Plot Summary Romeo and Juliet free essay sample

The fighting becomes worse when Tybalt, one of the Capulet cousins, comes to Verona. It escalates to a point that Prince Escalus, who rules Verona, has issued a decree that anyone disturbing the peace will be put to death. When the audience is first introduced to Romeo Montague, he is not in love with Juliet. Instead, he is pining for a woman named Rosaline, who is not in love with Romeo. Romeo’s cousin Benvolio tells Romeo that he will find another woman whom he loves more than Rosaline, but Romeo does not believe him. Juliet is also facing her own romantic difficulties. Paris, who is related to the Prince, has asked Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage. Capulet is pleased with the match, but feels that, at 13, Juliet is too young to marry. Capulet asks Paris to wait two years before marrying Juliet. However, he invites Paris to a masquerade ball that he holds each year, with the hope that Paris can begin wooing Juliet at the ball. Benvolio and Romeo run into the Capulet’s servant, who is carrying a list of invitations for the masquerade. Knowing that most of the eligible women in Verona will be at the masquerade, Benvolio suggests that they crash the masquerade. Romeo sees Rosaline’s name on the list and agrees to go to the masquerade, hoping to have the chance to woo her at the ball. Juliet talks to her mother and her nurse about Paris, who she knows wants to marry her. At 13, Juliet has not even begun contemplating marriage, but she says that she will take a look at Paris at the ball. When the masquerade begins, Romeo is reluctant to go to the Capulet’s home. He is not concerned about the feud between the families, but is moping about Rosaline. Benvolio and his friend Mercutio try to cheer him up. When he enters the ball, he quickly spots Juliet and forgets about Rosaline, falling in love with Juliet at first sight. He does not know that she is a Capulet when he spots her. Tybalt, one of the younger Capulets, sees Romeo and is angry that a Montague has invaded their masquerade. He intends to confront Romeo, but Capulet stops him, reminding him of the Prince’s decree. Romeo arranges to speak to Juliet, and the two of them fall in love. They kiss, but do not even share names. The two part, and Romeo only finds out that Juliet is a Capulet after talking to her nurse. Juliet finds out that Romeo is a Montague. Both of them are distressed to have fallen for a member of their family’s enemy. Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio leave the Capulets’ residence. However, Romeo sneaks into the garden. He sees Juliet in her window. Juliet says Romeo’s name. He makes himself known, and the two profess their love. Romeo goes to speak with Friar Lawrence. Lawrence agrees that he will marry Romeo and Juliet. Friar Lawrence is not wholly inspired by the tale of young love; instead, he views their marriage as a way to unite the feuding families. The next day, aided by Juliet’s Nurse, the young lovers meet and marry, but each return to his or her own home. Romeo is to sneak into Juliet’s room for their wedding night by using a ladder provided by Juliet’s nurse. The feud between the two families reignites in dramatic fashion. Juliet’s cousin Tybalt is still angry that Romeo sneaked into the Capulet’s masquerade. Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel. However, Romeo does not want to duel Tybalt because they are relatives. Mercutio does not understand why Romeo does not want to duel, and is very hotheaded, so he offers to fight Tybalt in Romeo’s stead. The two men begin to fight, and Romeo tries to stop them. Tybalt takes advantage of the distraction and kills Mercutio. Romeo then kills Tybalt. Realizing what he has done and the potential punishment he faces, Romeo runs from the scene. The Prince banishes him from Verona, and Romeo has to remain in hiding before he leaves. While Juliet is waiting for her husband, her nurse enters and tells her that Romeo has killed Tybalt. Juliet is torn between her new husband and her cousin, but decides that her husband, Romeo, deserves her loyalty. Romeo manages to sneak into Juliet’s room, and they consummate their marriage, but in the morning Romeo must leave and flee Verona. They do not know when they will see one another again, and there are still only four people aware that they are married: the two of them, Friar Lawrence, and the Nurse. Unfortunately, this ignorance creates a significant problem for the young couple. Capulet has now decided to allow Paris to marry Juliet despite her young age, and has set the wedding date for three days later. Juliet turns to her nurse for advice, and the Nurse tells her to go ahead and marry Paris because Romeo is banished, no one knows about their marriage, and Paris is a better match. Juliet turns to Friar Lawrence for advice. Friar Lawrence develops a convoluted plan that he believes will see the young lovers united. He gives her a sleeping potion that will make her appear dead, and she is to drink it the night before her marriage to Paris. Friar Lawrence and Romeo will then retrieve her from her crypt, and she can run away with Romeo, where the two can live together without being impacted by their families’ ongoing feud. However, Capulet moves Juliet’s wedding up a day, so Juliet drinks the potion that night. The Nurse is unaware of the plot and believes that Juliet is dead. She is entombed, and the plan seems to be going just as Friar Lawrence has planned. Unfortunately, what Friar Lawrence does not realize is that Romeo never received his message about the plan. The messenger, Friar John, ended up in quarantine. Instead, Romeo hears that Juliet is dead. Romeo decides that he cannot live without Juliet and plans to kill himself. He buys poison from an apothecary and heads to Juliet’s tomb, where he can die with his love. When he comes upon the tomb, he finds Paris there, grieving for Juliet. Romeo kills Paris, and then enters the tomb. Romeo drinks the poison and kills himself. Too late, Friar Lawrence enters the tomb. He realizes that Romeo has killed Paris and committed suicide. Juliet awakens at that time. Friar Lawrence hears the guards coming and urges her to flee the tomb with him, worried that they will be held responsible for the deaths of Paris and/or Romeo. She refuses to leave. Seeing Romeo lying there dead, Juliet decides that she will kill herself, as well. She tries to kill herself by kissing his lips, hoping to die from the same poison that he drank, but that does nothing. She then grabs his dagger and stabs herself in the heart. The guard comes rushing into the tomb, with the Prince, the Capulets, and Montague following quickly behind him. Montague tells them that Lady Montague has died from grief over Romeo’s exile. The families are devastated by the loss of their children and resolve to end their feuding. They decide to erect a monument to the lovers: gold statutes of Romeo and Juliet next to one another.