ROMEO AND JULIET
The book that I would like to
give a review about is my favourite play Romeo and Juliet.The play begins with
a large fight between the Capulets and the Montagues, two prestigious families
in Verona, Italy. These families have been fighting for quite some time, and
the Prince declares that their next public brawl will be punished by death.
When the fight is over, Romeo’s cousin Benvolio tries to cheer him of his
melancholy. Romeo reveals that he is in love with a woman named Rosaline, but
she has chosen to live a life of chastity. Romeo and Benvolio are accidentally
invited to their enemy’s party; Benvolio convinces Romeo to go.
At the party, Romeo locks eyes
with a young woman named Juliet. They instantly fall in love, but they do not
realize that their families are mortal enemies. When they realize each other’s
identities, they are devastated, but they cannot help the way that they feel.
Romeo sneaks into Juliet’s yard after the party and proclaims his love for her.
She returns his sentiments and the two decide to marry. The next day, Romeo and
Juliet are married by Friar Lawrence; an event witnessed by Juliet’s Nurse and
Romeo’s loyal servant, Balthasar. They plan to meet in Juliet’s chambers that
night.
Romeo visits his best friend
Mercutio and his cousin Benvolio but his good mood is curtailed. Juliet’s
cousin, Tybalt, starts a verbal quarrel with Romeo, which soon turns into a
duel with Mercutio. Romeo tries to stop the fight but it is too late: Tybalt
kills Mercutio. Romeo, enraged, retaliates by killing Tybalt. Once Romeo
realizes the consequences of his actions, he hides at Friar Lawrence’s cell.
Friar Lawrence informs Romeo
that he has been banished from Verona and will be killed if he stays. The Friar
suggests Romeo spend the night with Juliet, then leave for Mantua in the
morning. He tells Romeo that he will attempt to settle the Capulet and Montague
dispute so Romeo can later return to a united family. Romeo takes his advice,
spending one night with Juliet before fleeing Verona.
Juliet’s mother, completely
unaware of her daughter's secret marriage to Romeo, informs Juliet that she
will marry a man named Paris in a few days. Juliet, outraged, refuses to
comply. Her parents tell her that she must marry Paris and the Nurse agrees
with them. Juliet asks Friar Lawrence for advice, insisting she would rather
die than marry Paris. Fr. Lawrence gives Juliet a potion which will make her
appear dead and tells her to take it the night before the wedding. He promises
to send word to Romeo - intending the two lovers be reunited in the Capulet
vault.
Juliet drinks the potion and
everybody assumes that she is dead — including Balthasar, who immediately tells
Romeo. Friar Lawrence’s letter fails to reach Romeo, so he assumes that his
wife is dead. He rushes to Juliet’s tomb and, in deep grief, drinks a vial of
poison. Moments later, Juliet wakes to find Romeo dead and kills herself due to
grief. Once the families discover what happened, they finally end their bitter
feud. Thus the youngsters' deaths bring the families together. Romeo And Juliet
is a true tragedy in the literary sense because the families gather sufficient
self-knowledge to correct their behaviour but not until it is too late to save
the situation.
By;
Vishalini d/o Ravichandran
By;
Vishalini d/o Ravichandran
