Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet, an Italian tale popularized thanks to the tragedy written by William Shakespeare in 1597, the story of romeo and juliet, between betrayal and suffering, disagreements and misunderstandings, despair and exacerbated feelings, regret and forgiveness, symbolizes the purity of love.
The story takes place in Verona, a small Italian town, at the end of the 14th century, where two great families, the Montagues and the Capulets, have an unquenchable hatred for each other, fighting regularly to the point of disturbing public order.
The prince of the city, Escalus, exasperated by their incessant quarrels, decides that the provocateurs of both families will be condemned to death. A big party is organized by Capulet, to allow his fourteen-year-old daughter Juliet to meet the Count of Paris to whom she is promised in two years. Roméo, heir to the Montaigu family, is Rosaline’s rejected and chilled suitor. Desperate, he goes with his friends, Benvolio and Mercutio, to the Bal des Capulet in the hope of meeting his beauty there. Masked so as not to be recognized, the three friends discreetly invite themselves to the party.
But faced with the beauty and purity of Juliette, Rosaline is quickly eclipsed. Under the spell, Romeo falls madly in love with the young girl and discovers true love Love at first sight reciprocal. Fiery kisses are exchanged between the young lovers, but Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt unmasks Romeo and his friends. Later that night, in a legendary scene, Romeo enters the Capulets’ garden. Juliette, believing herself to be alone, proclaims her love from the top of her balcony, before Romeo reveals himself and in turn declares his passionate love for her. Overwhelmed by the rivalry that has been destroying their family for decades, Juliette proposes that they get married as soon as possible.
Romeo confides his feelings to Brother Laurent who sees in this love, which he deplores when he learns of it, the sudden hope of a possible reconciliation between the two clans. Juliette uses the pretext of the need to confess to go to Brother Laurent and the marriage is celebrated discreetly.
Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, challenges Romeo to a duel. The young man, transported by honorable feelings, refuses to fight. Mercutio, his friend, decides to replace him and dies during the duel, cursing the enemy quarrels. Romeo then avenges his friend’s death and kills Tybalt.
In accordance with the decision of Prince Escalus, Romeo should be condemned to death. Thanks to Montaigu father, he obtains clemency and must go into exile, far from Verona and his love. The two lovers, resigned, spend their last night together before Romeo hits the road.
Capulet, worried about his daughter’s grief, decides to hasten her marriage to the Count of Paris the next day. Juliette goes to despair with Brother Laurent who offers her to drink a potion that will give her the appearance of death for forty hours. Found lifeless by her servant, everyone cries for her and she is locked up in the tomb of the Capulets. Brother Laurent must warn Romeo of the stratagem so that he comes to deliver her.
But in Mantua (Lombardia in Italy), Romeo is visited by his servant, Balthasar, who announces the death of his beloved. Mad with grief, he decides to get poison and come to die near Juliet in Verona.
Brother Laurent learns that he was unable to send his messenger in time to warn Romeo and decides to go and deliver Juliet from the tomb of the Capulets.
“Romeo and Juliet, a tragic end…”
Romeo finds the Count of Paris come to meditate on the tomb of his bride and the two men confront each other. Paris, seriously wounded, dies. Romeo contemplates his beauty and drinks the poison, dying in turn. Brother Laurent arrives too late, he assists distraught at Juliette’s awakening. Noting Romeo’s death, she kills herself by stabbing herself with her lover’s dagger.
Brother Laurent, seized with remorse, tells the Prince, the Capulets and Montagues the sad story of the lovers of Verona.
The two fathers, deploring this ancestral hatred, decide to reconcile at the tomb of their missing children and raise a golden statue for them. The dazzling intensity of this dramatic love story has left Verona the imprint of its legend.
Love, give me your strength and this strength will save me.
ROMEO + JULIET MOVIE
The most famous love story of all time, transported to a red-light district of the United States (Verona Beach, Los Angeles). Members of the Montague and Capulet gangs regularly fight in the streets… The young and melancholic Romeo, son of the godfather Montague, goes to a party given by the Capulet and immediately falls in love with their only daughter, Juliet.
MUSICAL ROMEO AND JULIET
Romeo and Juliet, from hate to love is a French musical comedy by Gérard Presgurvic, created in 2001 at the Palais des Congrès in Paris and inspired by W. Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet.
ROMEO AND JULIET COMIC
Romeo and Juliet inspired Enki Bilal for his comic book Julia and Roem (Several volumes).
Romeo and Juliet: The Graphic Novel (Classic Graphic Novel Collection) Library Binding – January 4, 2011
by John McDonald (Author).
Juliet’s house in Verona (Italy) attracts millions of visitors every year. Jkk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Characters
Who are the characters in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?
Members of the Montague family
- Montaigu: the patriarch of the House (father and head of the family)
- Lady Montaigu: Romeo’s wife and mother
- Romeo: the main character, heir to the family. He falls in love with Rosaline at the start of the play, then falls in love with Juliette.
- Benvolio: friend and cousin of Romeo
- Abraham and Balthazar: servants of the House
Members of the Capulet family
- Capulet: head of the family
- Lady Capulet: his wife
- Juliette: main character, she is a teenager and will soon celebrate her fourteenth birthday. She is promised to Count Paris, but she is in love with Romeo.
- Tybalt: cousin of Juliette of whom she is very faithful
- Rosaline: cousin of Juliette
- The nanny: the one who raised Juliette. She is in the room, his confidante.
The Prince Family of Verona
- Escalus: Lord of Verona
- Paris: noble of Verona. Juliette is promised to him.
- Mercutio: nobleman from Verona, he is also Romeo’s friend
Summary of Romeo and Juliet
There are 5 acts in total.
Act I
From the beginning of the play, we understand that the two important houses of Verona are enemies: the Montagues and the Capulets. The two families meet regularly in Verona where they clash.
Prince Escalus, who is completely pissed off (there is reason in the end), decides to condemn to death whoever comes to “disturb public order” (oh yes, anyway…), to put an end to the rivalries between the two families. At the same time, Romeo, who is part of the Montaigu family, falls in love with a certain Rosaline from the Capulet family.
In the second scene, Paris visits the Capulets and asks for Juliet’s hand. Lord Capulet, her father, thinks it is too early and that Juliet is too young for marriage.
A ball is organized in honor of the two young Paris and Juliette. Romeo, accompanied by Mercutio, manages to infiltrate the party incognito to woo Rosaline. At the same time, Juliette learns that she is promised to Paris, and she is frankly not thrilled.
The last scene is crucial. Romeo meets Juliet: it’s love at first sight!!!!!!!!
Cover of the second quarter of Romeo and Juliet, published in 1599. derivative work: Tadpole9 (talk)Romeo_and_Juliet_Q2_Title_Page.jpg: Thomas Creede, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Act II
The second act opens with the infiltration (again & again) of Romeo in the Capulets. He wants to see Juliette again.
The second scene is mythical since it is the balcony scene. The two characters speak, at first, in isolation. Then, Romeo sees Juliet on the balcony.
Romeo praises Juliet, while she thinks aloud without realizing he is there. She expresses the fatality of her condition: her family will not let her love a man from the enemy family.
The two young people, moved, exchange sweet oaths. 💗 Juliette thinks about her honor and offers Romeo to get married without further delay. Brother Laurent accepts Romeo’s confidences and ends up agreeing to unite the two lovers.
Tybalt at the same time challenged Romeo to a duel. Indeed, his infiltration at the ball was seen as a real affront.
Romeo’s friends, Benvelio and Mercutio believe that Romeo is still in love with Rosaline.
An 1870 oil painting by Ford Madox Brown depicting the play’s famous balcony scene. Frank Bernard Dicksee, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Act III
Tybalt killed Mercutio, so Romeo kills Tybalt to avenge Mercutio. ☠️ Romeo is condemned to leave Verona.
Juliette thinks only of finding Romeo, but she is unaware of the events. When her nurse tells her the facts, Juliette thinks that Romeo has been killed. She then understands that her lover killed her cousin. She is devastated.
Eventually, she realizes that Romeo has fallen victim to Tybalt’s bad sides.
Juliette’s father finally wants to marry his daughter. In the next scene, Romeo and Juliet reunite and the young girl is torn.
Juliette would like to hold Romeo back, but lets him go to save his life. Goodbyes are heartbreaking. The announcement of the wedding only makes the situation worse, Juliette refuses. Lord Capulet eventually repudiates his daughter.
Act IV
Juliette also takes refuge with Brother Laurent. They come up with an infallible plan: pretend to accept the marriage, drink a potion that will give her the illusion of being dead, which will allow her to be buried alive and when she wakes up, find Romeo.
The young woman returns to her parents and follows Brother Laurent’s plan to the letter. The last scene opens with the nanny coming to wake up Juliette: inanimate.
Act V
Romeo’s servant tells him the news. Romeo goes to Verona: “Juliet, near you I will sleep tonight.” Brother Laurent’s message to Romeo was not transmitted. We understand that the scheme will be a failure.
Paris welcomes the coffin with Juliet inside and hastens to open it. Romeo arrives, but Paris thinks he wants to desecrate Tybalt’s tomb. The two men fight and Paris is mortally wounded. Faced with the beauty of Juliet, Romeo drinks the poison and dies instantly.
Brother Laurent arrives and discovers the extent of the situation. At this moment, Juliette wakes up from her sleep. She kills herself with Romeo’s dagger. The two families make peace in pain.
Sources: PinterPandai, Royal Shakespeare Company, Spark Notes, BBC, Britannica, NoSweat Digital
Main photo credit: Artist: Frederic Leighton, a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor (1830–1896). Source/Photographer: The Bridgeman Art Library, Object 249879 (Public Domain) via Wikimedia Commons
