Verona, Italy (*feud has wrecked social structure*)
Mantua, Italy is 40 miles SE of Verona, summer residence of the upper
class.
Characters
Montague
Lord Montague loves Romeo but does not want
peace.
Lady Montague also loves Romeo but she wants
peace.
Mercutio is Romeo's friend and he is very sexual. He also has a distant relation to the
Prince.
Abraham/Balthasar are servents.
Romeo is a person who loves to be in love and he also is a
dreamer.
Benvolio is Romeo's best friend and cousin.
Capulet
Lord Capulet is Juliet's father and he demands respect.
Lady Capulet is Juliet's mother and social status is very important to
her.
Paris is Juliet's favored suiter.
Juliet Capulet aims to please and she is obedient.
Tybalt is Juliet's cousin as well as a fighter.
Samson/Gregory are servents.
Other Characters
The Prince is powerful and demands peace on his streets.
Friar Laurence desires to do the right thing and he is close to his
paritioners.
Theme
Time
The play takes place over five days and all decisions are extremely
rushed.
Love
There is forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet and this play also asks the question if love at first sight is
possible.
Death
Many people die, such as the main characters, Romeo and Juliet in this play.
Conflict
There is conflict between the two houses as well as internal conflict that the characters
experience.
Power
The Prince rules over the city and the masters of the houses control their servents and wives.
Act 1
The servents are in a street fight and the Prince threatens them with death if it happens again. The Capulets plan a feast and a
servent unwittingly invites Montague boys to the feast. Meanwhile, Juliet and her mother talk about marriage and Juliet tells her that
she does not wish to be married, although she agrees to look at Paris, but nothing else. Before Romeo enters the party, he thinks that
something will happen at the party that will eventually cause his death. At the party, Paris asks Juliet for her hand but Juliet sees
Romeo and they kiss. Tybalt threatens to kill Romeo the next time they meet.
Act 2
After the party, Romeo sneaks back in and sees Juliet on her balcony. He proposes to her
and she says that she will send her nurse at nine a.m for the details of the wedding. Romeo
goes to Friar Laurence to be wed and at the end of the Act, Romeo and Juliet are married.
Act 3
Romeo tries to stop the fight between Mercutio and Tybalt. He doesn't want to hurt Tybalt due to their new relation through marriage. Mercutio is
stabbed by Tybalt and dies, Romeo stabs Tybalt for revenge and is later banished from Verona because of the deaths. The Friar tells Romeo and
Juliet to meet but advises Romeo to leave for Mantua as soon as the sun rises. Lord Capulet informs Juliet that she is to be wed to Paris on Thursday.
Act 4
Paris goes to the Friar to ask for a blessing for his wedding. Juliet tells the Friar that she can't take what is happening around her any longer. The Friar, in an effort to
stop her from killing herself, gives her a potion and tells her what she needs to do in order to see her husband again. Juliet goes home and asks her father for his
forgiveness. Later that night, Juliet takes the potion that will allow her to sleep for forty-two hours and she is found "dead" the next morning by her nurse.
Act 5
Juliet is placed in her family's tomb. Earlier in Mantua, Romeo, who did not receive the Friar's letter about the plans, is told that his wife has passed away.
After buying a poison, he goes to Juliet's tomb but Paris stops him from entering, believing that he is there to deface the tomb. Romeo and Paris fight, and
Paris is killed. Romeo enters the tomb and takes the poison. Juliet wakes up, and upon finding Romeo dead, kills herself. The Prince declares that everyone
is responsible for their deaths and that everyone has suffered from this feud. The feud between the Montagues and Capulets ends and they agree to erect
gold statues, in honor of their children.