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Romeo and Juliet Overview

In this vdo we intend to present introduction to shakepare’s Drama Romeo and Juliet.

Before discussing Romeo and Juliet, better we talk about the definition and elements of drama
so we can understand what drama is and how it effects human thoughts and social norms.

Litrary Definition of drama : a composition in verse or prose intended to portray life or character
or to tell a story usually involving conflicts and emotions through action and dialogue and
typically designed for theatrical performance.

The six Aristotelian elements of drama are, plot, character, thought, diction, spectacle,
and song. Out of these, the first two are the most important ones according to Aristotle

Drama is a dramatic work that actors present on stage. A story is dramatized, which means the
characters and events in the story are brought to life through a stage performance by actors who
act through its events, taking the story forward. Actors portray the character's emotions and
personalities. The story progresses through verbal and non-verbal interactions between the
characters.

Technique for writing a drama involves five basic elements which include:

Theme: The theme of a play refers to its central idea. It can either be clearly stated through dialog
or action, or can be inferred after watching the entire performance. The theme is the philosophy
that forms the base of the story or a moral lesson that the characters learn. It is the message that
the play gives to the audience. For example, the theme of a play could be of how greed leads to
one's destruction, or how the wrong use of authority ultimately results in the end of power. The
theme of a play could be blind love or the strength of selfless love and sacrifice, or true friendship.
For example, the play Romeo and Juliet, is based on a brutal and overpowering romantic love
between Romeo and Juliet that forces them to go to extremes, finally leading them to self-
destruction.

Plot: The order of events occurring in a play make its plot. Essentially, the plot is the story that
the play narrates. The entertainment value of a play depends largely on the sequence of events
in the story. The connection between the events and the characters in them form an integral part
of the plot.

Characters: The characters that form a part of the story are interwoven with the plot of the
drama. Each character in a play has a personality of its own and a set of principles and beliefs.
Actors in the play have the responsibility of bringing the characters to life. The main character in
the play who the audience identifies with, is the protagonist. He/she represents the theme of the
play. The character that the protagonist conflicts with, is the antagonist or villain. While some
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characters play an active role throughout the story, some are only meant to take the story
forward and some others appear only in certain parts of the story and may or may not have a
significant role in it.

Dialoge: The story of a play is taken forward by means of dialogs. The story is narrated to the
audiences through the interaction between the play's characters, which is in the form of dialogs.
It is through the dialogs between characters that the story can be understood. They are important
in revealing the personalities of the characters.

Setting: The time and place where a story is set is one of its important parts. The era or time in
which the incidents in the play take place, influence the characters in their appearance and
personalities. The time setting may affect the central theme of the play, the issues raised (if any),
the conflict, and the interactions between the characters. The historical and social context of the
play is also defined by the time and place where it is set.

A drama can be classified in many types such as:

1. Comedy 2. Farce Tragedy 3. Melodrama 4. Fantasy 5. Musical

A comedy makes us laugh when the play is well-composed with the humorous elements. The
story is usually based on real-life characters, funny experiences in life, or any type of fun-
provoking situation. A comical drama can also be sarcastic and raunchy. It is usually light in tone
and has happy endings. Composing a comical drama requires high level of intellect and perceptive
faculties, because provoking laughter is not as easy as it may seem.

It is one of the oldest forms of drama. It exposes the plight and suffering of humans to the
audience. The perfect example of a tragic drama is Shakespeare's Hamlet. The theme of a tragedy
usually rotates around the ruins of a dynasty, downfall of man, emotional betrayals, moral
setback, personal loss, death, and denials. A tragedy when composed and enacted well can touch
you deeply. These rarely have happy endings.

Structure of Drama

Plot is the order of events that make up a story. There are five basic elements of a plot:

1) Introduction or Exposition 2) Rising Action 3) Climax 4) Falling Action

5) Resolution

The introduction is where the basic characters and plot elements such as setting are revealed
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Taking place within the first third of a story, novel or script, the rising action is also the part of
the work where the problem or conflict central to the plot is truly introduced

The climax is the turning point of a story, novel or script. It is the moment where it seems like the
main character is in danger or could even possibly fail at resolving the conflict. Depending on the
kind of conflict being faced (man vs. man, man vs. self, etc.) the actions at this point in the work
can be either physical or mental.

The end of a story, novel or script includes the last plot element -- the resolution. It is here that
loose ends are tied up, conflicts are concluded, outcomes are revealed and a happy or sad ending
takes place

Romeo and Juliet Overview

Key Facts about the Play

 Full title: The Most Excellent Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
 Period written: 1594-1596
 Category: Category of the play is already indicated in its title as tragedy
 Total Characters: There are total 37 characters of which six to eight characters are among
leading roles.
 First published in 1597. Published by Thomas Creede in The First Folio Edition.
 Prose/Verse: Text contains 12% prose and 88% of verse.
 The play is based on a fourteenth-century Italian novella and possible English source may
be The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet written by Arthur Brooke in 1562.
 One of the most quoted plays in history. The famous “balcony” scene had get its name
long after Shakespeare’s death. The word “balcony” did not exist in his time.
 This is a five act drama with and introductive prologue.

Biography of William Shakespeare

Shakespeare was born in 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon to William and Mary Shakespeare. His
father was a successful businessman though not of noble birth. Shakespeare married at 18 to
Anne Hathaway. They had three children although their only son, Hamnet, died at the age of 11.
Little is known about Shakespeare’s life prior to coming to the stage during the reign of Elizabeth
I. The author of 38 plays and 154 sonnets, Shakespeare is considered by many to be the greatest
playwright in English literary history and his sonnets are regarded as a form of sonnet unto
himself. Shakespeare died in 1616. Shakspeare was a poet and playwright and he blended his
plays both in the form of prose and poetry. Shakespeare wrote poetry in the form of blank Verse.
Blank Verse: It can also be defined as unrhymed iambic pentameter— that is, a line of poetry
containing five (“penta” from the Greek prefix meaning five) iambic feet, not rhyming with any
adjacent line. That’s ten syllables all 12 together. The pattern flows easily for speakers of English,
because the stresses match the human heart beat:
ta DUM ta DUM ta DUM ta DUM ta DUM
A way to remember the word “iambic” is to think of it as: i AM, i AM, i AM, i AM, i AM
If you say, “The Yankees and the Mets are New York’s teams” with natural inflection, you will have
spoken a line of iambic pentameter.
The YANK | ees AND | the METS | are NEW | York’s TEAMS
Now say a line from ROMEO & JULIET:
ROMEO
But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?

But SOFT | what LIGHT | through YON | der WIN | dow BREAKS

Introduction to Romeo and Juliet

One of Shakespeare’s earlier plays, Romeo and Juliet is one of two tragedies written between
1590-1595. The play is based on a fourteenth-century Italian short story, or novella, yet
Shakespeare’s version of the tale is distinctly different than the source text. As Shakespeare
adapted the tale for the Elizabethan stage, he wove elements of Elizabethan drama and a certain
level of bawdiness by including older characters that were not present in the original story. The
play was well-received in its time. It remained popular through the centuries, and is still a favorite
to this day. Romeo and Juliet may well vie for the top spot for Shakespeare’s most well-known
plays. For many years, critics tended to see the play in less favor than Shakespeare’s more heavy
handed tragedies, but the play has gained critical acceptance and is now a standard in high school
curricula.

As much as Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story, it is also a play about hate. The bloody feud
between the Capulets and the Montagues is the backdrop for all of the action in the play and it
is the catalyst for the tragic suicides of the two lovers. One may idealize the purity of love
between Romeo and Juliet, but we must pay as much attention to the hate and anger which fuel
the story. Love and hate are equally tragic each in their own way.

Main Characters of the drama

ESCALUS is prince of Verona

PARIS is a young nobleman, kinsman to the prince to whom Juliet is proposed to marry.

MONTAGUE is head of noble family. He is father of Romeo.

ROMEO is the son to Montague
BENVOLIO is nephew to Montague and friend to Romeo.

MERCUTIO is the kinsman to the prince Escalus and friend to Romeo.

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CAPULET is the head of other noble rival family and father of Juliet.
JULIET is the daughter of Capulate and in love with Romeo the son of her father’s rival Lord.

The Nurse: Juliet’s companion and confidante, like a mother to Juliet, unquestioningly helps Juliet
marry Romeo, advisor and friend.

TYBALT is a nephew to Lady Capulet

LADY MONTAGUE, wife to Montague

LADY CAPULET, wife to Capulet

FRIAR LAURENCE is the priest who wants peace and reconciliation between two families.
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Synopsys of the story: Romeo Juliet

The Montagues and the Capulets are two noble families in Renaissance Verona, Italy. Locked in
a long-standing feud, one that is fought by the nobles of the two families as well as their servants.

Both families have engaged in a series of bloody public battles. In response, the ruler of Verona,
Prince Escalus, is forced to intercede and declare that if any member of either family is caught
fighting in the future they will be put to death. Thus the feud is ostensibly put on hold.

The Capulets, it turns out, throw a masquerade ball each year. Obviously they do not invite the
Montagues. Juliet, daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet, is 13 and will soon be of marriage age.
It is the hope of her parents that she will fall in love with Paris who isa wealthy kinsman of Escalus,

At the party, as it happens, three of the Capulets, sixteen year-old Romeo, his cousin Benvolio,
and their friend Mercutio sneak into the ball. Romeo has his sights on Rosaline although she has
taken a vow of chastity and is unavailable.

As soon as Romeo lays eyes on Juliet he falls in love with her, and Juliet falls in love with him at
first sight. They soon find out, to their dismay, that they are from rival families.

Nevertheless, Romeo is so in love with Juliet that he climbs over a wall to hide under Juliet’s
window. As Juliet emerges from the window and tells the night sky about her love for Romeo, he
emerges from hiding and they admit their love to each other.

With the help of Friar Laurence and Juliet’s Nurse, who is especially attached to Juliet as her own
daughter, the couple are secretly married the next day.

The same day, Benvolio and Mercutio are waiting for Romeo on the street. It is here that Tybalt
confronts them and demands the presence of Romeo for a duel to punish him for invading the
ball.

As Mercutio stalls Tybalt with an eloquent but vague speech, Romeo arrives on the scene. After
a period of verbal sparring between Romeo and Tybalt, Mercutio draws his sword to attack
Tybalt. Romeo intervenes but Tybalt wounds Mercutio.

Tybalt flees the scene only to return after to find that Mercutio has died. Angry over the death
of Mercutio, Romeo engages Tybalt and kills him.

He decides to flee from the inevitable consequences from Escalus. Later, Escalus arrives, and
upon learning the details of the murder, he banishes Romeo from Verona for life.
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Juliet is heartbroken after finding out about all of this and sends her nurse to give her ring to
Romeo.

Later that night, Romeo returns to Juliet. He climbs into her room and their marriage is
consummated.

As morning approaches, Romeo is forced to leave. He departs for Mantua to await news of Juliet
and his banishment.

While Juliet and Romeo spend their night consummating their marriage, Lord Capulet sets about
making sure she marries Paris.

When Lord and Lady Capulet tell Juliet of their plans for her, she refuses. This sends he father
into a rage. Both Lady Capulet and Juliet’s nurse refuse to leave her alone.

Juliet visits Friar Lawrence shortly after this and the two of them hatch a scheme designed to
reunite her with Romeo. Friar Laurence is to give her a poision which will make her appear dead
for two days. During this time, Romeo will come to the Capulet family vault to meet her. Friar
Lawrence makes arrangements to alert Romeo of the plan.

Following the plan, on the day she and Paris are to be married, Juliet drinks the poison like potion.
She is found later by her nurse who alerts everyone that she is dead. The family is in mourning
over her apparent suicide. So as to expedite the scheme Friar Laurence explains that she should
be put in the family vault as soon as possible.

Friar Laurence is unfortunately unable to deliver a letter to Romeo in time to let him in on the
scheme.

Upon his return form Mantua Romeo hears that Juliet is dead. In his grief, he rushes back to
Verona. On the way he obtains a poison for the purpose of taking his own life. He also writes a
suicide note explaining all the tragic events which led him to kill himself.

In the meantime, Friar Laurence finds out that Romeo did not receive the letter. He rushes to
the tomb to intercede on behalf of the grief-stricken lover.

As Romeo approaches the Capulet tomb he discovers Paris guarding the vault and mourning the
death of his beloved, Juliet, who he believes is truly dead.

Paris challenges Romeo and Romeo kills him. As Romeo drags Paris’s body into the tomb, he
discovers Juliet and presumes she is dead. He drinks his poison, gives her a last kiss, and he dies.
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Friar Laurence arrives soon after this just as Juliet is waking up. He tries to convince her to run
away but she refuses. Juliet discovers the body of Romeo and realizes what he has done. She
drinks the poison and dies also.

As others arrive on the scene, Lord Capulet and Lord Montague also enter. They learn the truth
of the tragic events from Friar Laurence and the suicide letter from Romeo provides proof. The
two rival families agree to settle their differences and form an alliance as a result of the tragedy.
In this way the tragedy brings both the family together and peace prevails in Verona.

Act 1, Scene 5: A hall in Capulet's house.
Act 2, Prologue: PROLOGUE
Act 2, Scene 2: Capulet's orchard
Act 2, Scene 3: Friar Laurence's cell.
Act 2, Scene 5: Capulet's orchard.
Act 2, Scene 6: Friar Laurence's cell.
Act 3, Scene 2: Capulet's orchard.
Act 3, Scene 4: A room in Capulet's house.
Act 3, Scene 5: Capulet's orchard.
Act 4, Scene 5: Juliet's chamber.
Act 5, Scene 1: Mantua. A street.
The Montagues go to the ball and Romeo forgets
Rosalind as soon as he sees Juliet. Tybalt recognises
them but Lord Capulet will not allow a fight
The chorus informs us the pain R&J are in as they
can’t meet but passion will find a way.
The Balcony Scene: Romeo professes his love to
Juliet. They arrange a meeting.
Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence to arrange to marry
Juliet – he agrees thinking it will end the feud
between the families
The nurse delivers the news to Juliet of her
upcoming marriage to Romeo.
They marry.
Juliet learns of Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s
banishment and is distraught over the loss of her
love.
Capulet promises on impulse that Juliet will marry
Paris in two days.
Lady Capulet informs Juliet of her upcoming
marriage. She is threatened by her father if she
refuses to be thrown out. The Nurse advises that she
should marry Paris.
The Nurse tries to wake Juliet, but finds that she is
(apparently) dead. All are grief stricken but Friar
Laurence arranges the funeral quickly.
Romeo hears wrongly of Juliet’s death, buys poison
and returns to join her.
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Characters and Analysis

Romeo

At first Romeo is characterized by his self-indulgent melancholy, characteristics which would have
signaled a romantic quality as well as a tragic flaw for Elizabethan audiences. As he is smitten by
Juliet he becomes more active and assumes his role as a true tragic figure. His fall and death are
quintessential tragic modes.

Lord Montague

Romeo’s father and a figure and paternal authority. He operates as a tragic type more than a fully
developed character. He is the sign of paternal power and the figure-head of a ruling family
embroiled in a bitter feud.

Lady Montague

Also something of a type rather than a developed character. She is the maternal figure, and
embodiment of feminine maturity and grace. She even dies of a broken heart at the loss of her
son.

Friar Laurence

Obviously, as a symbol of the church, Friar Laurence is a representative of peace and

reconciliation, although his efforts are clumsy and ineffective. His intention at first is to resolve
the feud through the union of Romeo and Juliet. When that fails, he attempts to re-unite them
with a scheme which fails. It is ultimately the failed scheme which leads to their deaths and a
general reconciliation between the families.

Juliet

A young noble lady, an image of innocence, Juliet is also willful and rebellious. These latter traits
are tragic flaws for an Elizabethan audience. She is forceful and intelligent in her designs, at times
more in control of the action that Romeo. Her decision to commit suicide is in many ways
evocative of a masculine hero.
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Lord Capulet

Juliet’s father, he is portrayed as an overbearing bully. Though he professes to act on behalf of

his daughter’s wishes, his actions betray this as he arranges a marriage between Juliet and Paris.
It is Lord Capulet’s tyrannical force which leads directly to the tragic end to the two lovers.

Lady Capulet

Weak-willed and submissive, Lady Capulet is at the complete bidding of her husband even to the
exclusion of her daughter’s best interests. She refuses to intercede on Juliet’s behalf throughout
the play. She is the counter to Lady Montague.

Tybalt

Juliet’s cousin. He is hot-headed and rash. His violent tendencies embody and enact the theme
of hate and violence which runs along the themes of love. His anger leads to his own death and
to the death of Mercutio.

Prince Escalus

The ruler of Venice, he is the figure of law and state authority. Even as he attempts to control the
violence and discord in the play, the human passions of love and hate outstrip his authority and
power.

Mercutio

Romeo’s kinsman and friend. Mercutio demonstrates wit and intelligence in the early parts of
the play, perhaps to dramatize the power of the mind over the passions. His death in Act II marks
the turning point in the play in which the action runs headlong toward tragic ends.

Paris

A noble young lord and apparent suitor to Juliet. Paris is the epitome of an arrogant young man,
one who assumes his place of privilege. As much as Romeo is driven by love and passion, Paris is
driven by pride and selfishness. His arrogance leads to his own death at the hands of Romeo.
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Important Themes involved in Romeo Juliet

Love as a romantic Ideal: Love as a theme plays out as a passionate force that cannot be ignored
or controlled. Romeo falls in love with Juliet at first sight and every other consideration, including
his own safety or even his own life, is immediately forgotten for the pursuit of romantic love.
Juliet’s love is equally unstoppable. She too falls in love at first sight and is single-minded in her
love for Romeo. To this extent, love is a wild and uncontrollable passion, one that seems to exist
outside of any human agency or control. It operates like a kind of magic which overtakes the
characters beyond their control. Love in this theme is romantic and beautiful and it is one of the
primary sources for contemporary portrayals of love. This passionate and romantic love captures
individuals and pits them against their circumstances, their families, and all of their cultural
constraints.

Love as a violent passion: Love in Romeo and Juliet is also the catalyst for much of the violence.
As much as love captivates the two lovers, it also fuels the passions which lead to duels and
murder. If love is an uncontrollable force which launches two young people toward and inevitable
union, it is also a destructive passion which causes discord and violence. The rancor between the
Capulets and Montagues is barely under control with the intercession of Escalus. Passionate love
is the primary force which breaks that fragile peace.

Individual versus Society: As the primary characters are put in action, each takes on a role which
is in direct tension with their role as members of a social strata. Romeo is the son of a nobleman;
his duty is to adhere to the patriarchal line and assume the role of a leader. His functions in
society are prescribed by this role. As he is overtaken by his love for Juliet, he abandons this role
and follows his individual inclinations and passions. The resulting discord is as much a result of
this tension between the individual and the demands of society as it is passionate love. Likewise,
Juliet, as a lady, is entirely bound to duty to her father and to the good of social peace. That she
follows her passions is also an expression of individual will against social dictates. She also creates
the discord which leads to tragedy. All of other primary character take their turns following their
individual inclinations rather than the prescribed social roles. It can be argues that these
expression of individual will over the greater good of the social body are the real causes of the
tragic end.

Quotations and Analysis

“But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. . . .
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars
As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven

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Would through the airy region stream so bright

That birds would sing and think it were not night.” (2.1.44–64)

Spoken by Romeo outside Juliet’s window, these are some of the most familiar lines in all of
Shakespeare. This quotation contains the themes of light and dark in all of their complexity.
Romeo’s unbounded love compels him to view Juliet as one who exceeds the stars and the
heavens. The theme of passionate love is dramatized through this quotation. And the confusion
of night and day, so crucial to the themes of the play, are fully articulated in the final line.

“O Romeo, Romeo,
wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name,
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” (2.1.74–78)

Again, one of the most well-known quotations in Shakespeare’s plays. These lines are spoken by
Juliet during the balcony scene. In these lines we witness Juliet weighing her duty to her father
and her family against her love of Romeo. This quotation dramatizes the themes of individual
versus society, the individual against their own duty, and passionate love. All of these themes
are the catalysts for romance and conflict.

“From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. . . ”

Spoken by the chorus in the Prologue to the play, these lines describe the tension between fate
and individual will. How much of the action is due to the personal agency of the characters, and
how much is purely written in the stars?

Symbolism in Romeo and Juliet

Light and Dark

As with so much of Shakespeare, the symbolism is always complex. Romeo and Juliet continually
refer to each other in terms of light. They are “star-cross’d lovers” from the start. Romeo sees
Juliet lit by a light in the darkness. Yet, throughout the play they are forced to cover their actions
in darkness. They must hide in order to keep others in the dark. Though light is commonly
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associated with the good and dark associated with the bad, the darkness facilitates the love
between Romeo and Juliet and light is the evil which exposes their tragic end.

Night time

Along with light and dark, the night plays a crucial role in the play. Night is often associated with
evil and even old age. Yet, in Romeo and Juliet, the night facilitates the marriage between the
two lovers. Night is the cover for all of their meetings and time together, including their covert
marriage. But night is also the cover for plots and schemes. The two lovers also commit suicide
in the night and morning brings the final reconciliation between the feuding families.

Poison

This two plays a double role in the play. It is the metaphor of the hatred between the Capulets
and the Montagues. It is the sleeping potion designed to bring Romeo and Juliet together at last.
And poison is the method of suicide. Poison in Romeo and Juliet is both a medicine and a toxin.
When?
Act 1 – Prologue
Act 1, Scene 1: Verona. A public place.
Act 1, Scene 2: A street.
Act 1, Scene 3: A room in Capulet's
house.
Act 1, Scene 4: A street.
Act 1, Scene 5: A hall in Capulet's
house.
Act 2, Prologue: PROLOGUE
What happens?
Find out the story in a condensed
version
Servants of the Montagues (Romeo)
and Capulets (Juliet) start street brawl
showing rivalry and tension between
the families. We discover Romeo loves
Rosalind.
Paris asks Capulet if he can marry Juliet.
Romeo discovers that Rosalind will be
at the Capulet ball that evening.
Lady Capulet tells Juliet about Paris’s
proposal. The nurse interrupts with a
long story of her as a baby.
Romeo has a feeling that something
terrible will happen if he goes to the
ball but he goes anyway.
The Montagues go to the ball and
Romeo forgets Rosalind as soon as he
sees Juliet. Tybalt recognises them but
Lord Capulet will not allow a fight
The chorus informs us the pain R&J are
in as they can’t meet but passion will
find a way.
Act 2, Scene 1: A lane by the wall of
Capulet's orchard.
Act 2, Scene 2: Capulet's orchard
Act 2, Scene 3: Friar Laurence's cell.
Act 2, Scene 4: A street.
Act 2, Scene 5: Capulet's orchard.
Act 2, Scene 6: Friar Laurence's cell.
Act 3, Scene 1: A public place.
Act 3, Scene 2: Capulet's orchard.
Act 3, Scene 3: Friar Laurence's cell.
Act 3, Scene 4: A room in Capulet's
house.
Act 3, Scene 5: Capulet's orchard.
Romeo jumps into the Capulet garden
to catch a glimpse of Juliet.
The Balcony Scene: Romeo professes
his love to Juliet. They arrange a
meeting.
Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence to
arrange to marry Juliet – he agrees
thinking it will end the feud between
the families
Tybalt sends a challenge to Romeo. The
Nurse gets the information about the
wedding as a message to Juliet.
The nurse delivers the news to Juliet of
her upcoming marriage to Romeo.
They marry.
Romeo tries to avoid fighting. Mercutio
is wounded and killed by Tybalt. Romeo
then avenges his death and kills Tybalt.
Romeo is exiled for his part in this.
Juliet learns of Tybalt’s death and
Romeo’s banishment and is distraught
over the loss of her love.
Both Romeo and Juliet are distraught at
the separation. Romeo tries to stab
himself but is convinced to hold on by
Friar Laurence.
Capulet promises on impulse that Juliet
will marry Paris in two days.
Lady Capulet informs Juliet of her
upcoming marriage. She is threatened
by her father if she refuses to be
thrown out. The Nurse says she should
marry Paris.
Act 4, Scene 1: Friar Laurence's cell.
Act 4, Scene 2: Hall in Capulet's house.
Act 4, Scene 3: Juliet's chamber.
Act 4, Scene 4: Hall in Capulet's house.
Act 4, Scene 5: Juliet's chamber.
Act 5, Scene 1: Mantua. A street.
Act 5, Scene 2: Friar Laurence's cell.
Friar plans to give Juliet a drug that
makes her appear dead for 48 hours to
escape for Mantua and a new life with
Romeo
Juliet goes to her father and agrees to
marry Paris. He moves the wedding
forward a day.
Juliet takes the poison.
Capulet sends the nurse to waken
Juliet.
The Nurse tries to wake Juliet, but finds
that she is (apparently) dead. All are
grief stricken but Friar Laurence
arranges the funeral quickly.
Romeo hears wrongly of Juliet’s death,
buys poison and returns to join her.
Friar John explains why he didn’t
deliver the letter and F L sends