The Final Chance to Find Love (Act 5)

Juliet is supposedly dead and Romeo has not heard from anyone in Verona about this yet. Will Romeo ever see Juliet again? The final act of the play reveals in all...

Juliet holding a dead Romeo in her arms in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

What Will Juliet Do? (Act 4)

Juliet is all alone.. Romeo is in Mantua. They're are miles apart. Will their love still survive? 

Juliet begging Friar Lawrence for help in Romeo and Juliet (2013) 

Death Do Us Part... For Now (Act 3)

What a nice ending. Romeo and Juliet are married so they will live happily ever after. After this act you will find out why Romeo and Juliet is a romantic tragedy. Their relationship can withstand anything right?

Romeo and Juliet after spending their last night together in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Love then Marriage... (Act 2)

Continuing from where we left off, act 2 of Romeo and Juliet feature the famous 'balcony scene'. Act 2 is the most romantic act in the play and involves the least conflict between the Capulets and Montagues. 

Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scene in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

And So The Story of Romeo and Juliet Begins (Act 1)

And we now come to the beginning of the play.. finally... you have turned the cover and are now on the first line. You read page after page until you get to the end. "That was just amazing" you think. You want to know more about the relationship between Romeo and Juliet so you magically come to this blog post. Here is Romeo and Juliet in Act 1:

Romeo and Juliet meeting each other for the first time, Romeo and Juliet (2013)

R & J in 5 Days

5 acts = 5 days 
Romeo and Juliet (the outline)

Day 1

Morning: Street brawl occurs in Verona and Prince threatens Montague’s and Capulet’s with death if it ever occurs again

Midday: Benvolio finds out Romeo is in love with Rosaline

Afternoon: Juliet discovers her soon to be marriage plans with Paris from her mother. Romeo learns that Rosaline is attending the Capulet ball and decides to go as well.

Evening: The Capulet’s host a ball which Romeo and his friends sneak into. Romeo and Juliet meet each other for the first time and fall in love. They discover each other’s household and become distraught over this

Late Night – Early Morning: Romeo visits Juliet’s balcony and they proclaim their love for each other

Day 2

Morning: Romeo goes to Friar Lawrence to ask if he can marry him and Juliet in the afternoon

Midday: The Nurse meets with Romeo to pass on information of the wedding location and time

Afternoon: Romeo and Juliet are married in Friar Lawrence’s cell. One hour later, Mercutio is killed by Tybalt who was killed by Romeo.   The princes banished Romeo from Verona

Evening: Romeo and Juliet spend their wedding night together before he departs the next morning

Day 3

Morning: Romeo leaves Verona for Mantua after spending the night with Juliet who learns that she must marry Paris or be disowned by her parents

Midday: Juliet visits Friar Lawrence’s cell and expresses her condolences to him. She receives a potion to make her appear dead for the following day, so that she will not have to marry Paris. Friar Lawrence sends a letter to Romeo, telling him of this plan.  

Afternoon: Juliet tells Capulet that she will marry Paris and the wedding is put forward by one day to tomorrow

Evening: Juliet drinks the potion and supposedly falls dead on her bed

Day 4

Morning: Nurse discovers Juliet dead and Capulet calls off the wedding

Midday: Balthazar solemnly informs Romeo of Juliet’s death. Romeo goes to the apothecary and buys a poison which will instantly kill him. He travels back to Verona so he can die next to Juliet in the tomb.

Afternoon: A funeral is held for Juliet and she is laid in the Capulet’s tomb

Evening: Romeo arrives in Verona and kills Paris when discovering him outside Capulet’s tomb. He kisses Juliet for the last time and drink the potion, killing himself

Day 5

Morning: Friar Lawrence arrives at the tomb finding out that Romeo killed himself. Juliet awakens and is distraught over Romeo’s dead body. She uses a dagger to stab herself, hence, also dying. The Capulet’s and Montague’s end their feud and promise to raise statues of Romeo and Juliet as a symbol of their unity. 

The Montague Kin

Montague in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Montague - he is the head of the Montague household and also the father of Romeo. Unlike Capulet, Montague is concerned over Romeo and cares about his feelings and thoughts. He becomes more worrisome when Romeo wears a melancholic and uninterested personality  in Act 1. He is generous as he offers to raise a statue of Juliet as a symbol of piece between the two families.

an allusion is used by Shakespeare to emphasis Montague's growing concern over Romeo highlighting his isolation from everyone
"...shady curtains from Aurora's bed, away from lights steals house my heavy son" 
Act 1, Scene 1, Line 127 

Lady Montague in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

 Lady Montague - she is the wife of Montague and Romeo's mother. Lady Montague deeply cares about Romeo and this causes her to die of grief after Romeo was exiled from Verona. Like her husband, she worries over Romeo with her asking Benvolio of his whereabouts in Act 1. 



Shakespeare uses rhyme for the consecutive two lines that Lady Montague speaks to illustrate the concern in her voice 
"O where is Romeo? saw you him today?/Right glad I am that he was not at this fray."
Act 1, Scene 1, Line 107-108

Benvolio in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Benvolio - he is Romeo's best friend and is always by his side when Romeo is not with Juliet. Benvolio offers Romeo support and advice for Rosaline but eventually does not need to, as he has fallen for Juliet. When a dispute or quarrel occurs between the Capulet's and the Montague's, Benvolio attempts to be the peace - maker. He quite cheerful due to his young age and genuinely cares for the well - being of his friends and family. 


Shakespeare uses punctuation to exclaim Benvolio remark to make him sound for demanding and threatening as he is trying to stop quarrel
"Part fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do"
Act 1, Scene 1, Line 55-56

Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Mercutio - he is family of the Prince of Verona, but prefers to socialise with the Montagues', rather than the Capulets'. He is a playful and immature character, who likes to taunt and mock others using his sexual puns. His teasing can be quite rude sometimes which ultimately results in his death after Tybalt took his joke too far. Mercutio and Benvolio were companions or Romeo before he got banished. 

Sexual innuendo is evident in " by her fine foot, straight leg, quivering thigh" (Act 2, Scene 1, Line 19) as said by Mercutio to illustrate his mocking personality towards others  

The Capulet Clan

Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Capulet - He is the head of the Capulet household and subsequently also Juliet's father. Capulet makes all the decisions regarding his daughter's marriage arrangements and becomes offended when she is against them. He yearns for respect and this influences his strict nature and anger issues. He shows love and affection for his daughter, but only when she is obedient to him. Capulet tends to think more about himself does not pay attention to Juliet's thoughts and feelings, making him a selfish character. 

Shakespeare uses vulgar in Capulet's speech to portray his disappointment in Juliet's actions"hang thee, young baggage, disobedient wretch" - Act 3, Scene 5, Line 160  

A metaphor is used to show how important Juliet was to Capulet, and how much she meant to him "...and with my child my joys are buried" - Act 4, Scene 5, Line 63 

Lady Capulet in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Lady Capulet - She is Juliet's forceful yet loving mother and husband of Capulet. Marrying young, she believes she is a role model for Juliet, when in fact she is quite distant from her daughter. Lady Capulet is obedient to her husband as she is afraid of the consequences if she defies him. She cares for the well-being of her daughter by trying to convince her to marry Paris. 

A direct statement is used in "Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee" - Act 3, Scene 5, Line 203, to show Lady Capulet's discontent for her daughter and her actions 

Shakespeare uses a hyperbole to highlight how much Lady Capulet loved her daughter "...my child, my only life!" - Act 4, Scene 5, Line 19 

Tybalt in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Tybalt - he is thought to be the main antagonist of the play, being the barrier between Romeo and Juliet's love. He is protective of his household name and is very proud to be a Capulet. As for Montagues, Tybalt has a strong dislike towards them and enjoys taunting their people; but he becomes violent if the opposite occurs. Tybalt is abrasive and short - tempered, drawing his sword whenever possible. 

Shakespeare has used irony "..Thou art a villain" - Act 3, Scene 1, Line 54, to depict Tybalt's misunderstanding of Romeo and Juliet's love. Tybalt is moreover the antagonist than Romeo is.

Nurse in Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Nurse - the Nurse is a motherly figure for Juliet, raising her since she was born. She cares for Juliet dearly and is one of her most trusted sources to go to for help and advice.  Her occasional comments and remarks in conversations between Juliet and her mother, makes her a humorous character in the play. Her reliability makes her the messenger between Juliet and Romeo as she agrees that Juliet should go seek love. This is until the climax for the play when Nurse reveals she believes it is better for Juliet to marry Paris for Juliet's own safety and well-being. 

Shakespeare has utilized  a hyperbole to illustrate the close relationship between Juliet and Nurse, "Thou was the prettiest babe that e'er I nursed" - Act 1, Scene 3, Line 61 

Oh Let Me Introduce You to the One and Only Juliet

Hailee Steinfeld as Juliet
in Carlei's Romeo and Juliet (2013)

Brave and beautiful as always, Juliet is the joy and pride of the Capulets. Young and vulnerable she seems, her deceitfulness alongside her passionate love for Romeo makes her seem much older than she appears to be. 

Juliet Capulet. Daughter of Capulet. Female counterpart of Romeo. 

When we first encounter Juliet, we see her as the young, obedient daughter to her loving family.  Finding out she is not even 14 years old yet, we infer that she is immature due to her age. Well... our judgement is completely wrong; Juliet Capulet is a very a deceitful, rebellious, intelligent and courageous teenager, who acts older than she looks. 

Olivia Hussey as Juliet
in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet
  (1968)

At the beginning of the play, Juliet is introduced as a very tame and compliant daughter to Capulet. She respects both her parents which shows her loyalty to her family. As the story progress, Juliet falls in love with Romeo and this causes her to become more devious and rebellious, losing the respect and loyalty she originally had for her mother and father. This is revealed in Act 2 , Scene 2 during the balcony scene, "...sworn my love, And i'll no longer be a Capulet", where Juliet  declares her love for Romeo through a hyperbole to exaggerate her willingness for him to love her back.

Claire Danes as Juliet
in Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996)

Juliet is also a very strong, determined and courageous women which contradicts her youthful and innocent appearance. This is prevalent in scenes such as: when she sneaks off to Friar Lawrence's cell to get married, when she refuses to marry Paris, when she drink the potion to presumably kill herself. These events show that Juliet is a risk taker. Her outer beauty, is eventually overpowered by her inner beauty in the scene where Juliet ultimately decides to kill herself. This dramatic moment uses an oxymoron"O happy dagger" to depict Juliet's death as an ironic one, since it opposes her original plan to be with Romeo. 

We can see these personality traits Juliet has, makes her the perfect counterpart for  Romeo

All you Need to Know about Romeo

Romeo played by Douglas Booth
in Carlei's Romeo and Juliet (2013)

He's charming, yet sweet with a childlike personality. All the girls in Verona swoon over his handsome features... but you would never guess he was a Montague unless you asked.

Romeo. Son of Montague. Male counterpart to Juliet.

Your first judgement of Romeo in Act 1 is that he is melancholy character whose main interest in life is love. This is probably because of his unrequited love towards Rosaline, but you can't blame him for this; the poor guy has been rejected by his only love. 

Romeo played by Leonard Whiting
in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet
  (1968)

As the play moves on you realise he is in fact, a passionate and cheerful person due to his kindness towards Juliet. Upon meeting her, Romeo has a more positive view of life and openly expresses his thoughts more often. His inner feelings are expressed through his complex speech mostly containing metaphors and symbols about love. As all men are, Romeo's brave and daring nature is revealed when he decides to attend the Capulet's party regardless of the fact that he is from the rival family. After the ball, when visiting Juliet at Capulet's orchard after the ball, Shakespeare provides Romeo with a soliloquy which showcases the positive personality features he has.  Imagery such as metaphors "it is the east, Juliet is the east" and personification "arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon" portrays Juliet's role as Romeo's love interest and represents Romeo's intelligence thorough the complexity of his speech.

Romeo played by Leonard DiCaprio
in Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet (1996)

But a person can never be perfect, as Romeo has a few downsides regarding his immaturity and impulsiveness. He relies on the guidance of Benvolio, Mercuitio and Friar Lawrence for support when in hard situations. These traits influence Romeo's hasty attitude towards life, and Shakespeare depicts this upon Romeo's first sighting of Juliet, the killing of Tybalt, and also his suicide at the end of the play. In Act 1 Scene 5 in lines 51-52 "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night", this momentarily reveals Romeo's contradictory nature and highlights his impulsiveness, after his first sighting of Juliet as upon arriving at the ball he had loved Rosaline.

Romeo's personality is different to the one of Juliet, so by combining the two characters, it creates a loving couple