Romeo and Juliet Act 1 summaries
K.McKinney, V.Burroughs, R.Collins, K.Robson and C.Bales
Scene 1
The play opens on the servants of Juliet's house desiring to pick a fight with the servants from Romeo's house. Benvolio tries to stop the fighting, but "fiery" Tybalt only intensifies the brawl. Before anyone is seriously injured, the Prince breaks up the fight. He decrees that anyone who fights in the streets of Verona will forfeit his or her life. Afterwards, Benvolio speaks with Romeo to try to find out what is causing him to cry all the time and mope around. We learn that Romeo is in love with Rosaline--a beautiful woman who doesn't love him in return.
Scene 2
(Paris wants what he can't get). Scene 2 is about Paris wanting to marry Juliet but she is refusing to because she is too young and asks him to wait two years. Romeo is still crying in his room. Benvolio then asks him to get out in the world and look for other girls. Later on that day, Romeo and Benvolio are invited to a party at the Capulets'. At first Romeo doesn't want to go becuase his old lover, Rosaline, will be there. Benvolio tells him to compare her to the crowd of other beauties.
Scene 3
Scene 3 pg 35: [Juliet and Lady Capulet meet perverted nurse]
In Scene 3, we meet the nurse of Juliet. The nurse is pretty much a pervert to lady capulet about how juliet should marry Paris. The nurse has been in charge of Juliet since the day she was born. The nurse starts to talk juliet and lady capulet and then she won’t stop until the end of the scene. Juliet is only 13 years old and she doesn’t want to marry Paris. She thinks that Paris is a gentlemen. At the end of the scene the servingman says that the guests have arrived and are here and they should go and eat supper now.
Scene 4
(Hatrid for queen Mab)In scene 4, Romeo and his friends Mercutio and Benvolio join in. He senses trouble in this party because of his dream.In this scene Mercutio calls Queen Mab a whore. He says she blisters peoples lips. He also thinks she is rotten. Mercutio also says that Dreams are a lie. Romeo is this scene is still a little upset because Rosaline doesn't love him back. So in this chapter Mercutio says Queen Mab is a nasty women, and Romeo is still upset.
Scene 5
Mask Party]In this scene, Romeo and his friends go to the party where Juliet is. Everybody at the party is wearing masks so nobody knows who each other are. That is good, because Romeo is an uninvited guest. Tybalt doesn’t like Romeo being there because he is a montague and threatens to kill him. Capulet tells tybalt to calm down, and just let Romeo stay there. Tybalt can’t tolerate him, and exits the party. Romeo then goes up to Juliet and takes her hand. He starts talking to her about how holding one’s hand is like a kiss. He also says he prays that she will kiss her, they kiss and he then says that his sins have been taken from his lips. Juliet walks away back to her nurse. They talk about who Romeo was. Someone calls to Juliet offstage, and then they exit.