Romeo Montague

*Romeo and Juliet* (2013)

Douglas Booth (2013)

Friar Lawrence (close friend)

### Personalities

Handsome, young, intelligent, outgoing, sensitive, passionate, childish, lovesick, affectionate, poetic, romantic, spiritual, innocent, loyal, reckless, obsessive, noble, determined, impulsive, selfish, emotional, witty, virtuous, idealistic, loving, shallow, vengeful, depressed, impatient, brave, sincere

### Allies

Juliet Capulet
Mercutio
Benvolio

Friar Lawrence

### Enemies

Tybalt

Paris

### Likes

Having fun, pondering about love, making romantic vows to Juliet

### Dislikes

His family's feud, anyone who opposes him and is related to Juliet, when Juliet is believed dead

### Goal

To love and marry Juliet in hopes of ending their families' longtime feud
To always be with Juliet, even in death (both succeeded)

### Fate

After hearing Juliet is dead, he goes into the Capulet tomb, drinks a vial of poison and dies next to her

### Famous quotes

"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight, for I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

> "*O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright.*"
> ― Act I, Scene 5
>
>

Romeo Montague is the main protagonist in William Shakespeare's *Romeo and Juliet*. He is the son of Lord and Lady Montague, the cousin of Benvolio, and the love interest/husband of Juliet Capulet.

At age 16, Romeo is already love-sick and initially pining for a different woman. But when he sees Juliet, he's immediately infatuated with her, so much so that he secretly marries her and refuses to live without his beloved.

## Description

Romeo is the only son of the Montagues, one of the most respected families in Verona. His name is often synonymous with young romance in fiction since most of the play is generally focused on him as he manages to get over a woman he constantly thinks about and instead has a compassionate, romantic relationship with Juliet.

His love life changes suddenly since he has laid his eyes on someone he adores the most. Initially, he is in love with a woman named Rosaline, even though she doesn't return her affectionate feelings to him. But once he meets Juliet at the Capulet masquerade party, he immediately forgets about Rosaline and focuses his romance on her instead. Even when he loves Juliet, he may have no idea he is risking his own life. His parents were longtime enemies of the Capulets, and he would have put himself in danger of being spotted being with their daughter.

Unlike his parents, Romeo doesn't take an interest in being part of the feud. He never partcipates in the street brawls against both families, mostly the servants, and hardly interacts with his parents. It's safe to say that he prefers to remain neutral and hopes that his relationship with Juliet will settle things between their feuding families.

## Storyline

### Lovesickness

Romeo spends all his time every early morning roaming around the sycamore tree in Verona, sulking and crying. He returns home after sunrise and keeps himself locked in his room with his windows shut. His parents are worried about what is wrong with him, and their friends try to help him, but he refuses to talk to them about his problems.

One morning, Romeo is at the sycamore tree as usual when he sees his cousin Benvolio approaching him, and he flees and hides in the woods. Later that day, he enters, where a fight between the Montagues and Capulets has just been broken up. Benvolio is present with the Montagues, and when they see Romeo approaching, he urges them to leave and will talk to Romeo himself privately. Benvolio greets his cousin, and Romeo wonders if it is still early. Benvolio reveals it is now 9 o’clock.

Romeo laments how time passes when he is depressed and wonders if his father is just here. Benvolio says he is and asks him what is wrong. Romeo replies that he doesn’t have anything to pass the time, and when Benvolio asks him if he is in love, Romeo says he is out of love; he is in love with a woman who doesn’t love him back, with Benvolio commenting on how harsh love can be. Romeo thinks that love is blind despite having the power of manipulation. He sees blood on the street and is outraged that the earlier brawl was hatred between the families. Romeo notices that Benvolio is laughing, and Benvolio says he is crying because he sees his cousin despondent. Romeo's reminiscences about love are smoke made of sighs and fire in a lover’s eyes when the smoke is cleared. He bids Benvolio goodbye.

Benvolio wants to still be with him, and Romeo claims he is not himself. Benvolio asks Romeo to be serious about who he is in love with. Romeo isn't sure if he should groan to him, but his cousin wants him to tell him who it is. Romeo reveals that he is in love with a beautiful woman but doesn't return her affections to him by stating that she "won't be hit by Cupid's arrow" and has "Dian's wit." Benvolio wonders if she will be a virgin forever, and Romeo says she will be that way as she loses her beauty.

Benvolio advises him to stop thinking about her, and Romeo wants him to show him how to forget about the woman he loves. Benvolio says he should look at other different beautiful girls, but Romeo thinks that it would only make him remind him of his love interest's beauty. He believes that women wear black masks to make men feel their beauty underneath, and he wants to see a more beautiful woman. He bids goodbye to Benvolio by saying he can't teach him how to overcome his love-sickness. Benvolio vows to help him get over her.

### Meeting Juliet

Romeo continues to be depressed after Benvolio convinces him to find love with someone else. They are met by a Capulet servant named Peter, who asks them if they can read since he can't. Romeo briefly jokes with the servant but accepts his request when he reads it. The letter he looks at is an invitation list of all the people of Verona the servant was assigned to do. The Capulets are holding an annual feast that night, and after Romeo reads the names out loud, the servant is delighted and thanks him for helping, even inviting them to the feast despite not knowing who they are.

Romeo and Benvolio discover that Rosaline will be at the party, and his cousin urges Romeo that he should secretly go. Instead of confronting her, he would see and compare her to other women at the feast. Romeo agrees, but mainly only because Rosaline will be there.

As the party begins, Romeo, his friend Mercutio and Benvolio arrive with a handful of men wearing masks and holding torches. The three young men plan to sneak into the feast together, and Romeo is worried about how to do it. Benvolio insists they wouldn't have a problem getting in and won't be there for long, while Romeo says he is still miserable about going in.

When the time comes to sneak into the feast, Romeo is still dragging his feet, and Mercutio taunts him for wasting their time. Romeo says he isn't upset about going to the party but reveals he was scared from his dream last night. Mercutio also had the same dream, and they both have been visited by "Queen Mab." Mercutio explains to Benvolio who was the "Queen Mab" and how she makes humans crave something they want for their occupation until Romeo and Benvolio tell him to stop after he keeps going on about the topic, and he asks his friend for peace. As they prepare to go to the party, Romeo knows that the consequence of being caught at the Capulet feast would have him killed, but he places his fears aside as he and his friends sneak in.

The feast is already in full swing after Romeo and the others secretly arrive, and not even Lord Capulet can recognize him from the mask he is wearing. He spots the Capulet's young daughter, Juliet, across the room, and Romeo asks a servant who she is. While the servant doesn't know, Romeo is instantly struck by her beauty. He approaches Juliet and takes her hand, which he calls a "holy shrine." He tells her he will soothe her hand with a kiss if his hand is too rough and even jokingly asks if saints and pilgrims have lips and hands. He kisses twice and flirts with her until Juliet's Nurse catches them and tells Juliet her mother is waiting for her. After the girl leaves, Romeo asks the Nurse who is Juliet’s mother, and she tells him she is Lady Capulet.

Romeo is shocked to learn that he has just fallen in love with the daughter of his family's mortal enemy. Benvolio tells him they must leave before they get into trouble. He and his friends sneak back out, but he ends up standing in the Capulet's courtyard. He is unwilling to leave Juliet and hides behind an orchard wall while Mercutio and Benvolio search for him. He hears them teasing him about his romance with Rosaline, but he doesn't come out of hiding. Benvolio and Mercutio leave without him.

He approaches the garden when he hears Juliet talking to herself and standing on her balcony. Hiding in the darkness, Romeo watches her with awe, as if she is lighting up the sky. As she expresses her forbidden love to Romeo, he observes her and recites a poem about her beauty and wanting to touch her. He continues to hide himself as Juliet asks why Romeo has to be who he is and wants to change her name to be with him. He wonders if he should talk aloud to let her know he's below her window or still listen to her. When he hears her wish he could be called something else, he responds to her. He says he would take her advice and allow her to change him.

Juliet is surprised he is there and asks him how he found her. He claims his love had led him to her, and she warns him he will be killed if he is spotted. Romeo says that being in love with her would make him immune to his enemies, and he would rather die from her kinsmen than live without her. He asks her if she loves him and starts to swear his love by the moon, but Juliet tells him not to as the moon is always changing and going, so he asks her what else he can swear by. He was told to swear for himself, as he is seen as a god to her. He confesses his love again, but she cuts him off as it happened too fast. She bids him goodbye, but he doesn't want to be unsatisfied. He says that he wants love vows from her, and she ends up exchanging her vow, with him bringing up wanting to marry her.

The Nurse calls for Juliet, and she leaves for a moment. While she is gone, Romeo can hardly believe what is happening, and it must have been a dream rather than real. Juliet returns and tells him she will send a messenger to him tomorrow to send her word if his love is honourable and if he wants to marry her. She responds to her Nurse's call again and goes back inside. Romeo is about to leave when she comes out again and asks him what time she should send the messenger. Romeo suggests nine in the morning. Juliet then bids him goodnight, and he tells her he hopes she will sleep well tonight.

After she leaves the balcony, Romeo laments about wanting to stay and sleep with her. He leaves the garden and mutters to himself about finding someone at the church to help arrange the marriage.

### Marrying Juliet

Early the next morning, Romeo meets his friend Friar Lawrence at his monastery. He tells the friar that he spent the whole night at the Capulet party and did something special than sleeping. When asked if he is still with Rosaline, Romeo scoffs that he has forgotten about her and the pain she has caused him. He explains that he has fallen deeply in love with the Capulet's daughter Juliet and wants to marry her immediately in secret. Friar Lawrence is shocked at Romeo's sudden change of heart. At the same time, Romeo defends himself by saying Juliet returned her love to him while Rosaline didn't and that the friar used to reprimand him for his relationship with Rosaline.

Despite being skeptical, Friar Lawrence agrees to marry the couple secretly and hopes their union will bring peace to the two opposing families. Romeo runs off overjoyed. He finds Mercutio and Benvolio, who wonder why Romeo didn't come home last night. He apologizes for leaving them at the party and swore he had some important business. Mercutio teases him on his anxiety over Rosaline, but Romeo seems to have improved, and they end up exchanging sexual puns and jokes.

At that moment, the Nurse and the Capulet servant Peter arrive at the appointed time. Romeo introduces himself to the Nurse while Mercutio teases her. Benvolio and Mercutio then leave to go to the Montague house for dinner, leaving Romeo to have a private meeting with the Nurse, and he would join his friends shortly. She tells him that Juliet has sent her to send him a message but is warned about bringing her into a "fool's paradise" and dealing double with the girl he loves. Romeo assures he won't and still loves Juliet and asks the Nurse to go and tell Juliet to make an excuse for a confession that afternoon so they can be married by Friar Lawrence. He gives the Nurse some money and tells her that in an hour, behind the wall of a nearby convent, one of his servants will meet her and hand her a rope ladder. Romeo will climb the ladder to Juliet's bedroom window later that night after marriage. When the Nurse asks if his servant would be trusted to keep their secret, Romeo reassures her that he will. He then bids her goodbye and asks her to say some good things about him towards Juliet. The Nurse and Peter leave.

Later that day, Romeo and Friar Lawrence wait for Juliet in his cell while making the martial arrangements. Romeo comments that no matter what happens next, he thinks that sorrow will not ruin his joy and adds that if their love ends in death, their relationship would still have been worthy. The friar warns him to be less intense and to love moderately. Juliet arrives, and the two lovers embrace. Juliet thanks him for arranging their marriage quickly, and the couple imagines the blissful love life they will soon have. They follow the friar, and with his help, Romeo and Juliet are secretly married.

### Romeo Kills Tybalt/Banished From Verona

After his private wedding, Romeo is walking down the street on a hot day when he comes across Mercutio and Benvolio being confronted by a Capulet member, Tybalt and some other relatives at the town square. He ignores Tybalt's taunts towards him and calmly suggests he should move on now that he's married to Juliet and is now related to him. He avoids Tybalt's challenge to a duel, saying he doesn't wish to fight him and has a reason why he should love him as a relative. He asks if he will keep his sword aside until he understands this love. Mercutio decides to fight Tybalt himself.

As they fight, Romeo begs them to stop. He tries to break up the fight but makes a clear path for Tybalt to stab Mercutio under Romeo's arm. Tybalt and the other Capulets flee, and Mercutio is mortally wounded. Romeo and Benvolio ask him if he is alright, and Romeo sees the wound isn't too bad. As Mercutio is dying, he curses both families. After his cousin is carried away, Romeo is horrified by what has just happened and his being involved. He laments how he caused his beloved friend to be killed by someone he had just been related to very briefly. He even blames Juliet for causing his failure, that her beauty made him effeminate, and wishes he fought Tybalt in Mercutio's place.

Benvolio comes back and informs him that Mercutio has died. Romeo becomes enraged, and when Tybalt comes back, Romeo confronts him as he approaches him, saying that only one of them can die. He draws his sword, and the men fight, with Romeo killing Tybalt. Benvolio then warns him that he must run as the townsfolk and Prince Escalus are coming. Romeo calls himself a fortune's fool and flees.

Afterwards, Romeo goes back to Friar Lawrence's cell, overwhelmed by grief at what had just happened. He asks the friar what his punishment is from the Prince and is informed that he is to be exiled from Verona for killing Tybalt. Romeo states that banishment is a sentence far worse than death and that he must live without his beloved Juliet. While being consoled by Friar Lawrence, Romeo says that life outside Verona will be miserable for him, and he just wants to be with his wife. He laments how the world will be empty for him and has thoughts of suicide. He falls to the ground.

There is a knock on the door. Romeo refuses to hide and lies still on the floor, weeping uncontrollably. The Nurse enters, and Romeo desperately asks her about Juliet, thinking she sees him as a treacherous killer and threatens to kill himself with a dagger. However, she was informed that Juliet mourns Tybalt but still misses Romeo. He even wishes he could hurt himself for causing her pain. The friar reprimands him for being unmanly, and he should be grateful he still has Juliet and the Prince has spared his life. Romeo would visit Juliet to comfort her throughout the night, but he would have to leave for Mantua the next morning. He is given a ring from Juliet by the Nurse, and he starts to calm down. He says farewell to the friar and leaves with the Nurse to visit his wife.

Romeo spends his wedding night with Juliet in bed. As dawn arrives, they walk out onto the balcony together, although they want to be with each other as long as possible. He prepares to lower himself from the window to depart for his exile or risk being put to death, despite wanting to stay for a little longer and not caring if the Prince's men kill him. Juliet is reluctant at first, but then she urges him to leave so he would be safe. He looks out towards the rising sun and says multiple goodbyes to her until the Nurse arrives, saying that Lady Capulet is coming. Romeo kisses Juliet farewell and climbs down the rope ladder. He tells her he will still send messages of greetings to her and knows in his heart they will be together again soon. He reminds her not to worry about him and flees. After Romeo's banishment, his mother, Lady Montague, would later die from a broken heart.

### Return to Verona/Death

In Mantua, a day later, Romeo wakes up feeling cheerful. He dreams that Juliet finds him dead, but she brings him back to life with a kiss. His servant, Balthasar, comes into his room, and Romeo greets him warmly, expecting some good news about Juliet from Verona, even commenting that nothing in the world can be ill if Juliet is well. But Balthasar informs him that Juliet is dead and entombed in the Capulet family crypt.

Shocked and grief-stricken, Romeo urges him to bring him some pen and paper and prepare some horses so he can leave Mantua and return to Verona. Balthasar convinces him to be more patient and not do something wild, but Romeo insists he does his task. He even asks if he has another letter from Friar Lawrence but says there is none. After his servant leaves, Romeo declares that he will find a way to make sure he lies next to Juliet that night. He remembers a local poor apothecary in Mantua has poison in his shop. He hurries to the apothecary and knocks on the door. When the man answers, Romeo offers him money in exchange for a vial of poison. The apothecary states that selling poison in Mantua is illegal and results in death, but Romeo demands that he take his money, even bribing the man to give him more coins than the vial is worth. The apothecary accepts the bribery and offers him the vial, warning him that the poison's effect is deadly enough to kill 20 men. Romeo gives him the coins, claiming that money is the most dangerous poison.

After the apothecary returns to his shop, Romeo talks to the vial, saying that once he gets to Juliet's grave in Verona, he will drink the poison and kill himself.

Romeo and Balthasar arrive at the Capulet crypt with torches, a pickaxe and a crowbar. He tells his servant he is going to break open the tomb to take back a ring he gave to Juliet. He asks Balthasar not to follow him, and he must leave, even giving him a letter Romeo wrote to be delivered to his father, Lord Montague, early the next morning. He gives him some money, wishes him good luck and says goodbye. Balthasar leaves, but feeling suspicious of his master, he secretly watches him and then goes to fetch the watch.

Romeo starts to break open the tomb with his tools. Count Paris, who had been outside the tomb and hid when someone was coming, comes out of his hiding spot and confronts Romeo, thinking he has come to seek vengeance on the Capulets in the tomb. He tries to avoid conflict again by demanding Paris leave and forget what he has just seen, or he will kill him. Paris refuses, and the men fight, with Romeo stabbing and killing Paris. Before he dies, Paris asks Romeo to lay his body next to Juliet's.

As Romeo stands over Paris' body, he remembers something Balthasar told him on the ride towards Mantua: Paris is planning or is already married to Juliet. He thought he had either misheard him or his grief over Juliet was simply him imagining what Balthasar had just told him. Now feeling bad for Paris, he brings his body into the tomb to lay him there.

He descends into the crypt, where he finds Juliet lifeless but peaceful (although she had drank a potion earlier that would place her into a deep sleep for 40 hours as part of a plan to be reunited with her husband). Romeo saw how beautiful she looked, even in death, with her cheeks and lips still flushed. Fearing death has claimed Juliet for itself, he decides to spend eternity with the woman he loves. He embraces Juliet and kisses her, then he drinks the vial, kisses her again, and dies from the poison's quick effects next to her. Friar Lawrence arrives at the cemetery after Balthasar informs him of his master's whereabouts. Friar Lawrence goes into the crypt alone, where he finds the bodies of Romeo and Paris. Juliet wakes up shortly afterwards, and as the watch approaches, the friar explains how their plan was ruined. He urges her to come with him and find her a place as a nun, but Juliet refuses. Friar Lawrence flees from the tomb, and Juliet sees that Romeo drank the entire vial. She kisses his lips to extract the poison, and as she hears the watchmen coming, she kills herself with Romeo's dagger.

Lord Montague, the Capulets, and the Prince arrive, where Lord Montague is shown his son’s body. Friar Lawrence then confesses that he has secretly married the young couple, and the Prince punishes the parents for their feud and children’s deaths. Lord Montague and Capulet end their feud and build golden statues to honour their children.

## Personality/Appearance

Romeo Montague is a handsome young man with charming looks, and his appearance makes him attracted to Juliet and maybe even to other women in Verona. Despite being good-looking, however, he is usually depressed and miserable. At the start of the play, he is moping around and lovesick after a woman he loves named Rosaline doesn’t return her romantic feelings. He vowed that he would never love again until he meets and loves Juliet. He becomes depressed again after he loses Mercutio, kills Tybalt and is sentenced to be exiled from Verona. He rants about not being able to live without Juliet and wishes he could die. After he finds out Juliet is dead, he is so overwhelmed with grief that he decides to end his own life rather than live another day of misery without his beloved Juliet.

Aside from his depression, Romeo enjoys having fun with Benvolio and Mercutio, making sexual jokes and laughing. His innocence makes him incapable of the violence and feud between the families. He is also known to make poetic comments when he quotes about something, such as when he recites himself a poem while observing Juliet lament her forbidden romance with him. Whenever he is on the Capulet property, he is unafraid of being caught or even killed by his family’s foes; even stating his love for Juliet will make him immune to their hatred and attack. When he is to be banished and leaves for Mantua, he wishes he could stay with Juliet forever, and he won’t care about being killed if he stays.

He is fiercely loyal and affectionate to Juliet. He swears his love and brings up marriage to her. They embrace when they meet in Friar Lawrence’s chambers to get married and even imagine starting their new life together. However, he always thinks too quickly to do something and ignores advice given to him by Friar Lawrence and Balthasar. He even persuades Juliet to marry him immediately instead of understanding her worries about him until she agrees. He doesn’t recognize the consequences of his romance with Juliet, and his heartless actions end up ruining lives and causing deaths. He may have been obsessed with her rather than being in love.

Despite being a teenager, Romeo acts immature and childish. He falls in and out of love too fast, that makes him lack maturity. After killing Tybalt, he calls himself a fool as he fails to understand the outcome of how Juliet would react when he murders a member of her family, despite their feud with Romeo’s family. While hiding in the friar’s cell, he falls onto the floor and weeps over being without Juliet. He is impatient to improve his relationship with her, and they both rush their plans to be together. However, since they fall in love without barely knowing each other, their immature romance has tragic consequences for their families.

## Relationships

### Juliet Capulet

Romeo's love interest. After he meets her at the Capulet feast, it was love at first sight for him. He is astounded by her beauty and immediately makes his love vows at her balcony and proposing marriage to her. Despite meeting Juliet for the first time, he secretly marries her and their union would bring peace to their opposing families. He loves her so much that he kills any of the Capulet's who resent him and cannot bear to live without her. When he finds out she is dead, he kills himself to be with his true love.

### Friar Lawrence

Romeo's friend. He goes to him to reveal his unexpected romance with Juliet and wants him to marry them as a way to end their families' feud. He hides with him after he kills a Capulet and is informed by him he is to be exiled from Verona. Despite Romeo's friendship with the friar, he often ignores his advice and would be scolded by him for his childish behaviour.

### Benvolio

Romeo's cousin. He confesses to him about his lovesickness and was convinced to secretly attend the Capulet feast to compare the woman he loves to the other women. He enjoys joking around with him and having a good time.

### Mercutio

Romeo's friend. Like Benvolio, Romeo also has fun making sexual jokes and is his closest friend. He is enraged with grief after Mercutio was killed by Tybalt during a duel.

### Tybalt

Romeo's kinsman. Tybalt is Juliet's cousin and who Romeo met shortly after his secret wedding. He avoids conflict with him and wants him to accept him as a family member. But after Mercutio is killed by him, Romeo kills Tybalt in a fit of rage, which results in him being exiled by the Prince.

### Balthasar

Romeo's servant when he was in Mantua. He looks up to him for some good news from Juliet and the friar, but was instead given tragic news about Juliet.

### Lord Montague

Romeo's father. He hardly interacts with him even when he is depressed.

### Lady Montague

Romeo's mother. He also doesn't interact with her and she died of a broken heart after his exile from Verona.

## Quotes/Relatable Quotes

> " *Under love's heavy burden do I sink*"
> ― Act 1, Scene 4
>
>

Romeo’s metaphor on how love is so intense it is like heavy pressure on him.

> " *Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight, For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night*"
> ― Act 1, Scene 5
>
>

When Romeo immediately forgets about Rosaline and now has feelings for Juliet, even expressing that he has never felt true love before.

> " *But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon; Who is already sick and pale with grief; That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. . . . The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars, As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven; Would through the airy region stream so bright; That birds would sing and think it were not night.*"
> ― Act 2, Scene 1
>
>

Romeo compares Juliet to the sun and stars when he sees her on her balcony.

> " *It were a grief so brief to part with thee. Farewell.*"
> ― Act 3, Scene 3
>
>

Romeo finds it upsetting to leave the Friar in a hurry after requesting his help to marry Juliet.

## References

1. ↑ *Romeo and Juliet,* Act 1, Scene 1
2. ↑ Act 1, Scene 2
3. ↑ Act 1, Scene 4
4. ↑ Act 1, Scene 5
5. ↑ Act 2, Scene 1
6. ↑ Act 2, Scene 2
7. ↑ Act 2, Scene 3
8. ↑ Act 2, Scene 4
9. ↑ Act 2, Scene 6
10. ↑ Act 3, Scene 1
11. ↑ Act 3, Scene 3
12. ↑ Act 3, Scene 5
13. ↑ Act 5, Scene 1
14. ↑ Act 5, Scene 3