They meet again in Act 2, scene 2, Romeo is in the Capulet garden and Juliet is unaware of his presence. When Romeo sees Juliet, he describes her as “it is the east, and Juliet is the sun”-a metaphor. At this point, Juliet still doesn’t know Romeo can see her; she loves Romeo, but hates his name. “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” she wonders why Romeo has that name, “what’s in a name, that which we call a rose by any other word would still smell as sweet”. This is a beautiful quote in my opinion, as she is commenting on the fact a rose would still smell sweet if it wasn’t called a rose. She compares this with Romeo, because she still loves Romeo, whatever his name is. Romeo and Juliet meet, and Romeo says he will change his name if she wishes him to. Juliet wants Romeo to swear his love for her, but she doesn’t want him to swear by the moon as the moon changes and is inconstant. “O swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon”. Romeo asks Juliet to marry him, “Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine”. They part and will next see each other when they are to be married. “Goodnight, goodnight. Parting is such sweet sorrow”.
As dawn breaks (Monday), Romeo goes to see the priest, Friar Lawrence. The priest is surprised that Romeo is now in love with Juliet and Rosaline is forgotten. Romeo asks the priest to marry himself and Juliet. “That thou consent to marry us today”. The friar agrees to marry the lovers. He hopes it might reconcile the two families. “For this alliance may so happy prove, to turn your households’ rancour to pure love”.
Romeo asks Juliet’s nurse to tell her about the wedding. It is to be that afternoon. Romeo tells the nurse to wait round the back of the abbey for a rope ladder so Romeo can get onto the balcony and he and Juliet can spend the night together. Juliet is delighted at the news and arrangements are made for the couple to meet later that night. The nurse tells Juliet to hurry to friar Lawrence’s cell “there stands a husband to make you a wife.” Juliet starts blushing “now comes the wanton blood up in your cheeks, they’ll be scarlet straight at any news.”
Friar Lawrence is uneasy, however. He warns Romeo about hasty marriages. “Too swift arrives as tardy too slow”. Friar Lawrence says, ”More haste less speed”. However, the wedding does take place as planned. “Come, come with me, and we will make short work. For by your leaves, you shall not stay alone, till holy church incorporate two in one”.
Events move quickly in act 3. Mercutio and Benvolio meet Tybalt in the street. He is looking for Romeo, having challenged him to a dual. When Romeo arrives, Tybalt insults him and calls him a villain. Romeo does not want to fight, since Juliet’s family is now like his own. Mercutio is furious at Romeo’s cowardice. He attacks Tybalt. Romeo tries to stop him but Tybalt stabs Mercutio to death. “I am sped” (I am dying) says Mercutio. Romeo finds Tybalt and they fight a dual in which Tybalt dies. “Either thou or I, or both, must go with him” (By "him" they mean Mercutio). Romeo is banished from Verona by the prince when Tybalt's death is discovered. Meanwhile, Juliet waits anxiously for the nurse to bring her news of Romeo. Juliet compares Romeo to stars, "give me my Romeo, and, when I shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine, that all the world will be in love with night, and pay no worship to the garish sun." Juliet’s saying she wants Romeo’s face to be in the stars so everyone can see his beautiful face and worship him instead of the sun. Juliet is distraught when she hears of Romeo’s banishment.”‘ Romeo is banished'- to speak that word, is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet, all slain, all dead." Juliet is saying her whole world has fallen apart because of Romeo’s banishment.
Romeo too is devastated. He says that banishment (separation from Juliet is a more cruel punishment than death. "Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say 'death', for exile hath more terror in his look, much more than death. Do not say 'banishment'". "Heaven is here where Juliet lives, and every cat and dog, and little mouse, every unworthy thing, live here in heaven, and may look on her, but Romeo may not".
The nurse has made arrangements for Romeo to climb up to Juliet’s bedroom on their wedding night. Romeo plans to spend the night with Juliet before leaving Verona secretly and going to Mantua. As the dawn breaks, the couple make an emotional farewell before Romeo leaves by the balcony.
Romeo thinks he hears a lark, which only sings at sunrise (the morning) but Juliet doesn’t want Romeo to leave so she says it was a nightingale (which sings at night). “Believe me love, it was the nightingale” says Juliet. Romeo replies “look love, what envious streaks do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountaintops. I must be gone and live, or stay and die.” The sky goes bright before the sun rises in the east, another sign it is nearly sunrise. “Night’s candles” are the stars. Shakespeare uses personification here also he says “jocund day stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops” it is nearly day and it is waiting to come out. Juliet realises that if Romeo stays, he will die, so she lets him go. I have also noticed that Shakespeare calls Romeo and Juliet personally, e.g. “my love”, “my soul”.
Nurse comes to Juliet in a hurry, telling her that her mother (Lady Capulet) is on her way to the chamber so Romeo must leave now “then window let day in, and life out” (life-Romeo). Juliet shows how much she will miss Romeo “I must hear from thee every day in the hour, for in a minute there are many days. O by this count I shall be much in years” she says. Juliet has a vision of herself dead in a tomb, “methinks I see thee now thou art so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails, or thou lookest pale.” Romeo then speaks his final words to Juliet “dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu, adieu.” Juliet wants fortune to be fickle and asks Romeo to be sent back.
Paris goes to see Friar Lawrence to arrange his marriage with Juliet. Friar Lawrence knows that Juliet is already married. Juliet arrives and speaks politely with Paris. Paris leaves. Friar Lawrence thinks up a desperate plan to save the situation. He gives Juliet a drug which will make her seem dead for forty-two hours. He tells her to take the drug the night before she is supposed to marry Paris. He tells Juliet that she will then be taken to the Capulet tomb. He will write a letter, he says, to Romeo telling him what has happened. He will arrange for Romeo to be in the tomb when Juliet awakes. Juliet agrees to the plan. Juliet returns home and tells her father that she is sorry for being disobedient. She says she will marry Paris. Her father is so pleased that he brings the day for the marriage forward a day. Juliet takes the drug. Early next morning the Nurse arrives to wake Juliet. She thinks Juliet is dead. She calls Juliet’s parents. Paris arrives. Friar Lawrence arrives and preparations are made for Juliet’s funeral. I think friar Lawrence’s plan is a clever one and I don’t think it was his fault it went wrong because it wasn’t anybody’s fault, as the messenger wasn’t allowed out of the city. If I was ever in the same situation as friar Lawrence and had to give Juliet advice, I don’t know what I would say as I couldn’t think of a good idea like his and if I told her anything else I would probably get her into trouble with her parents. If I was in Juliet’s position, I would have been willing to do anything to make it work. I think Juliet felt scared but pretty happy when she took the drug because she knew she was leaving her family but she could be with Romeo.
Romeo finds out Juliet is dead when his servant, Balthasar, arrives from Mantua to tell him “her body sleeps in Capel’s monument”. An apothecary is a man who sells medicines, drugs and potions. Romeo seeks out the apothecary looking for poison as he wants to kill himself to be with Juliet in heaven. Friar Lawrence wrote Romeo a letter and asked Friar John to deliver it, however, it failed to be delivered to him, as Friar John was not allowed to leave Verona because of the plague. Paris arrives at the churchyard grieving for Juliet and wants to lay flowers on her grave. When Paris and Romeo meet in the churchyard, Paris thinks Romeo is there to harm Tybalt and Juliet’s bodies. The two start fighting after Romeo tries to make peace. Paris ends up hurt, and dying “O, I am slain. If thou be merciful, open the tomb, lay me with Juliet“ after Romeo kills Paris, he lays him next to Juliet. He then takes the poison and kills himself. “O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick. Then with a kiss, I die. “After Friar Lawrence has run away, Juliet realises Romeo drank a cup of poison and killed himself. In an attempt to kill herself (to be with Romeo) she kisses his lips, hoping she will find poison. “I will kiss thy lips; haply some poison yet doth hang on them, to make me die with a restorative.” But, when she kisses his lips, she gets a shock, as they are still warm, which means he has not been dead long. I think this would have made Juliet feel worse, because if she had woken up just a little bit earlier, she could have stopped Romeo from killing himself. Juliet uses Romeo’s dagger to stab herself so she can be with Romeo (after failing to find leftover poison) “this is thy sheath; there rest, and let me die.” She’s saying that instead of the sheath on Romeo’s belt, her chest is the dagger’s resting place, because when she dies, she cannot put it back in his sheath. The parents of Romeo and Juliet feel guilty because their feud has caused 2 young people to die. They realise the pain the feud has caused between the two families, so they decide to reconcile and put their differences between them. “A glooming peace this morning with it brings; the sun for sorrow will not show his head. Go hence to have more talk of these sad things; some shall be pardoned, and some punished. For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo,” says the prince
I think this play is very good having been written many years ago. I like the language Shakespeare uses as although it is hard to understand, it is very descriptive and I can picture most of the scenes in my head, which makes it easier to understand. For example, when Romeo and Juliet meet in act 1, scene five, and they talk in a holy manner. “This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this, my lips two blushing pilgrims ready stand to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss” My favourite scene is in act one scene five when Romeo sees Juliet for the first time.”O doth she teach the torches to burn bright. It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night like a rich jewel in an ethiope’s ear; beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear”. My favourite line in the play is the last; I feel it describes the whole play. “For never was a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo.”
