LITERATURE UK: SHAKESPEARE - ROMEO AND JULIET - TRANSCRIPT
The story of Romeo and Juliet takes place in Verona in Italy. Two families, the Montagues and the
Capulets, hate each other so much that they fight on the street whenever they meet.
One of these families, the Capulets, organises a big party so that they can introduce their daughter Juliet
to a rich nobleman, Count Paris, who has asked to marry her. Juliet is nearly 14, and her parents are keen for her
to marry soon.
Romeo is the son of the Montague family, and is also about 14. Romeo and his friends decide that it
would be exciting to go to the Capulets' party too. But they agree that they must go in disguise because if they
are recognised at the party by the Capulets, they might be killed.
That night, at the party, Romeo meets Juliet, and they fall in love at first sight. However, Juliet's cousin,
Tybalt, recognises Romeo, knows he is from the Montague family - and wants to kill him. Romeo hides in the
garden, and talks to Juliet when she appears on her balcony. They realise that they are perfect for each other, and
decide to get married. The next day, they go to a priest called Friar Lawrence, who marries them in secret.
Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, gets angry very easily. He starts a fight with Romeo's best friend. When Romeo
steps in to break up the fight between the two men, his best friend is accidentally killed. Romeo runs after
Tybalt in anger and kills him. Romeo is sent away from Verona but Friar Lawrence, the priest who organised the
secret wedding between Romeo and Juliet, arranges for them to spend one night together as husband and wife.
Meanwhile, the Capulets decide that Juliet must marry Count Paris immediately. When Juliet says that
she doesn't want to, her parents are very angry with her, and her mother says she will never speak to her again.
Of course, they do not know that she has already secretly married Romeo. Juliet asks Friar Lawrence to get her
out of this difficult situation, so that she can see her beloved Romeo again. Friar Lawrence has an idea - he
gives Juliet a drug which will make everyone think that she is dead, when in fact she's only in a long, deep
sleep. While Juliet is sleeping, Friar Lawrence sends a message to Romeo to tell him to come to her tomb and
take her away.
When the guests arrive for Juliet's wedding the next day, Juliet's lifeless body is discovered. Believing
she is dead, her family put her in their tomb. Tragically, Romeo never gets Friar Lawrence's message that Juliet
has taken a drug and is really alive, he only hears that she is dead. Romeo returns to Verona, and goes to Juliet's
tomb. There, inside the tomb, he meets Count Paris, who has also come to say goodbye to Juliet. The two fight
and Romeo kills him. Romeo still believes that Juliet is dead, so he drinks poison and dies, but soon after this,
Juliet's drug stops working and she wakes up. She sees that Romeo is dead, takes his knife, and kills herself too.
When the Capulets and Montagues discover both their children dead, they are united in their sadness.
The two families decide to make peace with each other, and promise to build a monument to the memory of
both Romeo and Juliet.
Literature UK: Shakespeare - Romeo and Juliet - exercises
Preparation - Match the vocabulary with the correct definition and write a-h next to the numbers 1-8.
1.... to take place a. to really want something
2.... to step in b. to happen
3.... to be keen for something c. wearing different clothes so that people don't know who you are
4.... lifeless d. a minister of the church who performs ceremonies, like marriage
5.... in disguise e. to get involved
6.... poison f. a space under the ground or inside a stone building to bury a dead person
7.... a priest g. dead
8.... a tomb h. a substance that causes illness or death
1. Check your understanding: reordering - Write a number to put these events from the story in order.
..... Romeo and Juliet secretly get married.
..... Juliet wakes up, sees Romeo dead and kills herself.
..... Romeo thinks Juliet is really dead. He takes poison.
..... Romeo and Juliet meet and fall in love.
..... Juliet takes a drug to make people think she's dead.
..... The Montagues and the Capulets hate each other.
..... The two families make peace.
2. Check your understanding: multiple choice - Circle the best answer to these questions.
1. The Montagues and the Capulets hate each other so much that they .
a. don't speak to each other. b. fight whenever they meet. c. play horrible tricks on each other.
2. The Capulets organise a party to .
a. introduce their daughter to a possible husband. b. introduce Juliet to the Montagues.
c. celebrate Juliet's fourteenth birthday.
3. Romeo and his friends .
a. watch the party from a safe distance. b. plan to cause trouble at the party.
c. go to the party in disguise.
4. When Romeo and Juliet meet .
a. they fall in love immediately. b. they don't like each other at first.
c. Juliet doesn't feel the same way as Romeo.
5. Romeo and Juliet go to a priest called Friar Lawrence to .
a. get advice. b. ask him to persuade their families to make peace. c. get married.
6. Romeo kills Tybalt because .
a. Tybalt wants to stop him seeing Juliet. b. Tybalt is planning to kill Romeo.
c. Tybalt kills Romeo's best friend.
7. Juliet's parents are angry because .
a. she won't marry Count Paris. b. they think she is too friendly with the Montague family.
c. they find out about the secret wedding.
8. Friar Lawrence says he will help Juliet by .
a. helping her to escape with Romeo. b. giving her a drug to make people think she's dead.
c talking to her parents.
9. The plan goes wrong because .
a. Romeo doesn't get Friar Lawrence's message. b. the drug is too strong.
c Juliet's family don't believe that she is dead.
10. Romeo drinks poison because .
a. he thinks Juliet doesn't love him. b. he knows he has brought shame on his family.
c. he thinks Juliet is dead.
11. When Juliet wakes up .
a. she realises she's trapped in the tomb. b. she commits suicide. c. she shouts for help.
12. In the end, the Montagues and the Capulets .
a. are united by their loss and make peace. b. continue fighting until they are all dead.
c. think the tragedy is Friar Lawrence's fault.
