ROMEO AND
JULIET
Act I
SCENE ONE






_______ in the streets caused by an ongoing feud.
Benvolio – a Montague - tries to keep the peace.
_______ – a Capulet - restarts the fight out of
spite.
Lord Capulet and Lord Montague join the fight.
Prince Escalus – governor of the province of
Verona – breaks up the riot with the threat of
death to the next person who “disturbs Verona’s
streets”.
Romeo arrives after the riot, heart-broken over
Rosaline, a young woman who _________ to be
taken by him.
SCENE TWO





__________ asks for Juliet’s hand in marriage,
offering money to her father as an incentive.
Lord Capulet invites Paris to a masquerade ball that
evening.
Lord Capulet gives the guest list to a servant who
can’t read.
This servant asks Benvolio and Romeo for help.
Benvolio and Romeo decide to____________
__________ will be there!!
SCENE THREE
We meet Juliet and the Nurse.
 Lady Capulet asks her 12 year old daughter how
she would feel about being married.
 Juliet agrees to marry Paris, a man she has not
met.

SCENE FOUR





Romeo and his friends, a bit drunk, go to crash the
Capulet party.
Romeo’s best friend Mercutio – the Prince’s nephew –
laughs at Romeo’s fear over a dream he had that
afternoon.
Mercutio tells a complicated tale about Queen Mab, the
fairies’ midwife.
Mercutio hides a secret sadness with his drunken
foolishness.
Romeo’s dream is not funny; he dreamt that he would
die if he went to this party. This is called DRAMATIC
IRONY.
SCENE FIVE
The men successfully crash the party.
 Romeo sees Juliet; Roseline is forgotten.
 Tybalt sees Romeo and wants to fight.
 Lady Capulet stops him with a curse.
 Romeo and Juliet meet and kiss.
 Romeo finds out Juliet is a Capulet.
 Juliet finds out that Romeo is the son of her
family’s worst enemy.

IMPORTANT VOCABULARY FOR ACT I

Dramatic Irony: when the audience knows
something that the character does not.

Oxymoron: Use two contrasting terms together
to emphasize confusion or humor.
Act II
ROMEO AND JULIET
You are invited to the
Wedding of the Year!!!
ACT II OF ROMEO AND JULIET

Second Prologue: Summary of Act I
Romeo now loves someone else who seems
unattainable, but love will find a way.

This is the audiences’ second chance to leave,
but this time they would not get their money
back.
SCENE ONE
Benvolio and Mercutio make fun of Romeo and
his many loves.
 They chase him through the back alleys, calling
him names and chanting.
 It is shortly after 12:00 am Monday morning.
 Romeo climbs an orchard wall to escape their
taunts.

SCENE TWO






Romeo sees Juliet on her balcony and praises her
beauty.
Juliet, not knowing that Romeo was listening or even
in the garden, prays that he will denounce his family
and come to her.
Romeo jumps from the bushes; they talk long into the
night, speaking of love, satisfaction, and finally
marriage.
The nurse calls Juliet repeatedly; Mercutio keeps
calling Romeo. Neither distracts the young lovers
from their conversation.
Romeo promised to see Friar Laurence about the
wedding plans.
Juliet will send the Nurse to see Romeo at the church
at 9:00 am – a short four hours from now.
SCENE THREE



We meet Friar Laurence for the first time. He
is the local priest and Romeo’s mentor and
confidante.
Romeo speaks of his plans, but the Friar is
first angry then skeptical. He asks of
Roseline and tells Romeo is a fickled fool.
Later, the Friar changes his mind about the
marriage, thinking that this may be just the
way to end the feud. His intentions are good,
but misplaced.
SCENE FOUR




Mercutio and Benvolio tell of Tybalt's written
challenge to Romeo – an answer to Romeo’s
crashing the party on Sunday.
Both men fear that Romeo is too lovesick to
win a duel with the skillful swordsman Tybalt.
The Nurse enters and asked for Romeo; she
is a very haughty woman who invites teasing
from the young men with Romeo.
Assuring her of his sincerity, Romeo tells the
Nurse to tell Juliet to come to Friar Laurence’s
room that afternoon to be married.
SCENE FIVE
Juliet waits impatiently for the Nurse to
return; it has been three long hours
since she left the Capulet house.
 When she returns, The Nurse teases
Juliet then tells her of the wedding
plans.
 Juliet has her father’s permission to go
to prayers that afternoon, so no one will
be suspicious of Juliet’s absence.

SCENE SIX




The Friar is worried that Romeo and Juliet will “go too
far” if he does not marry them quickly. Romeo’s
intense physical attraction to Juliet frightens the old
priest. Haste can only lead to despair, in his opinion.
The wedding takes place on Monday afternoon with
only three people in attendance.
The couple parts at 5:00 pm with Romeo’s promise
to sneak into the Capulet house after midnight.
This is the last happy moment in the play. The
audience would be aware that problems to come and
would probably call after the characters as they
separate.
VOCABULARY FOR ACT II








Foreshadowing: hints about the future.
Figures of Speech: poetic forms that add to
the comparisons and feelings of a written
work.
Metaphor
Simile
Pun
Alliteration
Imagery
Aside
The Turning Point of the Tragedy
ACT III
SCENE ONE







Benvolio pleads with Mercutio not to be on the streets
since if they are seen by the Capulets, there will be a
fight.
Tybalt enters and challenges the men as Romeo arrives –
only five minutes after his wedding.
Tybalt renews his challenge to Romeo.
Romeo does not want to fight his new cousin-in-law, so
he wishes Tybalt peace and walks away.
Mercutio, thinking that Romeo is being a coward or a
lovesick fool, challenges Tybalt.
Tybalt accepts the challenge humorously. He knows that
Mercutio is drunk and a very poor swordsman.
Mercutio and Tybalt fight half-heartedly, but Romeo
becomes fearful of what could happen to Mercutio.
SCENE ONE CONTINUED






Romeo steps between the two swordsmen to stop the
fight.
Tybalt was coming toward Mercutio at the time and
accidentally stabs Mercutio under Romeo’s arm.
Mercutio is struck to the heart while Tybalt stands
confused. He never meant to hurt Mercutio.
Mercutio, dying, cursed both the Capulet and Montague
houses for their bloodlust then crawls off stage to die.
Benvolio runs off stage but returns quickly to say that
Mercutio is dead!
Tybalt runs in fear of Prince Escalus’ promised
punishment.
SCENE ONE CONTINUED







Romeo, feeling guilty and angry, forgets his marriage and runs
after Tybalt to kill him.
Romeo and Tybalt fight viciously until Tybalt is killed.
Romeo realizes what he has done in killing his wife’s favorite
cousin …”I am Fortune’s Fool…”
Romeo runs away to Friar Laurence’s room.
Prince Escalus comes to see what is happening in the square
and discovers his own nephew dead and Tybalt bloody in the
streets.
Benvolio tries to explain, but Lady Capulet calls for Romeo’s
blood.
The Prince believing Benvolio’s account of the fight only
banishes Romeo from Verona. But, he promised Lady Capulet
that if Romeo ever returns to Verona, he will be killed.
SCENE TWO






Juliet is anxiously awaiting for Romeo to arrive for their
wedding night.
The Nurse comes to tell of a death, but she is so
distracted that Juliet, at first, thinks that Romeo is dead.
Finding out that Tybalt is dead at Romeo’s hand, Juliet
first curses Romeo then feeling guilty worries for his
safety.
Juliet’s immaturity in handling problems shows here; she
is still a child!
Juliet says that she will kill herself, but the Nurse talks
her out of it by agreeing to go talk to Friar Laurence.
The Nurse is sent to the Friar to tell Romeo that Juliet still
loves him and needs to see him.
SCENE THREE
Friar Laurence tells Romeo of his banishment.
 Romeo says that death is preferable to being
sent away from his home forever.
 The Friar reminds him for his responsibility to
Juliet and tells him to stop whining like a little
girl.
 When the Nurse arrives to tell of Juliet’s
reaction, Romeo tries to stab himself with
garden shears.
 The Friar slaps him to the floor.
 The Friar has a plan:

SCENE THREE CONTINUED

Romeo is to go to Mantua – a town 10 miles
away – until the Friar can:
 A.
Stop the feud.
 B. Reveal the secret marriage.
 C. Obtain the Prince’s pardon for Romeo.
 None of these ideas have a chance of working, but
the Friar wants Romeo to stop crying.

Romeo was to go to Juliet first, but he had to be
out of Verona before sunrise.
SCENE FOUR
Lord Capulet, not knowing about Juliet’s
marriage, tells Count Paris that they should
postpone their wedding until Juliet has mourned
over Tybalt.
 Count Paris insists that a wedding would help
Juliet with her grief.
 Lord Capulet finally agrees to the wedding in
three days.
 Lord Capulet instructs Lady Capulet to go to Juliet
first thing in the morning – Tuesday morning – to
tell her the good news about the wedding.

SCENE FIVE









As the scene opens, the lark is singing outside – a sign that the
sun has already rose on the lovers.
The lovers part quickly with Juliet asking if they will ever meet
again.
Lady Capulet enters to tell Juliet of her approaching wedding.
Juliet – for the first time in her life – screams at her mother. She
says that she WILL NOT marry Count Paris or any one else!!
Lady Capulet tells Lord Capulet, and he breaks into Juliet’s room
with an ultimatum: she will marry Paris, or he will disown her –
throw her into the street to die.
Juliet turns to her mother for help only to be told that her mother
wishes that Juliet had never been born!
Both parents have now rejected the frighten girl, so she turns to
the person who always helps her, the Nurse.
But, the Nurse does not side with Juliet this time. She tells her to
forget Romeo and marry the wealthy Paris.
Juliet is shocked, so shocked that she fires the Nurse. Juliet tells
the Nurse that she is never to speak to her again.
SCENE FIVE CONTINUED






Juliet grows up at the moment. From this point on, she
will become a young woman making adult decisions
and mistakes.
Juliet decides that she must go to Friar Laurence, but
she cannot leave the house without permission –
permission she won’t get unless she agrees to marry
Paris.
For the second time, Juliet lies to her father.
She apologizes for her outburst, agrees to marry Paris,
and asks permission to go to Confession to repent of
her sins.
What Juliet really intends to do is get Friar Laurence to
take her to Romeo or give her a plan of escape from the
marriage to Paris.
The Nurse will know nothing of these plans. This will
prove to be a major mistake for Romeo and Juliet.
ACT IV
“-more
dark and dark our
woes”
Romeo – Act III, Scene 5

SCENE ONE
Juliet meets Paris at the Friar’s room and is
terrified when he mentions their marriage.
 Juliet threatens suicide if the Friar does not help
her.
 The Friar has a better plan:

 Juliet
is to take a sleeping draught that will make her
fall into a deathlike sleep for 42 hours.
 While she is being buried, Friar Lawrence will send a
message to Romeo explaining all.
 They can then escape to Mantua with no one after
them.
SCENE TWO
Lord Capulet is so happy that Juliet is acting
as she should that he changes the wedding
day to Wednesday instead of Thursday.
 Juliet must now take the potion a day early,
but she neglects to tell Friar Laurence who
still believes that he has two days to reach
Romeo.

SCENE THREE




The Nurse helps Juliet prepare for the wedding, but Juliet
still refuses to speak with her.
The Nurse knows nothing about the plans.
It is Tuesday night.
Juliet, before she drinks the potion, has doubts:




What if the potion does not work? She puts the dagger under
her pillow.
What if the Friar, feeling guilty about his part in the wedding,
gave her poison instead of the sleeping draught?
What if she should awake in the tombs with all the dead bodies
before Romeo arrives?
What if Tybalt’s ghost is waiting for her in the tomb?
SCENE FOUR
Lord and Lady Capulet joyously make the final
preparations for the wedding on Wednesday
morning.
 Paris arrives, and the Nurse is sent to wake Juliet
for her big day.
 Friar Laurence gives a letter to Friar John – the
Postmaster – to take to Romeo.
 Friar John riding on an old donkey usually takes
two days to get to Mantua.
 Romeo would receive the letter Friday morning.

SCENE FIVE
The Nurse finds Juliet “dead”.
 The family is devastated, particularly her father.
 Paris and the Friar enter to hear the sad news.
 Friar Laurence is worried, but he encourages the
family to bury her quickly.
 He must find a way to get another letter to
Romeo before the news of Juliet’s “death”
spreads.

ACT V:
“NEVER WAS A TALE OF
MORE WOE THAN THIS
OF JULIET AND HER
ROMEO…”
SCENE ONE





It is Thursday afternoon after Juliet’s funeral.
Balthasar, Romeo’s servant, having seen the
funeral, arrives in Mantua with bad news.
Romeo, not having received Friar Laurence’s letter,
does not know that this is a hoax – Dramatic Irony.
Feeling guilty, Romeo visits the apothecary where he
buys poison.
Romeo and Balthasar leave Mantua, passing Friar
John as he enters the city.
SCENE TWO
It is Thursday evening.
 Friar Laurence knows that his message will not
reach Romeo in time.
 He is feeling guilty and sinful at what he has
done and has planned.
 Juliet is to awaken in three hours, so Friar
Laurence sets out for the crypt.
 He does not want Juliet to awaken alone.

SCENE THREE - A





Paris, coming to the crypt with flowers, meets Romeo
and tries to stop him from going to the crypt.
He thinks that Romeo, a Montague, means to
vandalize the grave of the Capulet’s.
Romeo warns Paris to leave, but Paris attacks him.
As he dies, Paris asks Romeo to put him in the crypt.
Romeo calls Paris another “fortune’s fool”.
SCENE THREE - B







Romeo apologizes to Tybalt for killing him
Romeo then delivers a SOLILIQUY (speech to himself) telling of
Juliet’s beauty even in death and accusing her of being
“Death’s paramour”.
Romeo drinks the poison and dies.
Friar Laurence arrives seconds later to find Romeo and Paris
dead and Juliet awakening.
The Friar tells Juliet of the deaths.
The Friar hears the night watchman coming and begs Juliet to
come with him.
When she refuses, he flees in terror.
SCENE THREE - C
Left alone, Juliet tries to kiss the poison from
Romeo’s lips.
 When this does not work, she stabs herself
with his dagger.
 A night watchman finds the open crypt with
three fresh bodies.
 Another watchman finds Friar Laurence and
Balthasar hiding in the crypt garden.

SCENE THREE - D




The Capulets and Montagues are summoned to the
crypt.
The Prince, who was at Mercutio’s crypt, arrives
immediately.
Friar Laurence confesses all and awaits punishment,
being sure to tell that the Nurse was involved.
Balthasar, Romeo’s servant, gives Prince Escalus a
letter from Romeo, in which he admits his deception
and asks for forgiveness for Juliet and Friar Laurence.
SCENE THREE - E






Lord Montague tells that his wife killed herself when
Romeo was banished.
The Prince blames all of the families and those who should
have known better for these deaths.
The two families repent of the feud and agree to bury their
children together in a new crypt.
The Prince pronounces judgment on those responsible for
the deeds done.
The Prince then delivers a eulogy for the “star-crossed
lovers”.
He ends with: “For never was there a tale of more
woe/Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”
SO ENDS THE STORY OF
ROMEO AND JULIET
NOW THE REST OF THE STORY…
WHAT WERE THE RESULTS AND/OR
CONSEQUENCES FOR EACH MAJOR
PLAYER?








Romeo?
Juliet?
Tybalt?
Lady Montague?
Friar Laurence?
The Nurse?
Mercutio?
Paris?
WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THESE
CHARACTERS?
Benvolio?
 Rosaline?
 Prince Escalus?
 Balthasar?
 Lord Montague?
 Lord and Lady Capulet?
