Romeo Montague

"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, the friend of Mercutio, and the love interest/husband of Juliet Capulet.

At age 16, Romeo is already love-sick and pining for a different woman in the beginning. 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 Montague's, 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 is constantly thinking about and instead has a compassionate romantic relationship with Juliet.

His love life makes sudden changes since he had laid his eyes on someone he adored the most. In the beginning, 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 does love Juliet, he may had no idea he is putting his own life at risk. His parents were longtime enemies to the Capulets, and would had put himself in danger of being spotted being with their daughter.

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

Lovesickness
Romeo spends all of 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 of what is wrong with him and their friends tried to help him, but he refuses to talk to them of his problems.

One morning, Romeo was 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 comes in where a fight between the Montague’s and Capulet’s has just been broken up. Benvolio is present with the Montague’s and when they see Romeo approaching, he urges them to leave and he 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 on how time passes by when depressed and wondered if his father was 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 brawl that just happened earlier was hatred between the families. Romeo notices that Benvolio is laughing, and Benvolio says he is crying because he is seeing his cousin being despondent. Romeo reminiscences about love is 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 of 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 woman who is beautiful 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 advices him to stop thinking about her, and Romeo wants him to show him how to forget about the woman he is in love with. 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 think of their beauty underneath, and he wants to see a more beautiful woman. He bids goodbye to Benvolio by saying he can't teach how to get over 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 any of them can read, since he can't. Romeo jokes with the servant for a moment, but accepts the servant's request when he reads to it from him. The letter he looks at is an invitation list of all the people of Verona the servant was assigned to do. The Capulet's were 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 Romeo is urged by his cousin that he should secretly go. Instead of confronting her, he would see her 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 are planning to sneak into the feast together, and Romeo is worried on how to do it. Benvolio insists they wouldn't have a problem getting in and they won't be there for long, while Romeo says he is still miserable of going in.

When the time comes to sneak into the feast, Romeo is still dragging his feet and Mercutio taunts him of wasting their time. Romeo says that he isn't upset of going into the party, but reveals he was scared from a dream he had last night. Mercutio also had the same dream, too, and they both have been visited by "Queen Mab". Mercutio explains to Benvolio who was the "Queen Mab" and how she makes humans crave for 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 in the party, Romeo knew that the consequence of him being caught at the Capulet feast would have him killed, but 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 his 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 refers to it as a "holy shrine". He says to her he will soothe her hand with a kiss if his hand is too rough, and even jokingly asks her 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 had 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 of his romance for Rosaline, but he doesn't come out of hiding. Benvolio and Mercutio leave without him.

He comes towards 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 was lighting up the sky. As she expresses about 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 talks why Romeo has to be who he is and would want 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 that his love had led him to her, and she warns him he will be killed if he is spotted. Romeo says that him being in love with her would make him immune to his enemies and 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 was happening too fast. She bids him goodbye but he doesn't want to be left 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 than being real. Juliet comes back and tells him she will send a messenger to him tomorrow to send her word if his love is honourable and if he does want 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 says to her he hopes she will sleep well tonight.

After she leaves the balcony, Romeo laments on wanting to stay and sleep with her. He leaves the garden and mutters to himself on 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 has spent the whole night at the Capulet party and he 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 had caused him. He explains that he has fallen deeply in love with the Capulet's daughter Juliet and he wants to marry her immediately in secret. Friar Lawrence is shocked at Romeo's sudden change of heart, while Romeo defends himself by saying Juliet returned her love to him while Rosaline didn't and that the friar used to reprimand him on his relationship to Rosaline.

Despite being skeptical, Friar Lawrence agrees to marry the couple secretly and hopes their union would bring peace to the two opposing families. Romeo runs off overjoyed. He finds Mercutio and Benvolio, who wondered why Romeo didn't come home last night. He apologizes for leaving them at the party and swore he had some important business to do. Mercutio teases him on his anxiety over Rosaline, but Romeo seems to be 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. He is told by her that she has been sent by Juliet 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 plans on using the ladder to climb up to Juliet's bedroom window later that night after being married. When asked by the Nurse 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 would happen next, he thinks that sorrow would not ruin his joy, and adds that if their love ends in death, their relationship would still had been worthy. The friar warns him to be less intense and love moderately. Juliet arrives and the two lovers embrace. He is thanked by Juliet for arranging their marriage quickly and the couple began imagining their blissful love life they will soon have. They follow the friar and with his help, Romeo and Juliet are secretly married.

Romeo Kills/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 of his 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 him 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 he makes a clear path for Tybalt to stab Mercutio under Romeo's arm. Tybalt and the other Capulet's flee, and Mercutio is mortally wounded. Romeo and Benvolio ask him if he is alright and Romeo saw the wound isn't too bad. As Mercutio is dying, he curses both families. After his cousin is carried away, Romeo is horrified of what had just happened and him being involved. He laments on 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 now 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. He is then warned by Benvolio 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 of 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 will have to 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 instead lies still on the floor, weeping uncontrollably. The Nurse enters and Romeo desperately asks her about Juliet, thinking that she sees him as a treacherous killer and threatens to kill himself with a dagger, but 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 go visit Juliet to comfort her throughout the night, but he will 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 him wanting to stay for a little longer and doesn't care is 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. His mother, Lady Montague, would later die from a broken heart after Romeo’s banishment.

Return to Verona/Death
In Mantua a day later, Romeo wakes up feeling cheerful. He had a dream that Juliet finds him dead, but with a kiss, she brings him back to life. His servant, Balthasar comes into his room and Romeo greets him warmly, expecting some good news of 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 papers 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 do his task. He even asks him if he has another letter from Friar Lawrence, but says there are 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 there is a local poor apothecary in Mantua that 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 that results in death but Romeo demands him to 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 goes back into 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 to not follow him and he must leave, even giving him a letter written by Romeo himself 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 hides when someone is coming, comes out of his hiding spot and confronts Romeo, thinking he has come to seek vengeance to the Capulet's in the tomb. He tries to avoid conflict again by demanding Paris to leave and forget what he has just seen, or else 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 had told him on the ride towards Mantua, that 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 with him into the tomb to lay him in 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 looks; even in death, with her cheeks and lips still flushed. Fearing that death has claimed Juliet for itself, decides that he will 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 being informed by Balthasar 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 is approaching, 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 has 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.

After Lord Montague is shown his son's body by the Prince, he and Lord Capulet decide to end their feud.

Personality/Appearance
Romeo Montague is a handsome young man with charming looks, and that his appearance makes him attracted towards Juliet and maybe even to other women in Verona. Despite being good-looking, however, he is usually depressed and miserable. In the start of the play, he is moping around and lovesick after a woman he loved 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, he decides to end his own life than live another day of misery without his beloved Juliet.

Aside from his depression, Romeo is also lively and outgoing. He enjoys having fun with Benvolio and Mercutio, even making sexual jokes and laughing. His innocence makes him incapable with 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 to him. Whenever he is on the Capulet property, he is not afraid 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 being is killed if he stays.

He is loyal, affectionate and romantic to Juliet. He swears his love and brings up marriage to her. The two of them embrace when they meet in Friar Lawrence’s chambers to be married and even imagine starting their new life together. However, he can be selfish as he always thinks about too quickly to do something and ignoring advice given to him by Friar Lawrence and Balthasar, and even persuades Juliet to marry him immediately instead of understanding her worries about him until she agrees. He doesn’t recognize the consequences of him being with Juliet and his heartless actions end up ruining lives and causing deaths. It's possible he may have been obsessed with her 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 what Juliet would react when he murders a member of her family, despite their feud towards Romeo’s family. While hiding in the friar’s cell, he falls onto the floor and weeps over the fact of being without Juliet. He is impatient to improve his relationship with her and they both rush their plans to be together, but since they fall in love without barely knowing each other, their immature romance results in tragic consequences to 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.