Romeo and Juliet

SECTION 1 Verona's Streets Run Red The Prince threatens death; Romeo pines for the wrong woman Capulet and Montague servants clash in the street, swords drawn over nothing more than a bitten thumb and inherited spite.

SECTION 1 Verona's Streets Run Red The Prince threatens death; Romeo pines for the wrong woman Capulet and Montague servants clash in the street, swords drawn over nothing more than a bitten thumb and inherited spite. Benvolio, 9 Romeo's 1 peace-seeking cousin, tries to separate them, but Tybalt 5 — Juliet's 2 hotheaded cousin — turns it into a real fight, declaring he hates peace as much as he hates all Montagues. Both patriarchs arrive ready to brawl. Verona's Prince 10 breaks it up with a decree: the next person to disturb the streets will pay with their life. Meanwhile, Romeo 1 is nowhere near the violence. He has been wandering at dawn, weeping over a woman named Rosaline who has sworn off love entirely. His friend Benvolio 9 urges him to look at other women. Romeo 1 insists no one could replace her. <div

SECTION 2 Enemy at First Kiss Romeo forgets Rosaline the moment he sees Juliet A chance encounter sets the whole story spinning. A Capulet servant, unable to read, asks Romeo 1 to decipher a guest list for that evening's feast. Benvolio 9 spots Rosaline's name and convinces Romeo 1 to attend the masked ball. Romeo 1 goes reluctantly, haunted by a premonition that the night will set some fatal consequence in motion. At the feast, he sees Juliet 2 and every torch in the hall dims beside her. Tybalt 5 recognizes Romeo's 1 voice and reaches for his rapier, but Capulet 7 himself intervenes, ordering restraint. Tybalt 5 retreats, vowing revenge. Romeo 1 and Juliet 2 meet, share a flirtatious exchange woven like a prayer between pilgrims and saints, and kiss twice. Only then does each discover the other's name — and that their houses are mortal enemies. <div

SECTION 3 The Orchard Confession Juliet proposes marriage to the boy she met hours ago After the feast, Romeo 1 scales the Capulet orchard wall, unable to leave. Above on her balcony, Juliet 2 speaks aloud to the night, wishing Romeo 1 would shed his family name — names are arbitrary, she reasons; strip his away and the person she loves remains unchanged. Romeo 1 steps from the shadows and startles her. She is mortified he overheard her private confession, but also direct: she asks if he loves her and warns him not to swear by the inconstant moon. Their conversation is interrupted repeatedly by the Nurse 6 calling from inside. Before parting, Juliet 2 makes the decisive move: if…