Summary:
In the lanes of Verona, yet another brawl has broken out between the servants of the feuding noble families of Capulet and Montague. Benvolio, of the Montague family, tries to stop the fighting, but he is himself embroiled when Tybalt, a rash Capulet, arrives on the scene. Subsequently the citizens outraged by the constant violence beat back the warring factions, Prince Escalus, the governor of Verona, attempts to prevent any further clashes between the families by decreeing a death sentence for any individual who violates the peace in the future.
Romeo, the son of Montague, bumps into his cousin Benvolio, whom had earlier seen Romeo brooding in a grove of sycamores. After some prodding by Benvolio, Romeo confides that he is in love with Rosaline, a woman who does not return his affections. Benvolio advises him to forget this woman and find another, more beautiful, but Romeo remains disheartened.

Meanwhile, Paris, a kinsman of the Prince, seeks Juliet’s hand in marriage. Her father Capulet, though happy of the match, asks Paris to delay two years, since Juliet is not yet even fourteen. Capulet then dispatches a servant with a list of people to invite to a masqued feast which he traditionally holds at the palace. He invites Paris to the feast, hoping that Paris will begin to win Juliet’s heart over.
Romeo and Benvolio, whilst still discussing Rosaline, stumble across the Capulet servant who bears the list of the houseguests. Benvolio suggests that they should attend the feast in disguise, since it may give Romeo the chance to compare his beloved, to the other beautiful women of Verona. Romeo agrees to go to the feast with Benvolio, but only because Rosaline, whose name he reads on the list, will be there.
In the Capulet’s household, young Juliet talks with her mother, Lady Capulet, and her nurse about the likelihood of marrying Paris. Juliet has not yet considered marriage, but agrees to observe Paris during the feast to see if she thinks she could fall in love with him.

The feast begins. A despondent Romeo follows Benvolio and their witty friend Mercutio to the Capulet’s palazzo. Uppon entering, Romeo sees Juliet from a distance and instantly falls in love with her; he immediately forgets about Rosaline. As Romeo gazes mesmerized at Juliet, he is recognized by the young Capulet Tybalt, whom is enraged that a Montague would have the audicity to sneak into a Capulet feast. He prepares to quarrel, but Capulet holds him back. Soon after Romeo speaks to Juliet, and the two experience a profound attraction to each other. They kiss, not even knowing each other’s names. Soon after, Romeo is distraght when he finds out from Juliet’s nurse, that Juliet is the daughter of Capulet, his family’s enemy. When Juliet learns that the young man she has just kissed is the son of Montague, she is equally upset.
As Mercutio and Benvolio are leaving the Capulet estate, Romeo leaps over the orchard wall into the garden, unable to leave Juliet behind. From his hiding place, he sees Juliet in a window above the orchard and hears her speak his name. He calls out to her, and they exchange vows of love.

Soon after, Romeo hurries to see his friend and confessor Friar Lawrence, who although shocked by Romeo’s sudden change of heart, agrees to marry the young lovers in secret, given that he sees in their love the possibility of ending the age-old feud between the two families. The following day, Romeo and Juliet meet at Friar Lawrence’s cell and are secretly married. The Nurse, who is privy to the secret, procures a ladder, which Romeo will later use to climb into Juliet’s window for their wedding night.
The following day, Benvolio and Mercutio encounter Tybalt-Juliet’s cousin, who still enraged by Romeo’s attendedce at the Capulet’s feast, has challenged him to a duel. Then Romeo appears. Now Tybalt’s kinsman by marriage, Romeo begs the Capulet to hold off the duel until he understands why Romeo does not want to fight. Disgusted with this plea for peace, Mercutio says that he will confront Tybalt himself. The two begin to duel. Romeo tries to stop them by leaping between the swordsmen. Tybalt stabs Mercutio under Romeo’s arm, and Mercutio dies. Romeo, in a rage, kills Tybalt. Romeo then flees from the scene. Soon after, the Prince declares him forever banished from Verona for his crime. Friar Lawrence arranges for Romeo to spend his wedding night with Juliet before he has to leave for Mantua the following morning.

In her room, Juliet awaits the arrival of her new husband. The Nurse enters, and, after some confusion, tells Juliet that Romeo has killed Tybalt. Distraught, Juliet suddenly finds herself married to a man who has killed her kinsman. But she resettles herself, and thus realizes that her duty belongs with her love: to Romeo.
Romeo sneaks into Juliet’s room that night, and at last they consummate their marriage and their love. Morning comes, and the lovers bid farewell to each other, unsure when they may see each other again. Juliet learns that her father, affected by recent events, now intends for her to marry Paris in a mere three days. Unsure of how to proceed, unable to reveal to her parents that she is married to Romeo, but unwilling to marry Paris now that she is Romeo’s wife—Juliet asks her nurse for guidance. She counsels Juliet to proceed as if Romeo were dead and to marry Paris, who is a better match anyway. Disgusted with the Nurse’s disloyalty, Juliet appalled by her advice hurries to Friar Lawrence. He concocts a plan which will allow Juliet to be reunited with Romeo in Mantua. The plan foresees that the night before she is to be wed to Paris, Juliet must drink a potion that will make her appear to be dead. After she is laid to rest in the family’s crypt, the Friar and Romeo will secretly retrieve her, and she will be free to live with Romeo, away from their feuding families.
Juliet returns home to discover the wedding has been brought forward by a day, and she is to be married in the morning. That same night, Juliet drinks the potion; the Nurse discovers her, apparently dead, the following morning. The Capulets grieve, and Juliet is entombed according to plan. Unfortunately Friar Lawrence’s message explaining the plan to Romeo, never reaches Mantua. Its bearer, Friar John, gets confined to a quarantined house. Romeo receives news of Juliet death from his servant.

Following the devastating news, Romeo decides to kill himself rather than live without her. He buys a vial of poison from a reluctant Apothecary, then speeds back to Verona to take his own life at Juliet’s tomb. Outside the Capulet crypt, Romeo comes upon Paris, who is scattering flowers on Juliet’s grave. They fight, and Romeo kills Paris. He enters the tomb, sees Juliet’s inanimate body, drinks the poison, and dies by her side. Just then, Friar Lawrence enters and realizes that Romeo has killed Paris and himself. At the same moment in time, Juliet awakes. Friar Lawrence hears the coming of the watch. When Juliet refuses to leave with him, he flees alone. Juliet sees her beloved Romeo and realizes he has killed himself with poison. She kisses his poisoned lips, but that does not kill her, therefore she takes his dagger and buries it in her chest, falling dead upon his body.
The watch arrives, followed closely by the Prince, the Capulets, and Montague. Montague declares that Lady Montague has died of grief over Romeo’s exile. Seeing their children’s bodies, Capulet and Montague agree to end their long-standing feud and to raise gold statues of their children side-by-side in a newly pacified Verona