Romeo and Juliet essay example

Plot Summary

Romeo and Juliet starts off in Verona, Italy. The play opens with the servants of rival families, the Montagues and the Capulets battling in a sword fight. In the streets of Verona, another brawl breaks out between the servants of the feuding families of Capulet and Montague. Benvolio tries to stop the fighting but begins to fight with Tybalt when he arrives at the scene. The citizens of Verona become fed up with the constant fighting in the streets, due to this Prince Escalus, ruler of Verona, declares that any conflict within the city will be punished by death.

Meanwhile, Romeo, a young man from the Montague house, confesses his love for a woman named Rosaline, who has promised herself that she will remain single for the rest of her life. Benvolio encourages Romeo to find new love. While this is happening, Paris, a relative of the Prince, asks Capulet if he can marry his daughter Juliet. Capulet is very pleased for the couple but asks for Paris to wait two years as Juliet is only thirteen.

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Capulet sends out a servant with a list of people to invite to a masquerade party and feast he traditionally hosts, he invites Paris to the feast, with the hope of Juliet falling in love with him. Romeo and his friend Benvolio stumble across a servant of the Capulet family, Peter, who is trying to read the guestlist for the masquerade party. Romeo helps Peter read the list and decides to attend the party because Rosaline will be there. Romeo plans to wear a mask so that nobody will recognize him.

Juliet’s mother, Lady Capulet and her nurse discuss with Juliet about the possibility of marrying Paris. Juliet is very unsure as she had never even thought about marriage. Juliet agrees to watch Paris throughout the masquerade party to see if there is the possibility she could fall in love with him.

Once the feast has begun, Romeo, Benvolio and their friend Mercutio sneak into the Capulet house. Once inside, Romeo instantly sees Juliet and falls in love with her, forgetting about Rosaline completely. Not long after Romeo’s arrival, Tybalt sees Romeo but is forced not to fight him by Capulet. Romeo speaks to Juliet, and the couple instantly falls in love. They kiss when they still do not even know each other's names. Romeo soon finds out from Juliet’s nurse that Juliet is a Capulet. Romeo becomes rather upset by the situation. Soon after Juliet discovers that Romeo is a Montague and to becomes rather upset by the situation.

When the party is over, Romeo departs from Benvolio and Mercutio and decides to go back to see Juliet. Romeo calls for her until she is at her window. The couple exchange vows of love and then Romeo rushes off to see Friar Laurence. Romeo explains the events to Friar Lawrence and he is very shocked but agrees to marry the two the following day.

The next morning, Benvolio and Mercutio come across Tybalt, who is still infuriated that Romeo snuck into the Capulet masquerade party. Tybalt begins to battle with Benvolio and Mercutio, Romeo arrives on the scene and tries to stop the fighting, but Tybalt stabs Mercutio and he dies. Romeo, full of rage stabs Tybalt and he too dies. The Prince banishes Romeo from Verona forever due to his crime.

Friar Laurence arranges for Romeo and Juliet to spend their final night together before Romeo leaves for Mantua the next morning. Juliet waits for her new husband in her room but instead, her nurse comes in bearing some terrible news, that Tybalt has been killed by Romeo. Juliet becomes rather upset that her husband has killed her kinsman but settles soon after as her love belongs to Romeo.

Later that night, Romeo sneaks into Juliet’s room and the couple say their good-byes, as they are unsure of when they will see each other again. Later that day, Juliet finds out that she has to marry Paris in just three days. Juliet becomes very confused about the situation and consults her nurse for help. Juliet’s nurse advises that she forgets about Romeo and acts like he is dead. Juliet becomes very upset by her nurse’s disloyalty and leaves to see Friar Laurence for advice.

Friar Laurence comes up with a plan so Juliet can be reunited with Romeo in Mantua. The night before the wedding, Juliet must drink a potion to make her appear to be dead. Once she has been left in the family’s crypt, Romeo and Friar Laurence will take her to live in Mantua, so the couple is away from the families feuding.

Juliet Capulet

Once Juliet has arrived home, she finds out that the wedding has been moved forward to the next day. That night just before she goes to sleep, Juliet drinks the potion. Juliet’s nurse discovers her dead body in the morning. The family mourn the death of Juliet and her body is left in the crypt as according to plan. The plan never makes it to Romeo in Mantua and he only hears that Juliet is dead.
Due to being so heartbroken, Romeo decides to kill himself rather than live without Juliet. Romeo buys a bottle of poison and rushes back to Verona to die by Juliet’s body. Outside her tomb, Romeo comes across Paris and they fight. Romeo kills Paris and rushes inside the tomb to be with Juliet, he drinks the poison and dies beside her. Moments later, Friar Laurence enters and finds that Paris has been murdered and Romeo has killed himself, Juliet awakens and Friar Laurence tries to take her with him. When Juliet refuses to leave, Friar Laurence leaves her alone with Romeo’s body. Juliet kisses Romeo’s lips in the hope the poison will kill her when it does not work, she digs a dagger into her chest and dies on top of Romeo’s body.

Soon after, the watch arrives, followed by the Prince, the Capulets and the Montagues. The families discover their children’s bodies and decide to end their feud and place gold statues of the young lover’s side by side in a now peaceful Verona.

Romeo Montague

Romeo Montague is the only son of the Montague family and next in line for the Montague residence. Romeo and his family, The Montague’s live in Verona, Italy. Romeo is only sixteen and is looking to find a wife.

Throughout the play he takes very little part in the feud between the Montague and Capulet families as he has been too distracted by his love for Rosaline to take part in any battles.

Romeo is left heartbroken by Rosaline at the beginning of the play as she does not want to commit herself to someone for life. His heartbreak is almost instantly mended when he meets Juliet Capulet at the Capulet masquerade party and falls in love with her.
Romeo is seen to be a very passionate person and always focuses on a single emotion, usually the emotion is love. His passion for love is so strong that he decides to drink poison as he does not believe that he can live without his love, Juliet.

Romeo is very poetic and likes to use his ability to speak well to win over a woman. This is displayed in Act 1 Scene 5, when Romeo makes Juliet turn red by saying “…my lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand/To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.”
Romeo can be viewed as witty and sensible as he tends to stay out of trouble aside from when he kills Tybalt as revenge for the murder of his best friend Mercutio.

Romeo dies at the end of the play next to Juliet as he commits suicide.
Juliet Capulet is the daughter of the Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet. Juliet also has a very close relationship with her nurse who takes on a mothering role to young Juliet. Juliet and the Capulet family live in Verona, Italy.
Juliet is only thirteen and is being pushed to marry Paris, the kinsman to Prince Escalus. She is very unsure whether she could even fall in love with him.

When we first meet Juliet, she is very reliant on her nurse and parents, but in just five days, with the assistance of Friar Laurence, has planned her own fake death so she can be reunited with her love, Romeo Montague.
Juliet is very loyal to her family but decides to branch off and marry Romeo after knowing each other for one day. Hours after her secret wedding, Juliet finds out Romeo has killed her cousin and family’s kinsman Tybalt. She is very distressed about the situation but decides to forget about Tybalt to focus on her relationship with Romeo.

Due to the family’s heartbreak of the death of Tybalt, Juliet is forced to marry Paris the next day. Juliet turns to her nurse for help but is betrayed and their relationship is lost. She does not want to marry Paris and just wants to be with Romeo.
Juliet dies at the end of the play next to her husband Romeo, after she has found his dead body next to her. Her death is a suicide by stabbing herself with Romeo’s dagger.

Tybalt Capulet

Tybalt Capulet is the cousin of Juliet Capulet and kinsman of the Capulet family. Tybalt is very aggressive throughout the play, he is always looking for a fight with a member of the Montague family. Tybalt wants to keep the feud between the families that has been happening through many generations to continue and will kill any member of the Montague family whenever the chance arises. He also despises anyone who even discusses keeping the peace between the two families.

At the masquerade party at the beginning of the play, Tybalt has to be held back from killing Romeo Montague by Lord Capulet due to the known consequences.

Tybalt is always looking out for his family and has always stood by their beliefs. He will also go to the extremes to protect and satisfy the Capulet family. It is noticed that Tybalt is very arrogant towards people, especially those lower than him. in Act 3 Scene 1 is the result of a street battle between Romeo and Tybalt after Tybalt killed Romeo’s best friend Mercutio.

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