailing and Lord Capulet arrives and finds the death "ties up my tongue and will not let me speak"
Paris aswell arrives and devastated by the "most detestable death"
Lord Capulet's earlier anger and revulsion towards Juliet are forgotten as "with my child, my joys are buried"
Friar Lawrence whom arrives with Paris tells them they should be ashamed, they wanted the best for Juliet and now she got it, "eternal life" in heaven
He tells them to dry their tears and prepare for Juliet's burial and funeral
Lord Capulet states that all the things they had gathered for the wedding will now be of use for the funeral, "all things change them to the contrary"
Act 5
Scene 1
Romeo is feeling cheerful as in a dream, it foretells "some joyful news", although in this dream, Juliet found him dead, she had brought him back to life with a kiss
He marvels if this dream, the sweet "shadow" of love is "so rich in joy" then how sweeter the real thing will be
Balthasar arrives with the news Juliet is dead, "her body sleeps in the Capel's monument", he asks Romeo's forgiveness for having to bring bad news
Balthasar tells Romeo he holds no letters from Friar Lawrence, Romeo sends Balthasar for "ink and paper" and horses and reveals to him he is going to poison himself next to Juliet's body
He visits an apothecary (pharamacy), who he knows he will agree to sell Romeo a deadly poison
He sets for the Capulet tomb with the poison which he calls a "cordial" (pleasant tasting medicine) as it will cure him
Scene 2
Friar John who was supposed to take the letter to Romeo, brings bad news to Friar Lawrence as he was quarantined in a house as a part of plague prevention precaution so he could not deliver the letter
When Friar Lawrence receives this news he exclaims "unhappy fortune!"
Friar Lawrence immediately realises that this "may do much danger" and sends Friar John for a crowbar to break the tomb open
Friar Lawrence decides to write to Romeo again asking him to come back to his cell where he will keep Juliet until Romeo arrives
Scene 3
Paris arrives at Juliet's tomb, Romeo arrives, dismisses Balthasar and begins to force open the tomb
When Paris attempts to arrest Romeo, Romeo fights back and kills him, feeling sorry for Paris, Romeo lays his body in the tomb
Romeo is amazed Juliet still looks beautiful and alive, he fears that death is keeping Juliet for a lover
He vows to stay and protect her so he drinks the poison and dies
Friar Lawrence finds the bodies of Romeo and Paris, Juliet wakes up and Friar Lawrence fails to get her to come away with him
Hearing the watch coming, Friar Lawrence leaves
Juliet, finding Romeo had left her no poison, she opts for killing herself with his dagger
Balthasar and Friar Lawrence were caught
Prince Escales, Lord Montague and the Capulets arrive, Friar Lawrence explains everything that had happened and a letter that Romeo left his father confirms Friar Lawrence's account
In collective grief, Montague and Capulet families reconcile
Prince Escales announces that "some shall be pardon'd and some punished"