Romeo and Juliet Outline

Act I A. Prologue 1. Two feuding families 2. Children fall in love and commit suicide 3. Deaths end the feud B. Scene 1: a street in Verona 1. Capulet servants vs. Montague servants 2. Benvolio tries to stop fight; Tybalt wants to join in 3. Masters want to join; wives tell them to stop 4. Prince threatens with death 5. Benvolio finds out why Romeo is sad: he loves Rosaline she doesn’t love him C. Scene 2: Capulet’s house/street 1. Paris asks for Juliet’s hand in marriage 2. Romeo reads the guest list; sees Rosaline’s name 3. Decide to crash party; Romeo wants to see Rosaline; Benvolio wants Romeo to meet other girls

D. Scene 3: Capulet’s house 1. Lady Capulet talks to Juliet about marriage to Paris 2. Juliet hasn’t thought of marriage but will consider it E. Scene 4: street 1. Romeo and friends head to feast 2. Romeo tells them of his bad dream 3. Mercutio blames it on Queen Mab 4. Romeo has a bad feeling about going to party (foreshadowing) F. Scene 5: Capulet’s house—feast 1. Romeo sees Juliet and forgets about Rosaline 2. Tybalt recognizes Romeo by his voice 3. Romeo speaks/meets Juliet; they fall in love 4. Nurse tells them who each is after they fall in love

II. Act II A. Prologue 1. Romeo has forgotten Rosaline because of Juliet 2. Cannot date/court like normal teens 3. They’ll have to meet secretly B. Scene 1: outside Capulet’s estate 1. Romeo talks to self about Juliet 2. Benvolio and Mercutio cannot find Romeo C. Scene 2: Juliet’s balcony 1. Romeo sees Juliet through her window and talks to self about loving her 2. Juliet appears on balcony and talks to self about loving Romeo 3. They talk and profess love to one another; she’ll know if he really loves her if they get married; she’s to send a messenger by 9AM the next day to find out wedding arrangements

1. Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to marry them 2. He agrees D. Scene 3: Friar Lawrence’s cell 1. Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to marry them 2. He agrees E. Scene 4: street -Nurse finds out marriage details from Romeo F. Scene 5: Capulet mansion -Juliet finds out arrangements after Nurse takes her time G. Scene 6: church -Friar Lawrence secretly marries Romeo and Juliet

III. Act III A. Scene 1: street 1. Benvolio and Mercutio vs. Tybalt 2. Romeo tries to stop it since he’s now related to Tybalt through marriage 3. Romeo gets between Mercutio and Tybalt; Tybalt stabs Mercutio 4. As Mercutio is dying, he says “a plague on both your houses” because their feud is the cause of his death 5. Romeo avenges Mercutio’s death by killing Tybalt 6. Prince banishes Romeo B. Scene 2: Capulet’s mansion 1. Nurse comes to Juliet upset; Juliet thinks Romeo is dead 2. Nurse tells her about Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment 3. Juliet is more upset over Romeo’s banishment

4. Nurse says she’ll get Romeo to come comfort Juliet; Juliet sends him a ring C. Scene 3: Friar Lawrence’s cell 1. Romeo hides in Friar Lawrence’s cell 2. Friar Lawrence tells him of banishment; Romeo thinks it’s worse than death 3. Friar Lawrence tells Romeo he has many blessings a. Juliet’s alive b. He’s alive c. Banishment instead of death 4. Nurse finds Romeo and he will visit Juliet tonight D. Scene 4: Capulet mansion -Capulet agrees for Juliet to marry Paris on Thursday to bring her out of grief which he thinks is for Tybalt

E. Scene 5: Juliet’s room 1. Day breaks and Romeo must leave 2. As Romeo climbs down out of the window, Juliet says he looks dead in a tomb 3. Romeo leaves 4. Lady Capulet comes in and tells Juliet about her arranged marriage to Paris 5. Juliet says she will not marry him 6. Capulet threatens to disown Juliet if she doesn’t marry Paris 7. Nurse says she should marry Paris and forget about Romeo 8. Juliet tells the Nurse she’s going to confession because of how she treated her father (really going for advice) and decides she’ll never tell the Nurse anything again

IV. Act IV A. Scene 1: Friar Lawrence’s Cell 1. Paris meets with Friar Lawrence about his marriage to Juliet. 2. Juliet arrives to ask Friar Lawrence for help; Paris leaves. 3. Juliet begs Friar Lawrence for help and threatens to kill herself. 4. Friar Lawrence makes a plan. a. Act happy and tell your father you’ll marry Paris. b. Make sure you’re alone Wed. night; once you’re in bed, drink the potion—appear dead for 42 hrs c. Friar Lawrence will send a letter to Romeo explaining the plan; Romeo will be waiting in tomb when Juliet awakens. d. Romeo and Juliet will go away to Mantua.

B. Scene 2: Capulet mansion -Capulet, Lady Capulet, and Nurse talk about marriage arrangements C. Scene 3: Juliet’s room 1. Juliet gets in bed and starts worrying about the effects of the potion. a. She’ll die. b. Romeo won’t come get her. c. She’ll wake up early and go insane b/c she’s surrounded by corpses. 2. Juliet takes the potion. D. Scene 4: Capulet mansion -Capulet, Lady Capulet, and Nurse are preparing for wedding.

E. Scene 5: Juliet’s room 1. Nurse finds Juliet “dead.” 2. Capulet, Lady Capulet, Friar Lawrence, and Paris arrive to find Juliet “dead.” 3. Friar Lawrence then says that the wedding arrangements have become funeral arrangements. 4. They bury Juliet. V. Act V A. Scene 1: Mantua 1. Balthasar tells Romeo that Juliet is dead. 2. Romeo sends him away and goes and buys poison. 3. Romeo heads to Verona. B. Scene 2: Friar Lawrence’s cell 1. Friar John tells Friar Lawrence he didn’t give the letter to Romeo due to being quarantined. 2. Friar Lawrence heads to Juliet’s tomb.

C. Scene 3: Graveyard 1. Paris goes in and spreads flowers at Juliet’s tomb. 2. Romeo and Balthasar get there; Paris hides inside; Romeo tells Balthasar to leave and not come back; Romeo goes to Juliet’s tomb. 3. Paris approaches Romeo and wants to arrest him. 4. Romeo asks him to leave. 5. Paris and Romeo fight; Romeo kills Paris. 6. Romeo goes to Juliet’s body; he kisses her, drinks the poison, and dies. 7. Friar Lawrence arrives and talks to Balthasar; he then finds Romeo’s and Paris’s dead bodies inside. 8. Juliet awakens; Friar Lawrence tries to get her to leave; she refuses; Friar Lawrence leaves. 9. Juliet kills herself with Romeo’s dagger.

10. The watchmen arrive on the scene. 11. The Prince, Capulets, and Montague arrive; Montague tells them his wife died earlier due to a broken heart b/c of Romeo’s banishment. 12. Friar Lawrence tells the whole story. 13. Feud between the families ends due to children’s deaths. 14. Each will honor the other’s child with a golden statue in Verona. VI. Conclusion “For never was a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo.”