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William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet

Read it scene by scene, with the Gloss on every hard word and notes from a panel of commentators in the margin.

Act 1

5 scenes

  1. Start here

    Scene 1The feud erupts anew12 characters13 min read

    A quarrel between servants grows into a public fight involving members of both houses. Prince Escalus restores order and decrees death for anyone who disturbs Verona’s peace again. Romeo tells Benvolio that he is miserable because Rosaline will not return his love.

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  2. Scene 2Romeo learns of the feast5 characters5 min read

    Capulet encourages Paris to court Juliet and invites him to the evening’s feast. An illiterate Capulet servant asks Romeo to read the invitations, revealing that Rosaline will attend. Benvolio convinces Romeo to attend the feast and compare Rosaline with other women.

  3. Scene 3Paris is proposed as a husband4 characters6 min read

    Lady Capulet tells Juliet that Paris wishes to marry her and praises him as a suitable husband. Juliet promises to observe Paris at the feast but will not commit herself beyond her mother’s wishes.

  4. Scene 4Mercutio conjures Queen Mab3 characters6 min read

    Mercutio answers Romeo’s talk of dreams with an elaborate account of the fairy Queen Mab. Romeo fears that the night’s festivities will begin events leading to his untimely death. Despite his foreboding, Romeo follows his masked companions to the Capulet feast.

  5. Scene 5Romeo and Juliet meet10 characters8 min read

    Romeo notices Juliet across the room and is immediately captivated by her beauty. Capulet prevents Tybalt from attacking Romeo after Tybalt recognises the intruder’s voice. Romeo and Juliet exchange kisses before each learns that the other belongs to the enemy house.

Act 2

6 scenes
  1. Scene 1Romeo evades his companions3 characters2 min read

    Romeo climbs into the Capulet orchard rather than leave with Benvolio and Mercutio. Mercutio calls for Romeo with bawdy references to Rosaline, but Romeo remains hidden. Unable to find Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio abandon their search and go home.

  2. Scene 2The lovers exchange vows3 characters11 min read

    Hidden below Juliet’s window, Romeo hears her confess her love and lament his Montague name. Romeo reveals himself, and the lovers exchange solemn declarations of devotion. Juliet promises to send a messenger so Romeo can provide arrangements for their wedding.

  3. Scene 3The friar accepts Romeo's plea2 characters5 min read

    Romeo asks Friar Laurence to marry him to Juliet that very day. Though surprised by Romeo’s sudden change of love, the friar agrees in hopes of ending the feud.

  4. Scene 4The wedding message is entrusted5 characters11 min read

    Mercutio and Benvolio discuss the challenge that Tybalt has sent to Romeo. Romeo joins Mercutio in lively wordplay, restoring their customary good humour. Romeo tells the Nurse to send Juliet to Friar Laurence’s cell for marriage and to arrange a rope ladder.

  5. Scene 5The Nurse brings joyful news2 characters5 min read

    The Nurse delays giving her news by complaining of weariness while Juliet anxiously presses her. The Nurse finally tells Juliet to go to Friar Laurence’s cell, where Romeo waits to marry her.

  6. Scene 6The secret marriage begins3 characters2 min read

    Friar Laurence cautions Romeo that violent delights may have violent endings and urges moderation. Juliet arrives at the cell and exchanges declarations of love with Romeo. Friar Laurence leads Romeo and Juliet away to complete their secret marriage.

Act 3

5 scenes
  1. Scene 1Mercutio and Tybalt fall8 characters11 min read

    Mercutio receives a mortal wound when Romeo intervenes in his duel with Tybalt. Enraged by Mercutio’s death, Romeo fights Tybalt and kills him. After hearing the witnesses, Prince Escalus sentences Romeo to exile from Verona.

  2. Scene 2Juliet learns Romeo's sentence2 characters8 min read

    The distraught Nurse tells Juliet that Tybalt is dead and Romeo has been banished. After briefly condemning Romeo, Juliet rebukes herself and remains loyal to her husband. Juliet gives the Nurse a ring to take to Romeo and asks that he come for a final farewell.

  3. Scene 3A farewell night is arranged3 characters9 min read

    Romeo collapses in despair when Friar Laurence tells him that the Prince has exiled him. The Nurse brings Romeo Juliet’s ring and urges him to go and comfort her. Friar Laurence directs Romeo to visit Juliet secretly, then escape to Mantua until reconciliation is possible.

  4. Scene 4Capulet fixes the wedding day3 characters2 min read

    Capulet assures Paris that Juliet will marry him and sets the wedding for Thursday. Capulet sends his wife to tell Juliet of the arranged marriage before morning.

  5. Scene 5Juliet defies her parents5 characters13 min read

    At daybreak, Romeo leaves Juliet’s chamber and departs for exile in Mantua. Juliet rejects the arranged marriage, provoking Capulet to threaten and disown her. The Nurse urges Juliet to forget Romeo and marry Paris, causing Juliet to reject her counsel.

Act 4

5 scenes
  1. Scene 1The sleeping potion plan3 characters7 min read

    After an uneasy encounter with Paris, Juliet tells Friar Laurence she will kill herself rather than marry him. Friar Laurence proposes that Juliet drink a potion that will make her appear dead for forty-two hours. Juliet takes the vial and agrees to follow the friar’s plan for reuniting her with Romeo.

  2. Scene 2The wedding is hastened5 characters3 min read

    Juliet returns home, begs Capulet’s pardon and pretends that she now gladly accepts Paris. Delighted by Juliet’s submission, Capulet moves the wedding forward from Thursday to Wednesday.

  3. Scene 3Juliet drinks the potion2 characters3 min read

    Juliet sends the Nurse and Lady Capulet away so that she can carry out the plan alone. Juliet imagines poison, suffocation and madness in the family tomb but resolves to proceed. Invoking Romeo, Juliet empties the vial and falls upon her bed.

  4. Scene 4Capulet readies the bridal morning5 characters2 min read

    Capulet directs the bustling household as food and other necessities are readied before dawn. Hearing Paris approach with musicians, Capulet orders the Nurse to wake and dress Juliet.

  5. Scene 5The bride is mourned9 characters7 min read

    The Nurse attempts to wake Juliet and concludes that she is dead. Juliet’s parents and Paris lament her apparent death, transforming the wedding day into mourning. Friar Laurence tells the household to prepare Juliet for burial instead of marriage.

Act 5

3 scenes
  1. Scene 1Romeo purchases poison3 characters5 min read

    Balthasar tells Romeo that Juliet lies dead in the Capulet monument. Romeo determines to return to Verona and die beside Juliet that night. Romeo persuades an impoverished apothecary to sell him a powerful poison.

  2. Scene 2The letter goes undelivered2 characters2 min read

    Friar John reports that quarantine prevented him from delivering Friar Laurence’s letter to Romeo. Realising Romeo remains uninformed, Friar Laurence takes tools and hurries to free Juliet from the tomb.

  3. Scene 3The lovers die and the feud ends13 characters17 min read

    Romeo fights and kills Paris outside Juliet’s tomb, then lays him inside it. Believing Juliet dead, Romeo kisses her and drinks the apothecary’s poison. Juliet awakens, finds Romeo dead and kills herself with his dagger.