Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet - plot summary

How much do you know about Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet? This section takes you step by step through the play, helping you to identify key plot points.

If you’ve heard of Romeo and Juliet, you’ll probably know that it is a play about love. It’s not all soppy nonsense though – there’s a good dose of duels, secret plots and tragic deaths too. The teenaged children of two warring families, Romeo and Juliet meet at a party and fall in love. The play tells the story of their attempts to be together, but sadly all is destined to go wrong in the end.

Contents

• A fight breaks out between Capulet and Montague servants.
• Paris asks for Juliet’s hand in marriage.
• Romeo and Juliet fall in love and get married in secret.
• Tybalt starts a street fight and Romeo is banished from Verona.
• Friar Lawrence and Juliet make a plan to reunite her with Romeo.
• Romeo kills himself, then Juliet does the same.
• Capulets and Montagues agree to stop fighting.

The Capulets and Montagues are two important families in the city of Verona. They are sworn enemies and have been fighting for many years. The play opens with servants of each family starting an argument in the street. The fighting escalates, and although Benvolio (a Montague) tries to break it up, Tybalt (a Capulet) encourages the men to draw their swords.

Prince Escalus, the city’s peacekeeper, calls a stop to the brawl and says that anyone else who fights in the street will be punished with death.

Benvolio then talks with his cousin Romeo. Romeo explains that he is miserable because he’s in love with a girl called Rosaline but she doesn’t love him back. Benvolio advises him to look at other girls.

Count Paris, a wealthy gentleman, visits Lord Capulet to ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage. Capulet is uncertain because his daughter, Juliet, is only a teenager and 'hath not seen the change of fourteen years' (Act 1 Scene 2). Capulet agrees to throw a party where Paris can look at all the young women of Verona, including Juliet.

Capulet sends his servant to deliver invitations to the party. However the servant cannot read and looks for someone to help him. He bumps into Romeo and Benvolio in the street and, not realising they are Montagues, asks them to read the invitation aloud. After the servant has gone, Benvolio suggests to Romeo that they should attend Capulet’s party in disguise. He thinks it will be a chance for Romeo to meet other young women and forget about Rosaline.

Did you know?
Women in Shakespeare’s time were regarded as the property first of their father and then later their husband. Marriages were often arranged for financial benefits, or to secure allies. It was also common for these arrangements to be made very early in a young woman’s life. For example, Capulet says his daughter 'hath not yet seen the change of fourteen years' which suggests that Juliet is only thirteen years old.

Before the party Lady Capulet tells her daughter about Paris’ proposal and Juliet promises to look at him during the party. However, once there, she and Romeo set eyes on each other and it’s a case of love at first sight. Romeo forgets all about his earlier love for Rosaline as soon as he sees Juliet’s 'true beauty' (Act 1 Scene 5).

During the party Juliet’s cousin Tybalt notices the Montague gatecrashers and wants to fight them. However Capulet asks him to leave them alone and not to disturb the party.

After the party Romeo climbs over the Capulet’s garden wall in order to spend more time with Juliet. She appears on her balcony and they declare their love for each other. Knowing that their families are sworn enemies, they decide to get married in secret. Juliet enlists the help of her Nurse and Friar Lawrence conducts the marriage the very next day.

Romeo and Juliet’s secret marriage takes place in the early afternoon. Later Romeo is with his friends, Mercutio and Benvolio, when Juliet’s cousin Tybalt challenges him to a fight. Romeo refuses because technically he is now related to Tybalt by marriage (though of course, he can’t tell anyone). Mercutio steps in and fights Tybalt instead. During the fight Mercutio is stabbed and dies, cursing the Capulets and Montagues with a 'plague o’both your houses' (Act 3 Scene 1).

Romeo is so upset at the death of his friend that he fights Tybalt in revenge. He slays Tybalt and leaves as the Prince approaches.

Benvolio explains the fight to Prince Escalus who declares that because Romeo has killed in revenge he will be banished from the city of Verona rather than sentenced to death.

After a secret night with Juliet, Romeo flees to Mantua.

Juliet is heartbroken at losing her love and seeks Friar Lawrence’s help. He devises a plan to reunite the couple which will take great 'strength of will' (Act 4 Scene 1) to carry out. The Friar will give Juliet a potion to make her appear dead. After drinking it, her family will lay her apparently lifeless body in the Capulet tomb. The potion will last for 24 hours, during which time Friar Lawrence will send news to Romeo. As the potion wears off and Juliet awakens, Romeo will arrive at the tomb and the pair will run away.

Juliet carries out her part of the plan and takes the potion as she goes to bed. The Nurse is very distressed when she discovers Juliet in the morning. The Capulets place Juliet in the tomb.

News of the plan never reaches Romeo. He only hears that Juliet is dead and leaves for Verona immediately.

Did you know?
It was typical for rich families to have a tomb where their bodies would be placed together after death.

Friar Lawrence discovers that his plan has gone wrong and heads to the Capulet tomb to rescue Juliet. However, Romeo gets there long before the Friar. With him he has a bottle of poison that he has purchased from an apothecary. He has already decided that life is not worth living without Juliet.

Outside the tomb, Romeo finds Paris mourning for Juliet. Romeo fights with him and leaves him dead. He breaks into the Capulet tomb and discovers Juliet, as cold as if she were dead.

Romeo is heartbroken. He drinks his poison and dies. Moments later, Juliet’s potion wears off and she wakes up. She sees Romeo dead by her side and tries to drink the final drops of poison from his lips. When this fails, she takes his dagger and stabs herself.

Count Paris’ page brings the watchmen to the graveyard and they find the count lying dead outside the Capulet tomb. They are puzzled by Juliet’s newly dead body, as she had been buried two days previously. The watchmen also find Romeo’s servant hiding and the Friar who suspiciously has a mattock and a spade.

The Prince arrives along with Capulet, Lady Capulet and Montague. We learn that Lady Montague has died from grief following Romeo’s banishment. Friar Lawrence explains the events that have led to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet and offers his own life as a sacrifice.

The Montagues and Capulets are so upset by the deaths of their children that they agree to bring the family feud to an end for good.