Plot

Act 1

Scene 1

Two servants for the Capulet family, Gregory and Sampson, are walking in the streets of Verona. They are talking really bad about the Montague family. Suddenly Abraham and Balthasar, two servants of the Montague family appear. Sampson and Gregory spot them and want to start a fight, but they are unable to due the strict laws that were put in order by the prince. Instead they have the idea to get the Montagues to start the fight.

Sampson bites his thumb at the Montagues (which is the Elizabethan version of a middle finger) and a few seconds later everyone is fighting. During the fighting the Prince of Verona shows up and orders the two families to stop fighting. After that Romeo returns from the garden and tells Benvolio that he fell in love with Rosaline, but she does not love him back.

Scene 2

Paris is talking to Lord Capulet about marrying his daughter Juliet. At first Capulet explains that his daughter is too young and that Paris should wait until she is 15 years old, but then he proposes that Paris can talk to his daughter at the masquerade party which he is holding. Benvolio convinces Romeo to go to the party the Capulets are hosting because they know that Romeo´s crush Rosaline will be there. Their plan is to crash the party because Benvolio wants to show Romeo that his unknown love interest is not that special.

Scene 3

At the Capulet´s house, Lady Capulet tells Juliet about Paris´s proposal and explains to her that Paris wants to marry her immediately. Although Juliet is unimpressed, because she does not want to get married at the age of fourteen, her mother wants Juliet to check out Paris at the masquerade party that night.

Scene 4

Act I scene 5: Romeo's first interview with Juliet

Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio are getting ready to sneak into the masquerade party of the Capulets. Romeo continues to complain about the unavailable Rosaline and talks about a dream he had the night before. But before he can go into detail, Mercutio interrupts him and delivers a long, crazy speech about "Queen Mab", a tiny fairy who visits people in their dreams. Romeo says that Mercutio is talking nonsense and Mercutio claims that his dreams are unrealistic and that he does not really love Rosaline. Before entering the party, Romeo says that he feels like fate may have something bad for him in the future.

Scene 5

At the party, Romeo sees Juliet dancing and falls in love at first sight. Meanwhile Tybalt recognizes Romeo and goes wants to start a fight with him because he crashed their party. Nevertheless Lord Capulet orders him to relax and to leave Romeo alone - from his point of view Romeo seems to be a nice kid. Tybalt is really angry about that and swears that he will make Romeo pay for that insult later.

Romeo approaches Juliet and tells her that kissing her would be a religious experience. Instead of getting annoyed and walking away, Juliet is impressed and a few moments later they start kissing. Suddenly the Nurse interrupts them and sends Juliet away. Romeo asks her about the name of the girl he has been kissing. The Nurse tells him that she is a Capulet, which upsets Romeo because he thinks the feud will interfere his new love. Meanwhile the party is coming to an end and Juliet, who is also in love now, asks the Nurse to identify the guy she kissed. She discovers that Romeo is a Montague and Juliet also becomes incredibly shocked after hearing these news.

Act 2

Scene 1

After leaving the party, Romeo decides that he cannot go home because he wants to find Juliet. He climbs a wall which is bordering the Capulet property and leaps down into the Capulet orchard.

Scene 2

While Romeo is inside the garden, he spots Juliet up on the balcony. He listens to Juliet´s spoken thoughts about her love for Romeo. When Juliet notices him she is startled and wants him to leave because she is afraid that her family will kill him. Romeo refuses to leave and after a short time they both express their love for each other. They both want to get married soon, despite their misgivings. After that Romeo flees to find a priest.

Scene 3

Act II scene 5: Juliet intreats her nurse

Romeo finds Friar Lawrence in his garden and asks him to marry him and Juliet. At first Friar Lawrence refuses because he does not believe that Romeo got over Rosaline that quickly. Because of that Romeo exlains that Juliet is his true love and that she loves him back unconditionally. After hearing that Friar Lawrence agrees to marry them, but only to end the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.

Scene 4

The Nurse is looking for Romeo to bring him the message about Juliet´s agreement to the marriage. Romeo then gives her the time an place where Juliet should be to marry him. Romeo receives a letter from Tybalt, challenging Romeo to fight against him in a duel because Tybalt felt extremely disrespected when he saw Romeo at the Capulet party. Mercutio believes that Romeo is too soft and weak to win this fight because from his point of view Tybalt is a mean and strong person.

Scene 5

The Nurse returns home to Juliet with the news from Romeo about their marriage. Juliet grows anxious when the Nurse continues to not tell Juliet the message by talking to her about the outer appearance of Romeo. Eventually the Nurse tells Juliet that she and Romeo are going to be married at the chapel by Friar Lawrence. Afterwards Juliet explains her mother, Lady Capulet, that she is going to the chapel to pray, but the truth is that she is leaving to get married.

Act 3

Death of Mercutio

Scene 1

Mercutio begins a fight with Tybalt. Romeo becomes evident and is offended by Tybalt. He wants a duel with Romeo, but he goes between the two men. Tybalt wounded Mercutio, so he falls on the ground. Tybalt and his men disappear. Mercutio dies and Romeo is very ravage. After this, he returns and Romeo takes his sword and in case there is a second fight. But this time, Tybalt dies and Romeo is so in panic that he escape.

The Prince comes and he thinks that there was enough blood in Verona. As a consequence, Romeo has to live in an exile, but if someone finds him in the city, he will be killed.

Scene 2

The Nurse comes to advise Juliet about the thing, that Romeo has killed Tybalt. She can‘t believe it and is bothered. Juliet is angry at Romeo, because he killed a person, but also realizes, that she can‘t say something selfish, because he is her husband.

The Nurse assures her that he is not dead and Juliet knows where Romeo is. She gives the Nurse a ring for Romeo, a symbol for their love.

Scene 3

Romeo cries in Friar Laurence‘s cell about his life in exile. He thinks, that it is better to be dead than alive in exile and without Juliet. The man believes that she will think a certain he is a murderer. Friar Laurence wants to convince Romeo that not everything is as bad as he thinks. The Nurse enters and gives Romeo the ring of Juliet with whom he feels better. After that Romeo claims to see Juliet again.

Scene 4

There is a conversation between Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet and Paris. They are talking about the wedding of Paris and Juliet and think, that it has to be on Thursday, because Wednesday is too soon. But Lord Capulet makes the final decision when the wedding will take place.

Scene 5

The couple is the night together and Juliet doesn‘t want to leave him. It was the first night for them as a married couple. Her mother comes into Juliet‘s room, Romeo has to go. They kiss each other escape and he has to leave the bedroom from the balcony. When he climbs down Juliet has a vision of him in a grave.

Juliet’s parents declare her that she will marry Paris on Thursday. She is confused about this decision and her father is angry about his daughter‘s behaviour. He considers that Juliet is ungrateful and that she has to marry Paris.

Act 4

Scene 1

Paris and Friar Laurence have a conversation about his marriage to Juliet. She needs help because she does not want to marry Paris and rather to be dead than to live with him. Friar has an idea. Juliet can drink a sleeping poison which let her look like she is dead, but she is not. After that she had to lay in the tomb of her family. Friar Laurence will write a letter in the interim in which he explains that Juliet drank a sleeping potion, but she did not die and that she is hidden in the tomb.

Scene 2

Juliet goes back home and is looking for her parents, who are preparing her wedding. She apoloziges her behaviour and announce them that she will marry Paris. Her father is so happy about her decision that so the wedding will be on the next day. Juliet goes to her bedroom and her father thinks that she is preparing for the next day, but secretly for her plan. Lord Capulet informs Paris about the new decisions.

Act 5

Romeo at Juliet's Deathbed, Henry Fuseli, 1809

Scene 1

Never having gotten the letter by Friar Laurence, Romeo gets informed by Baltizar that Juliet has died. Overwhelmed with grief, Romeo decides to commit suicide at her grave. After buying poison, he heads to Verona.

Scene 2

Because Friar John, who was supposed to give Friar Laurence’s letter to Romeo, got mistaken for having the plague, the letter arrived at Romeo’s too late. Because of that, Friar Laurence has to get Juliet from the tomb.

Scene 3

When Romeo arrives at Juliet’s grave, he finds Paris. Thinking that Romeo is there to dishonor the Capulets, he fights Romeo. Romeo wins, killing Paris. Romeo breaks open the tomb and kisses his wife a last time, before drinking the poison. He dies beside her grave. A few seconds later, Juliet awakes from her sleep. As she sees his dead body, she too wishes to die. After kissing Romeo’s corpse on his mouth, she tries to drink the rest of the poison. Because there’s no poison left, she finally kills herself with a dagger. As the Prince, The Montagues and The Capulets come to visit Juliet’s grave, they find their bodies and Friar Laurence explains everything. Lord Montague and Lord Capulet agree to settle their feud and plan to build statues of both Romeo and Juliet.