Romeo and Juliet Act 1 and 2 Plot Summaries
Act 1 Scene 1
Sampson and Gregory, two servants from the
Capulet family, brag about their role in the
Montagues' conflict. The Capulet servants try to
start a fight when two Montague servants, Abram
and Balthasar, arrive. Benvolio, a Montague, tries to
break up the brawl, but is attacked by Tybalt, a
Capulet. The quarrel quickly escalates into a public
brawl involving the Montague and Capulet families'
heads. Prince Escalus, ruler of Verona, arrives to
put an end to it. He threatens everyone with death if
they don't leave, which will be the punishment for
everyone seen fighting on the streets in the future.
With the battle done, a new subject emerges:
Romeo is melancholy because he is in love.
Romeo's parents want Benvolio to investigate what
happened.
, Act 1 Scene 2
County Paris is a nobleman who is linked to Prince
Escalus. He wishes to marry Juliet, Capulet's only
daughter. Capulet advises him to first earn Juliet's
heart, after which he can marry her when she is
sixteen in two years. Capulet will be giving a grand
feast that evening, implying that this will be an
opportunity for Paris to meet and court Juliet. The
feast will be open to everyone who isn't a
Montague. Capulet provides a servant a list of
names and instructs him to go about inviting
everyone to the feast. The servant is unable to read
and seeks the assistance of Romeo and Benvolio.
Romeo notices that his lover, Rosaline, is the niece
of Capulet.
Act 1 Scene 3
Juliet's Nurse and Lady Capulet talk about her age.
Despite this, Lady Capulet is concerned that her
daughter will marry Count Paris, whom she will
meet during the feast. Lady Capulet, unlike her
husband, wants Juliet to marry as soon as possible,
pointing out that some girls in Verona younger than
Juliet are already married, and that she herself
became Juliet's mother at a similar age as Juliet.
Juliet is not enthralled by the idea of marrying Paris,
but she does not refuse.
Act 1 Scene 1
Sampson and Gregory, two servants from the
Capulet family, brag about their role in the
Montagues' conflict. The Capulet servants try to
start a fight when two Montague servants, Abram
and Balthasar, arrive. Benvolio, a Montague, tries to
break up the brawl, but is attacked by Tybalt, a
Capulet. The quarrel quickly escalates into a public
brawl involving the Montague and Capulet families'
heads. Prince Escalus, ruler of Verona, arrives to
put an end to it. He threatens everyone with death if
they don't leave, which will be the punishment for
everyone seen fighting on the streets in the future.
With the battle done, a new subject emerges:
Romeo is melancholy because he is in love.
Romeo's parents want Benvolio to investigate what
happened.
, Act 1 Scene 2
County Paris is a nobleman who is linked to Prince
Escalus. He wishes to marry Juliet, Capulet's only
daughter. Capulet advises him to first earn Juliet's
heart, after which he can marry her when she is
sixteen in two years. Capulet will be giving a grand
feast that evening, implying that this will be an
opportunity for Paris to meet and court Juliet. The
feast will be open to everyone who isn't a
Montague. Capulet provides a servant a list of
names and instructs him to go about inviting
everyone to the feast. The servant is unable to read
and seeks the assistance of Romeo and Benvolio.
Romeo notices that his lover, Rosaline, is the niece
of Capulet.
Act 1 Scene 3
Juliet's Nurse and Lady Capulet talk about her age.
Despite this, Lady Capulet is concerned that her
daughter will marry Count Paris, whom she will
meet during the feast. Lady Capulet, unlike her
husband, wants Juliet to marry as soon as possible,
pointing out that some girls in Verona younger than
Juliet are already married, and that she herself
became Juliet's mother at a similar age as Juliet.
Juliet is not enthralled by the idea of marrying Paris,
but she does not refuse.
