Juliet

Also known as: Capulet / JULIET / Jule · Family: Capulets · Role: daughter · First appears: Romeo and Juliet · Act I, Scene III

At the feast in Verona, Juliet agrees to consider Paris only with Lady Capulet’s consent. That night she meets Romeo, and their attraction is revealed to cross the feud between Capulet and Montague: “My only love sprung from my only hate!” In the orchard, she confirms her deep love, proposes marriage, and arranges for Romeo to receive word of the wedding. With Friar Lawrence’s help, they are joined in marriage by the church.

After Romeo is banished for killing Tybalt, Juliet grieves the loss of her husband. Capulet schedules her marriage to Paris for Thursday, but Juliet refuses, declaring that she would marry Romeo instead. When Capulet threatens to disown her, Lady Capulet withdraws her support, and Juliet ends her confidence in Nurse after the Nurse endorses the match with Paris.

Juliet turns to Friar Lawrence, who gives her a potion to counterfeit death and avoid the wedding. She accepts the plan without fear, then asks Capulet’s pardon and promises to obey him, while secretly intending to escape with Romeo. She drinks the potion before the arranged wedding, is found apparently dead, and is placed in the Capulet monument. There, after finding Romeo dead, Juliet kills herself with his dagger; Friar Lawrence later reveals that they had been married.