Riassunto
Riassunto di Romeo and Juliet
A chi è rivolto
For readers who love secret romance, sharp wit and family feuds, and for students and theatre goers eager to explore the play’s famous scenes before reading or seeing it.
Che cos’è questo libro
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy in five acts by William Shakespeare, written in the mid 1590s and first printed in the following years. It draws on an older Italian tale, which an English poet named Arthur Brooke had retold in a long poem in 1562. Shakespeare turned that tale into a play of fast action, sharp wit and some of the best-known love poetry in English.
The setting is Verona, where two rich families, the Montagues and the Capulets, hate each other for reasons no one explains. Their servants brawl in the street, and the Prince is tired of it. In this climate two teenagers meet, fall in love in a single night, and find that their names are their enemies. In this summary you will meet the main people, follow the story through its turns, and see how the play is built. Let us begin with the street fight that opens everything.
In questo riassunto
- 1A feud tears Verona apartFree
- 2Romeo is lovesick before he meets Juliet
- 3One masked night changes two lives
- 4A balcony, a friar and a secret wedding
- 5Violence breaks the fragile calm
- 6Secrets, plans and a deadly deadline
- 7Fate, haste and hatred as themes
- 8How the play is told in verse and image
Punto chiave 1 di 8
A feud tears Verona apart
The play opens with a chorus that tells the audience about two households, alike in rank, and a love that will be marked by death. Then the action starts at once. Servants of the Capulets and Montagues trade insults in the street, and the quarrel grows as their young masters and elders join in.
The fight is stopped by Prince Escalus, who rules Verona. He is angry that old grudges have disturbed the peace three times. He warns both families that the next brawl will be paid for with lives.
This opening sets the rules of the world. Hatred is inherited, public and loud. Nobody in the play can say how it began, only that every person born into a house must carry it.
Shakespeare also uses the scene to show how violence feeds on pride. A joke, a gesture or a bitten thumb is enough to draw swords. Keep this in mind, because later the same quick tempers will matter far more than they do here.
That’s 1 of 8 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Who’s who
- Romeo Montague
- Romeo is a romantic young Montague whose love for Juliet crosses the bitter divide between their families.
- Juliet Capulet
- Juliet is the Capulets' young daughter, whose love for Romeo challenges her family's expectations and inherited hatred.
- Friar Laurence
- Friar Laurence is a priest and Romeo's adviser who hopes to reconcile the lovers' feuding families.
- The Nurse
- The Nurse is Juliet's talkative childhood guardian and confidante, helping her communicate with Romeo.
- Mercutio
- Mercutio is Romeo's witty, quick-tempered friend and a relative of the Prince, fond of mocking romantic feelings.
- Tybalt
- Tybalt is Juliet's hot-tempered cousin, fiercely loyal to the Capulets and openly hostile toward the Montagues.
- Prince Escalus
- Prince Escalus rules Verona and demands that the Montagues and Capulets stop disturbing the city's peace.
- Benvolio
- Benvolio is Romeo's cousin and friend, seeking to prevent fights and ease Romeo's unhappiness over Rosaline.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 27,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 1 h 50 min
- Listening time3 h
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary; paperback, hardcover and large print at cost
- LanguagesEnglish and 14 other languages
Questions about Romeo and Juliet
What is Romeo and Juliet about?
It tells of two teenagers in Verona who fall in love though their families, the Montagues and Capulets, are bitter enemies. Their secret romance unfolds over a few days and collides with the violence of the feud.
Is Romeo and Juliet a true story?
No. Shakespeare based it on an Italian tale, retold in English by Arthur Brooke in a 1562 poem. The play was written in the mid 1590s and is fiction, though set in a real city.
What does star-crossed mean in Romeo and Juliet?
Star-crossed means thwarted by the stars, or by fate. The opening Chorus uses it to describe the lovers, hinting that their misfortune seems written in advance, though readers debate how much is fate.
Is Romeo and Juliet hard to read?
Hearing it read aloud or seeing it staged makes the story and feeling easy to follow. The plot moves fast, and the characters speak in lively, vivid words.
Who are the Montagues and the Capulets?
They are the two wealthy families of Verona locked in an old feud. Romeo belongs to the Montagues and Juliet to the Capulets. The play never explains the origin of their hatred.