ROMEO AND JULIET
William Shakespeare
THE TRAGEDY
Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love story in English literary tradition.
Love is the play’s most important theme.
Shakespeare was around 30 years when he wrote his first romantic tragedy.
The story takes place in Verona, Italy, where two families are fighting. The families are named The Montagues and Capulets and they have hated one another for a long time.
PLOT SUMMARY
Capulet plans a party to introduce his daughter, Juliet who is almost 14, to the Count Paris, who would like to marry her.
By a mistake, Montague’s son, Romeo and his friends Benvolio and Mercutio hear of the party and decide to go in disguise. Romeo hope he will see Rosaline, instead he meets and falls instantly in love with Juliet.
Romeo decides to risk his life and sneaks to Juliet’s bedroom window to speak with her. They arrange to meet next day at the cell of Friar Lawrence when Juliet goes for confession and they are married by him.
Tybalt quarrels with Mercutio and his friends and Mercutio is accidently killed as Romeo intervenes to stop the fight. Romeo pursues Tybalt and kills him and is banished by the Prince of Verona for this act.
Juliet is anxious that Romeo is late and learns of the fighting from her nurse.
With Friar Lawrence’s help it is arranged that Romeo will spend the night with Juliet before leaving Verona for Mantua.
Juliet’s father is forcing to marry Count Paris so she goes to Friar Lawrence to advice him. Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a special type of poison. The poison will make her fall into a very deep sleep, but everyone will think she is dead. Friar Lawrence plans to send a message to Romeo so that he can come back to Verona and meet Juliet when she wakes up in her family’s tomb. Then they can leave Verona and to be together. But something goes very wrong. Romeo doesn’t receive the message and hears that Juliet is dead. He returns to Verona with a very strong poison. He goes to Juliet in the tomb, drinks the poison and dies. When Juliet wakes up she finds Romeo next to her. She is so sad that she takes his dagger and kills herself.
When the Montagues and the Capulets learn what happened with their children they agree to end the years of fighting. The prince of Verona hopes that the story of Romeo and Juliet will help to keep Verona a peaceful place.
THEMES
This tragedy is about love, hate and the inevitability of Fate.
The most important theme of the play is romantic, irrational adolescent love.
Love causes Juliet and Romeo to act irrationally. Shakespeare describes the chaos of being in love until the play’s tragic conclusion. Love can lead to destruction and death.
But also the opposite passion, hate causes death and destruction. The hate between the two rival families causes the death of Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Tybald and Paris.
When passions are too extreme can lead to chaos and finally to death.