Overview/ Key quotes

• The action starts with a fight on the streets of Verona between the Montagues and Capulets
• The Prince threatens the patriarchs of the families that if another fight like this breaks out they will pay with their "lives"
• Paris, a young nobleman, asks Lord Capulet for Juliet's hand in marriage
• Lord Capulet


  Believes Juliet is too young to marry
• Lord Capulet invites Paris to a feast that he is throwing, giving Paris an opportunity to "woo" Juliet
• The audience is then introduced to Lady Capulet, Juliet and her Nurse
• Juliet: 'It is a fate that "I dream not of."'
• The audience is then introduced to a lovesick Romeo who through the encouragement of Mercutio chooses to go to Capulet's feast to distract himself from how much he misses Rosaline
• Romeo and Juliet meet at Capulet's feast and fall in love, but quickly find out that they belong to the opposing families
• Mercutio and Benvolio are looking for Romeo after the "feast"
• This is the iconic balcony scene where Romeo and Juliet confess their love for each other and plan to be married
• Romeo meets with the Friar to ask if he will marry Romeo and Juliet
• The Friar agrees to marry the couple, hopeful about the peace it could bring to the families
• The Nurse meets with Romeo, Romeo tells her that Juliet should meet him in Friar Laurence's cell. They make plans to consummate the marriage
• The Nurse tells Juliet about what she and Romeo had discussed
• Romeo and Juliet are secretly married by the Friar
• Tybalt challenges Romeo to a fight but Romeo refuses. Mercutio steps in and is killed by Tybalt. Romeo is then filled with a murderous rage and kills Tybalt
• The Prince hears about this from Benvolio and then banishes Romeo
• The Nurse returns to tell Juliet the news about Romeo's banishment. Juliet is distraught about it
• The Friar tells Romeo about his banishment and Romeo is troubled and threatens to kill himself. The Nurse comes with news saying Juliet is in the same state. The Friar comes through with a plan to save the couple. He sends Romeo to Mantua
• Capulet decides (in hopes of making Juliet feel happier) that his daughter must marry Paris without asking her opinion
• Juliet refuses to marry Paris which leads to her father threatening to disown her
• Juliet goes to the Friar to help
• The Friar gives Juliet a potion that will make it look like she's dead and tells Friar John to go to Mantua to tell Romeo of the plan
• Juliet takes the potion
• The Capulets prepare for the wedding
• The Nurse finds Juliet's 'dead body' and the family begins to grieve as the wedding turns into a funeral
• Romeo hears news of Juliet's death in Mantua and, unaware of the Friar's plan, finds an apothecary who gives him a poison
• Paris protects Juliet's tomb, Romeo enters trying to find Juliet the two fight and Paris dies. Romeo sees Juliet, drinks the poison, dies, Juliet wakes up as Friar Laurence arrives, he then goes outside as he hears voices. Juliet then takes Romeo's dagger and stabs herself
• The families of the lovers enter the scene and agree to make peace
• Elizabethans


  Believed that humans were made of three parts: the mind, body and soul. While all three are separate they are one and the same.
• Due to Romeo's heartbreak


  The three parts of him have been separated and so he is not the normal Romeo or Romeo at all because his heart (soul) has been broken.
• Paris


  • A young man of royal descent
• Lord Capulet


  • Holds a feast at his mansion that night
• Capulet sends his servant Peter

  To give the invites to the guests
• Peter cannot read and so sees Romeo and Benvolio and asks Romeo to help read the list</b>
• Peter informs Romeo and Benvolio of the feast at his master's house
• Romeo learns that Rosaline will be at the feast
• Benvolio thinks it is an opportunity to get Romeo's mind off Rosaline


  Romeo only agrees to go so that he may get a glimpse of Rosaline
• Capulet: '"My child is yet a stranger in the world. She hath not seen the change of fourteen years."'