romeo and juliet summary worksheet

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10 Radical Romeo and Juliet Worksheets

February 3, 2023 //  by  Ashley Charles

When it comes to reading Shakespeare, it’s often quite an undertaking to understand and follow along. Teaching it is even more of a challenge because these two lovebirds are not as cut and dry as they sound. There are many angles to teaching and many ways to interpret this work. We have made it easy by compiling this helpful list of 10 transformative worksheets that you can use with your class before, during, and after reading this compelling tragedy.

1. Guided Notes

These simple, yet effective worksheets will help your students understand the basic storyline of Romeo and Juliet. These worksheets are a must for any first read-through! 

Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers

2. Cloze Summary Passages

This worksheet presents a summary that students will work to complete using a word bank that will help summarize each act of the play. This is helpful to recap at the end of the day and to prepare students for the next section, scene, or act.

3. Student Resource Packet

This packet is the perfect introduction to Romeo and Juliet and helps launch discussion questions for the masterpiece that is to come. It is the perfect resource to help students study the language of the time period and other general information to help acclimate students to Shakespeare.

Learn More: Hinds County School District

4. Plot Overview

After your students have gotten through all five epic acts of Romeo and Juliet, they can use this graphic organizer to track the important events of the story or, alternatively, use it as they go! This graphic organizer is perfect for practicing literary elements.

Learn More: Your Favorite Teacher

5. Newspaper Headline Activity

This one-sheet student handout is a fun way to help learners order the events of Romeo and Juliet. Each event is presented in headline form and students will put them in the order that they occurred in the play. 

Learn More: ESL Printables

6. Character Analysis

Students will use character names and details about the characters to further investigate this literary element. Students will match the correct traits and events to their respective characters using this visual and compelling worksheet. 

7. Theme Analysis Worksheet

When talking about the theme or the message of a story, this worksheet bundle is the perfect accompaniment. It starts with the basics and provides an overview of what the theme is, before moving on to analyze the themes found throughout the play.

Learn More: Education is Lit

8. Crossword Puzzle

What student doesn’t love a good crossword puzzle? Tie in your Romeo and Juliet theme with this crossword puzzle that will help students remember the target vocabulary and language that is prevalent in the play. 

Learn More: Quick Worksheets

9. Character Traits

Discover and record the character traits of each of the characters in this tragedy. This beautifully-designed graphic organizer allows students to see the relation between the main characters and their traits to help them better understand the story.

Learn More: Template Roller

10. ESL Romeo and Juliet Worksheet

This ESL worksheet is perfect for students who are learning English or students who are at a low level of reading. The pictures serve as a helpful guide for students to learn and better understand this text. They will match pictures to their respective words for better understanding.

Learn More: Scribd

Summary of Romeo and Juliet

monicamariani

Students will read a summary of the story of Romeo and Juliet and answer comprehension questions.

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Romeo & Juliet: Plot Summary Handout Worksheet

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

9 April 2018

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This may help my ESL student

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Many thanks. This will be very useful for my Year 7 pupils who are freaking out about "doing Shakespeare".

Great resource; good for lower KS3 who aren't doing the whole play but are intrigued/interested with the plot! Thanks!

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Romeo and Juliet Worksheets

Related core standard: rl.9-10.5.

This is a classic tragedy written in the late sixteenth century set in Italy. It is one of the most often produced plays in the world to this day. The story centers around the love affair of two young people that are families (The Capulets and Montagues) that are sworn enemies and actively scuffling. The moral of the story is free yourself from emotions and let old wounds dry when it comes to love. These worksheets will explore scenes and meanings of sections of the work Romeo and Juliet.

Romeo and Juliet Worksheets To Print:

Order Me Up – Fourteen parts of the play for you to arrange in sequence.

Death in Romeo and Juliet – The chaos really ensues in acts three and five.

Tragedy – This epic tragedy has some fatal flaws that defy logic, a bit.

The Balcony Scene – The classic scene is revisited and analyzed.

Romeo's Speech – We draw questions directly from the speech.

Yo, Juliet! – What if Romeo and Juliet were robots?

Juliet on the Balcony – Read the opening lines of Juliet's speech. Then answer the questions.

Acting Up – Fill in the chart by briefly describing the key scenes in each act.

Conflict in Romeo and Juliet – There are many physical conflicts in Romeo and Juliet, but each one also has an emotional or psychological subtext.

Old English in Romeo and Juliet – Shakespeare's plays were written in Old English, which is a little different from English today.

The Quotables – Choose one of the famous lines from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

The Main Idea – Write the main idea of the passage in your own words.

Friar Lawrence's First Soliloquy – Write a paragraph explaining what that theme is, and how it is developed through the action of the play.

Rosaline and Juliet – Why does Shakespeare introduce Romeo when he is in love with Rosaline?

Tell Us Your Thoughts – Based on both Romeo and Juliet's soliloquys, do you think their love is genuine? Why or why not?

Summary of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a typical love story of a boy and girl who fall in love with each other but get separated because of hurdles created by society. It is a story of two young lovers. Romeo and Juliet belong to two completely different families, families that are different in both background and status. Romeo belongs to a moderate family of Montagues whereas Juliet belongs to an upper-class family called Capulets. The plot of the story begins when one of the authoritative individual's from a Capulet family arranges a ball to select a suitable candidate for Juliet's marriage. This ball becomes the reason for Romeo and Juliet's meeting. When Romeo heard about the ball, he went there with his friends and fell in love with the young beauty, Juliet.

Romeo and Rosaline

Romeo was initially interested in another girl named Rosaline but he forgot her when he saw Juliet for the first time. The next day Romeo accepted his love for Juliet and they both decided to get married secretly. Romeo and Juliet's marriage caused rift between Romeo and Juliet's cousin which led to a horrific fight between the two. In this fight, Juliet's cousin Tybalt and Romeo's friend Mercutio lost their lives. Later, Romeo was thrown out of Verona for his act of killing Tybalt.

Juliet's Marriage With Someone Else

On the other hand, Juliet's father unaware of her secret marriage with Romeo arranged her wedding with a Count called Paris. This situation caused Friar Laurence (the witness of Romeo's and Juliet's wedding) to help Juliet. Laurence gave medicine to Juliet that showed that Juliet is dead. When the servant took the news of Juliet's death to Romeo, he decided to drink poison and died near her tomb. When Juliet got back from her fake death, she got the news of Romeo's death. On hearing this news, Juliet stabbed and killed herself because her life was worthless without Romeo.

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Romeo and Juliet

William shakespeare, everything you need for every book you read..

In Renaissance-era Verona, Italy, two noble families, the Montagues and Capulets, are locked in a bitter and ancient feud whose origin no one alive can recall. After a series of public brawls between both the nobles and the servants of the two families, which shed blood and disturb the peace in Verona’s city streets, Prince Escalus , the ruler of Verona, declares that anyone in either family involved in any future fighting will be put to death.

Every year, the Capulets throw a masquerade ball. The Montagues are, of course, not invited. As Capulet and Lady Capulet fuss over the arrangements for the party, ensuring that everything is perfect for their friends and guests, they hope that their daughter Juliet will fall in love with the handsome count Paris at the ball. At 13, Juliet is nearly of marriageable age, and the Capulets believe that marrying Paris would allow their daughter to ascend the social ladder in Verona. During the party, two Montagues, 16-year-old Romeo and his cousin Benvolio , along with their bawdy, quick-tongued friend Mercutio , a kinsmen of Prince Escalus, crash the affair. Romeo attends the party reluctantly, and only because he is hoping to see Rosaline , a young woman he has been hopelessly in love with—and unsuccessfully pursuing—for quite some time. His lack of romantic success has made him noticeably forlorn as of late, much to the chagrin of his friends, who nonetheless poke fun at their lovesick friend’s melodramatic state. Tybalt , a hot-blooded member of House Capulet, notices the intrusion of the Montagues and recognizes them in spite of their masks—but when he draws his rapier and begins approaching them to provoke a fight, Capulet urges Tybalt not to embarrass their family.

When the masked Romeo spots Juliet from across the room, he instantly falls in love with her. Juliet is equally smitten. The two of them speak, exchanging suggestive jokes, and then kiss. As the party ends, Romeo and Juliet, pulled away from one another to attend to their friends and family, separately discover who the other truly is. Both are distraught—Juliet laments that her “only love [has] sprung from [her] only hate.” As the party winds down and Romeo’s friends prepare to leave, Romeo breaks off from them, jumps an orchard wall, and hides in the dark beneath Juliet’s bedroom window. She emerges onto her balcony and bemoans her forbidden love for Romeo, wishing aloud that he could “be some other name.” Romeo jumps out from his hiding place and tells Juliet that he’d do anything for her—he is determined to be with her in spite of the obstacles they face. Romeo and Juliet exchange vows of love, and Romeo promises to call upon Juliet tomorrow so they can hastily be married.

The next day, Romeo visits a kindly but philosophical friar, Friar Laurence , in his chambers. He begs Friar Laurence to marry him to his new love, Juliet. Friar Laurence urges Romeo to slow down and take his time when it comes to love: “these violent delights,” he predicts, “have violent ends.” But Romeo insists he and Juliet know what they’re doing. Friar Laurence comes around, realizing that a marriage between Romeo and Juliet could end their parents’ age-old feud. Later that day, Benvolio and Mercutio encounter Tybalt, who is furious that the Montagues crashed the Capulet party. Tybalt has, in a letter, challenged Romeo to a duel, and Mercutio and Benvolio are worried about the impulsive Romeo rising to the skilled Tybalt’s challenge. When Romeo shows up to find Tybalt, Benvolio, and Mercutio exchanging verbal barbs and teetering on the edge of a fight, Romeo does all he can to resist dueling with Tybalt. He and Juliet have just hastily visited Friar Laurence’s chambers together and are now married. Romeo doesn’t want to fight Tybalt, who is now technically his kinsman—but he knows he can’t reveal the truth to Tybalt, either. Before Romeo can explain his reasons for hesitating, Mercutio disgustedly steps in and challenges Tybalt to a duel himself. Romeo tries to separate them, but Tybalt stabs and kills Mercutio under Romeo's arm. Mercutio dies from his wounds, cursing both the Montagues and the Capulets and invoking “a plague [on] both houses.” In a miserable, mournful rage, Romeo kills Tybalt, then declares himself “fortune’s fool.” Benvolio urges him to hurry from the square. The prince and the citizens’ watch arrive, along with the elders of House Capulet and House Montague. Benvolio tells Prince Escalus what has unfolded, and the prince decides to banish Romeo to Mantua rather than sentence him to death.

Back at the Capulet manse, Juliet dreamily awaits the arrival of Romeo, whom she believes is hurrying from church so that they can spend their wedding night together. Juliet’s reveries are shattered with her nurse enters and informs her that Romeo has slain Tybalt and been banished from Verona. Juliet is furious with Romeo for killing Tybalt, but at the same time, her love for him is so profound that she admits she’d rather he lived than Tybalt. Juliet bids her nurse to go find Romeo and bring him to her, letting him know that she still wants to see him in spite of his actions. The nurse heads to Friar Laurence’s chambers, where the miserable, embarrassed, and angry Romeo is hiding. Though Romeo laments his fate to Friar Laurence, the friar urges Romeo to see that he is lucky to be alive, and promises to find a way to bring him back to Verona from exile in Mantua soon enough. The nurse arrives and summons Romeo to Juliet’s chambers—he happily follows her, and Friar Laurence urges Romeo to head straight to Mantua in the morning and await word from a messenger.

The death of Tybalt affects Capulet deeply. He decides to marry Juliet to Paris immediately, to cheer both Juliet and himself up. Juliet and Romeo bid each another farewell as the dawn breaks the next morning, and though Juliet says she has a terrible feeling she’ll never see Romeo again, she urges him to hurry on to Mantua. Lady Capulet enters Juliet’s chambers just after Romeo leaves to find her daughter weeping. Believing Juliet is still sad over Tybalt’s death, Lady Capulet delivers the news that Juliet will soon be married to Paris. Juliet refuses, and Lady Capulet urges Juliet to tell her father of her decision. Capulet enters, and, when Juliet stubbornly and angrily refutes the arrangement he’s made for her, Capulet threatens to disown her. Lady Capulet sides with her husband, and even the nurse advises Juliet to marry Paris and forget Romeo.

Juliet rushes to Friar Laurence in a rage, threatening to kill herself if he cannot devise a plan to get her out of the marriage to Paris. Friar Laurence, sensing Juliet’s deep pain, quickly comes up with a scheme: he gives her a vial of potion that, once drunk, will make it seem like she's dead—but will really only put her to sleep for about 40 hours. Juliet will be laid to rest in the Capulet tomb, and once she wakes up there, Friar Laurence will collect her and hide her until Romeo returns from Mantua. The friar promises to get news of the plan to Romeo so that he can hurry back home. Juliet takes the vial and returns home with it. Though she is afraid the potion might either kill her or not work at all, Juliet drinks it and immediately falls unconscious. The next morning the Capulet household wakes to discover that Juliet has seemingly died. As Capulet and Lady Capulet dramatically mourn their daughter’s loss, Friar Laurence chides them for their tears—in life, he says, they sought Juliet’s social “promotion.” Now that she is in heaven, she has received the highest promotion of all.

In Mantua, Romeo’s servant Balthasar approaches and tells him that Juliet has died. Romeo is devastated—he plans to “deny [the] stars” and return to Verona. Before leaving Mantua, however, he visits the shop of a local apothecary who sells forbidden poisons . If Juliet really is dead, Romeo plans to drink the vial of poison and kill himself inside her tomb. Back in Verona, Friar Laurence learns that his brother in the cloth, Friar John , has failed to deliver the letter about Juliet’s feigned “death” to Romeo—Romeo has no idea that Juliet is really alive. Friar Laurence hurries to the Capulet crypt to try to head off any calamity. At the gravesite, however, trouble is brewing: Paris has arrived with his page, intending to scatter flowers around Juliet’s tomb. Romeo and Balthasar approach, and Paris hides to see who has come to the crypt. Romeo takes up some tools and begins to break open the Capulet tomb. The astonished, offended Paris steps forward to stop him. The two duel, and Romeo kills Paris. Romeo succeeds in opening Juliet’s tomb, and brings Paris’s corpse down into it with him.

As Romeo looks upon Juliet, he notes that her cheeks and lips still seem flushed with blood—but, believing she is dead, resolves to drink the poison after a final kiss. Romeo drinks the vial and dies. Friar Laurence arrives to find a terrible scene before him. Juliet wakes, and Friar Laurence urges her to follow him without looking at the bodies. As sounds of the citizens’ watch approach, however, Friar Laurence flees, begging Juliet to follow him so he can install her in a nunnery. Instead, Juliet stays behind with Romeo’s corpse. Seeing the poison in his hand, she tries to drink a drop from his lips, but Romeo has left none for her. Instead, she pulls Romeo’s dagger from his hip and uses it to kill herself. Several watchmen arrive and bring Friar Laurence, Balthasar, Prince Escalus, and Paris’s page to the crypt to investigate what has happened. As the truth unravels, the elders of House Montague and Capulet arrive. Prince Escalus tells them that their hatred has killed their children. “All,” the prince says, “are punished.” The Capulets and Montagues agree to end their feud and erect statues of each other’s children in the town square.

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Romeo and Juliet

You’ll find hundreds of fun and engaging KS4 worksheets, low-stakes quizzes, drama activities, games, assessment and exam practice resources to support your teaching of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  Our Romeo & Juliet teaching resources are designed to suit the learning needs of young people of all attainment levels.

Develop GCSE English Literature students' understanding of the play's plot and key themes as well as Shakespearean stagecraft and language through close textual analysis of key scenes and speeches. Explore the Elizabethan context of the play, Shakespeare’s life and theatre and other Shakespeare’s plays to help students to understand how contemporary audiences would have reacted to his tragedy.

You’ll find worksheets on a range of key early scenes such as Act 1 Scene 1 and Act 2 Scene 2’s celebrated soliloquy when Romeo’s love for Juliet is revealed (the balcony scene) as well as the death of Tybalt and Romeo’s banishment.

Explore the end of the play and its tragic denouement for the ‘star-crossed lovers’, with Romeo’s death followed by Juliet’s death, and consider the role of different characters in the play, including the Nurse, Rosaline, Friar Laurence, Benvolio, Mercutio, Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, Lord Montague and the Prince of Verona.

Our popular GCSE teaching packs,  Romeo and Juliet  and Revising Romeo and Juliet will save time on planning with fresh ideas for approaching the teaching and revision of the play and detailed lesson plans with supporting resources, powerpoints and exam-style questions for all exam boards. 

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Romeo and Juliet

By william shakespeare.

• Romeo and Juliet Summary

Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy, where there is an ongoing feud between the Montague and Capulet families. The play opens with servants from both houses engaged in a street brawl that eventually draws in the family patriarchs and the city officials, including Prince Escalus . The Prince ends the conflict by issuing a decree that prohibits any further fighting at the risk of great punishment.

Meanwhile, Romeo , a young man from the Montague house, laments his unrequited love for a woman named Rosaline, who has vowed to remain chaste for the rest of her life. Romeo and his friend Benvolio happen to stumble across a Capulet servant, Peter , who is trying to read a list of invitees to a masked party at the Capulet house that evening. Romeo helps Peter read the list and decides to attend the party because Rosaline will be there. He plans to wear a mask so that he will nobody will recognize him as a Montague.

Romeo arrives at the Capulets' party in costume. He falls in love with young Juliet Capulet from the moment he sees her. However, Juliet's cousin Tybalt recognizes Romeo and wants to kill him on the spot. Lord Capulet intervenes, insisting that Tybalt not disturb the party because it will anger the Prince. Undeterred, Romeo quietly approaches Juliet and confesses his love for her. After exchanging loving words, they kiss.

Afterwards, Juliet's Nurse tells Romeo that Juliet is a Capulet, which upsets the smitten youngster. Meanwhile, Juliet is similarly distraught when she finds out that Romeo is a Montague. Later that night, Romeo climbs the garden wall into Juliet's garden. Juliet emerges on her balcony and speaks her private thoughts out loud. She wishes Romeo could shed his name and marry her. Upon hearing her confession, Romeo appears and tells Juliet that he loves her. She warns him to be true in his love, and he swears by his own self that he will be. Before they part, they agree that Juliet will send her Nurse to meet Romeo at nine o'clock the next day, at which point he will set a place for them to be married.

The Nurse carries out her duty, and tells Juliet to meet Romeo at the chapel where Friar Laurence lives and works. Juliet meets Romeo there, and the Friar marries them in secret.

Benvolio and Mercutio (another one of Romeo's friends) are waiting on the street later that day when Tybalt arrives. Tybalt demands to know where Romeo is so that he can challenge him to a duel, in order to punish him for sneaking into the party. Mercutio is eloquently vague, but Romeo happens to arrive in the middle of the verbal sparring. Tybalt challenges him, but Romeo passively resists fighting, at which point Mercutio jumps in and draws his sword on Tybalt. Romeo tries to block the two men, but Tybalt cuts Mercutio and runs away, only to return after he hears that Mercutio has died. Angry over his friend's death, Romeo fights with Tybalt and kills him. Then, he decides to flee. When Prince Escalus arrives at the murder scene, he banishes Romeo from Verona forever.

The Nurse tells Juliet the sad news about what has happened to Tybalt and Romeo. Juliet is heart-broken, but she realizes that Romeo would have been killed if he had not fought Tybalt. She sends her Nurse to find Romeo and give him her ring.

That night, Romeo sneaks into Juliet's room, and they consummate their marriage. The next morning, he is forced to leave when Juliet's mother arrives. Romeo travels to Mantua, where he waits for someone to send news about Juliet or his banishment.

During Romeo and Juliet's only night together, however, Lord Capulet decides that Juliet should marry a young man named Paris , who has been asking for her hand. Lord and Lady Capulet tell Juliet of their plan, but she refuses, infuriating her father. When both Lady Capulet and the Nurse refuse to intercede for the girl, she insists that they leave her side.

Juliet then visits Friar Laurence, and together they concoct a plan to reunite her with Romeo. The Friar gives Juliet a potion that will make her seem dead for at least two days, during which time Romeo will come to meet her in the Capulet vault. The Friar promises to send word of the plan to Romeo.

Juliet drinks the Friar's potion that night. The next morning, the day of Juliet and Paris' wedding, her Nurse finds her "dead" in bed. The whole house decries her suicide, and Friar Laurence insists they quickly place her into the family vault.

Unfortunately, Friar John has been unable to deliver the letter to Romeo informing him of the plan, so when Romeo's servant brings him news in Mantua that Juliet has died, Romeo is heart-broken. He hurries back to Verona, but first, buys poison from an Apothecary and writes a suicide note detailing the tragic course of events. As soon as Friar Laurence realizes that his letter never made it to Romeo's hands, he rushes to the Capulet tomb, hoping to arrive before Romeo does.

Romeo arrives at the Capulet vault and finds it guarded by Paris, who is there to mourn the loss of his betrothed. Paris challenges Romeo to a duel, and Romeo kills him quickly. Romeo then carries Paris' body into the grave and sets it down. Upon seeing Juliet's "dead" body lying in the tomb, Romeo drinks the poison, gives her a last kiss - and dies.

Friar Laurence arrives to the vault just as Juliet wakes up. He tries to convince her to flee, but upon seeing Romeo's dead body, she takes her own life as well.

The rest of the town starts to arrive at the tomb, including Lord Capulet and Lord Montague . Friar Laurence explains the whole story, and Romeo's letter confirms it. The two families agree to settle their feud and form an alliance despite the tragic circumstances.

Romeo and Juliet Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Romeo and Juliet is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Why does shakesphere speak like a goofy goober? Like bruh just speak normally my guy

This is poetry as well as Old English. It is the sam reason lyrics in music sound as they do, so full of symbolisn, metaphor....

What risks does Romeo take in the play Romeo and Juliet? Please include quotes from the play

Falling for Juliet was a pretty big risk. Jumping into the Capulet orchard to see juliet at night could have gotten Romeo killed, If they do see thee they will murder thee.

before he can enter the tomb, romeo encounters who

Romeo encounters young Paris.

Study Guide for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet Video
• Character List

Essays for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

• Unity in Shakespeare's Tragedies
• Fate in Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet: Under the Guise of Love
• The Apothecary's Greater Significance in Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet: Two Worlds

Lesson Plan for Romeo and Juliet

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Romeo and Juliet
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Romeo and Juliet Bibliography

E-Text of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet e-text contains the full text of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

• List of Characters

Wikipedia Entries for Romeo and Juliet

• Introduction
• Date and text

Romeo and Juliet

73 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics.

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Summary and Study Guide

Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare’s best-known plays. First performed before 1597 (the date of its earliest known printing), it has been popular and influential ever since.

This summary refers to the 2011 Folger Shakespeare Library edition. Your edition’s line numbers may vary slightly.

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Plot Summary

A feud between two noble families, the Montagues and the Capulets, is tearing apart the city of Verona. Young men allied with these households fight each other in the streets. At last, the violence gets so bad that the city’s Prince declares that any member of these clans caught fighting will be exiled from the city.

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Meanwhile, Romeo , the romantic young son of the Montagues, is suffering: He’s lovelorn over a girl named Rosaline, who doesn’t return his affections. His friends Benvolio and Mercutio persuade him to crash a masked ball thrown by the Capulets, in the hopes that he’ll spot another girl to fall in love with there. This plan works all too well: The disguised Romeo falls instantly in love with Juliet , the Capulets’ daughter. This is inconvenient, to say the least. Not only are the lovers’ parents locked in a feud, Juliet is considering a marriage proposal from the eligible young Count Paris. However, Romeo and Juliet’s love overwhelms all such considerations, and when Romeo comes in secret to Juliet’s garden in the night, they vow to marry.

Romeo’s friends take a dim view of this plan. Benvolio points out that Romeo was desperately in love with another girl five minutes ago; Mercutio will only make sex jokes; and Friar Lawrence , Romeo’s priestly friend and mentor, warns him that “these violent delights have violent ends” (2.6.9). However, Friar Lawrence also sees the young lovers as an opportunity to heal the rift between Montagues and Capulets, and agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in secret.

Before any good can come of this clandestine marriage, tragedy strikes when the rash and flamboyant Mercutio gets into a street fight with Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt . Mercutio is killed, and a grief-stricken Romeo murders Tybalt in revenge. Though it means leaving behind his new bride, Romeo must flee Verona to avoid punishment at the hands of the Prince.

Juliet is horrified when she learns that her new husband has killed her cousin, and even more horrified when she learns that the “choice” her parents offered her about whether to marry Count Paris was not so much a choice. She bravely decides to stand by Romeo and goes to Friar Lawrence for help. He concocts an elaborate plan to reunite the newlyweds: He’ll give Juliet a drug that makes her seem as if she’s dead, when in fact she’ll just be in a brief, deathlike coma. While her family entombs her, Friar Lawrence will send a message to Romeo to come and find her.

Juliet goes through with this plan, but Friar Lawrence’s part in the proceedings doesn’t go so well. News of Juliet’s “death” reaches Romeo in Mantua before Friar Lawrence’s explanatory message makes it there. Romeo rushes to Verona, where he finds and kills the mourning Paris outside the Capulet tomb. He descends into the dark and, finding what seems to be Juliet’s corpse, poisons himself.

Friar Lawrence arrives at the tomb to care for Juliet as she awakes, only to find her discovering Romeo’s still-warm body lying next to her. The priest tries to convince Juliet to come away, but she refuses, and he flees at the sound of approaching footsteps. Left alone, Juliet stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger. In the wake of these horrors, the Montagues and Capulets, having lost the hope of their future heirs, are forced to make a tragic peace.

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