| Theme: Love and Hate | Act 1 Scene 1: The Capulets and Montagues fight in Verona’s market-place; Romeo tells Benvolio of his unrequited love for Rosaline. |
| Theme: Love and Hate | Act 1 Scene 5: Forgetting Rosaline, Romeo falls in love with Juliet at first sight. |
| Theme: Love and Hate | Act 2 Scene 2: In Juliet’s orchard the two lovers agree to marry. |
| Theme: Love and Hate | Act 3 Scene 1: Tybalt fatally wounds Mercutio under the newly-wed Romeo’s arm. |
| Theme: Love and Hate | Act 3 Scene 5: Romeo and Juliet prepare to part after their wedding night. |
| Theme: Parents and children | The Prologue: The Chorus describes the parents’ ‘ancient grudge’ which is the catalyst for the death of their children. |
| Theme: Parents and children | Act 1 Scene 1: Lord Capulet approves Paris’s request to ask Juliet to marry him. |
| Theme: Parents and children | Act 3 Scene 5: Lord and Lady Capulet tell Juliet of their arrangements for her to marry Paris. |
| Theme: Chance and choice | The Prologue: The Chorus describes the lovers as ‘star-crossed’. |
| Theme: Chance and choice | Act 1 Scene 4: As he goes to the Capulets’ ball, Romeo tells of a dream he has had. |
| Theme: Chance and choice | Act 3 Scene 3: Romeo happens upon the sword fight between Tybalt and Mercutio; his intervention results in Mercutio’s death for which he kills Tybalt and calls himself ‘fortune’s fool’. |
Themes and Examples in Romeo and Juliet
September 10, 2019