The play begins with a
large fight between the Capulets and the Montagues, two prestigious families in
Verona, Italy. These families have been fighting for quite some time, and the
Prince declares that their next public brawl will be punished by death. When
the fight is over, Romeo’s cousin Benvolio tries to cheer him of his
melancholy. Romeo reveals that he is in love with a woman named Rosaline, but
she has chosen to live a life of chastity. Romeo and Benvolio are accidentally
invited to their enemy’s party; Benvolio convinces Romeo to go.
At the
party, Romeo locks eyes with a young woman named Juliet.They instantly fall in
love, but they do not realize that their families are mortal enemies. When they
realize each other’s identities, they are devastated, but they cannot help the
way that they feel. Romeo sneaks into Juliet’s yard after the party and
proclaims his love for her. She returns his sentiments and the two decide to
marry. The next day, Romeo and Juliet are married by Friar Lawrence; an event
witnessed by Juliet’s Nurse and Romeo’s loyal servant, Balthasar. They plan to
meet in Juliet’s chambers that night.
Romeo
visits his best friend Mercutio and his cousin Benvolio but his good mood is
curtailed. Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, starts a verbal quarrel with Romeo, which
soon turns into a duel with Mercutio. Romeo tries to stop the fight but it is
too late: Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo, enraged, retaliates by killing Tybalt.
Once Romeo realizes the consequences of his actions, he hides at Friar
Lawrence’s cell.
Friar
Lawrence informs Romeo that he has been banished from Verona and will be killed
if he stays. The Friar suggests Romeo spend the night with Juliet, then leave
for Mantua in the morning. He tells Romeo that he will attempt to settle the
Capulet and Montague dispute so Romeo can later return to a united family.
Romeo takes his advice, spending one night with Juliet before fleeing Verona.
Juliet’s
mother, completely unaware of her daughter's secret marriage to Romeo, informs
Juliet that she will marry a man named Paris in a few days. Juliet, outraged,
refuses to comply. Her parents tell her that she must marry Paris and the Nurse
agrees with them. Juliet asks Friar Lawrence for advice, insisting she would
rather die than marry Paris. Fr. Lawrence gives Juliet a potion which will make
her appear dead and tells her to take it the night before the wedding. He
promises to send word to Romeo - intending the two lovers be reunited in the
Capulet vault.
Juliet
drinks the potion and everybody assumes that she is dead — including Balthasar,
who immediately tells Romeo. Friar Lawrence’s letter fails to reach Romeo, so
he assumes that his wife is dead. He rushes to Juliet’s tomb and, in deep
grief, drinks a vial of poison. Moments later, Juliet wakes to find Romeo dead
and kills herself due to grief. Once the families discover what happened, they
finally end their bitter feud. Thus the youngsters' deaths bring the families
together. Romeo And Juliet is a true tragedy in the literary sense because the
families gather sufficient self-knowledge to correct their behaviour but not
until it is too late to save the situation.
Der Panther Im Jardin des Plantes, Paris
