Student Edition - Perfection Learning

Act SummaryIn the Prologue, a Chorus (or narrator) previews this play about twofeuding families and the tragedy that occurs when their children meetand fall in love.One day, in the public square in Verona, Italy, two servants from theCapulet household pick a fight with rival servants from the Montaguehousehold. The Capulets and Montagues have quarreled for so manyyears that nobody even knows how their feud began.When the fight begins, a young Montague, Benvolio, tries to makepeace. Instead, a fiery Capulet named Tybalt makes the tensions escalate.Soon, even onlookers and the elderly lords of the two warring sides aretrying to join in the brawl.Prince Escalus, the ruler of Verona, arrives and demands that thefighting stop. In the quarrel’s aftermath, Lord Montague asks Benvolio, afriend of his son Romeo, why Romeo seems so depressed. Benvoliotracks Romeo down and learns that he is in love with Rosaline, whodoesn’t return his affections. Benvolio vows to make Romeo forget her.Meanwhile, in the Capulet household, Lord Capulet and a noblemannamed Paris discuss Paris’s proposal of marriage to Lord Capulet’sdaughter Juliet. They discuss the masked banquet the Capulets will hostthat night and hope that Juliet will get to know Paris and agree to marryhim. Of course, the hated Montagues are not invited to the banquet.When Benvolio and Romeo catch wind of it, though, they decide togo in disguise. During the party, Tybalt guesses their identity and vowsrevenge on Romeo, whom he assumes has come only to mock theCapulets and cause trouble.When Juliet catches Romeo’s eye at the banquet, he instantly forgetsRosaline. By the time Romeo and Juliet realize they are from warringfamilies, it is too late: they have fallen in love.Act 1, Introduction 19