The Capulets hold a masked ball where Juliet is presented to Paris, her family's chosen suitor. As Juliet dances with her father, Lord Capulet, she catches the eye of Romeo, the son of a rival family, the Montagues, who, along with his friend Mercutio, has ventured to the party disguised with a mask. When their eyes meet, Romeo and Juliet are instantly enraptured and fall in love. They only discover each other's identities when Tybalt, in search of his cousin Juliet, finds them together on the castle grounds. Tybalt, recognizing Romeo's voice as that of his enemy, is ready to battle, but Lord Capulet intercedes and entreats all to return to the festivities.
