NABILAH BINTI MOHD NOR

022623
DIPLOMA TESL 2

THE SUMMARY OF ROMEO AND JULIET

The Capulets and Montagues had been violently feuding for a very long time that
Prince Escalus of Verona had declared that they will bear fatal consequences if they
cause trouble on the streets again. Shortly after that, Romeo, the son of Montague,
confessed his love for a woman named Rosaline to his cousin Benvolio. Meanwhile, Lord
Capulet arranged the marriage of his fourteen-year old daughter Juliet to Paris, the
Prince’s kinsman, and threw a party so that he could get to know her and win her heart.
The illiterate Capulet servant asked Romeo and Benvolio to read the guest list to him on
his task and invited them to the party in return without knowing that they were
Montagues. Benvolio urged Romeo to go to the party to see Rosaline who was in the
guest list. Romeo went with his friend Mercutio and joined the masquerade to find
Rosaline but had completely forgotten about her when he saw the beautiful Juliet. Tybalt,
Capulet’s nephew, recognized Romeo and reported to his uncle, who said that there
would be no bloodshed at the party. Romeo approached Juliet and convinced her to kiss
him before Juliet’s mother called her away. After the party, he lingered out at Juliet’s
window and monologued about Juliet. Juliet did the same, asking him to deny is identity
like she would for the sake of their love, without knowing Romeo was there and
reconfirmed her passion when he came forth from his hideout. The lovers exchanged
vows and agreed to meet the next morning. On his way home, he stopped by the
monastery to ask Friar Lawrence to join Juliet and Romeo in a marriage. He teased him
regarding his confession for Rosaline before but agreed. The next morning, Mercutio and
Benvolio searched worriedly for Romeo as Tybalt had challenged him to a fight, but he
told them that he wasn’t in the mood to fight when they met. Juliet’s nurse visited him
and questioned his intentions. Romeo assured her and begged that Juliet was to be
brought to the Friars cell, where the wedding was then performed that afternoon. They
promised to meet later that evening. However, Benvolio and Mercutio ran into Tybalt and
some of his men. Mercutio and Tybalt began insulting each other, but Tybalt was more
interested to fight Romeo when he came to the scene, which Romeo declined nicely.
Mercutio fought the tempered Tybalt instead, and he was stabbed although Romeo tried
to stop them. Romeo then killed Tybalt in his anger and confusion of loyalty. The prince
and a group of citizens came to the scene later and declared that Romeo was to be killed
when he is found. Juliet who was impatiently waiting for her husband was informed by
her nurse of the occurrence. In the mean time, Romeo was hiding in the Friar’s cell
before going to meet his wife. They met and spent the whole night together before
Juliet’s mother came at dawn with the news of Tybalts murder. She also declared that
Juliet will be married to Paris, which the girl strongly opposed to. Lord Capulet
announced angrily that if Juliet refused the marriage, she should never look at him in the
face again. Juliet then rushed to the Friar’s cell to confess her disobedience and to see
Romeo. There she met Paris and told him of loving another, but he misunderstood her.
After Paris left, Juliet asked help from Friar Lawrence. His solution was a plan of giving
her a potion that would cause a long sleep very similar to death to the drinker, and told
her to drink it so that her parents will think that she is dead and place her at the family
tomb; where Romeo will rescue her and take her away from Verona. The first part of the
plan worked successfully until the news of Juliet’s death reached Romeo in Mantua
ahead of the Friars messenger. The crushed Romeo bought a fatal poison and went to the
tomb. He kissed his wife, drank the poison and died immediately by her side. Soon Juliet
woke up and found her dead husband beside her. She stabbed her chest with Romeo’s
dagger and died. Just then Friar Lawrence entered, followed by the Montagues, the
Capulets, and the Prince. The families started blaming each other for the deaths of their
children. The Friar then explained the whole incident which caused the two families to
make up and stop fighting, mourning the tragedy and death of Romeo and Juliet.