Misdelivery of the letter: Friar Laurence's letter to Romeo, explaining the sleeping potion's effects and Juliet's faked death, fails to reach him in Mantua. Romeo remains unaware of Juliet's true state and believes she is indeed dead.
Rumor of Juliet's demise: News of Juliet's supposed death reaches Romeo from Balthasar, who assumes the worst upon finding her apparently lifeless body. Without receiving Friar Laurence's letter, Romeo's impulsive nature leads him to take drastic action.
Romeo takes his life: Unable to imagine life without Juliet, Romeo purchases poison from an apothecary and goes to the Capulet tomb to be with her. He drinks the vial and dies at Juliet's side.
Juliet awakens: Juliet wakes up just as Romeo takes his own life. She finds him dead and, in despair, stabs herself to join him in death.
Throughout the play, a theme of miscommunication and timing plagues the main characters and their plans, with this being most prominently exemplified by the failure of Friar Laurence's plot to reunite Romeo and Juliet while preserving their lives.