ROMEO AND JULIET
By William Shakespeare
This play is one of the greatest tragedy written by William Shakespeare. This is the story of the famous "star-crossed" lovers Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. The Story starts out as a Comedy.
STORY LINE
The Montagues and the Capulets have been enemies since ancient grudge. The play starts out with a Fued on the streets of Verona between the servants of the two houses. The Prince announces to put to death anyone who disturbs the streets again.
Romeo was not present at the fued. He was deeply depressed over Rosaline, who did not like him back. Benvolio advices Romeo to crash the Capulet's party. Romeo agrees only because Rosaline was invited.
Romeo falls deeply in love with Juliet at first sight at a party. Romeo and Juliet kiss during their first meet and speaks a Sonnet together. (Sonnet: The rhyme scheme in a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG in which the last two lines are a rhyming couplet.) He later visits her in the famous "balcony scene" where the two confesses their love. They know their love is forbidden and the dangers that lies around, but they still decide to get married the very next day. Romeo finds Friar Lawrence and asks him to prepare a wedding for Juliet and him. Romeo tells the Nurse that Juliet and him are getting married that afternoon. The Nurse tells Juliet of the news and Juliet excitedly marries her love Romeo.
The story starts to go down hill when Tybalt decides to duel Romeo for showing up at the Capulet's party. Instead of fighting Tybalt, Romeo wanted to stop the fighting because Tybalt is now his cousin in law. During the chaos, Mercutio (Romeo's best friend) gets stabbed by Tybalts sword and dies. Before his death, he set a curse on both houses. Romeo blinded by anger and rage, revenges for his friend's death and kills Tybalt.
Juliet becomes distressed over the news of her cousin Tybalt dead and her husband Romeo banished. She debates who she loves better and concludes that Romeo dead is equal to ten thousand Tybalt dead.
Romeo leaves Juliet the morning after their wedding. Juliet later gets forced to marry Paris on Thursday. She begs not to marry him but Capulet refused and said he will throw her into the streets if she disobeyed. Distressed, Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence for help. He gives her a poison that will allow her to sleep for forty-eight hours with the appearance of death. The plan is to make Juliet seem dead to avoid the wedding and as she lies in the tomb, Romeo will come to rescue her. Friar lawrance sends Friar John to give Romeo the message.
Juliet takes the poison and her family thinks she's dead and they bury her. Friar John on the other hand did not give Romeo the message because the guards would not allow him to go for fear of the Plague. Romeo gets informed by his friend Balthasar that Juliet is dead (which was not true) and Romeo decides to end his life for her. He goes to a drug dealer and buys the worst of all poison. At the Tomb of Juliet, Paris is there mourning over Juliet. Paris duels Romeo when he sees him and Romeo ends up killing Paris. Romeo drinks the poison and dies. Juliet then wakes up and sees Friar Lawrance and asks where Romeo was. She then sees her love dead and eventually takes his dagger and stabs herself.
The Prince and both families arrive at the scene. The Capulets and the Montagues makes peace because of their children's death due to love.