Romeo and Juliet (1)

Romeo and Juliet
The story concerns two noble families of Verona , the Capulets and the Montagues, that have feuded for generations. The prologue also explains that the lovers' tragic suicides "[bury] their parents ' strife.” R & J are star -crossed lovers – it means, that they can never be happy together and they rather die before they live without each other .
The action starts with a street - battle between the two families, started by their servants and put down by the Prince of Verona, Escalus. The Prince declares that the heads of the two families ( known simply as "Montague" and "Capulet") will be held personally accountable for any further breach of the peace , and disperses the crowd.
Count Paris , a young nobleman, talks to Capulet about marrying his thirteen - year -old daughter , Juliet. Capulet demurs, because his is in daughter tender age, but he invites him to attract attention of Juliet during the ball. Meanwhile Juliet's mother tries to persuade her young daughter to accept Paris' wooing during their coming ball. Juliet is not inspired by the idea of marrying Paris — in fact , she admits to not really having considered marriage at all. But, being a dutiful daughter, she accedes to her mother's wishes.
In the meantime, Montague and his wife fret to their nephew Benvolio about their son Romeo, who has long been moping for reasons unknown to them . Benvolio promises Montague that he will try to determine the cause . Benvolio queries Romeo and finds that he is in love with Rosaline. But Rosaline doesn’t love him. Despite the good -natured taunts of his fellows, including the witty nobleman Mercutio (who gives his well known Queen Mab speech ), Romeo resolves to attend the masquerade at the Capulet house, relying on not being spotted in his costume, in the hopes of meeting up with Rosaline.
Romeo attends the ball as planned, but falls for Juliet as soon as he sees her and quickly forgets Rosaline.
Tybalt , Juliet's hot-blooded cousin, recognizes Romeo under his disguise and calls for his sword . But Capulet, however, speaks kindly of Romeo and doesn’t want to ruin the party with fight .
Romeo risks his life by remaining on the Capulet estate after the party breaks up, to catch another glimpse of Juliet at her room , and in the famous balcony scene , the two eloquently declare their love for each other. The young lovers decide to marry without informing their parents, because they would obviously disallow it due to the planned union between Paris and Juliet, and because they are from enemy families.
Juliet sends the nurse to find Romeo. Accompanied by one Peter, who carries her fan, the nurse exchanges some spicy insults with the bawdy Mercutio.
With the help of Juliet's Nurse and the Franciscan Friar Lawrence , the two are married that day. The Friar performs the ceremony, hoping to bring the two families to peace with each other through their mutual union.
Events take the darker turn after that. Tybalt, still smarting from the incident at the Capulets' ball, had previously sent a letter to the Montagues challenging Romeo to a duel . Meeting Romeo by happenstance, he attempts to provoke a fight.
Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt because they are now kinsmen — although Tybalt doesn't know it, as he doesn't yet know that Romeo has married Juliet. Mercutio, who is also unaware of the marriage, is angered by Tybalt's insolence – and Romeo's seeming indifference – and takes up the challenges himself. Benvolio tries to make peace and reminds everyone of the Prince's decree. In the ensuing swordplay, Romeo attempts to allay Mercutio's anger , momentarily placing his arm around him. By doing so, however, Romeo inadvertently pulls Mercutio into Tybalt's rapier, fatally wounding him. Mercutio dies, wishing "a plague a' both your houses ," before he passes. Romeo, in his anger, pursues and slays Tybalt. Although under the Prince of Verona's proclamation Romeo (and Montague and Capulet, as well) would be subject to the death penalty, the Prince instead fines the head of each house, and reduces Romeo's punishment to exile in recognition that Tybalt had killed Mercutio, who had not only been Romeo's friend but a kinsman of the Prince. Romeo is then exiled to Mantua after attempting to see Juliet one last time.
Just after Romeo leaves Juliet's bedroom unseen, Capulet enters to tell the news to his daughter that he has arranged for her to marry Paris in three days ' time, to console her perceived mourning for Tybalt, although it is in fact Romeo's exile that she mourns. Juliet is unwilling to enter this arranged marriage, telling her parents that she will not marry, and when she does, "it shall be Romeo, whom I know you hate." Capulet flies into a rage and threatens to disown her if she refuses the marriage. The Nurse tells Juliet that she should leave Romeo and just marry Paris, leaving only one person supporting her marriage to Romeo, Friar Lawrence.
Juliet visits Lawrence and tells him to either find a solution to her problem or she will commit suicide . Friar Lawrence, being a dabbler in herbal medicines and potions, gives Juliet a potion and a plan: the potion will put her into a death-like coma for "two and forty hours" (Act IV. Scene I); she is to take it and when discovered apparently dead, she will be laid in the family crypt. Meanwhile, the Friar will send a messenger to inform Romeo, so that he can rejoin her when she awakes. The two can then leave for Mantua and live happily ever after. Juliet is at first suspicious of the potion, thinking the Friar may be trying to kill her, but eventually takes it and falls 'asleep'.
The messenger of Friar Lawrence does not reach Romeo, due to a quarantine.
Instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's supposed "death" from his manservant Balthasar. Grief-stricken, he buys strong poison from an Apothecary, returns to Verona in secret , and goes to the crypt, determined to join Juliet in death. There he encounters Paris, who has also come to mourn privately for his lost love. Paris assumes that Romeo has come to defile the Capulets' crypt and challenges him to a duel. Romeo kills Paris, and then after seeing Juliet one last time.
At this point Juliet awakes and, seeing the dead, seeks answers. Friar Lawrence arrives, and tries to convince Juliet to come with him, but she refuses. He is frightened by a noise, and leaves Juliet alone in the crypt. The pain and shock of Romeo's death is too much for Juliet, and she stabs herself with his dagger. The two lovers lie dead together.
The two feuding families (except Lady Montague, who had died of grief over her son's banishment) and the Prince converge upon the tomb and are horrified to find Romeo, Juliet, and Paris all lying dead. Friar Lawrence reveals the love and secret marriage of Romeo and Juliet. The families are reconciled by their children 's deaths and agree to end their violent feud, as foretold by the prologue.