The document provides an analysis of William Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. It includes quotes from Acts I and II of the play and analyzes themes such as the forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet due to their families' feud, the destructive power of hatred, and how the play is presented from a third person point of view as the audience observes the events. The document also provides background on the characters, setting, and plot of the Shakespearean tragedy.

1. The Tragedy of
Romeo and Juliet
By : William Shakespeare
By: Rudi Salam Sinulingga

2. Act I
This list of Romeo and Juliet quotes is no where near exhaustive. It will,
however, give you a good start to understanding the play.
Quote: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes / A pair of star-crossed
lovers take their life / Whose misadventured piteous overthrows / Doth with
their death bury their parents' strife (Prologue, 6-9)
Analysis: Shakespeare gives us the plot of the play before the play even
begins. There is obviously more to be learned from the play than the series
of events. Fatal loins makes for an interesting discussion.
Quote: O she doth teach the torches to burn bright! / It seems she hangs
upon the cheek of night / As a rich jewel in an Ethiop's ear-- / Beauty too
rich for use, for Earth too dear! (I, v, 43-46)
Analysis: Romeo proclaims his infatuation for Juliet. He has seen her for
about 2.63 seconds and has never spoken with her. He utters this mere
hours after uttering similar thoughts about Rosaline. These words give
insight into Romeo's instability and his being controlled by his emotions.
The final line foreshadows Juliet's death.

3. Act II
Quote: O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? / Deny thy father and refuse thy
name (II, ii, 33-34.
Analysis: The key word in Juliet's question is wherefore, which means why, not where as
many foolish neophyte Shakespeareans believe. Juliet, in these lines, declares her
willingness to disown her own family if she can be with her true love, who she's known for
almost an hour-and-a-half. And you wonder why fathers go bald.
Quote: What's in a name? That which we call a rose / By any other name would smell as
sweet. (II, ii, 43-44).
Analysis: Juliet still tries to subdue her conscience with this reasoning, claiming that
Romeo's name matters not, for he is her true love. Juliet is wrong. A rose would not smell as
sweet if you called it a Harkraken or Schnockter or a Sewage Weed. That's just my
analysis. What do you think?
Quote: Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow / That I shall say good night till
it be morrow (II, ii, 184-5).
Analysis: Juliet speaks all the good lines. She's a rather aggressive Middle Ages girl, don't
you think? Juliet obviously cares little for societal restrictions.

4. CHARACTER
The Montagues
LORD MONTAGUE: wealthy
nobleman of Verona and
enemy to Lord Capulet
LADY MONTAGUE: his wife
ROMEO: their son
BENVOLIO: Lord Montague’s
nephew, Romeo’s cousin and
friend
BALTHASAR: Romeo’s
servant
ABRAM: a servant

5. The Capulets
LORD CAPULET: wealthy
nobleman of Verona and enemy
to Lord Montague
LADY CAPULET: his wife
JULIET: their daughter, who is
thirteen years old
TYBALT: Lady Capulet’s
nephew, Juliet’s cousin
OLD MAN: elderly relative of the
family
NURSE: servant who has cared
for Juliet since infancy
PETER: the Nurse’s servant
SAMPSON: servant
GREGORY: servant

6. Others
CHORUS: actor who speaks directly
to the audience to introduce the play
PRINCE ESCALUS: ruler of Verona
COUNT PARIS: relative of the Prince
and suitor to Juliet
MERCUTIO: relative of the Prince and
Romeo’s friend
FRIAR LAWRENCE: Catholic priest of
the order of Franciscans and a
pharmacist
APOTHECARY: pharmacist in Mantua
FRIAR JOHN: Franciscan priest
PAGE: servant to Paris
OFFICERS AND CITIZENS OF
VERONA, RELATIVES OF BOTH
FAMILIES,
MASKERS, OFFICERS, GUARDS,
WATCHMEN, SERVANTS, AND
ATTENDANTS

7. SETTING
SCENE:
Italy—the
cities of
Verona and
Mantua. The
fourteenth
century.

8. PLOT
Romeo and Juliet, at
least the one written
by Shakespeare, is a
play. The point of
view is the point of
view of the audience
watching the play.
Terms used to
describe the point of
view of a narrator in
a story or novel are
inappropriate to
plays.

9. MORALISM
For a general discussion of the themes in
"Romeo and Juliet," see the Themes
section of the eNotes study guide.
However, for lessons or morals that can
be applied more directly to your own life,
you'd need to draw parallels between the
play's situations and actions and your own
life. Ideally, you'll encounter a true love.
Can you draw lessons from this play for
that? Here's an easier one. Almost
everyone will have a first love. For most
people, that love will not be their deepest
or truest love. Can you draw lessons from
Romeo's affection for Rosalind and how it
melts away when he sees Juliet to guide
you when thinking about your first love?

10. THEME
Another theme one can take from
this play is the destructive power of
hatred. The hatred that exists
between the Montagues and the
Capulets ultimately costs Romeo,
Juliet, and Romeo's best friend
Mercutio, their lives. Ironically
enough, these three young people
were relatively uninvolved in, but
still deeply affected by the feuding
of the rival families. One might
even speculate that it was the
forbidden nature of the relationship
because of the feud that made
Romeo and Juliet not just fall in
love, but become immediately
obsessed with one another.

11. POINT OF VIEW
An interesting question.
Since it is a play, the main
point of view is an
objective one: we see all
events from the outside,
as if we were observing
them. If you translated this
to the way points of view
are described for fiction,
that would be THIRD
PERSON limited, since
we can't see inside the
characters' minds.