Romeo and Juliet

The magnificent, timeless drama, Romeo and Juliet, is the world's most famous tale of "star-crossed lovers." The full title of the story is The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet authored by William Shakespeare. It is about the young, unshakable love of Juliet and Romeo defies the feud that divides their familiesthe Capulets and Montaguesas their desperate need to be together, their secret meetings, and finally their concealed marriage drive them toward tragedy. It was first published in 1597, in the First Quarto, which was likely an unauthorized incomplete edition and in 1599 in the Second Quarto which was authorized. The publisher was Thomas Creede, in the Second Quarto using the above mentioned title. The first major character in the story was Romeo Montague, the only son of Lord and Lady Montague. He is young, impulsive, and above all else, passionate. Once Romeo sets his heart on somethingor someonehe is convinced that there are no other alternatives. Juliet Capulet, though she is not yet 14 years old, her maturity far exceeds that of Romeo. At first, she seems to be merely obedient and her actions strive to please those she cares about but as the story progresses, she becomes rational, strong, and mature. She chooses her words wisely and rarely acts on impulse. Friar Lawrence is a kind and religious man who often gives good advice but is also responsible for a great deal of conflict in the story. He frequently comes up with goodintentioned schemes that make situations worse than they need to be. Juliets Nurse, a kind and funny woman who loves Juliet as if she were her own child. She has nursed Juliet since infancy and the two of them are extremely close to one another. Mercutio is Romeos best friend and the Princes kinsman. He is a clever, witty character who loves to make puns. Lastly is Tybalt, Juliets cousin. He typically thinks with his sword, not with his head. He is easily angered and it does not take much persuasion for him to draw his sword. He takes great joy in fighting. The story 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, Romeos 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 enemys 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 others identi ties, they are devastated, but they cannot help the way that they feel. Romeo sneaks into Juliets 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 Juliets Nurse and Romeos loyal servant, Balthasar. They plan to meet in Juliets chambers that night. Romeo visits his best friend Mercutio and his cousin Benvolio but his good mood is curtailed. Juliets 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 Lawrences 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, and 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. Juliets 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 Lawrences letter fails to reach Romeo, so he assumes that his wife is dead. He rushes to Juliets 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 behavior but not until it is too late to save the situation. The Capulets and the Montagues hate each other, and their hatred has become ingrained. It is not really rational. Instead it is just the attitude that they have learned to have towards each other. And they dont really question it. It also shows that there may be evil consequences in not thinking about your relations to others. There may be unfortunate consequences to holding mindless grudges. If the young lovers are sacrifices of our enmity as Capulet says, that means that the Capulet and Monatgue have sacrificed the ones they love (their children) for the sake of their mutual enmity. But perhaps it could also suggest that Justice sacrifices the young lovers to teach the feuding families a lesson. The death of Romeo and Juliet is a punishment for the sin of mutual hatred. Romeo and Juliet can teach us many life lessons. The first life lesson is that you should not make careless decisions, usually, it only lead to trouble and remorse. Secondly, think through decisions. You should consider the possible repercussions and outcomes. If I am not sure of what to do, I have my family and friends whom I can confide and ask for their opinions. Lastly, Romeo and Juliets love is only infatuation. Romeo and Juliet only knew each other for five days, which is not enough time for anyone to fall in love. True love takes time to build. After Romeo kills himself with poison, Juliet kills herself with a dagger. As a teenager, I dont think suicide should be an option for dealing with the problems of heart. This is not the best solution to the problem. The fact that I am still young, I know theres still more ahead of me.