How old is Juliet in Romeo and Juliet?

Juliet is not yet fourteen. The Nurse says she will turn fourteen on Lammas Eve, which is the night before August 1.

Why does Juliet take the sleeping potion?

Her father insists she marry Count Paris, but she is already secretly married to Romeo. The potion is Friar Laurence’s plan to help her escape that wedding.

When she wakes in the tomb and finds Romeo dead, she takes her own life. The play is a tragedy, so the ending is sad, but it also ends the feud.

From Romeo and Juliet

Juliet Capulet

Daughter of Capulet • Brave and true

A bright, brave Capulet daughter who speaks her own mind and longs for true love.

Who is Juliet Capulet?

Juliet Capulet is a bright, brave girl, not yet fourteen, whose family has an old quarrel with the Montagues. At a masked party she meets Romeo, and the two fall in love before they learn each other’s family names. Juliet speaks her own mind, keeps her promises, and bravely follows a risky plan when her father tries to choose her husband for her.

Juliet Capulet is a character in Romeo and Juliet, the 1597 play by William Shakespeare, retold for ages 6–9 by Sean Lee.

What is Juliet Capulet like?

Bright
Brave
Loyal

Juliet Capulet’s story

Juliet is the only child of the Capulets, and when the play begins her mother is already talking about marriage to Count Paris. She is not yet fourteen. At her father’s party she meets Romeo, and within a day the two have promised to marry. The Nurse carries messages, and Friar Laurence marries them in secret.

Soon after the wedding, Juliet’s cousin Tybalt is killed by Romeo, and Romeo is sent away from Verona. Juliet is sad but loyal to her new husband. Her father then announces that she must marry Paris in just a few days. Her mother will not help, and even the Nurse tells her to accept. Juliet turns to the friar instead.

She drinks the friar’s sleeping potion and is laid in the family tomb. When she wakes, she finds Romeo has died beside her, believing she was gone. Juliet takes her own life, and the grief of both families finally ends the feud.

“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet;”

Juliet, in the balcony scene, Act 2. From the original 1597 play by William Shakespeare.

A moment to remember

On her balcony under the stars, Juliet wonders aloud why names should matter, since a rose would smell just as sweet if it had another name.

Romeo Montague: husband
Lord Capulet: father
The Nurse: nurse since she was a baby
Tybalt: cousin
Friar Laurence: trusted adviser who marries her

Talk about it

Juliet felt that a name doesn’t change who a person really is. Why is it important to get to know someone for who they truly are?

Questions about Juliet Capulet

How old is Juliet in Romeo and Juliet?: Juliet is not yet fourteen. The Nurse says she will turn fourteen on Lammas Eve, which is the night before August 1.
Why does Juliet take the sleeping potion?: Her father insists she marry Count Paris, but she is already secretly married to Romeo. The potion is Friar Laurence’s plan to help her escape that wedding.
How does Juliet die?: When she wakes in the tomb and finds Romeo dead, she takes her own life. The play is a tragedy, so the ending is sad, but it also ends the feud.