The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

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1. ACT I.

   The Chorus's prologue announces the lovers' fate. A street brawl between the households is broken up by the Prince, who threatens death for any new fighting. Romeo, lovesick for Rosaline, is persuaded to slip into a Capulet feast, where he and Juliet meet, fall in love at once, and then each discover the other belongs to the enemy house.

   1. Scene 1 — A public place.

      After the Chorus's opening sonnet, a quarrel between Capulet and Montague servants erupts into a brawl; Benvolio tries to keep the peace while Tybalt inflames it. Prince Escalus stops the fighting and decrees death for further violence. Benvolio then learns from the melancholy Romeo that he pines hopelessly for a cold mistress, Rosaline.

   2. Scene 2 — A Street.

      Capulet tells Count Paris he may court Juliet and invites guests to a feast that night. An illiterate servant, unable to read the guest list, asks Romeo to decipher it, and so unwittingly invites him. Benvolio urges Romeo to come and compare Rosaline against Verona's other beauties.

   3. Scene 3 — Room in Capulet's House.

      Lady Capulet, helped by the garrulous, bawdy Nurse, tells the not-yet-fourteen Juliet that Paris seeks her hand. Juliet, dutiful but unmoved, promises only to 'look to like' him no more than her mother approves.

   4. Scene 4 — A Street.

      On the way to the feast, the masked Romeo voices a sense of foreboding. Mercutio mocks his lovesickness and spins the fantastical Queen Mab speech about the fairy who gallops through sleepers' dreams, before Romeo's dread of 'some consequence yet hanging in the stars.'

   5. Scene 5 — A Hall in Capulet's House.

      At the feast Romeo sees Juliet and forgets Rosaline at once. Tybalt recognizes the Montague voice and is furious, but Capulet forbids any disturbance. Romeo and Juliet share their first words in the form of a sonnet and kiss; only afterward does each learn, with dismay, that the other is a sworn enemy.

2. ACT II.

   A second Chorus sonnet marks the turn from Rosaline to Juliet. Romeo lingers beneath Juliet's window; in the balcony scene the two exchange vows and resolve to marry. Friar Lawrence agrees to wed them, hoping to end the feud, and with the Nurse as go-between the secret marriage is arranged and performed.

   1. Scene 1 — An open place adjoining Capulet's Garden.

      After the Chorus's second prologue, Romeo gives his friends the slip and leaps the orchard wall. Mercutio comically 'conjures' for him with bawdy jokes about Rosaline, then he and Benvolio give up and go home.

   2. Scene 2 — Capulet's Garden.

      The balcony scene: overhearing Juliet confess her love to the night ('wherefore art thou Romeo'), Romeo reveals himself. The two trade vows, worry at how sudden it all is, and agree that Juliet will send to him next day to arrange their marriage; they part with 'sweet sorrow.'

   3. Scene 3 — Friar Lawrence's Cell.

      Friar Lawrence, gathering herbs and musing on how the same plant can heal or kill, is surprised by Romeo's new love. Doubtful of such a swift change of heart, he nonetheless agrees to marry the pair, hoping the union will turn the households' rancour to pure love.

   4. Scene 4 — A Street.

      Mercutio and Benvolio report that Tybalt has sent Romeo a challenge, then trade quick-fire wit with the newly cheerful Romeo. The Nurse arrives on her errand and is teased mercilessly by Mercutio; Romeo sends word that Juliet should come to Friar Lawrence's cell to be married.

   5. Scene 5 — Capulet's Garden.

      Juliet frets through the long wait for the Nurse, who, returning footsore, teases her with delays and complaints before finally delivering the happy news: Juliet is to go to the cell that afternoon to become Romeo's wife.

   6. Scene 6 — Friar Lawrence's Cell.

      At the cell Friar Lawrence warns that 'these violent delights have violent ends' and counsels moderation. Romeo and Juliet, impatient with joy, are led away to be married.

3. ACT III.

   The tragedy turns. Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo kills Tybalt, and the Prince banishes Romeo on pain of death. The newlyweds spend a single night together before Romeo flees to Mantua; meanwhile Capulet, to lift his daughter's supposed grief for Tybalt, suddenly commands her to marry Paris, and when she refuses he turns on her violently.

   1. Scene 1 — A public Place.

      Tybalt seeks Romeo, who — now secretly his kinsman — refuses to fight. Mercutio draws in his place and is fatally stabbed under Romeo's arm, cursing 'a plague o' both your houses.' Enraged, Romeo kills Tybalt and flees; the Prince banishes him rather than execute him.

   2. Scene 2 — A Room in Capulet's House.

      Longing for night and her husband, Juliet instead hears from the Nurse that Romeo has killed Tybalt and is banished. Torn between grief for her cousin and love for Romeo, she chooses Romeo, and sends the Nurse with a ring to bring him to her that night.

   3. Scene 3 — Friar Lawrence's cell.

      Hidden in the Friar's cell, Romeo rages that banishment is worse than death. The Friar rebukes his despair and lays out a plan: Romeo will spend the night with Juliet, then live in Mantua until the marriage can be revealed and a pardon won.

   4. Scene 4 — A Room in Capulet's House.

      Late at night, Capulet abruptly promises Juliet to Paris and fixes the wedding for Thursday, certain it will comfort her supposed mourning for Tybalt.

   5. Scene 5 — An open Gallery to Juliet's Chamber, overlooking the Garden.

      At dawn the lovers part after their wedding night, debating whether it is the lark or the nightingale they hear. Lady Capulet then brings news of the Paris match; when Juliet refuses, Capulet flies into a rage and threatens to disown her. Even the Nurse advises her to forget Romeo and marry Paris, and Juliet resolves to seek the Friar's help.

4. ACT IV.

   Desperate to avoid the marriage to Paris, Juliet gets from Friar Lawrence a potion that will make her seem dead for forty-two hours, so that she can be laid in the family tomb and wake to escape with Romeo. She drinks it alone in terror; the next morning her family find her apparently dead, and the wedding preparations become a funeral.

   1. Scene 1 — Friar Lawrence's Cell.

      Paris arranges the wedding at the cell as Juliet arrives. Alone with her, the Friar gives her a vial: drink it the night before the wedding, and she will fall into a death-like sleep, to wake in the Capulet vault where Romeo will be waiting.

   2. Scene 2 — Hall in Capulet's House.

      Juliet returns seemingly repentant and submits to the match, delighting her father, who in his joy moves the wedding forward a day, to Wednesday — tightening the scheme's timing.

   3. Scene 3 — Juliet's Chamber.

      Alone at night, Juliet steels herself against her fears — that the potion will fail, or that she will wake too early among the bones of her ancestors and the fresh corpse of Tybalt — and drinks it, calling on Romeo.

   4. Scene 4 — Hall in Capulet's House.

      The Capulet household stays up through the night in a bustle of cooking and errands as Capulet, merry and sleepless, hurries the servants to ready the wedding feast.

   5. Scene 5 — Juliet's Chamber; Juliet on the bed.

      The Nurse finds Juliet cold in her bed, and the household breaks into grief; the wedding flowers and music are turned to a funeral. A brief comic exchange between Peter and the hired musicians closes the scene.

5. Act V.

   In Mantua Romeo hears only that Juliet is dead — the Friar's explanatory letter never arrives — and buys poison to die beside her. At the tomb he kills the mourning Paris, drinks the poison, and dies; Juliet wakes moments later, finds him dead, and stabs herself. Over the bodies of their children, and with the Friar's confession, the Montagues and Capulets are at last reconciled.

   1. Scene 1 — Mantua. A Street.

      Cheered by a hopeful dream, Romeo is met in Mantua by his man Balthasar with the news that Juliet lies dead in the Capulet tomb. Resolving to lie with her that night, Romeo bullies a poverty-stricken Apothecary into selling him a fast, deadly poison.

   2. Scene 2 — Friar Lawrence's Cell.

      Friar Lawrence learns that Friar John, sent with the crucial letter to Romeo, was shut up in a plague-quarantined house and never delivered it. Realizing Romeo does not know the truth, Lawrence hurries to the tomb to be there when Juliet wakes.

   3. Scene 3 — A churchyard; in it a Monument belonging to the Capulets.

      Paris comes to mourn at Juliet's tomb and is killed fighting the intruding Romeo, who then takes his last look at Juliet, drinks the poison, and dies. Juliet wakes to find him dead and stabs herself with his dagger. The Friar's confession reveals the secret marriage; grief-stricken, Capulet and Montague clasp hands, and the Prince closes with 'never was a story of more woe.'

Characters

• Romeo protagonist

  The only son of Montague, a passionate young man who pines for Rosaline until he meets Juliet at the Capulet feast and falls instantly, wholly in love. He marries her in secret, is banished for killing Tybalt, and kills himself at her tomb believing her dead.

• Juliet protagonist

  Capulet's only daughter, not yet fourteen, who grows from an obedient child into a resolute young woman in the space of a few days. She secretly marries Romeo, defies her father's plan to wed Paris, takes a sleeping potion to escape it, and stabs herself when she wakes to find Romeo dead.

• Mercutio major

  A kinsman of Prince Escalus and Romeo's quick-witted, mercurial friend, famous for the fanciful Queen Mab speech and a torrent of bawdy puns. Neither Montague nor Capulet, he is drawn into the feud and slain by Tybalt under Romeo's arm, cursing 'a plague o' both your houses.'

• Benvolio supporting

  Montague's nephew and Romeo's level-headed cousin, a peacemaker who tries to stop the opening brawl and to coax Romeo out of his lovesickness. He reports the deaths in the street fight truthfully to the Prince, then disappears from the play.

• Tybalt antagonist

  Lady Capulet's nephew, a hot-tempered swordsman who treats the feud as a point of honour. He spots Romeo at the feast and burns to fight him; the next day he kills Mercutio and is killed by Romeo, the act that gets Romeo banished and sets the tragedy in motion.

• Nurse major

  Juliet's wet-nurse and lifelong companion, earthy, talkative, and bawdy. She acts as go-between for the lovers and helps arrange the secret marriage, but loses Juliet's trust when she advises her to forget the banished Romeo and marry Paris instead.

• Friar Lawrence major

  A Franciscan friar and herbalist who is Romeo's confessor. Hoping to reconcile the two houses, he secretly marries Romeo and Juliet and devises the sleeping-potion plan; when his letter to Romeo miscarries, the scheme ends in both lovers' deaths.

• Capulet major

  The head of the house of Capulet and Juliet's father. Genial host at the feast, he at first counsels patience over the marriage, but turns tyrannical when Juliet refuses Paris, threatening to disown her. He is reconciled with Montague over their children's bodies.

• Lady Capulet supporting

  Juliet's mother, cooler and more distant than the Nurse, who urges the match with Paris and, after Tybalt's death, demands Romeo's life. She is unable to soften her husband when he turns on their daughter.

• Paris supporting

  A young count and kinsman of the Prince who seeks Juliet's hand with Capulet's blessing. Courteous and sincere, he mourns at her tomb, where he fights and is killed by Romeo, asking with his last breath to be laid beside her.

• Prince Escalus supporting

  The Prince of Verona, who tries to keep civil peace between the warring houses. He decrees death for further brawling, banishes Romeo rather than executing him, and pronounces the play's closing judgment that 'all are punish'd.'

• Montague supporting

  The head of the house of Montague and Romeo's father, worried over his son's secret melancholy early in the play. He reports that grief over Romeo's banishment has killed his wife, and vows to raise a golden statue of Juliet in reconciliation.

• Lady Montague minor

  Romeo's mother, who appears only briefly to stay her husband from the opening brawl and to ask after her son. Montague later reports that she has died of grief at Romeo's exile.

• Sampson minor

  A swaggering servant of the Capulets who, with Gregory, starts the street brawl that opens the play by biting his thumb at the Montague men. His talk is full of bluster and bawdy jokes about Montague maids.

• Gregory minor

  A servant of the Capulets who trades quibbles with Sampson and helps provoke the opening fight with the house of Montague.

• Abraham minor

  A servant of the Montagues who confronts Sampson and Gregory in the opening scene, demanding whether they bite their thumb at him.

• Balthasar minor

  Romeo's faithful servant, who brings him the false news in Mantua that Juliet is dead and lies buried in the Capulet vault, then accompanies him to the tomb.

• Peter minor

  A comic servant attending the Nurse, who carries her fan, fails to defend her from Mercutio's mockery, and banters with the musicians after Juliet is found apparently dead.

• Second Capulet minor

  An elderly kinsman of Capulet (the 'cousin Capulet' and old uncle of the cast list) who sits with him at the feast reminiscing about how many years it has been since they last wore a masker's costume.

• Friar John minor

  A Franciscan of the same order as Friar Lawrence, sent to carry the crucial letter to Romeo in Mantua. Quarantined in a plague-sealed house, he never delivers it, and the failure dooms the lovers' plan.

• Apothecary minor

  A poor, gaunt druggist of Mantua who, against the law and his own conscience, sells Romeo the deadly poison because his poverty leaves him no choice.

• Chorus chorus

  A single speaker who delivers the two sonnet-form prologues, to Act 1 ('Two households, both alike in dignity...') and Act 2, framing the action and announcing the 'pair of star-cross'd lovers' before the story begins.

• Page minor

  Count Paris's young page, who keeps watch at the churchyard, whistles a warning when Romeo approaches, and runs to fetch the watch after the fatal fight at the tomb.

• First Citizen minor

  An officer of the watch and citizen of Verona who rouses the townsfolk against the brawling households with the cry 'Clubs, bills, and partisans!' and later helps secure the scene of the killings.

• First Musician minor

  One of the musicians hired for Juliet's wedding, left idle when the celebration becomes a funeral; he trades jokes with Peter about a doleful tune and a dinner.

• Second Musician minor

  A wedding musician who banters with Peter and the other players after Juliet is discovered as if dead.

• Third Musician minor

  The third of the wedding musicians dismissed when Juliet's marriage feast is turned to mourning.

• Servant minor

  Various unnamed serving-men of the Capulet household. One, unable to read, asks Romeo to decipher the guest list and so unwittingly invites him to the feast; others prepare the hall and run errands.

• First Servant minor

  A Capulet serving-man clearing the great hall after the feast, calling for help to take away the plate and stools.

• Second Servant minor

  A second Capulet serving-man, busy with the bustle of the household before the feast and the aborted wedding.

• First Watchman minor

  The chief watchman who discovers the bodies at the Capulet tomb, takes Balthasar and Friar Lawrence into custody, and summons the Prince.

• Second Watchman minor

  A watchman who helps secure the churchyard after the deaths at the tomb.

• Third Watchman minor

  A watchman who helps guard the churchyard and the captured friar in the play's final scene.

Cross-references

• Folger Shakespeare
• MIT plain text
• Wikipedia