Prologue

• sonnet about the new love that has sprung between Romeo and Juliet is described by The Chorus
• feud between their families makes it hard for them to actually meet
• power of their love lends them strength to look towards a bright future

Function

• theme of the power of parental influence is brought up again
• hints at the problems the lovers will face but also at their love that will help them overcome any obstacle thrown in their way

Scene 1

• Romeo tries to find Juliet and steals his way into the Capulet orchard
• Benvolio and Mercutio are nearby and call for Romeo, Mercutio again mocks Romeo for his feelings for Rosaline in an obscene way
• both leave under the assumption that Romeo does not want to be found
• Romeo is well aware of Mercutio‘s speech and notices that his words hit scars that don‘t originate from an actual wound
• he sees Juliet standing at her window and hears her wondering why Romeo must be Romeo and thus an enemy of her family
  
  • would give herself to him if he broke ties with his family or if he told her he loved her, she would abandon her family and her name
  • Romeo responds and Juliet asks how he found her and gets the answer that love led Romeo‘s way to her
  • she is worried that he will be found in the garden and that he will be killed due to that but he doesn‘t care about that, explaining that their love for each other will make him immune
  • Juliet confesses her strong love for Romeo but is afraid that Romeo might be false or that he might have won her too easily
  • Romeo tries to console her but she claims that things are happening far too fast
  • they both confess their love for each other again and Juliet is called back inside by the Nurse
• Juliet reappears and tells Romeo that someone will find him the next day at 9 in the morning and see if his love for her is real and if he plans on marrying her
• Romeo leaves and wants to find a monk to help him with his plans

Function

• happiest act in the whole play
• exploration of the romantic and joyous aspects of love
• balcony scene (called that way because many plays show Juliet standing on a balcony, although she just seems to be at her window)
  
  • most famous scene
  • beautifully and elaborately written
  • Juliet is caught between her intense feelings for Romeo and her need for safety
  • Romeo claims that Juliet is his sun which is why it is no longer dark inside him
  • they both question the power of language, since it is just words (their family name) that hinders them from publicly being together
• power of language
  
  • Juliet believes that their love won‘t have repercussions because a name does not define a whole character
  • however, no other character in the play can dismiss language as an expression of social structures (religion, family, politics) as Juliet does
  • power of language is superior over the power of love because it cannot remove Romeo‘s last name from him
  • battle of language (love vs. society)

Scene 2

• Friar Lawrence enters his room, carrying all kinds of herbs and flowers in a basket, displaying profound knowledge of the plants
• Romeo enters, appearing as if he had not slept the whole night to Friar Lawrence who assumes that Romeo has sinned with Rosaline
• Romeo confesses his love for Juliet to Friar Lawrence, his plan to marry her and asks the Friar to marry them the next day
• the Friar is astonished about the sudden shift in love but is reassured that while Rosaline did not have feelings for Romeo, Juliet does
• the Friar skeptically agrees to marry them, hoping that their marriage will end the terrible feud between their two families

Function

• introduction of Friar Lawrence
  
  • appears to be wise, kindhearted and selfless
  • wonders about the duality of good and evil in all things
  • compares this to the plants: they can have medicinal functions but if used improperly, they can kill
  • good and evil can affect each other (good can turn into evil and the other way round)
  • he applies his theory on the marriage of Romeo and Juliet (thinks that it will end the feud)
• reference of Rosaline once more
  
  • Romeo has not matured in the eyes of the Friar because he simply states that Juliet returns his love and Rosaline doesn‘t

Scene 3

• Benvolio and Mercutio wonder what happened to Romeo since he did not return home
• Romeo apparently had gotten a letter from Tybalt challenging him to a duel
• Mercutio states that Romeo is already dead as he was struck by Cupid‘s arrow, thinking that Romeo could possibly not defeat Tybalt
• Benvolio believes in Romeo, yet Mercutio describes Tybalt as a master swordsman and vain
• Romeo arrives, instantly being ridiculed by Mercutio about his love for Rosaline (Romeo‘s weakness is a consequence of him being lovelorn)
• actually, Mercutio is mad at Romeo for abandoning him and Benvolio the other night; however, Romeo explains that his need was great and thus, his actions are forgivable
• sexual comments are made
• the Nurse enters and asks for Romeo - Mercutio believes that she is a prostitute which makes the Nurse furious
• both Benvolio and Mercutio leave
• Romeo asks the Nurse to tell Juliet to go to confession at Friar Lawrence‘s cell in the afternoon since they will get married there
• the Nurse agrees and stated that she will install a ladder for Romeo to join Juliet in their wedding night

Function

• depiction of how Romeo acts and reacts around his friends
  
  • not just Mercutio but Romeo as well is able of proficiently making puns
  • punny Romeo is the true Romeo according to Mercutio - not the melancholy Romeo, submerged in ides of love
  • Mercutio values the language of male bravado over the language of love
  • both Mercutio and Juliet think they know the true Romeo - conflict between friendship and love
  • Romeo needs to be a lover and at the same time a Montague and friend and needs to navigate between those roles
• development of the plot by which Romeo and Juliet will get married

Scene 4

• Juliet waits for her Nurse in the Capulet orchard
• when the Nurse finally arrives, she is too tired, sore and exhausted to tell Juliet the news
• Juliet gets angry at her and presses her to tell her what‘s going on and the Nurse finally gives in
• the Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo will be waiting at Friar Lawrence‘s cell in order to get married
• the Nurse waits for Romeo‘s servant to bring a ladder

Function

• emphasis of the joys of young love - the protagonists are filled with anticipation
• comic scene where Juliet is put on the rack by the Nurse because she pretends to be too tired
• however, this scene is a foreshadowing of the sad future that awaits Juliet
  
  • the Nurse‘s pains and sorrows will prevent her from telling Juliet some important news and thus will cause far-reaching confusion

Scene 5

• Romeo waits with Friar Lawrence for Juliet in the cell
• Romeo postulates that he doesn‘t care about any possible misfortune since he is overjoyed with marrying Juliet
• Friar Lawrence advises Romeo to love moderately because an intense love will find an intense end
• Juliet enters and is asked to speak poetically of their love by Romeo which she declines based on the fact that only beggars could do so and based on the fact that her love is too great to be described
• Romeo and Juliet are wed

Function

• Friar Lawrence‘s words are foreshadowing the tragic end of both Romeo and Juliet‘s love - their fate has been sealed from the very beginning
• the Friar is devoted to moderation - a virtue that no other character in the play exhibits since they are all passion-driven
  
  • passion is connected to destructiveness according to the Friar
  • although he is against all excess and passion, he gets tangled in it as well
  • thus, the love of Romeo and Juliet is so powerful that it turns Friar Lawrence against his own beliefs