A Student's Guide to Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is perhaps Shakespeare’s most famous play...or at least the one most people have heard of.

Yes, it's a classic love story, but calling it "just a love story" feels a bit oversimplified. It’s also about family feuds, fate, teenage rebellion and the chaos that happens when you mix impulsive decisions with deep emotions. Quite relatable, really, even though it’s more than 400 years old.

If you want to achieve the higher grades in your GCSE English Literature exams (or even just pass it), you'll need to understand the main elements of this play and that's where "A Student's Guide to Romeo and Juliet" can help. In addition, for more advice about how to revise Romeo and Juliet, click here for my blog post, "How to Revise Romeo and Juliet."

A Student's Guide to Romeo and Juliet

Plot

Set in Verona, Italy, the story revolves around two powerful families, the Montagues and Capulets, who've hated each other for as long as anyone can remember.

Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet meet by chance at a party, fall madly in love almost instantly and secretly marry. What could go wrong?

Well, pretty much everything and (spoiler alert) by the end of the play, most of the main characters are dead.

After Romeo and Juliet's secret marriage, things quickly spiral out of control. Juliet's fiery cousin, Tybalt, kills Romeo's best friend, Mercutio so...Romeo kills Tybalt, Romeo is banished from Verona, Juliet’s parents push her into marrying someone else and Juliet, desperate and isolated, fakes her own death.

Ok, well at least Friar Laurence has arranged for a message to be sent to Romeo, explaining that Juliet is not dead and that Romeo to return to Verona and sneak away with Juliet. That's a relief. Sounds as if they'll live happily ever after!

Except that Romeo never receives the message.

Thinking that Juliet's actually dead, he buys some poison, rushes back to Verona and, finding Juliet "dead" in the tomb, drinks the poison and dies beside her. When Juliet wakes to find Romeo dead, she kills herself with his dagger.

After finding out what's happened, the Montague and Capulet families realise how pointless their feud was and, at the end of the play, agree to peace.

Main Characters

Romeo

Romeo is sensitive, impulsive and intensely passionate - basically the type of young man who would be likely to fall head-over-heels in love at first sight. Sometimes he seems mature, quoting beautiful poetry... but he's also reckless and often acts before thinking things through.

Despite all this (or maybe because of it), he remains a likeable, relatable character that has gained the empathy and sympathy of audiences for the last 400 years.

Juliet

Juliet is just 13 years old and, at the beginning of the play, is portrayed as respectable, innocent and obedient. However, she quickly demonstrates that she’s also smart, determined and brave: taking huge risks for love, such as defying her family, marrying in secret and faking her own death.

Despite being vulnerable and making some unwise choices, Juliet is quite mature for her age and is often more level-headed than Romeo.

Mercutio

Romeo’s friend, Mercutio, is witty, sharp-tongued and sceptical about love. He often mocks Romeo’s romantic ideas, preferring to see love as something physical rather than emotional.

His fiery nature and impulsive behaviour causes both his own death and that of Tybalt, contributing to the chain of events that lead to the final tragedy.

Tybalt

Juliet’s cousin, Tybalt, is portrayed as aggressive, proud and quick to anger. He is easily offended and is always ready to fight, particularly if he thinks that the honour of his family has been disrespected.

Tybalt’s resentment of Romeo and his desire for revenge leads to violence and the death of Mercutio which escalates the feud and results in his own death at Romeo’s hands. This marks a turning point in the play and is the catalyst for the tragic events which follow.

Friar Laurence

Friar Laurence means well and his involvement in organising Romeo and Juliet's marriage is motivated by his belief that it will end their families' feud.

Unfortunately, his plans go disastrously wrong and serve as a reminder that good intentions don't always guarantee good outcomes.

The Nurse

Juliet’s nurse is funny and warm-hearted. Having been Juliet's primary care-giver since she was a baby, she genuinely loves her and wants the best for her.

However, she's also practical. When things get complicated and Romeo is banished, the Nurse advises Juliet to forget Romeo and just marry Paris, leaving Juliet isolated and hurt.

Themes

Love and Passion

Of course, love is at the heart of Romeo and Juliet, but Shakespeare demonstrates that it's not just romantic or passionate: it's also impulsive, overwhelming and, ultimately, destructive. Romeo and Juliet's love isn't careful or cautious; it’s immediate and all-consuming.

Shakespeare seems to suggest that love can be exciting but, when it's not balanced by reason, it can push you toward reckless decisions.

Conflict and Violence

The feud between the Montagues and Capulets is ancient, deep-rooted and, frankly, ridiculous. No-one even remembers why it started.

Shakespeare shows how senseless conflict can spill over into everyday life, dragging in innocent people and turning small disagreements into fatal outcomes. Violence is normalised in Verona and young men like Tybalt and Mercutio treat fighting almost like a sport. Yet, every act of violence in the play moves the lovers closer to their tragic end.

Fate and Destiny

From the very start, we know that Romeo and Juliet are "star-cross'd lovers" so Shakespeare leaves little doubt that their fate is sealed. The play is full of omens, dreams and unlucky coincidences that hint that their future is beyond their control.

However, Shakespeare doesn’t let them off the hook entirely and their own, individual choices (impulsiveness, secrecy and defiance) still matter. Perhaps, the play is questioning whether fate is just an outside force... or if it’s also something we create through our actions.

Youth and Impulsiveness

Romeo and Juliet act fast. They meet, fall in love, marry and die within a few days...which, over the years, has (understandably) caused a few eye rolls and snorts of disbelief from many of my GCSE English students.

Despite this, even they'd agree that Shakespeare has done a good job of capturing the intensity of teenage emotions: everything is urgent, love is forever and no obstacle is too great. However, he also shows the downsides of Romeo and Juliet's impulsiveness, revealing that decisions made too quickly, without any thought for the consequences, can be devastating.

In that sense, Romeo and Juliet’s youth and impulsiveness is both their greatest strength...and their greatest weakness.

Context of Romeo and Juliet

Elizabethan Era

Written in the mid 1590s, Romeo and Juliet reflects many of the values and social structures of Elizabethan England.

Family loyalty, honour and obedience to parental authority were incredibly important and children, especially daughters, were expected to marry well in order to secure financial security and improve their family's status. Therefore, Juliet’s rebellion would have seemed shocking to Shakespeare’s audience, although many of them might have admired her bravery.

Love, Marriage and Status

In Elizabethan times, marriage was much more than a romantic union; it was a way to secure wealth, alliances and family honour. Romantic love, like that between Romeo and Juliet, was seen as foolish or even dangerous if it disrupted social order.

By marrying secretly, the lovers defy the expectations of their world and their punishment is severe. Shakespeare uses their story to explore what happens when personal happiness and societal duty collide...and it's not a pretty outcome.

Religion and Fate

Religion shaped every aspect of Elizabethan life and Shakespeare reflects this by weaving religious imagery throughout the play.

Romeo and Juliet often describe each other in spiritual terms, suggesting that their love is pure and sacred. Yet, at the same time, the idea of fate and their "star-cross'd" destiny suggests that divine forces might already have written their tragic ending.

Shakespeare’s audience would have strongly believed in fate and in the moral consequences of their actions, emphasising the conflict between the themes of free will and destiny.

Language

Shakespeare’s language in Romeo and Juliet is rich and poetic, full of clever wordplay, striking metaphors and beautiful imagery.

Of course, it can also be...challenging. Especially if your first experience of this play is reading it in a classroom instead of watching it on stage as Shakespeare intended. (Personally, I believe it's more suited to Drama lessons than English lessons...but that's an argument for another day).

Anyway, despite the tricky vocabulary, the emotion in Shakespeare's words makes the characters feel incredibly real and relevant, so it's worth persevering. To help you gain a better understanding of the play and make the language easier to understand, you could try watching a theatrical performance or a film version or even listen to it on audiobook.

About Shakespeare

William Shakespeare, born in 1564, is considered one of the greatest playwrights ever: probably because his comedies, tragedies and histories explore universal themes like love, conflict and ambition.

His work demonstrates just how well he understood human nature and Romeo and Juliet remains popular partly because it speaks honestly about how intense and confusing love can be, especially when you're young.

Remember:

Romeo and Juliet isn't just a sad old story about love and loss; it's a play about real, timeless struggles, family expectations, impulsive decisions, uncontrollable emotions and the search for personal freedom.

Although the language might take a bit of getting used to and the setting might feel distant, the themes are still right at the centre of our lives today...and that's what makes Romeo and Juliet so powerful.

Struggling With Your Revision?

You might like my 30-Day Revision Plan for Romeo and Juliet which breaks revision down into 30 manageable, daily tasks to help you cover key quotes, characters, themes and exam skills - without feeling overwhelmed.

For more help with this play, I've also created the "Romeo and Juliet Revision Guide" by EHS Masterclass.

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About the Author

I’m Catherine: a private tutor, former secondary school English teacher and the founder of English Home Studies.

With over 25 years of teaching experience, I specialise in personalised 1:1 English tuition for students aged 9 to 16 (Year 5 to Year 11) through my EHS Masterclass programme.

Alongside tailored lessons, I create high quality digital and printable revision guides and activity packs to support students’ progress at home.

If you’d like to learn more about my qualifications, read parent and student reviews, or discover how the EHS Masterclass can help your child excel, please explore the rest of my website.