Romeo: External Conflict
Be careful with who you associate yourself with.
Act III, Scene I
During Scene I of Act III, Romeo's best friend, Mercutio, and his new in-law, Tybalt, have a sword fight to see who the better swordsman is. But during that battle, Tybalt stabs and kills Mercutio, and Romeo feels like it's his own fault. Because "... Mercutio's soul is but a little way above our heads,.... Either thou or I, or both, must go with him" (p.1048, lines 133-136). Since Romeo is a Montague, and Tybalt a Capulet, Tybalt hates hate Romeo, and he probably knew that killing his closest friend would get to him. They fight, but Romeo ends up killing Tybalt.
Act III, Scene III
After killing Tybalt, Romeo is bawling his eyes out to Friar Laurence because his punishment was to be banished from Verona, away from his beautiful wife, Juliet, who is also a Capulet. When Friar Laurence tries to convince Romeo that he has to be punished by law, he doesn't listen. But instead, he thinks that "There is no world without Verona walls, but purgatory, torture, hell itself. Hence banished is banisht from the world, and world's exile is death" (p,1056, lines 20-23). Romeo seems to think that being banished from his own home is worse than being dead, but it had to happen because he killed a family member of the Capulets, his mortal enemies.
Act V, Scene I
Juliet, Romeo's wife, is supposed to get married to the county Paris, a friend of the family. But after marrying Romeo, she no longer wants to. To get out of it, she fakes her own death. Romeo's servant, Balthasar, tells him that Juliet is dead, and he decides that he wanted to die with her. So he goes to the Apothecary to buy poison, but the Apothecary refuses. Romeo wonders why: "Art thou so bare and full of wretchedness and fearest to die?... Then be not poor, but break it and take this" (p.1089, lines 73-79). Romeo, a Montague, wanted to die next to his wife, a Capulet.
Act V, Scene III
Romeo goes to the Capulet's cemetery, but Juliet's ex-fiance, Paris, believes he is up to no good and challenges him to fight. Romeo tries to explain that he is only there to do himself harm, but Paris doesn't believe him. To accept the challenge to fight, Romeo says, "Wilt thou provoke me? Then have at thee, boy!" (p,1093, lines 72-73). They fight, and Romeo kills Paris. He then drinks the poison the Apothecary sold him, and dies next to his wife, a Capulet. Juliet wakes up from her "death" and sees that Romeo is dead. She then takes his dagger, and stabs herself to be in heaven with him.