Romeo and Juliet Video

Video Transcript:

Arguably Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet is based on an Italian folktale originally translated by the English poet Arthur Brooke. Written in 1597, the play tells the story of Romeo and Juliet, two teenagers who fall hopelessly in love over the course of a few days despite the longstanding feud between their families, the Capulets and the Montagues. The play has been widely adapted to both stage and screen and coined several modern expressions, such as “star-crossed lovers” and “what’s in a name?”

Set in Verona, Italy, the play begins when a street fight breaks out between the servants of the Capulet and Montague households, which are sworn enemies. The fight escalates when Benvolio, a Montague, and Tybalt, a Capulet, draw their swords.

But just as the patriarchs of the two families, Lord Montague and Lord Capulet, arrive and start to duel, Prince Escalus of Verona enters, chiding them for disturbing the peace. He warns them that further violence will be punishable by death. As the fight breaks up, the Montagues ask Benvolio where his cousin, Romeo, has been. Benvolio is not sure and says that Romeo has been in a strange mood lately.

When Romeo finally appears, he tells Benvolio that the reason he has been in a strange mood is that he is pining for a girl named Rosaline, who plans to stay chaste for the rest of her life. In the midst of this discussion, Romeo and Benvolio run into Peter, an illiterate servant of the Capulets. Peter asks for their help reading the guest list for a masked ball being thrown by Lord Capulet that night. When Romeo sees Rosaline’s name on the list, he and Benvolio resolve to go to the ball in disguise.

Romeo is concerned about attending the ball, but his worries fall away when he sees the beautiful daughter of Lord Capulet, Juliet. Little does Romeo know, Lord Capulet intends for Juliet to marry a count named Paris, who has asked him for Juliet’s hand in marriage. When Romeo asks a servant who Juliet is, he is crestfallen to learn that she is a Capulet. Juliet’s hot-headed cousin, Tybalt, overhears Romeo and recognizes his voice but remembers the prince’s warning about more violence. By the end of the ball, Juliet is enamored by Romeo but similarly conflicted to learn that he is a Montague.

Unable to deny his feelings for her, Romeo visits Juliet’s balcony the following night. Together, they disavow their family names and pledge their love to one another, even though they both realize their union could mean more bloodshed. Hopelessly in love, they decide to get married.

Despite receiving a threatening message from Tybalt, Romeo asks a clergyman, Friar Laurence, to marry him to Juliet. At a secret ceremony attended only by Juliet’s nurse and the friar, Romeo and Juliet are wed.

Meanwhile, Tybalt is still angry that Romeo dared to attend the Capulet ball and searches for him in the streets. But when Romeo shows up, he is still riding the high of his recent marriage and insists he bears no ill will towards the Capulets. Tybalt is unsure of what to do until Romeo’s friend, Mercutio, challenges Tybalt to a duel. Mercutio is fatally wounded in the fight, prompting Romeo to slay Tybalt in revenge, then flee the scene. Again, Prince Escalus arrives, this time declaring that Romeo is banished from Verona, threatening him with a death sentence if he returns.

Juliet is troubled to learn of Romeo’s banishment, but her father misinterprets her mood as sorrow over her cousin Tybalt’s murder and attempts to cheer her by announcing that she will marry Paris. Distraught, Juliet visits Friar Laurence for advice. The friar proposes a complicated plan: he will give Juliet a potent sleeping potion that will knock her out for two days, leading her family to assume she is dead. They will take her body to be buried in the Capulet tomb, but when she wakes up, Romeo will be there to lead her out of Verona, having received word of this plan from the friar. Juliet agrees to take the potion that night.

However, before the letter containing this plan can reach Romeo, a servant informs him that Juliet has committed suicide. Devastated, Romeo visits an apothecary to buy some poison so he can take his own life as well.

Romeo rushes to Juliet’s tomb, where he finds Paris, who still blames Romeo for Tybalt’s death. They argue, and the fight escalates to a duel in which Romeo kills Paris and storms into Juliet’s tomb. Finding her dead, he takes the poison, determined to be with Juliet even in death. But Juliet soon awakens and finds Romeo dead by her side. Tormented, she stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger.

Prince Escalus, along with Lord Capulet and Lord Montague, arrive at the tomb, and Friar Laurence explains to them what has happened. Horrified, the patriarchs finally see the cost of their rivalry, and each promises to build a statue in tribute to the other’s fallen child. Ironically, the feud that forbade Romeo and Juliet from being together is only ended by their deaths.