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Plot Overview---- Romeo and Juliet

In the streets of Verona another brawl breaks out between the servants of the feuding noble families of Capulet and Montague. Benvolio, a Montague, tries to stop the fighting, but is himself embroiled when the rash Capulet, Tybalt, arrives on the scene. fter citi!ens outraged by the constant violence beat back the warring factions, "rince #scalus, the ruler of Verona, attempts to prevent any further conflicts between the families by decreeing death for any individual who disturbs the peace in the future. $omeo, the son of Montague, runs into his cousin Benvolio, who had earlier seen $omeo moping in a grove of sycamores. fter some prodding by Benvolio, $omeo confides that he is in love with $osaline, a woman who does not return his affections. Benvolio counsels him to forget this woman and find another, more beautiful one, but $omeo remains despondent. Meanwhile, "aris, a kinsman of the "rince, seeks %uliet&s hand in marriage. 'er father Capulet, though happy at the match, asks "aris to wait two years, since %uliet is not yet even fourteen. Capulet dispatches a servant with a list of people to invite to a mas(uerade and feast he traditionally holds. 'e invites "aris to the feast, hoping that "aris will begin to win %uliet&s heart. $omeo and Benvolio, still discussing $osaline, encounter the Capulet servant bearing the list of invitations. Benvolio suggests that they attend, since that will allow $omeo to compare his beloved to other beautiful women of Verona. $omeo agrees to go with Benvolio to the feast, but only because $osaline, whose name he reads on the list, will be there. In Capulet&s household, young %uliet talks with her mother, )ady Capulet, and her nurse about the possibility of marrying "aris. %uliet has not yet considered marriage, but agrees to look at "aris during the feast to see if she thinks she could fall in love with him. The feast begins. melancholy $omeo follows Benvolio and their witty friend Mercutio to Capulet&s house. *nce inside, $omeo sees %uliet from a distance and instantly falls in love with her+ he forgets about $osaline completely. s $omeo watches %uliet, entranced, a young Capulet, Tybalt, recogni!es him, and is enraged that a Montague would sneak into a Capulet feast. 'e prepares to attack, but Capulet holds him back. ,oon, $omeo speaks to %uliet, and the two e-perience a profound attraction. They kiss, not even knowing each other&s names. .hen he finds out from %uliet&s nurse that she is the daughter of Capulet/his family&s enemy/he becomes distraught. .hen %uliet learns that the young man she has 0ust kissed is the son of Montague, she grows e(ually upset. s Mercutio and Benvolio leave the Capulet estate, $omeo leaps over the orchard wall into the garden, unable to leave %uliet behind. 1rom his hiding place, he sees %uliet in a window above the orchard and hears her speak his name. 'e calls out to her, and they e-change vows of love. $omeo hurries to see his friend and confessor 1riar )awrence, who, though shocked at the sudden turn of $omeo&s heart, agrees to marry the young lovers in secret since he sees in their love the possibility of ending the age2old feud between Capulet and Montague. The following day, $omeo and %uliet meet at 1riar )awrence&s cell and are married. The 3urse, who is privy to the secret, procures a ladder, which $omeo will use to climb into %uliet&s window for their

wedding night. The ne-t day, Benvolio and Mercutio encounter Tybalt/%uliet&s cousin/who, still enraged that $omeo attended Capulet&s feast, has challenged $omeo to a duel. $omeo appears. 3ow Tybalt&s kinsman by marriage, $omeo begs the Capulet to hold off the duel until he understands why $omeo does not want to fight. 4isgusted with this plea for peace, Mercutio says that he will fight Tybalt himself. The two begin to duel. $omeo tries to stop them by leaping between the combatants. Tybalt stabs Mercutio under $omeo&s arm, and Mercutio dies. $omeo, in a rage, kills Tybalt. $omeo flees from the scene. ,oon after, the "rince declares him forever banished from Verona for his crime. 1riar )awrence arranges for $omeo to spend his wedding night with %uliet before he has to leave for Mantua the following morning. In her room, %uliet awaits the arrival of her new husband. The 3urse enters, and, after some confusion, tells %uliet that $omeo has killed Tybalt. 4istraught, %uliet suddenly finds herself married to a man who has killed her kinsman. But she resettles herself, and reali!es that her duty belongs with her love5 to $omeo. $omeo sneaks into %uliet&s room that night, and at last they consummate their marriage and their love. Morning comes, and the lovers bid farewell, unsure when they will see each other again. %uliet learns that her father, affected by the recent events, now intends for her to marry "aris in 0ust three days. 6nsure of how to proceed/unable to reveal to her parents that she is married to $omeo, but unwilling to marry "aris now that she is $omeo&s wife/%uliet asks her nurse for advice. ,he counsels %uliet to proceed as if $omeo were dead and to marry "aris, who is a better match anyway. 4isgusted with the 3urse&s disloyalty, %uliet disregards her advice and hurries to 1riar )awrence. 'e concocts a plan to reunite %uliet with $omeo in Mantua. The night before her wedding to "aris, %uliet must drink a potion that will make her appear to be dead. fter she is laid to rest in the family&s crypt, the 1riar and $omeo will secretly retrieve her, and she will be free to live with $omeo, away from their parents& feuding. %uliet returns home to discover the wedding has been moved ahead one day, and she is to be married tomorrow. That night, %uliet drinks the potion, and the 3urse discovers her, apparently dead, the ne-t morning. The Capulets grieve, and %uliet is entombed according to plan. But 1riar )awrence&s message e-plaining the plan to $omeo never reaches Mantua. Its bearer, 1riar %ohn, gets confined to a (uarantined house. $omeo hears only that %uliet is dead. $omeo learns only of %uliet&s death and decides to kill himself rather than live without her. 'e buys a vial of poison from a reluctant pothecary, then speeds back to Verona to take his own life at %uliet&s tomb. *utside the Capulet crypt, $omeo comes upon "aris, who is scattering flowers on %uliet&s grave. They fight, and $omeo kills "aris. 'e enters the tomb, sees %uliet&s inanimate body, drinks the poison, and dies by her side. %ust then, 1riar )awrence enters and reali!es that $omeo has killed "aris and himself. t the same time, %uliet awakes. 1riar )awrence hears the coming of the watch. .hen %uliet refuses to leave with him, he flees alone. %uliet sees her beloved $omeo and reali!es he has killed himself with poison. ,he kisses his poisoned lips, and when that does not kill her, buries his dagger in her chest, falling dead upon his body. The watch arrives, followed closely by the "rince, the Capulets, and Montague. Montague declares that )ady Montague has died of grief over $omeo&s e-ile. ,eeing their children&s bodies,

Capulet and Montague agree to end their long2standing feud and to raise gold statues of their children side2by2side in a newly peaceful Verona.

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