Romeo and Juliet takes place in Verona Italy two of the most important families in that city the Montagues and the Capulets have a long-standing feud with each other at the beginning of the play Montague and Capulet servants get into a fight with each other Benvolio a Montague family member tries to break up the fight but one of the Capulets Thibault starts fighting with Benvolio finally the prince comes and breaks up the fight he tells Montague and Capulet the head of each family that they'll be put to death if this happens again afterward Montague and lady Montague ask Benvolio where their son Romeo was during the fight Benvolio says Romeo has been moping around by himself but he'll find out why Romeo tells Benvolio that he's lovesick he's in love with a girl named Rosaline who doesn't love him back Benvolio promises to help Romeo forget about her count Paris says he wants to marry Capulets only daughter Juliet Capulet wants Paris to wait a few years because Juliet's only 13 but says Paris can see if she's interested he invites Paris to a feast that night Capulets servant walks around town trying to invite a list of people to Capulets feast the trouble is the servant can't read he stops Benvolio and Romeo and asks them for help Romeo sees roselyn's name on the list and Benvolio says they should crash the party so Romeo can compare Rosalind to other girls and get over her Romeo agrees to go but just so he can see Rosaline Lady Capulet Juliet and Juliet's nurse discussed the fact that Paris wants to marry Juliet Lady Capulet and the nurse sing his praises Juliet agrees to meet him Romeo Benvolio and Mercutio crashed the feast wearing masks at the party Romeo sees Juliet and forgets all about Rosalyn he's in love Capulets nephew Tibbals recognizes Romeo's voice and is furious that Romeo snuck in Capulet orders table to let it go because he doesn't want at his feast romeo finds juliet holds her hand and gets her to let him kiss her all of this while the two of them talk to each other in poetry after this encounter each one tries to find out who the other is they're upset to find out they're from rival families but both of them decide they're too much in love to go back after the party Romeo ditches his friends and climbs over an orchard wall to see juliet he sees her on her balcony talking to herself before she realizes romeo is listening juliet says she's in love with him romeo steps out of hiding and says he loves her too romeo asks his priest Friar Laurence if he'll conduct a marriage ceremony Friar Lawrence is concerned about how quickly Romeo switched from Rosalind to Juliet but agrees to do it because he thinks it will bring peace to the feuding families Mercutio and Benvolio tell Romeo that Thibault wants to challenge him to a duel Juliet's nurse comes along wanting to talk to Romeo in private Romeo tells her to have Juliet come to friar Laurence's that afternoon so they can get married Juliet meets Romeo in the friar in his cell and the friar marries them later Thibault finds Romeo and tries to start a fight Romeo won't fight Tibble because two bolts Juliet's cousin Mercutio steps in to fight tabled instead Romeo tries to break them up but Thibault shoves his sword under Romeo's arm and stabs Mercutio then runs off Mercutio dies cursing both families Romeo is enraged and when Tibble returns Romeo kills him then flees the Prince arrives and Benvolio tells him what happened the prince declares that Romeo is banished from Verona Juliet is impatiently waiting for her wedding night with Romeo when the nurse comes in and tells her that Romeo killed Tybalt and has been banished Juliet is mad at Romeo at first but then decides she's on Romeo's side Juliet sends the nurse to tell Romeo to spend the night with her Friar Lawrence breaks the news to Romeo that he been banished and Romeo wants to kill himself the nurse arrives and tells Romeo to go to Juliet that night the friar tells Romeo to go to Mantua the next morning and wait for the friar to send word Capulet decides he's going to make Juliet marry Paris in just three days after spending the night together Romeo and Juliet playfully argue about whether it's dawn until they can't deny it and Romeo leaves Lady Capulet tells Juliet she has to marry Paris Juliet refuses but Capulet himself comes in and tells her he'll disown her if she doesn't do it Juliet goes to see Friar Laurence and tells him that she'll kill herself if he can't show her a way out of her predicament he gives her a vial with a drug in it and tells her to agree to the marriage then take the drug the night before the wedding for forty two hours she'll seem like she's dead and the family will lay her in the family tomb Friar Laurence will write Romeo to tell him what's happening and the two will be waiting when she wakes up and can take her off to Mantua Juliet agrees Juliet goes to her father and tells him that Friar Laurence has taught her to be obedient Capulet is so happy with the change of heart that he moves the wedding to the very next day that night Juliet debates with herself about taking the drug thinking about how scary it would be to wake up in a tomb but she decides to take it anyway the next day the Capulets find Juliet in bed dead Paris and Friar Laurence arrive for the wedding Capulet Lady Capulet the nurse in Paris all lament that death has robbed them but Friar Laurence tells them that Juliet is in a better place they prepared to take Juliet to her tomb in Mantua Romeo wakes up expecting good news his servant Balthazar arrives and tells him Juliet is dead Romeo decides to kill himself in line next to Juliet he goes to an apothecary a guy who makes and sells medications who's really poor and bribes the man to sell him poison which is a capital crime a priest named friar John tells Friar Laurence that he couldn't deliver the news about Juliet's fake death to Romeo friar John says he wound up quarantined because the authorities thought he was exposed to the plague Friar Lawrence sends him out to get a crowbar and says that Juliet will wake up within three hours and be angry with him for not telling Romeo Paris comes to the tomb with his page and tells the page to go lie down under some trees and whistle if anyone approaches he brings flowers to Juliet's grave the page whistles because Romeo is coming so Paris hides Romeo arrives he tells Baltazar to go but Baltazar hides and sticks around anyway Romeo opens the tomb Paris tries to arrest Romeo Romeo tells him he's there to kill himself and he doesn't want to hurt Paris but Paris insists on arresting him so they fight the page runs off to get the watch Romeo kills Paris Paris asks to be laid by Juliet and Romeo agrees and drags his body into the tomb Romeo kisses Juliet takes his poison kisses her again and dies lying across Juliet's chest Friar Laurence arrives in the churchyard finds out from Baltazar that Romeo's there and goes into the tomb to find Juliet awake he explains that the plan didn't work some higher power thwarted it and that she needs to leave and he'll find a place for her as a nun he runs away because he thinks the watch is coming Juliet refuses to leave she sees that Romeo has poisoned himself and kisses him hoping to get some of the poison then she hears people coming takes Romeo's dagger and stabs herself with it the chief watchman arrives and finds the bodies he sends Watchmen to round up anyone looking in the vicinity and to get the prince and the Capulets and Montague's The Watchmen round up Baltazar and Friar Laurence Friar Laurence explains everything that's happened the Prince says Capulet and Montague have been punished for their feud and the prince has been punished for tolerating their feud because he's lost two relatives Mercutio and Paris Montagu promises to make a golden statue of Juliet and Capulet promises to make one of Romeo for more information about Romeo and Juliet check out the Romeo and Juliet spark note on sparknotes 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