Servants of the feuding Capulet and Montague houses brawl in the streets. Benvolio tries to keep peace, but Tybalt escalates the fight. Prince Escalus threatens death to anyone who disturbs the peace again. Romeo appears, melancholy over his unrequited love for Rosaline.

Paris asks Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage. Capulet suggests Paris win her heart at his feast. Romeo and Benvolio encounter Capulet’s servant, who cannot read the guest list. Romeo reads it and discovers Rosaline will attend, prompting him to go to the party.

Lady Capulet, with the Nurse’s help, tells Juliet about Paris’s proposal. Juliet responds diplomatically that she’ll consider it but makes no promises. The scene establishes Juliet’s youth and innocence.

Romeo is reluctant to attend the party due to a troubling dream. Mercutio delivers his famous Queen Mab speech about dreams, mocking Romeo’s superstitions. Despite his forebodings, Romeo decides to go to the feast.

At the Capulet feast, Romeo sees Juliet and immediately forgets Rosaline. They share their first meeting in sonnet form and kiss. Tybalt recognizes Romeo but is prevented from fighting by Capulet. Both lovers discover each other’s identity, realizing they belong to enemy families.

The Chorus explains that Romeo’s old love (Rosaline) is now dead, replaced by new love for Juliet. Though they are enemies, passion gives them power and means to meet despite the obstacles.

The famous balcony scene where Romeo overhears Juliet expressing her love. They speak of their devotion and the obstacle of their families’ feud. Juliet proposes marriage, and they plan to wed the next day, with Romeo sending word through a messenger.

Romeo asks Friar Laurence to perform the marriage ceremony. The Friar is amazed at how quickly Romeo has switched from Rosaline to Juliet, but agrees to perform the ceremony, hoping it might end the feud between the families.

Mercutio and Benvolio look for Romeo. When he appears, they notice his improved mood and tease him. The Nurse arrives seeking Romeo and, after much comic delay and Mercutio’s teasing, receives Romeo’s message about the wedding arrangements.

Juliet waits impatiently for the Nurse’s return. When the Nurse finally arrives, she playfully delays telling Juliet the good news, complaining of her aches and pains before revealing that Romeo wants to marry Juliet that afternoon at Friar Laurence’s cell.

Friar Laurence performs the marriage ceremony for Romeo and Juliet, hoping their union will reconcile the feuding families. Romeo expresses that no sorrow can diminish his joy, while the Friar warns that violent delights often have violent ends.

Tybalt challenges Romeo to fight, but Romeo refuses due to his secret marriage to Juliet. Mercutio fights Tybalt instead and is mortally wounded. Enraged, Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge. Prince Escalus banishes Romeo from Verona, calling it mercy compared to death.

Juliet eagerly awaits her wedding night. The Nurse arrives with news of Tybalt’s death and Romeo’s banishment. Juliet is torn between grief for her cousin and loyalty to her husband. She ultimately chooses Romeo, asking the Nurse to find him and bring him to say farewell.

Romeo learns of his banishment and threatens suicide, considering it worse than death. The Nurse arrives with news from Juliet. Friar Laurence scolds Romeo and devises a plan: Romeo will spend the night with Juliet, then flee to Mantua until they can reveal the marriage and seek pardon.

Late at night, Capulet decides that Juliet should marry Paris on Thursday to help her overcome her grief for Tybalt. He believes the marriage will cheer her up and asks his wife to inform Juliet of the wedding plans.

Romeo and Juliet spend their wedding night together and part reluctantly at dawn. Lady Capulet tells Juliet about the planned marriage to Paris. When Juliet refuses, Capulet threatens to disown her. Even the Nurse advises Juliet to marry Paris, leaving Juliet feeling completely alone.

Paris discusses wedding plans with Friar Laurence. Juliet arrives and speaks ambiguously with Paris before he leaves. Desperate, Juliet threatens suicide, prompting Friar Laurence to offer her a sleeping potion that will make her appear dead, allowing Romeo to rescue her from the family tomb.

Juliet returns home and apologizes to her father, pretending to agree to marry Paris. Capulet is so pleased that he moves the wedding up to Wednesday. Juliet asks to spend the night alone to prepare for the wedding.

Alone in her chamber, Juliet contemplates the risks of the potion. She fears it might be poison, or that she might wake early in the tomb and go mad. Despite her terror, she drinks the potion and falls unconscious, appearing dead.

Early morning on the wedding day, the household busily prepares for the ceremony. Lady Capulet and the Nurse discuss final preparations before sending the Nurse to wake Juliet.

The Nurse discovers Juliet apparently dead on her wedding morning. The family mourns in grief. Friar Laurence arrives and reminds them that Juliet is now in heaven. The wedding preparations are changed to funeral arrangements.

Romeo dreams that Juliet found him dead and revived him with kisses. Balthasar arrives with news of Juliet’s death. Romeo, having received no word from Friar Laurence about the plan, buys poison from a poor apothecary and rushes back to Verona to die beside Juliet.

Friar John returns, explaining that he was quarantined due to plague and could not deliver the letter explaining the plan to Romeo. Friar Laurence realizes the dangerous situation and rushes to the Capulet tomb to be there when Juliet awakens.

Paris mourns at Juliet’s tomb and fights Romeo, who kills him. Romeo speaks his final words to the seemingly dead Juliet and drinks the poison. Juliet awakens to find Romeo dead and, refusing to leave with Friar Laurence, kills herself with Romeo’s dagger. The Prince, Capulets, and Montagues arrive to find the tragic scene. Faced with the deaths of their children, the feuding families finally reconcile.