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Romeo goes to the tomb, kills Paris, and poisons himself. Juliet wakes up, finds Romeo dead, and stabs herself. Actually understand Romeo and Juliet. Read every line of Shakespeare’s original text alongside a modern English translation.
- Prologue
CHORUS. Two households, both alike in dignity In fair...
- Act 1, Scene 1
BENVOLIO. Madam, an hour before the worshipped sun Peered...
- Prologue
- Romeo. One of the protagonists of the play, along with Juliet. He is the male heir to the dynasty of House Montague, which is in a long-standing feud with House Capulet.
- Juliet. One of the protagonists of the play, along with Romeo. She is the female heir to the dynasty of House Capulet, which is in a long-standing feud with House Montague.
- Friar Laurence. A kindly, philosophical friar of Verona who, as his community’s spiritual and intellectual center, keeps finding himself enmeshed in the dramas of House Montague and House Capulet.
- The Nurse. Juliet’s nurse is the main source of comic relief throughout the play. Forgetful, long-winded, bawdy, and seemingly immune to embarrassment, the nurse is happy to share cringe-worthy stories from her own past and Juliet’s… read analysis of The Nurse.
Romeo and Juliet begin the play trapped by their social roles. Romeo is a young man who is expected to chase women, but he has chosen Rosaline, who has sworn to remain a virgin. The way Romeo speaks about Rosaline suggests he is playing a role rather than feeling true, overpowering emotion.
Shakespeare’s portrayal of Romeo. Shakespeare feminises Romeo and therefore subverts the masculinity created in the opening scene. He is described as having “tears” and “ adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs” .
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Mercutio. A kinsman to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend. One of the most extraordinary characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays, Mercutio overflows with imagination, wit, and, at times, a strange, biting satire and brooding fervor. Mercutio loves wordplay, especially sexual double entendres.
Shakespeare drew on many sources—both ancient and contemporaneous with his own era—in the writing of Romeo and Juliet. The tale of Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells the story of two Babylonian lovers forbidden from marrying one another by their feuding parents.
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Jun 4, 2020 · 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?’
