Romeo and Juliet Summary
5 min read ⌚
Romeo and Juliet.
Is there a person that does not know their love story?
Why Read ‘Romeo and Juliet’?
“Romeo and Juliet” is a classical play written by one of the most influential playwrights of all times. If you are a lover of flowery language and want to read classic works, this is where you should start.
William Shakespeare Biography
William Shakespeare was an English playwright and actor who is considered as one of the most influential playwrights in world history.
His life-work consists of around 40 plays.
Plot Summary
The drama begins as the servants of two noble families, Capulet and Montague are having a fight in the streets of Verona.
One of the Montagues – Benvolio, tries to stop the fight, but instead of stopping it, he involves himself in it as Tybalt, from the Capulet clan, arrives.
The citizens are not happy with the constant turbulencies, so the ruler of Verona decides to stop the uproar by bringing a death sentence to the picture for anyone who starts a fight in the future.
Romeo is a son of Montague and is in love with a girl who does not love him back, named Rosaline.
At the same time, Paris is in love with Juliet and asks her to marry him. She is a Capulet, and her father asks Paris to wait for two years until Juliet at least turns fourteen.
Otherwise, he is more than happy with the match, so he invites Paris to the masquerade ball he traditionally holds every year, along with many other guests, hoping he can show his affection towards Juliet at the ball.
Meanwhile, when Capulet’s servant is taking around the list of invitations, Romeo and Benvolio encounter him, and Benvolio suggests to Romeo that they attend the ball, so he could get a chance to look at other beautiful women with whom Verona is filled.
Romeo decides to go, not because of the wish to meet other women, but because his love Rosaline will be there as well.
However, at the feast, something Romeo could not imagine happens – he falls in love with another woman (Juliet) at first sight and forgets about Rosaline completely.
He succeeds in talking with her and he can see that she also feels the same attraction. So, they kiss, without knowing who they are.
The truth about their identities upsets them later on – but it is too late, they are already in love.
Romeo, not knowing what to do, goes to seek advice from Friar Lawrence, who when Romeo tells him his story agrees to marry him with Juliet in secret.
He does it most of all because he believes that such a marriage could put an end to the fight between their families.
The next day, Romeo and Juliet are married.
However, tragedy is just around the corner.
Just a day after their secret wedding, two men from the Montague family encounter Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, who has noticed and recognized Romeo at the feast and therefore is challenging him to a duel.
Romeo begs to stop the duel, but one of the men from his family is disgusted by such a plea and starts the duel.
Romeo, trying to stop the fight, finds himself in between, and kills Tybalt. As a result, he is banished from Verona for his crime, as the ruler has promised.
He spends his last night in the city with his love, Juliet.
She is worried and does not know what to do, since her father wants to marry her off, not knowing she is already married.
She first tries to talk to her nurse, but she is not satisfied with her advice – to marry Paris since he is a better match, and decides to ask for help from Friar Lawrence.
He has a plan that is supposed to reunite the lovers. The night before she is to be wed to Paris, Juliet must drink a poison that will only make her look dead for some time.
After they put her to rest in her family’s crypt, Friar Lawrence will bring Romeo along to revive her, and they will be reunited, with no more limits to their love.
However, the plan goes wrong: Juliet drinks the poison, but Father Lawrence’s message which is supposed to explain the plan to Romeo, never reaches him.
The only thing he hears is that his love is dead.
He cannot imagine living without her, so he decides to end his life as well. He buys a poison and goes to Juliet’s tomb to drink it, so they rest together. There, he meets Paris, whom he kills in a fight.
He then sits next to Juliet’s body and drinks the poison, dying by her side. Just a moment too late, Juliet awakes.
She realizes the tragedy that has occurred and does not see a point in living anymore.
She kisses Romeo’s lips hoping the poison left over will kill her, but when it does not, she stabs herself in her heart and falls dead beside Romeo.
The two families arrive at the tomb and are torn apart by the sight. Realizing that their rage made their children unhappy, they decide to bury the hatchet and build a new, peaceful Verona.
Epilogue: The Aftermath
Although this is a tragic drama, all is well in the end – if you take the general well-being of the people in Verona as your focal point.
The premise that love leads to suicide and finally to peace is proven, and although you are sad about the characters’ destinies, you are happy about the future that looks brighter.
As the curtains draw to a close on the tale of Romeo and Juliet, we’re left with a lingering reflection on the power of love and it’s ability to transcend even the most bitter enmity.
The story of these star-crossed lovers serves as a poignant reminder that in the face of tragedy, there can still be redemption and reconciliation.
While their untimely deaths are undeniably heartbreaking, their sacrifice ultimately serves as the catalyst for change in Verona.
The feuding families, confronted with the devastating consequences of their longstanding feud, are compelled to set aside their grievances and forge a path toward harmony.
It’s a testament to the enduring legacy of Romeo and Juliet that their love, though tragically short-lived, has the power to inspire such profound transformation.
And as we bid farewell to Verona’s ill-fated couple, we’re left with the hopeful belief that from the ashes of tragedy, a brighter future can emerge—one built on understanding, compassion, and the enduring power of love.
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“Romeo and Juliet Quotes”
Don't waste your love on somebody, who doesn't value it. Click To Tweet For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo. Click To Tweet Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Click To Tweet Parting is such sweet sorrow that I shall say goodnight till it be morrow. Click To Tweet Women may fall when there's no strength in men. Click To Tweet
Our Critical Review
When you read enough of Shakespeare’s plays, you will get the impression that his stories are rather dramatic, but he succeeds to make literary works out of them by taming them with strong language.
Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.
