Scene 1: Servants of the Capulet and Montague households brawl in the streets of Verona; Prince Escalus declares that any further violence between the families will be punished by death. Romeo, lovesick over a woman named Rosaline, is introduced by his friend Benvolio.

Scene 2: Paris asks Capulet for Juliet’s hand in marriage; Capulet asks him to wait two years and invites him to a family feast. A servant, unable to read the guest list, asks Romeo and Benvolio for help — and they learn Rosaline will be at the party.

Scene 3: Lady Capulet and the Nurse discuss Paris’s proposal with Juliet, who is not yet 14. Juliet agrees to consider Paris but commits to nothing.

Scene 4–5: Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio attend the Capulet feast in disguise. Mercutio delivers the famous “Queen Mab” speech about dreams. Romeo sees Juliet and instantly forgets Rosaline; the two meet and share a sonnet-like exchange before Juliet’s identity as a Capulet is revealed to Romeo, and his to her.