Romeo & Juliet
Summaries
Act I, Prologue
In a sonnet, the chorus tells
the audience that the play will
concern a pair of lovers whose
deaths will end the conflict
between their feuding families.
Act I, scene 1
Servants of both families come together in town
and argue and threaten to fight one another.
Lord Capulet and Lord Montague show up and
join in on the fray despite their wives objections.
The prince arrives and reprimands everyone for
fighting. The prince then warns them to stop
fighting or be put to death. The Montagues ask
Benvolio what is wrong with their son, Romeo.
Benvolio find out that Romeo is in love but the
woman does not love him. Benvolio suggests
that Romeo try to find another woman, but
Romeo declares that his love cannot be
replaced.
Act I, scene 2
Paris seeks Capulet’s permission to marry
his daughter Juliet. Capulet argues that
Juliet is too young, but if Paris can win
Juliet’s affection, he will give his consent.
As the invitations are being delivered by
Capulet’s servants, Romeo and Benvolio
read the list and decide to crash the party
so that Romeo can see his love, Rosaline,
again.
Act I, scene 3
Juliet’s nurse reminisces about Juliet’s
childhood. Lady Capulet tells Juliet about
her father’s plans for her to marry Paris.
Juliet reluctantly agrees to consider Paris
out of family duty.
Act I, scene 4
Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio travel to the
Capulet banquet. Romeo refuses to dance
because he is sad that Rosaline doesn’t
love him. Mercutio makes fun of Romeo.
Act I, scene 5
At the Capulet banquet, while the guests are
dancing, Romeo sees Juliet for the first time.
Romeo is mesmerized by her beauty. Tybalt
recognizes Romeo and gets very angry that a
Montague is attending a Capulet party. Lord
Capulet tells Tybalt to calm down and leaves.
Romeo meets Juliet and their love blossoms as
they kiss! Juliet is called away, and Romeo
learns that Juliet is a Capulet. Both Romeo and
Juliet become very distressed when they find out
that the other is a member of their family’s rival.
Act II, scene 1
While Romeo climbs over the wall into the
Capulet’s orchard, his 2 friends, Benvolio
and Mercutio try to find him and tease him.
Act 2 scene 2
• While Romeo is daydreaming of Juliet
outside her balcony in her garden, Juliet is
on the balcony daydreaming of Romeo.
They express their love to one
another.They plan to wed in secret.
Act 2 scene 3
Friar Laurence talks about how a flower can
be used for healing and death.
(foreshadowing) Romeo talks to the friar
about marrying he and Juliet. He agrees to
marry them.
Act 2 scene 4
• Mercutio and Benvolio discuss that Tybalt
is angry with Romeo for crashing the party.
Tybalt is looking for him to fight. Juliet’s
nurse finds Romeo to prepare their
wedding. They should meet in Friar
Laurence’s cell in the afternoon.
Act 2 scene 5
• Juliet is nervously pacing in her room
waiting for her nurse’s arrival. The nurse
plays with her for a little while before she
gives her the happy news that they will be
married this afternoon.
Act 2 scene 6
• Romeo and Juliet meet at Friar Laurence’s
cell. They both proclaim their love for each
other and then marry.
Act 3 scene 1
• Benvolio and Mercutio are walking on the
streets. When Tybalt sees them, he insults them
and picks a fight. As Romeo shows up, he tries
to stop the argument. Mercutio and Tybalt start
to fight. Romeo gets between them to stop the
fight but Tybalt stabs Mercutio. Mercutio dies
because of his wounds. Romeo and Tybalt fight
and Tybalt dies. When Prince Escalus arrives,
he finds out what happened and then banished
Romeo from Verona.
Act 3 scene 2
• Nurse comes to tell Juliet that Tybalt is
dead. Juliet learns that Romeo killed
Tybalt and she is very upset. She calls
Romeo several names but comes to her
senses. Nurse and Juliet make plans for
Romeo to join her in her bedroom so they
can say good-bye.
Act 3 scene 3
• Romeo goes to Friar Laurence’s cell for
help. Friar talks Romeo out of killing
himself. He tells Romeo to go to Juliet’s
room for the night to comfort her. Romeo
will then leave for Mantua so hide for
awhile. When the time is right, they will
announce their marriage so that Romeo
can return to Verona.
Act 3 scene 4
• Lady and Lord Capulet and Paris decide
that Juliet will marry Paris in three days.
Act 3 scene 4
• After they spend the night together in Juliet’ s
room, Romeo has a difficult time leaving his
wife. Lady Capulet tells Juliet the news that she
will marry Paris in three days. When Juliet
refuses to marry Paris, Lady and Lord Capulet
tell her that if she does not marry Paris that they
will disown her. Her Nurse tells her to marry
Paris so Juliet know that she can no longer trust
her. Juliet pretends to go to confession and goes
to Friar Laurence’s cell for help.
Act 4 scene 1
• Paris is talking to Friar Laurence about his
wedding to Juliet when she arrives. When Juliet
plans to kill herself to save herself from marrying
Paris, Friar Laurence comes up with another
plan. He tells Juliet to tell her parents that she
will marry Paris. Then she will go to her bedroom
and drink the potion in the bottle that he has
given her. The potion will make her appear dead
for several days. When she wakes up, Romeo
will meet her and they can be reunited and go to
Mantua. Juliet goes along with the plan.
Act 4 scene 2
• Juliet tells her parents that she will now
marry Paris as they wish. Lord Capulet
decides that the wedding should take
place tomorrow morning. Everyone is
happy.
Act 4 scene 3
• Juliet and her nurse pick out the clothes
that she will wear tomorrow. She tells her
mother and nurse to leave her alone for
the rest of the night so that she can pray.
Once they are gone, she gets very
nervous about taking the sleeping
potion.She puts a knife by her bed just in
case the sleeping potion does not work.
She drinks the potion and falls on her bed.
Act 4 scene 4
• The entire house is working all night long
to get the house ready for the wedding.
The ladies tell Lord Capulet to stay out
because he is making their work more
difficult.
Act 4 scene 5
• Nurse finds Juliet’s body on her bed and
still dressed. When she can’t wake her,
she shakes her and discovers that she is
“dead.” The Capulets mourn over Juliet’s
death. They arrange for all the wedding
arrangements to become funeral
arrangements.
Act 5 scene 1
• In Mantua, Balthasar tells Romeo that
Juliet is dead and they have buried her in
the family tomb. Romeo makes plans to
leave for Verona. He buys poison from a
very poor druggist. He gives the druggist
an incredible amount of money, gets the
poison and then rides off to Verona.
Act 5 scene 2
• In Friar Laurence’s cell, the Friar finds out
that Friar John did not get the letter about
the plan about Juliet’s fake death to
Romeo. Friar Laurence is upset that Juliet
will be waking up soon without Romeo. He
plans to open the tomb and get Juliet and
hide her until he can find Romeo and
reunite them.
Act 5 scene 3
• Paris comes to the Capulet tomb to place flowers with
Juliet. Romeo and Balthasar arrive at the tomb. Romeo
tells Balthasar to leave but he hides instead. Paris
angrily confronts Romeo in front of the tomb. Romeo kills
Paris in a sword fight. Romeo enters the tomb to say
good-bye to Juliet. He drinks the poison from the
druggist and then dies at her side.Balthasar and Friar
Laurence arrive at the tomb. When Juliet wakes up,She
sees that Romeo is next to her dead. She tries to take
the poison but there is nothing left. She tries to kiss him
but it does not kill her so she takes his knife and kills
herself. Prince Escala, a guard, Lady and Lord Capulet
and Lord Montague all arrive. Friar Laurence and
Balthasar explain what happened. The Capulets and
Montagues decide to stop their arguments.