Lesson Content What's the Story? Romeo and Juliet is not just the story of two lovesick teenagers. It is the story of two lovesick teenagers whose relationship is—here’s the source of the tension—forbidden. Both Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet come from wealthy families in the kingdom of Verona (in our Italy), but the families have been fighting bitterly for years. In fact, the play begins with members of the two families brawling in the streets. When Romeo sneaks into the Capulet family’s ball, he meets and dances with the lovely Juliet. Romeo is so enamored of her beauty that he sneaks into the family’s garden so he can look up at her balcony, where Juliet stands. “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?” he asks himself of Juliet’s bright beauty. “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun.” Juliet stands right above him, but Romeo decides not to let his presence be known. He admires how Juliet’s star-like eyes “twinkle in their spheres.” He watches her movements closely. “O, that I were a glove upon that hand,” he yearns, “That I might touch that cheek!” Likewise, he marvels at her voice. “O, speak again, bright angel,” he implores. And she does—about him!