Romeo and Juliet Act Overviews. Prologue Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new.

Romeo and JulietRomeo and Juliet

Act Overviews

ProloguePrologueTwo households, both alike in dignity,

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.

The fearful passage of their death-marked love,

And the continuance of their parents’ rage,

Which, but their children’s end, naught could remove,

Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage,

The which if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

ProloguePrologue

Two similar families fight because of old problems, when two children of the families fall in love and kill themselves, ultimately because they cannot be together. Their deaths cause the two families to make up.

Their story is going to take about two hours of your time, and they will try to explain it to you.

Act I, Scene IAct I, Scene I

Sampson and Gregory, Capulet servants, fight with Abram and Balthasar, Montague servants.

Benvolio comes along and break it up. Tybalt comes in and causes a ruckus again. Prince comes by and tells them if they fight in the

streets again they’ll be put to death. “Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.”

Later… Romeo admits to Benvolio that he’s in love… with Rosaline.

Act I, Scene IIAct I, Scene II

Lord Capulet discusses with Count Paris the possibility of Paris marrying Juliet.

Capulet sends a servant out to deliver invitations to his party, and the servant stops in the street and asks Romeo (chance happening) if he can read the invitations to him.

Romeo and friends plot to go to the party so Romeo can meet up w/ Rosaline.

Act I, Scene IIIAct I, Scene III

Nurse and Juliet talk about Juliet’s happiness. Lady Capulet discusses with Juliet the prospect of

marrying Paris and asks her to check him out at the party.

Juliet feels she is too young to marry. Nurse - loving and compassionate - only wanting

Juliet to do what will make her happy Mother - only cares that Juliet marry someone

important who can take care of her and not disgrace the family.

Act I, Scene IVAct I, Scene IV

Romeo and friends are dressed up for the masquerade ball. They will not be easily identified b/c of their masks or costumes.

Romeo is overwhelmed with sadness at his love struck condition, while Mercutio tries to cheer him up.

Romeo’s lines foreshadow some negative thing waiting to happen.

The guys go to the Capulets’ party.

Act I, Scene V QuotesAct I, Scene V Quotes

Who said the following quotes and what do they mean:– “Is she a Capulet? 0 dear account, my

life is my foe’s debt.”– "My only love sprung from my only

hate Too early seen unknown and known too late."

Act I, Scene VAct I, Scene V

Tybalt talks to Capulet about Romeo being at the party and Capulet tells him not to worry about it b/c Romeo isn’t harming anyone. Tybalt becomes outraged, but Capulet doesn’t want anything to ruin his party.

Romeo spots Juliet across the room; it’s love at first sight. Before they depart for the evening they kiss.

Then they discover their families are rivals.

Act II, Scene 1-2“The Balcony Scene”

Mercutio and Benvolio think Romeo is still in love with Rosaline, and they make fun of his lovesick condition.

Romeo returns to the Capulet home in hopes of seeing Juliet again.

R and J profess their love to one another and decide to marry.

Act II, Scene 3

Romeo goes to see Friar Laurence.Romeo tells the friar that he is in love with

Juliet, an the friar is amazed that Romeo has forgotten about Rosaline so easily and suggests that he may be acting in haste.

The friar agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet in hopes that the marriage might end the feud between the families.

Act II, Scene 4

Romeo meets Benvolio and Mercutio in the street; he is excited and happy.

The nurse comes along and gives Romeo a msg from Juliet.

Romeo tells her that Juliet should meet him at Friar Laurence’s cell for their secret marriage ceremony.

WOAH!!! They’re getting married already?!?! Didn’t they meet yesterday???

Act II, Scene 5

The nurse goes back to Juliet, who is anxious for Romeo’s message, but the nurse jokes around and talks A LOT before passing Juliet the message.

Act II, Scene 6

Romeo and Juliet get married.

Act III, Scene 1

Benvolio and Mercutio run into Tybalt in the street. Benvolio tries to keep the peace, but Tybalt and Mercutio want to fight.

Romeo enters the scene and tries to avoid fighting with Tybalt b/c they are now family, although Tybalt doesn’t know.

Mercutio and Tybalt fight, and Mercutio is slain by Tybalt.

Mercutio dies, and he’s a little angry. – “A plague o’ both your houses!/They have

made worms’ meat of me.”Romeo kills Tybalt and, realizing what he’s

done, runs off to seek protection.The Prince arrives on scene and declares

that if Romeo does not leave Verona immediately, he will be killed. – “And for that offense/Immediately we do exile

him hence.”

Act III, Scene 2

Juliet is impatiently waiting for Romeo to come to her window when the Nurse brings the terrible news of her cousin’s (Tybalt’s) death.

Juliet is torn about how she feels. She’s a little angry that Romeo killed her cousin but also a little angry that her cousin would have killed her husband had he not acted first.

Act III, Scene 3

Romeo has sought refuge in Friar Laurence’s cell.

Laurence advises him to go see his wife and then leave for Mantua in the morning, where he will stay until the time is right to make the marriage publicly known.

Act III, Scene 4

Paris visits the Capulets to discuss the subject of him marrying Juliet, and even after all that has transpired in the past day (Tybalt’s death), Capulet decides Juliet should marry Paris on Thursday, three days away.

Act III, Scene 5 Romeo has spent the night with Juliet and leaves for

Mantua in the morning. Lady Capulet comes in to tell Juliet about the arranged

marriage. Juliet says she will never marry Paris, and this angers

her parents.– “—get thee to church a Thursday/Or never after look me in

the face.” Juliet begs her parents to postpone the wedding. She

asks the nurse for advice, and the nurse tells her to accept her parents’ decision. She heads to the Friar’s cell to ask his advice.

Act IV, Scene 1

Juliet goes to see the Friar and is distraught when she sees Paris there making wedding arrangements.

Juliet tells the Friar that if he does not have a plan to solve her problems she will kill herself.

The Friar explains the following plan to Juliet:– She will drink a potion that will put her in a deathlike

coma.– When she wakes up two days later in the family tomb,

Romeo will be waiting for her, and they will escape to Mantua together.

Act IV, Scene 2-5

(2) Capulet is making wedding plans and is so relieved when Juliet comes home and apologizes that he moves the wedding up to Wednesday.

(3) Although Juliet is scared, she drinks the potion.

(4) It’s the next morning, wedding time, and everyone is preparing.

(5) Juliet is discovered “dead,” and her body is carried to the family tomb.

Act V, Scene 1

In Mantua, Balthasar, Romeo’s servant, comes from Verona to tell him that Juliet is dead, and since Romeo hasn’t heard from the Friar, he presumes this is true.

He decides he will die next to Juliet and sets out to find some poison.

Act V, Scene 2

Friar Laurence’s messenger says he was unable to deliver the letter to Romeo.

Friar Laurence goes to find Juliet so he can be there when she wakes up, as he hopes to hide her somewhere until Romeo arrives.

Act V, Scene 3

Characters:– Paris– Page– Romeo– Balthasar– Friar Laurence– Juliet

– Chief Watchman– Second Watchman– Third Watchman– Capulet– Lady Capulet– Prince– Montague

Act 5, Scene 3 - Overview

Paris comes to the tomb at night to lay flowers on Juliet’s grave.

Romeo enters and Paris hides at first but then comes out and challenges Romeo, who tells him: – “Good gentle youth, tempt not a desp’rate

man… Put not another sin upon my head/By urging me to fury.”

Romeo kills Paris. He drinks his poison and dies. Friar Laurence comes in just as Juliet is waking.

The Friar lets her know that her husband and her husband to be are both dead and he will try to get her into a sisterhood of nuns to keep her safe. She tells him to go away.

Juliet kisses Romeo’s lips in hopes of getting a little bit of poison to kill herself.– “…drunk all, and left no friendly drop/To help me

after? I will kiss thy lips.”

There is no poison so she takes Romeo’s dagger and stabs herself.

Many people enter the tomb and are confused. Montague says that his wife died of grief at their son’s exile.

Friar Laurence explains all.Capulet and Montague finally realize that

their children have died for nothing and they join hands and put their differences aside.