Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet was based on real lovers who lived in Verona, Italy, and died for each other in the year 1303. At that time the Capulets and Montagues were among the inhabitants of the town. Shakespeare found the tale in Arthur Brooke's poem The Tragical Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562)

The action takes place in Verona, where for years, the two biggest families, the Montagues and Capulets are disturbing the peace of Verona in the name of an ancient hatred ( which has unknown reasons ). The play starts with a street brawl between the two families. Exasperated, Prince Escalus enacts, on pain of death, the ban of fighting in his town. While both mothers denounce the violence of men of two clans, the young Romeo and Juliet, children of both rival houses, dream on their own about love.

Romeo, Son and Heir of the family Montagues is in love with the beautiful Rosaline, one of Lord Capulet's nieces and because of that he has entered recently in a little depression. To cheer him up, his friends Mercutio and Benvolio propose him to join the masked ball that the Capulet family is hosted, in hope to see Rosaline.

In fact the reason why the Capulet, head of the rival family is preparing himself to host a big party, is to permit at her daughter Juliet to meet Count Paris. The latter, in fact, had asked earlier Lord Capulet to marry his daughter Juliet and although he is in favor of this union he said he would rather prefer him to wait two more years because Juliet is just thirteen.

In the ball, instead of findind Rosaline, Romeo saw Juliet and stay stunned at her beauty. He completly forget about Rosaline and falls madly in love with Juliet who likes him either. He approaches her and kiss her twice. Then withdrew he leaves. Eventually, Romeo and Juliet come to discover their mutual identity. They are overwhelmed to realize that they each fell in love with their worst enemy.

After the ball, in what is now called the "balcony