Romeo and Juliet

by Shakespeare

First published 1597

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Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall in love despite the violent feud between their families in Verona. With the help of Friar Laurence they marry secretly, hoping that the union might end the conflict, but the killing of Mercutio and Tybalt turns the private romance into a crisis of exile and vengeance.

A plan to reunite the couple fails when a message does not reach Romeo. Their deaths finally force the Montagues and Capulets to confront the cost of the feud. Shakespeare combines youthful love with the structures of household honour, civic authority and arranged marriage, making Verona’s social divisions as important to the tragedy as chance.