Juliet Timeline and Summary
MoreJuliet Timeline and Summary
- 1.2: Thirteen-year-old Juliet speaks only a few lines in her first scene; she is overpowered by both her mother and her nurse. Lady Capulet announces a possible arranged marriage between Juliet and Paris. Juliet responds uncertainly to the idea of love and marriage.
- 1.3: Juliet's mother announces that Paris, one of Verona's most-eligible bachelors, wants to marry her. Juliet promises to talk to him at the party her parents are holding that night.
- 1.5: Juliet is enjoying the party when Romeo approaches her. It's love at first sight, and Romeo gives Juliet her first kiss. Juliet is called away before she can ask Romeo's name, but she has her nurse find out his identity before the party ends. Only then does she realize the guy she's fallen for is a Montague.
- 2.2: Juliet is out on her balcony talking to herself about Romeo when he suddenly appears below her. Surprised and embarrassed at first, she soon confesses her love and asks if Romeo is willing to marry her.
- 2.5: Juliet waits impatiently for the Nurse to return with Romeo's message. The Nurse teases her and refuses to reveal what Romeo said about their wedding. Juliet sweetens up the Nurse with a backrub and gets the information she's been waiting for: Friar Laurence has agreed to marry them that very day.
- 2.6: Romeo and Juliet meet at Friar Laurence's cell and get married.
- 3.2: Juliet is excitedly awaiting her wedding night when the Nurse enters with bad news. Romeo has killed Tybalt, and been banished from Verona as punishment. At first, Juliet is furious at Romeo for slaughtering her cousin. But then she realizes she is glad that Romeo won the duel and lived. But Juliet cannot cope with the knowledge that Romeo is banished. To her, his banishment is worse than death. The Nurse promises to find Romeo to comfort her.
- 3.5: Romeo and Juliet have one night together, but as soon as morning comes, Romeo has to leave for Mantua. Juliet tries to delay his departure as long as possible, but she knows that it is dangerous for him to stay. As soon as Romeo has left, her mother comes in and announces that she will be marrying Paris later that week. When Juliet refuses to marry Paris, her father tells her that he will disown her and throw her out of the house if she doesn't obey him. Juliet's mother ignores her pleas for help. The Nurse tells Juliet that, given her situation, she should forget about Romeo and marry Paris. Abandoned by her family and betrayed by her Nurse, Juliet has only one person left who can help her: Friar Laurence.
- 4.1: Juliet finds Paris at Friar Laurence's cell and has to endure listening to him talk about their wedding. Once Paris leaves, Juliet threatens to stab herself if the Friar can't find a way for her to avoid marrying Paris. The Friar gives her a potion that will make her appear as if she is dead, and promises that he and Romeo will retrieve her from the tomb when she wakes up.
- 4.2: Potion in hand, Juliet returns home, apologizes to her father for her disobedience, and acts willing to marry Paris.
- 4.3: Once alone, Juliet drinks the Friar's potion and falls into a death-like sleep.
- 5.3: Juliet wakes in her family's tomb and finds Romeo dead beside her. The Friar tries to convince her to leave and promises that he will find a place for her in a convent. Juliet refuses. Juliet has rejected her family, her nurse, and her eligible fiancé Paris in favor of Romeo. When she realizes her husband is dead, she kills herself rather than live without him.