Setting: Verona, Italy.
Mantua, Italy.Theme: Always tell the truth.Plot Summary:The play starts off when the Montagues and the Capulets are fighting. The Prince of Verona stops the quarrel and tells the two families that he is fed up with the feud. He says it has gone on too long and that this is the last of it. He says that the next person who fights will die.
Later on that day, the Capulets have a costume party. Romeo goes to the party looking for Rosaline but instead finds Juliet and falls in love with her. Tybalt notices that Romeo is not a Capulet and wants to fight him, but Lady Capulet stops him so Tybalt tells Romeo that he will regret coming to the party.Romeo and Juliet get married secretly and no one knows but the Nurse.
Tybalt sees Romeo and tries to fight him, but Mercutio fights instead. Romeo inadvertently kills Mercutio by getting in the way. Romeo then kills Tybalt.Juliet finds out that Tybalt is deceased and begins weeping hysterically.
Even though she knows Tybalt is dead, she is still glad that Romeo is alive. The Nurse then announces that Romeo has been banished and Juliet begins weeping again.Capulet arranges Paris to marry Juliet on Thursday, but Friar has a plan to keep this from happening since Juliet is already married to Romeo. Friar gives Juliet a potion to drink the night before the wedding.
The potion makes Juliet look dead but she really will be alive. Friar's plan is to fool everybody into thinking that she is dead, except that he will write to Romeo telling him the plan, and they will bury her and when the potion wears off. She will get out of the tomb and run away to Romeo and no one will ever know.The plan works great except that Romeo doesn't get the letter about the plan and he thinks that Juliet is dead.
He is so in love with her that he goes to Juliet's tomb and kills himself. The potion wears off and Juliet comes out of her sleep and sees Romeo dead and then kills herself.Characters:Romeo-Impulsive, blind (love-stricken), romantic, caring.Juliet-Loyal and devoted to Romeo, defiant towards parents.Prince-Strict, mean.
Montague-Strict, smart.Lady Montague-Nice, strict, peace maker.Rosaline-Romeo loved her, became a nun. Capulet-Strict, wise.Lady Capulet-Nice, strict, stuck-up.Friar Lawrence-Wise, old, bright.
Paris-Proud, lonely, nice.Nurse-Helpful, loving, caring, not educated well. Mercutio-Loyal, willful, strong. Tybalt-Mean, strong, a fighter.Benvolio-Peace maker, friendly.
Symbols or Allusions:Phoebus-sun god, Dian's wit-the mind of Diana, goddess of chastity, Echo-in classical mythology the nymph Echo, unable to win the love of Narcissus, wasted away in a cave until nothing was left of her but her voice.Distinguishing Characteristics:Tragic, romantic, exciting.Personal Response:I thought this plat was very confusing at first, but after about 2 acts I started "catching some lines" and learning how to interpret Shakespeare. I thought that this play was extremely downhearted yet exciting.
