Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet, tragedy written by William Shakespeare in about 1595. The play dramatizes the fate of two young lovers whose tragic deaths are brought about by feuding between their families and by their own passionate temperaments. One of the most famous love stories in all literature, Shakespeare’s moving drama of these “star-cross’d lovers” is noted for the lyrical beauty of many of its speeches.

The play opens in the Italian city of Verona, where the families of Montague and Capulet are engaged in a bitter feud. Romeo, the heir of the Montagues, loves Rosaline. Discovering that Rosaline has been invited to a Capulet banquet, Romeo attends in disguise. There, he meets and falls in love with Juliet, the beautiful daughter of the Capulets. They kiss, initially not realizing their families are enemies. Romeo slips into the Capulet orchard at night and overhears Juliet confessing her love for him on her balcony. Romeo identifies himself, and they pledge eternal love despite the hostility of their families. They are secretly married the next day by the benevolent Friar Laurence.

Shortly afterward Romeo encounters Tybalt, who is a Capulet, and an exchange of insults escalates into a brawl. Romeo’s friend Mercutio is mortally wounded by Tybalt; Romeo then kills Tybalt. The Prince of Verona banishes Romeo from the city. Romeo spends his last night with Juliet and then leaves in the morning for exile in Mantua.

Juliet’s father orders her to marry Count Paris within three days. Juliet, in desperation, goes to Friar Laurence, who gives her a potion that puts her into a deathlike sleep. Believed to be dead, she is placed in the Capulet burial vault, while the friar sends a letter to Romeo to take her away when she awakens. In Mantua, Romeo hears of Juliet’s death, but the letter from Friar Laurence never reaches him. Romeo believes that Juliet is truly dead and resolves to die beside her. He rushes back to Verona and breaks into the tomb, drinks poison, and dies beside the sleeping Juliet. When Juliet awakens, she finds Romeo’s body and stabs herself with his dagger. The Montagues and Capulets arrive at the tomb, where Friar Laurence explains the tragic events. They realize the disastrous effect of their feud and are at last reconciled.

Romeo and Juliet contains some of Shakespeare’s finest poetry. It is also noteworthy for its deft mixture of comedy and tragedy. The cynical wit of Romeo’s friend Mercutio and the worldly humor of Juliet’s nurse provide a vivid contrast to the tender lyricism of the love scenes. One of the highlights of the play is the balcony scene in the Capulet orchard. Lines often quoted from the play include “A plague on both your houses!” and “What's in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.”

The characterization of the play is superb; even minor characters like the nurse and Mercutio spring into life. And the development of the two major characters from the dreamy boy and the innocent girl of the first act to the tragic figures of the last is something new in English drama. The entire play is something new, for Shakespeare felt strong enough to break with the dramatic conventions of his time and write the first English tragedy dealing sympathetically with the theme of romantic love.