romeo and juliet ending essay

A Summary and Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University)

Although it was first performed in the 1590s, the first  documented  performance of Romeo and Juliet is from 1662. The diarist Samuel Pepys was in the audience, and recorded that he ‘saw “Romeo and Juliet,” the first time it was ever acted; but it is a play of itself the worst that ever I heard in my life, and the worst acted that ever I saw these people do.’

Despite Pepys’ dislike, the play is one of Shakespeare’s best-loved and most famous, and the story of Romeo and Juliet is well known. However, the play has become so embedded in the popular psyche that Shakespeare’s considerably more complex play has been reduced to a few key aspects: ‘star-cross’d lovers’, a teenage love story, and the suicide of the two protagonists.

In the summary and analysis that follow, we realise that Romeo and Juliet is much more than a tragic love story.

Romeo and Juliet : brief summary

After the Prologue has set the scene – we have two feuding households, Montagues and Capulets, in the city-state of Verona; and young Romeo is a Montague while Juliet, with whom Romeo is destined to fall in love, is from the Capulet family, sworn enemies of the Montagues – the play proper begins with servants of the two feuding households taunting each other in the street.

When Benvolio, a member of house Montague, arrives and clashes with Tybalt of house Capulet, a scuffle breaks out, and it is only when Capulet himself and his wife, Lady Capulet, appear that the fighting stops. Old Montague and his wife then show up, and the Prince of Verona, Escalus, arrives and chastises the people for fighting. Everyone leaves except Old Montague, his wife, and Benvolio, Montague’s nephew. Benvolio tells them that Romeo has locked himself away, but he doesn’t know why.

Romeo appears and Benvolio asks his cousin what is wrong, and Romeo starts speaking in paradoxes, a sure sign that he’s in love. He claims he loves Rosaline, but will not return any man’s love. A servant appears with a note, and Romeo and Benvolio learn that the Capulets are holding a masked ball.

Benvolio tells Romeo he should attend, even though he is a Montague, as he will find more beautiful women than Rosaline to fall in love with. Meanwhile, Lady Capulet asks her daughter Juliet whether she has given any thought to marriage, and tells Juliet that a man named Paris would make an excellent husband for her.

Romeo attends the Capulets’ masked ball, with his friend Mercutio. Mercutio tells Romeo about a fairy named Queen Mab who enters young men’s minds as they dream, and makes them dream of love and romance. At the masked ball, Romeo spies Juliet and instantly falls in love with her; she also falls for him.

They kiss, but then Tybalt, Juliet’s kinsman, spots Romeo and recognising him as a Montague, plans to confront him. Old Capulet tells him not to do so, and Tybalt reluctantly agrees. When Juliet enquires after who Romeo is, she is distraught to learn that he is a Montague and thus a member of the family that is her family’s sworn enemies.

Romeo breaks into the gardens of Juliet’s parents’ house and speaks to her at her bedroom window. The two of them pledge their love for each other, and arrange to be secretly married the following night. Romeo goes to see a churchman, Friar Laurence, who agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet.

After the wedding, the feud between the two families becomes violent again: Tybalt kills Mercutio in a fight, and Romeo kills Tybalt in retaliation. The Prince banishes Romeo from Verona for his crime.

Juliet is told by her father that she will marry Paris, so Juliet goes to seek Friar Laurence’s help in getting out of it. He tells her to take a sleeping potion which will make her appear to be dead for two nights; she will be laid to rest in the family vault, and Romeo (who will be informed of the plan) can secretly come to her there.

However, although that part of the plan goes fine, the message to Romeo doesn’t arrive; instead, he hears that Juliet has actually died. He secretly visits her at the family vault, but his grieving is interrupted by the arrival of Paris, who is there to lay flowers. The two of them fight, and Romeo kills him.

Convinced that Juliet is really dead, Romeo drinks poison in order to join Juliet in death. Juliet wakes from her slumber induced by the sleeping draught to find Romeo dead at her side. She stabs herself.

The play ends with Friar Laurence telling the story to the two feuding families. The Prince tells them to put their rivalry behind them and live in peace.

Romeo and Juliet : analysis

How should we analyse Romeo and Juliet , one of Shakespeare’s most famous and frequently studied, performed, and adapted plays? Is Romeo and Juliet the great love story that it’s often interpreted as, and what does it say about the play – if it is a celebration of young love – that it ends with the deaths of both romantic leads?

It’s worth bearing in mind that Romeo and Juliet do not kill themselves specifically because they are forbidden to be together, but rather because a chain of events (of which their families’ ongoing feud with each other is but one) and a message that never arrives lead to a misunderstanding which results in their suicides.

Romeo and Juliet is often read as both a tragedy and a great celebration of romantic love, but it clearly throws out some difficult questions about the nature of love, questions which are rendered even more pressing when we consider the headlong nature of the play’s action and the fact that Romeo and Juliet meet, marry, and die all within the space of a few days.

Below, we offer some notes towards an analysis of this classic Shakespeare play and explore some of the play’s most salient themes.

It’s worth starting with a consideration of just what Shakespeare did with his source material. Interestingly, two families known as the Montagues and Capulets appear to have actually existed in medieval Italy: the first reference to ‘Montagues and Capulets’ is, curiously, in the poetry of Dante (1265-1321), not Shakespeare.

In Dante’s early fourteenth-century epic poem, the  Divine Comedy , he makes reference to two warring Italian families: ‘Come and see, you who are negligent, / Montagues and Capulets, Monaldi and Filippeschi / One lot already grieving, the other in fear’ ( Purgatorio , canto VI). Precisely why the families are in a feud with one another is never revealed in Shakespeare’s play, so we are encouraged to take this at face value.

The play’s most famous line references the feud between the two families, which means Romeo and Juliet cannot be together. And the line, when we stop and consider it, is more than a little baffling. The line is spoken by Juliet: ‘Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?’ Of course, ‘wherefore’ doesn’t mean ‘where’ – it means ‘why’.

But that doesn’t exactly clear up the whys and the wherefores. The question still doesn’t appear to make any sense: Romeo’s problem isn’t his first name, but his family name, Montague. Surely, since she fancies him, Juliet is quite pleased with ‘Romeo’ as he is – it’s his family that are the problem. Solutions  have been proposed to this conundrum , but none is completely satisfying.

There are a number of notable things Shakespeare did with his source material. The Italian story ‘Mariotto and Gianozza’, printed in 1476, contained many of the plot elements of Shakespeare’s  Romeo and Juliet . Shakespeare’s source for the play’s story was Arthur Brooke’s  The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet  (1562), an English verse translation of this Italian tale.

The moral of Brooke’s tale is that young love ends in disaster for their elders, and is best reined in; Shakespeare changed that. In Romeo and Juliet , the headlong passion and excitement of young love is celebrated, even though confusion leads to the deaths of the young lovers. But through their deaths, and the example their love set for their parents, the two families vow to be reconciled to each other.

Shakespeare also makes Juliet a thirteen-year-old girl in his play, which is odd for a number of reasons. We know that  Romeo and Juliet  is about young love – the ‘pair of star-cross’d lovers’, who belong to rival families in Verona – but what is odd about Shakespeare’s play is how young he makes Juliet.

In Brooke’s verse rendition of the story, Juliet is sixteen. But when Shakespeare dramatised the story, he made Juliet several years younger, with Romeo’s age unspecified. As Lady Capulet reveals, Juliet is ‘not [yet] fourteen’, and this point is made to us several times, as if Shakespeare wishes to draw attention to it and make sure we don’t forget it.

This makes sense in so far as Juliet represents young love, but what makes it unsettling – particularly for modern audiences – is the fact that this makes Juliet a girl of thirteen when she enjoys her night of wedded bliss with Romeo. As John Sutherland puts it in his (and Cedric Watts’) engaging  Oxford World’s Classics: Henry V, War Criminal?: and Other Shakespeare Puzzles , ‘In a contemporary court of law [Romeo] would receive a longer sentence for what he does to Juliet than for what he does to Tybalt.’

There appears to be no satisfactory answer to this question, but one possible explanation lies in one of the play’s recurring themes: bawdiness and sexual familiarity. Perhaps surprisingly given the youthfulness of its tragic heroine, Romeo and Juliet is shot through with bawdy jokes, double entendres, and allusions to sex, made by a number of the characters.

These references to physical love serve to make Juliet’s innocence, and subsequent passionate romance with Romeo, even more noticeable: the journey both Romeo and Juliet undertake is one from innocence (Romeo pointlessly and naively pursuing Rosaline; Juliet unversed in the ways of love) to experience.

In the last analysis, Romeo and Juliet is a classic depiction of forbidden love, but it is also far more sexually aware, more ‘adult’, than many people realise.

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Modern reading of the play’s opening dialogue among the brawlers fails to parse the ribaldry. Sex scares the bejeepers out of us. Why? Confer “R&J.”

It’s all that damn padre’s fault!

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Romeo and Juliet

William shakespeare, ask litcharts ai: the answer to your questions.

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Romeo and Juliet: Introduction

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Historical Context of Romeo and Juliet

Other books related to romeo and juliet.

• Full Title: Romeo and Juliet
• When Written: Likely 1591-1595
• Where Written: London, England
• When Published: “Bad quarto” (incomplete manuscript) printed in 1597; Second, more complete quarto printed in 1599; First folio, with clarifications and corrections, printed in 1623
• Literary Period: Renaissance
• Genre: Tragic play
• Setting: Verona, Italy
• Climax: Mistakenly believing that Juliet is dead, Romeo kills himself on her funeral bier by drinking poison. Juliet wakes up, finds Romeo dead, and fatally stabs herself with his dagger.
• Antagonist: Capulet, Lady Capulet, Montague, Lady Montague, Tybalt

Extra Credit for Romeo and Juliet

Tourist Trap. Casa di Giulietta, a 12-century villa in Verona, is located just off the Via Capello (the possible origin of the anglicized surname “Capulet”) and has become a major tourist attraction over the years because of its distinctive balcony. The house, purchased by the city of Verona in 1905 from private holdings, has been transformed into a kind of museum dedicated to the history of Romeo and Juliet , where tourists can view set pieces from some of the major film adaptations of the play and even leave letters to their loved ones. Never mind that “the balcony scene,” one of the most famous scenes in English literature, may never have existed—the word “balcony” never appears in the play, and balconies were not an architectural feature of Shakespeare’s England—tourists flock from all over to glimpse Juliet’s famous veranda.

Love Language. While much of Shakespeare’s later work is written in a combination of verse and prose (used mostly to offer distinction between social classes, with nobility speaking in verse and commoners speaking in prose), Romeo and Juliet is notable for its heady blend of poetic forms. The play’s prologue is written in the form of a sonnet, while most of the dialogue adheres strictly to the rhythm of iambic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet alter their cadences when speaking to each another, using more casual, naturalistic speech. When they talk about other potential lovers, such as Rosaline and Paris, their speech is much more formal (to reflect the emotional falsity of those dalliances.) Friar Laurence speaks largely in sermons and aphorisms, while the nurse speaks in blank verse.

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The prologue of Romeo and Juliet calls the title characters “star-crossed lovers”—and the stars do seem to conspire against these young lovers.

Romeo is a Montague, and Juliet a Capulet. Their families are enmeshed in a feud, but the moment they meet—when Romeo and his friends attend a party at Juliet’s house in disguise—the two fall in love and quickly decide that they want to be married.

A friar secretly marries them, hoping to end the feud. Romeo and his companions almost immediately encounter Juliet’s cousin Tybalt, who challenges Romeo. When Romeo refuses to fight, Romeo’s friend Mercutio accepts the challenge and is killed. Romeo then kills Tybalt and is banished. He spends that night with Juliet and then leaves for Mantua.

Juliet’s father forces her into a marriage with Count Paris. To avoid this marriage, Juliet takes a potion, given her by the friar, that makes her appear dead. The friar will send Romeo word to be at her family tomb when she awakes. The plan goes awry, and Romeo learns instead that she is dead. In the tomb, Romeo kills himself. Juliet wakes, sees his body, and commits suicide. Their deaths appear finally to end the feud.

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Home — Essay Samples — Literature — Plays — Romeo and Juliet

Essays on Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and juliet essay topics: a guide for college students.

Explore essay topics on Shakespeare's timeless tragedy, "Romeo and Juliet." Selecting the right essay topic is the first step towards crafting a compelling and insightful analysis. This page aims to spark your creativity and personal interest in diving deep into the play's themes, characters, and societal implications.

Essay Types and Topics

Essays can vary greatly in type and focus. Below, we categorize potential "Romeo and Juliet" essay topics by type, providing a diverse range of subjects suitable for college-level analysis. Each topic suggestion comes with an introductory paragraph example, including a clear thesis statement, and a concluding paragraph that summarizes the essay and reiterates the thesis with a final reflection or call to action.

Argumentative Essays

• Topic: The Role of Fate vs. Free Will in Romeo and Juliet

Introduction Example: "Romeo and Juliet" is often interpreted as a narrative dominated by fate, yet a closer examination reveals a complex interplay between destiny and the choices of its characters. This essay argues that while fate sets the stage, the personal decisions of Romeo, Juliet, and others significantly influence the tragic outcome. Thesis Statement: Despite the heavy hand of fate, the tragic ending of "Romeo and Juliet" is the result of the characters' own choices, highlighting Shakespeare's commentary on free will.

Conclusion Example: In conclusion, "Romeo and Juliet" serves not only as a tale of doomed love but also as a profound exploration of the tension between fate and free will. The characters' decisions, as much as fate, weave the fabric of their tragedy, suggesting that our destinies are not solely at the mercy of the stars but also of our actions.

Compare and Contrast Essays

• Topic: Love and Hate in "Romeo and Juliet": A Comparative Analysis

Introduction Example: "Romeo and Juliet" masterfully juxtaposes the themes of love and hate, revealing how closely intertwined and yet vastly different they are. This essay will compare and contrast these central themes, examining how they coexist and influence the narrative's progression. Thesis Statement: Shakespeare demonstrates through "Romeo and Juliet" that love and hate are two sides of the same coin, each driving the story to its inevitable tragic conclusion.

Conclusion Example: Ultimately, the examination of love and hate in "Romeo and Juliet" reveals the complexity of human emotions and the tragic outcomes when these powerful feelings collide. Shakespeare's play serves as a timeless reminder of the destructive power of hate and the transcendent nature of love.

Descriptive Essays

• Topic: The Symbolism of Light and Darkness in "Romeo and Juliet"

Introduction Example: Throughout "Romeo and Juliet," Shakespeare employs the motifs of light and darkness to symbolize the dual nature of love and the societal constraints surrounding the protagonists. This essay aims to describe the significance of these symbols and their impact on the narrative. Thesis Statement: Light and darkness in "Romeo and Juliet" serve as powerful symbols that highlight the intensity of Romeo and Juliet's love and the darkness of the world that ultimately leads to their demise.

Conclusion Example: The symbolism of light and darkness in "Romeo and Juliet" enriches the narrative, offering deeper insights into the protagonists' love and the challenges they face. Through these motifs, Shakespeare communicates the enduring power and peril of love within a divided society.

Persuasive Essays

• Topic: The Importance of the Friar Lawrence Character in "Romeo and Juliet"

Introduction Example: Friar Lawrence is often viewed as a secondary character in "Romeo and Juliet," yet his role is pivotal to the unfolding of the play's events. This essay will persuade readers of the critical importance of Friar Lawrence, arguing that his decisions and actions are central to the narrative and themes of the play. Thesis Statement: Friar Lawrence is a crucial character in "Romeo and Juliet," whose actions and wisdom deeply influence the course and outcome of the story.

Conclusion Example: In persuading the reader of Friar Lawrence's significance, it becomes clear that his character is not only central to the narrative but also embodies the themes of wisdom, folly, and the unintended consequences of well-meaning actions. His involvement is essential to understanding the play's deeper messages.

Narrative Essays

• Topic: A Modern Retelling of "Romeo and Juliet"

Introduction Example: Imagining "Romeo and Juliet" set in the modern era offers a unique opportunity to explore how the themes of love, conflict, and tragedy translate across time. This narrative essay will recount the classic story through a contemporary lens, examining how the central themes endure in today's society. Thesis Statement: The timeless themes of "Romeo and Juliet" continue to resonate, even when set against the backdrop of the modern world, illustrating the universality of Shakespeare's masterpiece.

Conclusion Example: Through a modern retelling of "Romeo and Juliet," it becomes evident that the themes of love, hate, and fate are not confined to any one era but are enduring aspects of the human condition. Shakespeare's work remains relevant, reflecting the persistent nature of these experiences across generations.

Engagement and Creativity

As you embark on your essay-writing journey, choose a topic that not only aligns with your assignment requirements but also sparks your interest and curiosity. Let your exploration of "Romeo and Juliet" be guided by creativity and a desire to uncover new insights into Shakespeare's work. Engage deeply with the text, and allow your critical thinking to bring fresh perspectives to well-trodden paths.

Educational Value

Writing essays on "Romeo and Juliet" offers valuable opportunities to develop analytical thinking, persuasive writing skills, and a deeper appreciation for literature. Each essay type encourages a different approach to the text, whether it be through argumentative analysis, comparative exploration, descriptive detail, persuasive advocacy, or narrative creativity. Embrace these challenges as chances to enhance your academic skills and personal growth.

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Romeo and Juliet: Choice Or Fate

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Maturity and Immaturity in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

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1597, William Shakespeare

Play; Shakespearean Tragedy

Romeo, Juliet, Count Paris, Mercutio, Tybalt, The Nurse, Rosaline, Benvolio, Friar Laurence

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is based on a narrative poem by Arthur Brooke called "The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet," which was published in 1562. However, Shakespeare's play transformed the original story into a timeless masterpiece of love and tragedy. The historical context of the play is rooted in the Italian Renaissance, a period characterized by a renewed interest in classical literature, arts, and humanism. This cultural milieu influenced Shakespeare's portrayal of the conflict between love and societal norms, as well as the exploration of passion, honor, and fate.

In the city of Verona, two prominent families, the Montagues and the Capulets, are engaged in a bitter feud. Amidst this hostility, Romeo, a Montague, attends a masquerade ball hosted by the Capulets and instantly falls in love with Juliet, a Capulet. They share a passionate encounter and realize they are from rival families. Determined to be together, Romeo and Juliet secretly marry with the help of Friar Laurence. However, their blissful union is short-lived when a series of unfortunate events unfolds. Tybalt, Juliet's hot-tempered cousin, challenges Romeo to a duel, resulting in Tybalt's death. As punishment, Romeo is banished from Verona. Desperate to avoid her arranged marriage to Count Paris, Juliet seeks assistance from Friar Laurence, who devises a plan to reunite the lovers. But the plan goes awry, and miscommunication leads Romeo to believe that Juliet is dead. Overwhelmed by grief, Romeo drinks a poison and dies next to Juliet's lifeless body. Upon awakening and discovering Romeo's fate, Juliet takes her own life with a dagger. The tragic deaths of Romeo and Juliet finally bring their feuding families together in sorrow, realizing the consequences of their longstanding enmity.

Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is set in the Italian city of Verona during the 14th century. Verona serves as the backdrop for the tragic love story of the young protagonists, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. The city of Verona is depicted as a place of deep-seated rivalry and violence between the two influential families, the Montagues and the Capulets. The streets of Verona are filled with tension and hostility, as the feuding families constantly clash and disrupt the peace. Within Verona, significant locations play a vital role in the story. The streets and public squares serve as meeting places for the characters, where conflicts and confrontations often occur. The Capulet household, including the iconic balcony where Romeo and Juliet exchange their famous declarations of love, symbolizes the forbidden nature of their relationship. Additionally, the tomb of the Capulets becomes the tragic final setting where Romeo and Juliet meet their fateful ends.

Love: Romeo and Juliet's love is portrayed as passionate and all-consuming, transcending the boundaries of their warring families. The theme of love is further explored through the contrast between romantic love and familial love, as the couple grapples with loyalty to their families and their own desires. Fate: The play suggests that the lovers' tragic end is predetermined by forces beyond their control, emphasizing the role of destiny in their lives. This theme is captured in the famous line, "star-crossed lovers," which highlights the notion that their love is doomed from the start. Feuds and conflict: The bitter rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets fuels the tension and violence that ultimately leads to the tragic events. Shakespeare explores the destructive consequences of long-standing enmity and the price that is paid when hatred triumphs over peace.

One prevalent literary device in the play is metaphor. Shakespeare employs metaphor to convey complex ideas and emotions. For example, in Romeo's famous line, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun," he compares Juliet to the sun, emphasizing her radiant beauty and his adoration for her. Another device used extensively in Romeo and Juliet is dramatic irony. This occurs when the audience knows more about the events or the true intentions of the characters than they do themselves. A notable example is when Juliet takes a sleeping potion to feign her death, while Romeo, unaware of her plan, believes she is truly dead. This creates tension and heightens the emotional impact of the subsequent tragic events. Additionally, Shakespeare employs soliloquies and asides to reveal the characters' inner thoughts and feelings directly to the audience. These monologues provide insight into their motivations, dilemmas, and conflicts, fostering a deeper understanding of their complexities. Other literary devices employed in Romeo and Juliet include imagery, allusion, foreshadowing, and wordplay.

"But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." - Romeo (Act II, Scene II) "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." - Juliet (Act II, Scene II) "O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" - Juliet (Act II, Scene II) "Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow." - Juliet (Act II, Scene II) "These violent delights have violent ends." - Friar Laurence (Act II, Scene VI)

In film, there have been numerous cinematic adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, each offering its unique take on the timeless story. Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film and Baz Luhrmann's 1996 modernized version are among the most well-known adaptations, capturing the tragic romance and passion of the original play. Television has also embraced Romeo and Juliet, with adaptations ranging from traditional period dramas to contemporary reinterpretations. These adaptations often explore different settings and time periods while staying true to the core themes of love, feuds, and destiny. The play has influenced music as well, with artists drawing inspiration from the story and its characters. Popular songs, such as "Love Story" by Taylor Swift and "Check Yes Juliet" by We the Kings, reference Romeo and Juliet, showcasing the enduring impact of the play on popular culture. Additionally, Romeo and Juliet has been referenced in literature, visual arts, and even advertising campaigns, highlighting its cultural significance and widespread recognition.

Cultural Significance: The play has become a symbol of romantic tragedy and forbidden love. It has inspired countless adaptations, films, and musicals, further cementing its status as an iconic love story. Language and Expressions: Shakespeare's unique language and poetic expressions in "Romeo and Juliet" have greatly influenced the English language. Phrases like "What's in a name?" and "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet" have become widely quoted and integrated into everyday speech. Archetypal Characters: The characters of Romeo and Juliet have become archetypes of passionate, young lovers. Their plight and the themes of love, fate, and family conflict resonate with audiences across cultures and generations. Impact on Drama and Theater: The play's tragic structure, complex characters, and dramatic tension have had a lasting impact on the field of drama. It has served as a model for storytelling and character development, inspiring playwrights and directors for centuries.

Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is a timeless masterpiece that remains relevant and captivating across centuries. Exploring the reasons why it is worth writing an essay about involves delving into its enduring significance. Firstly, the play explores universal themes such as love, fate, and family conflict, which resonate with audiences of all ages and cultures. Its exploration of the intensity and consequences of young love provides valuable insights into human emotions and relationships. Secondly, the play showcases Shakespeare's unparalleled mastery of language and poetic expression. Studying the rich and evocative dialogue, intricate wordplay, and use of literary devices in "Romeo and Juliet" allows for a deeper appreciation of Shakespeare's artistic genius and contributes to the understanding of his broader body of work. Furthermore, the play's exploration of societal expectations, gender roles, and the power of passion challenges conventional norms and raises thought-provoking questions about the constraints of society. Lastly, the enduring popularity and numerous adaptations of "Romeo and Juliet" in various art forms demonstrate its cultural significance and ability to inspire creative interpretations.

1. Shakespeare, W. (2019). Romeo and juliet. In One-Hour Shakespeare (pp. 304-368). Routledge. (https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9780429262715-13/romeo-juliet-william-shakespeare) 2. Driscoll, R., Davis, K. E., & Lipetz, M. E. (1972). Parental interference and romantic love: The Romeo and Juliet effect. Journal of personality and social psychology, 24(1), 1. (https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1973-04399-001) 3. Whittier, G. (1989). The Sonnet's Body and the Body Sonnetized in" Romeo and Juliet". Shakespeare Quarterly, 40(1), 27-41. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/2870752) 4. Kottman, P. A. (2012). Defying the stars: tragic love as the struggle for freedom in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare Quarterly, 63(1), 1-38. (https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/470678/summary) 5. Sánchez, A. B. (1995). Metaphorical models of romantic love in Romeo and Juliet. Journal of Pragmatics, 24(6), 667-688. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/037821669500007F) 6. Clark, G. (2011). The civil mutinies of Romeo and Juliet. English Literary Renaissance, 41(2), 280-300. (https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1475-6757.2011.01086.x) 7. Snyder, S. (1970). Romeo and juliet: Comedy into tragedy. Essays in Criticism, 20(4), 391-402. (https://academic.oup.com/eic/article-abstract/XX/4/391/599716?redirectedFrom=PDF) 8. Brown, S., Cockett, P., & Yuan, Y. (2019). The neuroscience of Romeo and Juliet: An fMRI study of acting. Royal Society Open Science, 6(3), 181908. (https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsos.181908)

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Romeo and Juliet

By william shakespeare, romeo and juliet essay questions.

In what way do Romeo and Juliet break gender conventions? How do these roles fluctuate throughout the play?

At the beginning of the play, the young lovers' behavior reverses common gender conventions – Romeo acts in a way that his friends call feminine, while Juliet exhibits masculine qualities. Romeo is by no means an archetypal Elizabethan man; he is disinterested in asserting his physical power like the other male characters in the play. Instead, Romeo chooses to stew in his pensive melancholy. On several instances, Romeo's companions suggest that his introspective behavior is effeminate. On the other hand, Juliet exhibits a more pronounced sense of agency than most female characters in Shakespeare's time. While the women around her, like her mother, blindly act in accordance with Lord Capulet's wishes, Juliet proudly expresses her opinion. Even when she has lost a battle (like when Lord Capulet insists she consider marrying Paris), she demonstrates a shrewd ability to deflect attention without committing to anything. In her relationship with Romeo, Juliet clearly takes the lead by insisting on marriage and proposing the plan to unite them. As the play progresses, Romeo starts to break out of his pensive inaction to the point that Mercutio notices this change. Romeo also makes a great shift from his cowardly attempt at suicide in Act III to his willful decision in Act V. Overall, Romeo and Juliet are arguably a good match because they are so distinct. Juliet is headstrong, while Romeo is passive until passion strikes and inspires him to action.

Contrast Romeo's attempted suicide in Act 3 with his actual suicide in Act 5. How do these two events reveal changes in his character and an evolving view of death?

Romeo considers suicide in both Act 3 and Act 5. In Act 3, Romeo's desire to take his own life is a cowardly response to his grief over killing Tybalt. He is afraid of the consequences of his actions and would rather escape the world entirely than face losing Juliet. Both Friar Laurence and the Nurse criticize Romeo for his weakness and lack of responsibility - taking the knife from his hands. In contrast, Romeo actually does commit suicide in Act V because he sees no other option. He plans for it, seeking out the Apothecary before leaving Mantua, and kills himself out of solidarity with Juliet, not because he is afraid. While suicide is hardly a defensible action, Romeo's dual attempts to take his life reveal his growing maturity and his strengthened moral resolve.

Several characters criticize Romeo for falling in love too quickly. Do you believe this is true? Does his tendency towards infatuation give the audience occasion to question Romeo's affection for Juliet?

This question obviously asks for a student opinion, but there is evidence to support both sides of the argument. In Act 2, Friar Laurence states his opinion that Romeo does indeed fall in love too quickly. Romeo is arguably in love with being in love more than he is in love with any particular woman. The speed with which his affections shift from Rosaline to Juliet – all before he ever exchanges a word with the latter – suggests that Romeo's feelings of 'love' are closer to lust than commitment. This interpretation is supported by the numerous sexual references in the play, which are even interwoven with religious imagery in Romeo and Juliet's first conversation. However, it also possible to argue that Romeo's lust does not invalidate the purity of his love. Romeo and Juliet celebrates young, passionate love, which includes physical lust. Furthermore, whereas Romeo was content to pine for Rosaline from afar, his love for Juliet forces him to spring into action. He is melancholy over Rosaline, but he is willing to die for Juliet. Therefore, a possible reading is that Romeo and Juliet's relationship might have been sparked by physical attraction, but it grew into a deep, spiritual connection.

Examine the contrast between order and disorder in Romeo and Juliet . How does Shakespeare express this dichotomy through symbols, and how do those motifs help to underline the other major themes in the play?

The contrast between order and disorder appears from the Prologue, where the Chorus tells a tragic story using the ordered sonnet form. From that point onwards, the separation between order and disorder is a common theme. Ironically, violence and disorder occurs in bright daylight, while the serenity of love emerges at night. The relationship between Romeo and Juliet is uncomplicated without the disorderly feud between their families, which has taken over the streets of Verona. The contrast between order and disorder underscores the way that Shakespeare presents love - a safe cocoon in which the lovers can separate themselves from the unpredictable world around them. At the end of the play, it becomes clear that a relationship based on pure love cannot co-exist with human weaknesses like greed and jealousy.

Many critics note a tonal inconsistency in Romeo and Juliet . Do you find the shift in tone that occurs after Mercutio's death to be problematic? Does this shift correspond to an established structural tradition or is it simply one of Shakespeare's whims?

After the Prologue until the point where Mercutio dies in Act III, Romeo and Juliet is mostly a comic romance. After Mercutio dies, the nature of the play suddenly shifts into tragedy. It is possible that this extreme shift is merely the product of Shakespeare's whims, especially because the play has many other asides that are uncharacteristic of either comedy or tragedy. For example, Mercutio's Queen Mab speech is dreamy and poetic, while the Nurse's colorful personality gives her more dimension than functional characters generally require. However, it is also possible to see the parallels between this tonal shift and the play's thematic contrast between order and disorder. Shakespeare frequently explored the human potential for both comedy and tragedy in his plays, and it is possible that in Romeo and Juliet , he wanted to explore the transition from youthful whimsy into the complications of adulthood. From this perspective, the play's unusual structure could represent a journey to maturity. Romeo grows from a petulant teenager who believes he can ignore the world around him to a man who accepts the fact that his actions have consequences.

Eminent literary critic Harold Bloom considers Mercutio to be one of Shakespeare's greatest inventions in Romeo and Juliet . Why do you agree or disagree with him? What sets Mercutio apart?

One of Shakespeare's great dramatic talents is his ability to portray functional characters as multi-faceted individuals. Mercutio, for example, could have served a simple dramatic function, helping the audience get to know Romeo in the early acts. Then, his death in Act 3 is a crucial plot point in the play, heightening the stakes and forcing Romeo to make a life-changing decision. Mercutio barely appears in Arthur Brooke's Romeus and Juliet , which Romeo and Juliet is based on. Therefore, Shakespeare made a point of fleshing out the character. In Mercutio's Queen Mab speech, Shakespeare has the opportunity to truly delve into the bizarre and often dangerous sexual nature of love. Further, Mercutio's insight as he dies truly expresses the horrors of revenge, as he declares a plague on both the Montague and Capulet families. He is the first casualty of their feud - and because he transcends functionality, the audience mourns his untimely death and can relate to Romeo's capricious revenge.

How does Shakespeare use symbols of gold and silver throughout the play? What does each element represent?

Shakespeare uses gold and silver as symbols to criticize human folly. He often invokes the image of silver to symbolize pure love and innocent beauty. On the other hand, he uses gold as a sign of greed or desire. For example, Shakespeare describes Rosaline as immune to showers of gold, an image that symbolizes the selfishness of bribery. Later, when Romeo is banished, he comments that banishment is a "golden axe," meaning that banishment is merely a shiny euphemism for death. Finally, the erection of the golden statues at the end of the play is a sign of the fact that neither Lord Capulet nor Lord Montague has really learned anything from the loss of their children. They are still competing to claim the higher level of grief. Romeo, however, recognizes the power of gold and rejects it - through him, Shakespeare suggests a distinction between a world governed by wealth and the cocoon of true love.

Do a character analysis of Friar Laurence. What motivates him? In what ways does this motivation complicate his character?

Friar Laurence is yet another character who transcends his functional purpose. When Romeo first approaches the Friar to plan his marriage to Juliet, the older man questions the young man's sincerity, since Romeo openly pined for Rosaline only a few days before. However, the Friar shows a willingness to compromise by agreeing to marry the young lovers nevertheless. What ultimately motivates Friar Laurence is his desire to end the feud between the Capulets and the Montagues, and he sees Romeo and Juliet's marriage as a means to that end. While his peaceful intentions are admirable, his devious actions to achieve them – conducting a marriage that he explicitly questions – suggests he is more driven by politics than by an internal moral compass. The fact that a religious figure would compromise one of the Church's sacraments (marriage) further suggests that the Friar wants his power to extend beyond the confines of his Chapel. He also displays his hubris by helping Juliet to fake her death, rather than simply helping her get to Mantua to be with Romeo. While Friar Laurence is not an explicit villain, his internal contradictions speak to Shakespeare's ability to create multi-faceted characters.

Should Romeo and Juliet be considered a classical tragedy (in which fate destroys individuals)? Or is it more a tragedy of circumstance and personality? Moreover, could the tragic ending of Romeo and Juliet have been avoided?

In classical tragedy, an individual is defeated by Fate, despite his or her best efforts to change a pre-determined course of events. A classical tragedy both celebrates an individual's willpower while lamenting the fact that the universe cannot be bested by mankind. The tragic elements in Romeo and Juliet are undeniable - two young lovers want nothing more than to be together and fall victim to an ancient feud and rigid societal conventions. However, while Romeo and Juliet's deaths result from human folly, the immovable power of fate also has a hand in sealing their destinies. For instance, Romeo and Juliet had many opportunities to simply run away together instead of being separated after Romeo is banished from Verona. Furthermore, many of the tragic occurrences are contingent on antagonistic characters running into one another, and then choosing to pursue vengeance rather than simply walk away. Based on this evidence, it is possible to read Shakespeare's intent as suggesting that behavioral adjustment can often prevent tragic events.

How is Romeo and Juliet a criticism of organized religion? Examine the play's secularism to develop your answer.

While Romeo and Juliet does not present explicit attacks against religion, Shakespeare reveals his skepticism of Christianity in subtle ways. In many ways, Romeo and Juliet must reject the tenets of Christianity in order to be together. In their first meeting, they banter, using religious imagery to share their sexual feelings. In this exchange, the lovers acknowledge the omnipresence of Christianity, but cheekily use religious images in an unexpected context. Further, Christian tradition would have required Juliet to submit to her father's desire, but instead, she manipulates his expectations to distract him from her real agenda. Even Friar Laurence, an explicitly religious figure, uses Christianity as a tool towards his own ends. In this way, the play implicitly suggests that the rigid rules of religion often work in opposition to the desires of the heart - and to pursue true happiness, one must throw off the shackles of organized faith.

Romeo and Juliet Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for Romeo and Juliet is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

Can you find verbal irony in the play? Where?

One example of verbal irony would be Romeo's reference to the poison he has purchased as a "sweet medicine". A cordial is a sweet liquor or medicine.

Come, cordial and not poison, go with me To Juliet's grave; for there must I use thee.

What do we learn about Mercutio in queen man speech?

The whole speech is based on pagan Celtic mythology. Mercutio’s speech is laced with sexual innuendo. The words “queen” and “mab” refer to whores in Elizabethan England. As his speech goes on we notice the subtext get increasingly sexual...

What does Romeo fear as he approaches Capulet house? What literary device would this be an example of?

Romeo feels something bad is going to happen.

I fear too early, for my mind misgives Some consequence yet hanging in the stars

Looks like foreshadowing to me!

Study Guide for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet study guide contains a biography of William Shakespeare, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet Summary
• Romeo and Juliet Video
• Character List

Essays for Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

• Unity in Shakespeare's Tragedies
• Fate in Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet: Under the Guise of Love
• The Apothecary's Greater Significance in Romeo and Juliet
• Romeo and Juliet: Two Worlds

Lesson Plan for Romeo and Juliet

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to Romeo and Juliet
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• Romeo and Juliet Bibliography

E-Text of Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet e-text contains the full text of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.

• List of Characters

Wikipedia Entries for Romeo and Juliet

• Introduction
• Date and text

114 Romeo and Juliet Essay Titles & Examples

Looking for Romeo and Juliet essay titles? The world’s most tragic story is worth writing about!

🥀 Best Romeo and Juliet Essay Titles

🖤 romeo and juliet essay prompts.

• 🏆 Best Romeo and Juliet Essay Examples

📌 Interesting Romeo and Juliet Essay Topics

🎭 easy titles for romeo and juliet essays, 👍 exciting romeo and juliet title ideas, ❓ romeo and juliet essay questions.

Romeo and Juliet is probably the most famous tragedy by William Shakespeare. It is a story of two young lovers whose deaths reconcile their feuding families. Whether you are assigned an argumentative, persuasive, or analytical essay on this piece of literature, this article will answer all your questions. Below you’ll find Romeo and Juliet essay examples, thesis ideas, and paper topics.

• “Romeo and Juliet”: character analysis
• What role does the setting play in “Romeo and Juliet”?
• “Romeo and Juliet” and antique tradition of tragic love stories
• Theme of love in “Romeo and Juliet”
• What role does the theme of fate play in “Romeo and Juliet”?
• “Romeo and Juliet”: dramatic structure analysis
• Analyze the balcony scene in “Romeo and Juliet”
• “Romeo and Juliet”: feminist criticism
• The most famous adaptations of “Romeo and Juliet”
• “Romeo and Juliet” in the world culture

Keep reading to learn the key points you can use to write a successful paper.

• Original Italian Tale vs. Shakespeare’s Tragedy

The story described in Shakespeare’s tragedy is based on the Italian tale that was translated into English in the sixteenth century. Original version represents situations and lines from Romeo and Juliet lives.

Shakespeare added a few more main characters: Mercutio, Paris, and Tybalt. Numerous researches state that Shakespeare used three sources to write his tragedy: a novella Giulietta e Romeo by Matteo Bandello, written in 1554; a story Il Novellio, by Masuccio Salernitano; and the Historia Novellamente Ritrovata di Due Nobili Amanti, written by Luigi Da Porto.

You can learn more about these novels to find out similarities and differences between primary sources and Shakespeare’s work

• Love and Fate in Romeo and Juliet

If you’re going to write Romeo and Juliet essay on fate, read this paragraph. Fate is the fundamental concept of the plot. It makes us look at Romeo and Juliet affair as a single tragedy.

At the same time, another core element of the story is love. From the very beginning of the drama, you will clearly understand that the story will end in tragedy.

Shakespeare shows us the value of fate events.

However, love remains a crucial thematic element. The roles of Nurse, Paris, and Romeo show us a physical attraction, sympathy, and romantic affection while being the embodiment of love. Analyze what type of love is represented by each character in your essay. Explain, what do you think real love is.

• Value and Duality in Romeo and Juliet

Among the central idea to consider for your Romeo and Juliet essay titles is an issue of value and duality. Shakespeare actively uses duality in his tragedy by representing the deaths of Romeo and Juliet as reasons of tragedy in Verona, which brought new order to the city.

Friar Laurence also reveals ambiguity when he helped Romeo and thus forced young lovers to suffer in the end. The decision to marry couple had a reason to end the conflict between Montague and Capulets.

Romeo and Juliet’s example discloses happiness and blame brought by key episodes and change in society. In your writing, you may analyze how the effect of adoration had influenced Romeo, Juliet, and other people lives.

• Masculinity in Romeo and Juliet

A lot of Romeo and Juliet essay examples analyze the role of gender and masculinity in the tragedy. Mercutio is shown as a classic example of a real man: active, brave citizen.

He is a person of action. On the other hand, Romeo is described as a boy who seeks for love. Romeo and Juliet love thrown into quarreling world.

You can analyze the reasons why Romeo fights and kills Paris when finding him near Juliet body.

Covering all of the points mentioned above will help you to produce an outstanding Romeo and Juliet essay. Check the samples below to get inspiration and more ideas that you can use in your own paper.

🏆 Best Romeo and Juliet Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

• Different Types of Love Portrayed in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Term Paper In regards to this communication, the issue of romantic love between Romeo and Juliet is highlighted7. The concept of true love is no where to be seen in Romeo and Juliet’s relationship.
• William Shakespeare “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” This paper examines romantic love as the source of joy and fulfillment in “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. Love is the source of pain and suffering in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
• The Portrayal of Fate in “Romeo and Juliet” Thus, the play Romeo and Juliet demonstrates that fate is the invisible, unavoidable force behind the entirety of the human experience.
• Symbolism and Foreshadowing in “Romeo and Juliet” The love of Juliet to Romeo at the early stages is described as the “bud love, expected to grow into a beauteous flower” when the two meet later.
• Analysis of the Play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ Another interesting scene of the production that makes it real understanding of the authors work is the casting of the romantic love between Romeo and Juliet, the physical love of the nurse and the contractual […]
• The Renaissance Time During Romeo and Juliet Men and women performed different roles in the household; the man was responsible for farming while the woman took care of the poultry and dairy. In the upper-class, marriages were arranged and the parents chose […]
• William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” in Baz Luhrmann’s Interpretation The fragility of love in this work is contrasted with its hardness – it can be compared in quality and beauty to a cut diamond.
• Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: Act 1 Scene 4 Review In this speech alone we see Mercutio in direct opposition to all of the characters in Romeo and Juliet while at the same time we are provided an alternate point of view to the ideals […]
• Breaking the Rules: Romeo and Juliet’s Quest for Independence Finally, the death of Romeo and Juliet puts an end to their love and is powerful enough to reconcile their feuding families.
• Romeo and Juliet’s Analysis and Comparison With the Film Romeo Must Die It can be concluded that, in the case of the original Romeo and Juliet, the main heroes are dying, but their families reconcile.
• Franco Zeffirelli’s “Romeo and Juliet” Adaptation As the plot of the play develops and the reader gets more involved in the reading of the play, the constant need to read the stage directions has a disruptive effect on the reader’s interaction […]
• “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare: Play’s Concept In Romeo and Juliet, the development of characters eventually led to the tragedy of the main characters. The love of Romeo and Juliet is a remarkable love as they have to undergo many obstacles to […]
• Forbidden Love in Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare From Freud’s perspective, the characters’ problems can be perceived as the result of a conflict between their superego, id and ego.
• Analysis of “Romeo and Juliet” Directed by Simon Godwin The actors played in the theater without an audience, and the shooting itself took two and a half weeks, but also due to the director’s attempt to combine the action on the theater stage and […]
• Friar Lawrence in “Romeo and Juliet” by Shakespeare The strengths of such friendships can be seen in the way Friar Laurence accepts and anticipates Romeo’s actions, showing that he is ready to hear him as a friend not as a priest, “Doth couch […]
• “Romeo and Juliet”: Play and Film Preminger et al.claim that poetry is to be educative and pleasurable and both versions of “Romeo and Juliet” meet this criterion regardless of the fact that they had to appeal to the audience of a […]
• “Romeo and Juliet” and “The Winter’s Tale” Comparison Because of the importance of the role of plants and trees in the two abovementioned plays, it would be reasonable to consider each of the plays in detail.
• Romeo and Juliet: Analysis of Play Being a tragedy, the story narrates the challenges two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, go through due to the enmity between their respective families. For example, the story of Juliet and Romeo presents a romantic and […]
• Love and Sadness in the First Act of “Romeo and Juliet” The love story of Romeo and Juliet is well known to most people, but one might forget that Romeo was initially not in love with Juliet; he met her later.
• Carlo Carlea’s Film “Romeo and Juliet” The new adaptation of my play generally made a controversial impression: the actors look suitable for their roles, but the internal theme of the play seems to be not so profoundly got.
• “Romeo and Juliet” Staged in Greek Style According to the analysis, it is evident that even though the story, plot, and characters stay the same, the change in the style of “Romeo and Juliet” will have a significant difference from the original […]
• Personality and Maturity in the Romeo and Juliet Play by W. Shakespeare While this idea is not always true in specific cases, it can be assumed to be true in the case of Romeo and Juliet because of the ways in which they act.
• Oh Tae-Suk’s Romeo and Juliet Oh Tae-suk is a South-Korean playwright and director, well-known for his masterful portrayal of modern Korean life and the use of the elements of the traditional Korean theater in his plays.
• What Shapes More Lovers’ “Story of Romeo and Juliet?” In Romeo and Juliet, love is the central theme of the tragedy, and the images of the protagonists are mostly shaped by the relationships and challenges they had to face.
• Nurse and Friar Laurence in Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” The way Friar Laurence supported Romeo and Juliet to get Married, The way the Nurse is opposing in her regards of Romeo and Paris, When Friar Laurence clandestinely married them, the way the Nurse is […]
• Character Analysis of Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” The Renaissance in Italy was a time in which historians and writers were most active, sparking a new wave of literacy in the Italian world, said to be the father of Renaissance Europe.
• “Analysis of Causes of Tragic Fate in Romeo and Juliet Based on Shakespeare’s View of Fate” by Jie Li The article is easy to read and makes a compelling case for the reasons that precipitated the tragedy in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
• Romeo and Juliet: The Twentieth Century This is the first scene of the play. In the mean time, Capulet learns that Juliet has fallen in love with Romeo, and he is infuriated with the behavior of her daughter.
• Relationships Among Individuals in Shakespeare’s Plays The events that take place in Athens are symbolic in the sense that they represent the sequence of events during the day whereas the events in the forest represent the dream like circumstances.
• The Saga as Old as Time: Romeo and Juliet, Vampire Style Basing partially on the plot of Romeo and Juliet story and partially on the problems that modern teenagers face, The Twilight Saga offers a number of issues that are quite topical nowadays, such as the […]
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Alternate Ending to Romeo and Juliet Free Essay Sample

Everyone knows the sad ending of the tragedy and love story of Romeo and Juliet. But, what if we could go back in time and change everything? What if the story didn't have to have a sad ending. What if Juliet could have changed the story for everyone. As destiny would have it, by reaching the end of the game, Juliet has been given a chance to rewrite her story and change the ending. Read along and find out how Juliet saved her story. The scene of the story is set right before Romeo drinks the poison in act 5 scene 3.

"And, lips, O, you. The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss. A dateless bargain to engrossing death." (5. 3. 113-115). As Romeo bends over to give his lady a kiss he feels something move. He glances at his lady just to see her pale and still. "My imagination is driving me insane looking for light in a dark cave." Romeo says, "Come, bitter conduct, come, unsavory guide! Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on. The dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark! " (5.3. 116-118). Romeo glimpses at his dear lady again, and back at the bottle as tears continuously drip down his face. His heart feels the sensation of Juliet breathing next to him but his mind knows it's not true. He grabs the bottle ready to drink "Here's to.." Juliet opens her eyes and looks to the side confused to see Romeo with a menacing bottle of poison in his hands. As Romeo lifts the bottle to take a sip Juliet knocks the bottle of death out of his hands.

Romeo looks to the side shocked to see Juliet awake, gasping for air, relieved that she'd woken up on time. "What were you doing? Taking your life without knowing the consequence? And what are you doing here?" Juliet scowled. "My love? How? What happened," Romeo says, still in shock. Juliet shakes her head smiling, leaning in to give Romeo a hug. "I went to the Friar when my parents told me to marry Paris. He gave me a sleeping potion so that I look like I'm dead," Juliet expresses with a smile on her face. All of a sudden, they start to hear the footsteps of people coming. "As a matter of fact, I still have some now. And I think we should both use it now," Juliet whispers. "Why dear?" Romeo replies confused. "Perhaps if our families see that we've taken our lives for each other, it will end the feud between them. If not," Juliet responds. "We shall run away to Mantua," Romeo finishes her sentence. "Yes, quickly now take some of the potions, and put the bottle of poison in your hand" Juliet hurriedly said. They both drink some of that potion and fake their death with the poison bottle in their hands.

Later that day both of their families receive news of their death. The Prince, Capulets and Montagues gather at the tombstone where Juliet and Romeo lay. Soon the Friar comes and explains all that had happened between the two. "The day that was Tybalt's last, was the day I married Romeo and Juliet. When Juliet received news of her cousin dying and Romeo's exile, she was upset about both. To make matters worse for her, Lord Capulet forced her to marry County Paris whom she didn't love. That night she came to me for advice or news that she'd take her life. I then gave her a sleeping potion to fake her death and sent Romeo a letter with the plan. That letter though never made it to Romeo." The Capulets and the Montagues look in disbelief as they realize that their fighting wasn't worth the many lives it cost. "My friend Montague, give me your hand as we lead our families into an era of peace," Lord Capulet says. Just then, Romeo and Juliet open their eyes to see their families so happy to see them awake.

Thus the fighting between the Montagues and the Capulets comes to an end. The true love of Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet unknowingly taught them a lesson and ended this feud. Both of the families lived happily ever after. The End!

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Full Powerpoint Romeo and Juliet Grade 9 analysis

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

17 May 2024

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The full Powerpoint including all themes and characters from Romeo and Juliet. Each slide consists of an introduction of the relevant context to achieve top marks in AO3, an in depth sophisticated analysis for key, judicious quote(s) for each poem, an examination of the form and structure in a high level of detail to achieve the top grades. I had created a Powerpoint during my GCSEs as a main revision tool and was recommended to share my notes because of its high level quality and originality. In the end, I achieved a Grade 9 in both Literautre and Language.

The end of the Powerpoint includes some of my own essays to questions that I did as revision.

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Zendaya Is the Perfect Star-Crossed Lover at Boyfriend Tom Holland’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ 

Zendaya didn’t join boyfriend Tom Holland on stage while attending his Romeo & Juliet performance, but she was dressed as the perfect star-crossed lover.

The actress, 27, attended Holland’s Thursday, May 24, show at the Duke of York Theatre in the West End of London. Zendaya made sure to look the part, channeling a Shakespearean heroine in a Spring 2023 Vivienne Westwood black gown dusted with twinkling embellishments. She accessorized with layered statement necklaces and swept her hair back in a low bun.

Following the final bows, she and Holland, 27, were seen walking hand in hand while exiting the theater. Although dressed more contemporary, Holland matched his girlfriend’s ensemble by rocking an all-black outfit.

Holland was announced as Romeo for the West End production in February, with Francesca Amewudah-Rivers being cast as Juliet one month later. After a last-minute production delay, the play opened earlier this month and is set to run through August 3. Tickets for its 12-week run are already sold out.

Related: Zendaya and Tom Holland’s Relationship Timeline

While Holland is focused to bringing the Shakespeare classic over the pond, he isn’t too busy to reciprocate the love. After Zendaya served as co-chair at this year’s Met Gala, Holland took to social media to share photos of both her dramatic looks via Instagram, captioning the post with three heart-eye emojis.

Zendaya and Tom first sparked dating rumors in 2017 after starring in Spider-Man: Homecoming together. While they denied anything romantic for years, photos of the duo kissing went viral in 2021.

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The couple have since opted to keep their relationship mostly out of the spotlight, but have continued to show up at each other’s events and have promoted one another’s projects. Last month, Zendaya praised Holland for how he has navigated his rise to fame.

“We were both very, very young, but my career was already kind of going, and his changed overnight. One day you’re a kid and you’re at the pub with your friends, and then the next day you’re Spider-Man,” she shared during her Vogue cover story. “I definitely watched his life kind of change in front of him. But he handled it really beautifully .”

Related: Relive Zendaya’s Show-Stopping Fashion Moments Through the Years

In February, the Challengers star gushed over Holland’s innate magnetism while promoting her film Dune 2. “I think someone who has beautiful charisma, not on the Dune cast, but personally works for me, is Mr. Tom Holland ,” she told Buzzfeed coyly. “I’m more shy and kind of quiet. So it takes a bit more to pull me out of my shell. But he’s great at just talking to people, getting to know people.”

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‘Romeo and Juliet’ Review: Tom Holland-Led Production Is Hobbled by Director Jamie Lloyd’s Extreme Stylization

By David Benedict

David Benedict

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The relationship is captivating. The energy flowing effortlessly between them means you instantly feel their connection, their shared affection, their give and take. It’s by far the strongest relationship in the production. The only difficulty is that it’s the one between Francesca Amewudah-Rivers’ Juliet and Freema Agyeman’s outstanding Nurse. And in Jamie Lloyd ’s production of “ Romeo and Juliet ” starring the headline-grabbing Tom Holland (in a run that sold out in two hours), that’s quite a problem. And not the only one. A giant projected image of the date tells us we’re in 1597 but Lloyd is at pains to present an utterly contemporary world. And, as with his vital reinvention of Lucy Prebble’s “The Effect” (transferred from the National Theatre to NYC’s The Shed) and the upcoming Broadway transfer of his sell-out but more divisive “Sunset Boulevard,” the aesthetic on display — display being the operative word — is fiercely stripped-down. Soutra Gilmour’s monochrome design is all rising and falling steel girders on a bald set with neither decoration nor props. This is a world of intense shadows created by Jon Clark’s stark side-lighting, allowing black-clad performers to loom in and out of darkness. The brightest element comes via video, splashed across a stage-wide screen and shot live via two Steadicams, showing the performers on stage or, as is already a cliché following its much-copied first appearance in Ivo Van Hove’s “Network,” in sequences in which characters are revealed walking from corridors backstage onto the stage or, in this instance, seen coming down from a scene outdoors atop the theater’s roof. For all the focus on these and other projections of intense close-up moments, the most attention-grabbing element is sound. Every moment is underscored by everything from sudden stings and doom-laden, intense, industrial hum, all the way to bursts of drum ’n’ bass in an attempt to add tension.

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The exception to all this is Juliet. In the first half in particular, Amewudah-Rivers’ well-grounded calmness pays huge dividends. Her grasp of her character brings the audience to her, and her quick-witted reactions are highly legible. She, like the older, more skilled actors, is able to find nuance within the prevailing style. But Holland lacks her still stage presence. He’s perfectly plausible as lovestruck Romeo growing increasingly stressed and distressed, but he emotes rather than elicits emotions. Both actors are hobbled by the logical (over)extension of Lloyd’s approach. Juliet sits down front to take her poison and then closes her eyes. But instead of staging the Nurse’s distressed discovery of her body and the reactions of her father, Lloyd lines them up at the back of the stage facing away from the audience. We hear the lines but with no reactions to watch, the scene is bizarrely shorn of any emotional response. The same bald, monotonous pacing dogs Holland’s hardworking approach to the final scene. There’s more sadness created in the Friar’s closing speech, proof that, filled to the brim with stylization though the production is, it’s in thrall to its effects but fails to deliver dramatic effect. It’s deeply ironic that in the world’s most famous play about young love and death, the characters you end up sympathizing with most are the Nurse, the Friar and even the parents. It surely cannot have been the intention to make a production in praise of the older generation.

Duke of York's Theatre, London; 630 seats; £275 ($349) top. Opened, May 23, 2024; reviewed May 22. Closes Aug 3. Running time: 2 HOURS, 15 MIN.

• Production: A Jamie Lloyd Company Production produced by Jamie Lloyd and Jon Bath in association with David Binder, Ruth Hendel, Patrick Catullo and Christopher Ketner presentation of a play in two acts by William Shakespeare. 
• Crew: Sets and costume, Soutra Gilmour; lighting, Jon Clark; sound, Ben and Max Ringham; video/cinematography, Nathan Amzi and Joe Ransom; composer, Michael 'Mikey J’ Asante; movement, Sarah Golding and Yukiko Masui; production stage manager, Andrew Reed.
• Cast: Tom Holland, Francesca Amewudah-Rivers, Freema Agyeman, Michael Balogun, Tomiwa Edun, Mia Jerome, Daniel Quinn-Toye, Ray Sesay, Nima Taleghani, Joshua-Alexander Williams.

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Romeo & Juliet review roundup: What critics are saying about Tom Holland’s Shakespeare starring role

Tom Holland ’s eagerly anticipated Shakespeare debut in Jamie Lloyd ’s Romeo & Juliet production has received mixed reviews from critics following opening night at the Duke of York’s theatre on Thursday (23 May).

The Spider-Man actor, 27, returned to the London stage for the first time since playing Billy Elliott on the West End in 2008. He stars in Lloyd’s production alongside Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as Juliet, with critics calling the stripped back Shakespeare show “sad”, “muted” and “ruthlessly edited”.

The Independent’s Tim Bano calls Holland a “sad boy in a white vest” and claims his “acting skills are abundant in all the bits when he’s not speaking”. He explains Holland’s “line delivery is a bit flat” and too “sing-song” while Amewudah-Rivers is “mostly impassive” and she acts best “with her voice” while Holland is best “with his face”.

Bano’s two star review lamented Lloyd’s austere aesthetic and the production’s use of live video: “As much as it’s meant to be a stripping back, soon those cameras, the constant murmuring, the grinding sounds, the need to be cool ALL THE TIME gets in the way of performances,” he wrote. “It imposes too much on them rather than liberating them.”

The Guardian’s Arifa Akbar gave Lloyd’s Romeo & Juliet three stars and said Holland and Amewudah-Rivers had been perfectly cast. She praised their “awkwardly cool teen energy” and “deliberately restrained” chemistry.

However, she also took issue with Lloyd’s stripped back approach to Shakespeare, writing the director’s style is “puzzling in its distancing” and the play’s “anti-dramatic effects” are “too stilted to let loose the play’s passion”.

“When scenes are traditionally acted out, they are tremendous – immaculately performed and full of feeling,” she writes. “We ache for them to continue.”

Meanwhile, The Time’s Clive Davis three star review similarly calls Lloyd’s Romeo & Juliet “muted” and “too formulaic”, adding the play’s final scenes feel like “eavesdropping on a conscientious but colourless radio drama”.

Davis adds the show’s “throbbing sound effects and flashing lights” provide “abrupt punctuation” to the Shakespeare text and the opening night audience left the theatre “perplexed”rather than “gripped” by Lloyd’s production.

The Telegraph are significantly more positive about Lloyd’s Romeo & Juliet , giving the “ruthlessly edited” production five stars. Dominic Cavendish claims the play “ravishes” viewers, although it may “startle fans with its line of attack”.

Cavendish praises Lloyd for slowing down the pace of the Shakespeare play, claiming the mics taped to Holland and Amewudah-Rivers’ faces place “lyrical language centre-stage” while the live video “adds to the curious, meditative effect” of the two hour show.

The BBC’s Hugh Montgomery says in his review that, although Holland is not to blame, Lloyd’s production of Romeo & Juliet is “lifeless”. He instead pins the fault on the director’s “gimmicky, oppressively dour staging”, adding the show manages to be at once “overstated and underpowered” with its modern twists and minimal set design.

“Lloyd seems to also want to make Romeo and Juliet into some kind of nihilistic horror,” he claims.

Read The Independent’s two-star review here .

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Zendaya Looks Shakespearean in Black with Tom Holland After His Romeo & Juliet Performance

The couple was seen walking hand in hand and smiling as they exited the theater

Ricky Vigil M / Justin E Palmer/GC Images

Zendaya knows how to let an outfit do all the talking!

On Thursday, May 23, the Challengers star, 27, wore a black Shakespearean dress from Andreas Kronthaler for Vivienne Westwood's spring 2023 ready-to-wear collection to London's Duke of York’s Theatre, where her boyfriend Tom Holland is starring in Romeo and Juliet .

The dress had small, white embellishments and was paired with a large, brown pendant necklace. She completed the look with her hair pulled back in a bun and small hoop earrings.

She and Holland, 27, were seen walking hand in hand and smiling as they exited the theater. Holland dressed casually in a long-sleeved black T-shirt and black pants.

The actor's role as Romeo was announced in February . Director Jamie Lloyd shared his excitement about the news in a statement to  Playbill .

"Tom Holland is one of the greatest, most exciting young actors in the world. It is an honor to welcome him back to the West End," the statement read.

The  Spider-Man  star, who began his career in a West End production of  Billy Elliot The Musical  in 2008 at age 12 , raved about his new role in an Instagram post on May 13, which included photos of him and his new castmates.

" Tonight was the start of something so special. I’m beyond proud of our cast and crew who have gone above and beyond in every way. I can’t wait for the rest of the run. Tonight was truly a highlight of my career and I’m so glad I get to share it with these incredible people. Love you all and see you tomorrow," his caption read.

Although he and Zendaya continue to have busy careers, a source recently told PEOPLE that "they are proud of each other’s successes and totally supportive ."

Marc Brenner

Never miss a story — sign up for  PEOPLE's free daily newsletter  to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. 

"This is a plus in their relationship making it equal," the source said. "They are each caring toward the other. It’s not a case where one is caring and the other isn’t so much. They are great people and are there for the good and bad. As busy as they are, this is super important."

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Not sure that I would equate Tom Holland and Zendaya with the same level of triple-A star firepower as Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, but the last time I witnessed sheer frenzied pandemonium outside the Duke of York’s Theatre was when Taylor went to see Burton read excerpts from Dylan Thomas’ Under Milk Wood  in February 1982.

It was bonkers, with onlookers five deep on both sides of the street waiting for a glimpse of the superstar much-married Hollywood lovers.

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This time it was the occasion of the official opening night for Jamie Lloyd ’s stark, modern-dress production of Shakespeare’s  The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet,  to give its full title, starring Holland and Francesca Amewudah-Rivers as the tragic star-crossed lovers.

This time barricades were erected on either side of the theatre to prevent uninvited fans from crashing the foyer.

There were hundreds of people waiting to spot Holland and Zendaya, nowhere near the numbers I recall eager to see Burton and Taylor.

Even so, there were enough folk to make it a memorable event.

Earlier, about 30 minutes ahead of showtime, Zendaya sprinted from a car and dashed through ornate wrought-iron gates that quickly were slammed shut behind her, and dashed into the house via the stage door.

Zendaya slips in the stage door entrance to see Tom Holland in the opening night of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ 🎥 @WhatsOnStage pic.twitter.com/v3EHP6Oz09 — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 23, 2024

She repeated those same moves, but in reverse, after Holland had embraced and kissed Amewudah-Rivers, taken his bows with the  Romeo & Juliet  company and showered away the first-night sweat that glistened his face.

Zendaya did an Olympic sprint into a waiting car while Holland obliged his fans with a little pavement speech about how chuffed he was that they’d waited to greet him.

Good on Zendaya, I say, for not wanting to steal her beau’s limelight.

After all, it was her Romeo’s night.

Holland was back at the Victoria Palace six years later when  Billy Elliot  played its 4,600th and final performance. He joined other young actors who’d played Billy, and they all joined in giving a dazzling encore that closed with Elton John pirouetting across the stage in a white tutu. I kid you not. I think director Stephen Daldry put one on as well.

Tom Holland greets fans waiting by stage door of Duke of York’s Theatre following opening night of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ as Zendaya makes her way into their waiting car pic.twitter.com/qy4Ic8ix0Z — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 23, 2024

On Thursday night, director Lloyd trained video cameras on Holland backstage, wearing a hoodie. We, in the audience, were able to follow his progress thanks to a huge screen that beamed images of him bounding up steps, walking through corridors and up onto the stage.

The women on either side of me in Row E couldn’t keep their eyes off of him. 

Similarly, Freema Agyeman, playing the Nurse, purred when she glided alongside him and felt his biceps. He was wearing a white singlet and jeans. A little Marlon Brando-ish, except that Tom Holland is no Marlon Brando.

Later, she orders him to “Stand up, stand up and be a man for Juliet’s sake!”

Agyeman’s great.

Lloyd had his cast exclaim most of their lines using mics on stands, every now and again lifting them forward like a Rolling Stone.

No, they didn’t sing.

Lloyd employs the same playbook he used to electrifying effect in the recent, Broadway-bound Sunset Boulevard  starring Nicole Scherzinger.

Videographers follow cast around the stage and the performance is shone onto a screen. For instance, the ball where Romeo and Juliet meet was filmed live in one of the theatre’s bars and relayed to us in the auditorium.

It was all lots and fun and there was a sense of energy but no electrifying coup de théâtré to make the back of your neck tingle.

Holland was a perfectly OK Jack-the-lad Romeo. And, when he’s a bit older, I look forward to see how he takes on the great roles of the classical repertoire.

Some Ibsen, perhaps?

However, I can see why Lloyd cast Amewudah as Juliet. She sure has fire in her belly, and her line readings were underpinned with youthful brio.

Good work too from Michael Balogun as the Friar and Joshua-Alexander Williams playing Mercutio.

Daniel Quinn-Toye played Paris, and also is Holland’s understudy. I’d like to see what he does with Romeo.   

Tom Holland embraces Francesca Amewudah-Rivers on the stage of the Duke of York’s Theatre when the official opening night performance of ‘Romeo & Juliet’ ended. Show was greeted with a standing ovation and cheers from an audience that included Holland’s partner Zendaya pic.twitter.com/oVnQGFhYI7 — Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) May 23, 2024

A friend took her 13-year-old daughter, and she adored all of it.  Of course, she was there for Tom, but I was heartened that she wanted to go home and read the play.

And I was amused by the bloke in the orchestra seats during the interval, crying out, “Every word out of their mouths is brilliant, init?”

The thing is, this is the kind of production that will bring in a young audience.

A new audience. They don’t want to sit through stuffy, traditional productions of the Bard. Theatre needs young audiences to be excited now so they keep going back.

They want the shiny, bright rawness that Lloyd offers.

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