Summary and Analysis of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

JULIET AND ROMEO
William Shakespeare” s Romeo and Juliet literature, introduces the summary and plot of the story in a
preface. This preface contains different aspects of literary works (Shakespeare and Giggins, 2012). First,
the prologue’ layout is a sonnet of an iambic pentameter. It has a regular rhyme scheme of ABAB,
CDCD, EFEF.... Most of the story’s themes are hinted in this prologue, including love, conflict, and
dilemma. Focus of the play is foreshadowed in the third stanza, by highlighting how the family feud
finally turns tragic (Wright, 2008). The last two lines of the preface captures the audience’s attention and
curiosity by hinting that a lot is in store when the play is acted on stage. Additionally, the prologue is
typically a suspense. How the old grudge erupts to bloodshed and stain the two equally respected
families becomes a thirst to audience?
Romeo and Juliet are teenage lovers who got mixed up in a love affair and innocently paid it with their
lives. They are presented as victims of adults’ enmity. Nurse and Lady Capulet says that Juliet is not
quite fourteen, meaning she is thirteen yet to turn fourteen (Shakespeare and Giggins, 2012, p.77).
Shakespeare does not reveal Romeo’s exact age. Friar and Nurse says that Romeo is a young man,
though no precise mention of how young. However, (Shakespeare et al., 1794, p.43), the Arthur
Brooke’s poem of Romeo and Juliet, Romeo is portrayed to have a tender chin without a beard. As such,
he must be between twelve and eighteen years. Juliet is more mature and brave than Romeo, des pite the
psychological fact that girls mature faster than boys. On the balcony scene, Juliet wants to hang around,
flirt and know more about Romeo, but Romeo himself falls in love and impulsively insist on exchanging
marriage vows (Shakespeare.mit.edu, 2019). On the same day, he trans nights persuading Friar to marry
them with no waiting, prior proper planning and informed decision. Later on, Friar Laurence agrees to
marry them secretly, hoping that this union ends the Montague-Capulet family feud. (Act 2 Scene 2 line
90-92). Cowardice compels Romeo to avoid his parents, but bravery and wisdom allows Juliet to

continue living with her own. She invites Romeo to meet her in her parents’ house without haste.
Additionally, In Act three, scene one, Romeo’s attempt to calm fight between Mercutio and Tybalt fails
so he instantly acts irrationally and kills Tybalt. In the tomb, Romeo gets impatient and leaves. Juliet, on
the other hand remains assertive by declining his father’s proposal to marry Paris (Shakespeare and
Giggins, 2012, p.39).
As the play unfolds, Shakespeare introduces Benvolio, Romeo’s cousin as an important character in his
literature, without which, the play would not have existed (Shaughnessy, 2011) It is through him that
Romeo met Juliet, and through him, Romeo gets banished from Verona. (Shakespeare and Giggins,
2012, p.101) He is depicted as an honest peacemaker. He tries to stop the fighting servants of Montague
and Capulets families.” Part, fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do...” (1.1 54-55) He
further reports the exact incident to the Lord Montague without twisting or taking sides. Benvolio is a
true loyal friend of Romeo (Wright, 2008). He notices Romeo’s depression and wants to know the
matter. He advises Romeo not to be lustful, but find true love by examining other beauties. (1.1 217-
218) Benvolio gets pestered by Romeo’s state of grief and wishes to find out then help (Wright, 2008,
p.43-44). He is a problem solver, kind and caring.
Shakespeare uses personification, symbolism, metaphors and foreshadow as some of stylistic devices
throughout the play to build characters and continue the play’s plot. Juliet’s ring is mentioned trice in the
play for emphasize and to symbolize strong love bond between Romeo and Juliet, after wedding despite
being banished from Verona (Votaw, 2016). Precisely, Juliet declares her love for Romeo by presenting
him this ring as a love token. The ring also acts as an assurance to Romeo that Nurse was acting on
Juliet’s behalf, not Lord’s or Lady Capulet’s (Wright, 2008)
As the play unfolds, stars, as a symbol in the prologue builds a theme, throughout the play. Stars are
associated with fate, future, destiny or fortune. In the prologue, the lovers are introduced as “star-