Romeo and Juliet for Children; Chapter 1 - The Capulets, the Montagues and the Party
Once upon a time there was a boy. And there was a girl. They were both the only offspring of the heads of the two most powerful families in the city of Verona; the Capulets and the Montagues.
These two families hated each other bitterly. In fact, they fought so often and so violently that the Prince of Verona warned them that if they should fight once more, the heads of each family would be punished severely. The families heads, Lord Capulet, the girl's father, and Lord Montague, the boy's father, promised to make peace.
"We are old men," they said. "Much too old to continue fighting like this." And so, they made a temporary peace. All fighting was prohibited, but the families and all of their servants (for they were very rich and had many servants each) remembered how they hated each other and refused to be friendly.
Lord Montague's son, however, did not share his father's hate of the Capulets. He was a lover, a dreamer, not a fighter. He had spent many nights pining over his love, the beautiful Rosaline, who had refused his advances and promised to become a nun and never marry. For weeks, he had locked himself away in his room, miserable that his love had not been returned. It was so bad that his best friend and cousin, Benvolio, who was peaceful and clever, had become worried about him. He found Romeo, sighing at the city well, and urged him to live life. He was young, after all!
Romeo sighed. He couldn't stop thinking about Rosaline and how beautiful she was. He loved her and thought she had loved him, so why did she reject him?! Oh it was too sad. Romeo was miserable.
Romeo and Benvolio soon met Mercutio. Mercutio was good friends with the two, but he wasn't one of the Montagues like Romeo and Benvolio. He was the Princes cousin, and he was a little bit crazy. But he was always a lot of fun and the men all loved him.
"Cheer up, little Romeo," he grinned, slapping Romeo on the back. Mercutio told Romeo and Benvolio about a party at the Capulet's house that night. There would be dancing and beer and a lot of pretty girls.
"Romeo has to come and look at all of the beautiful women! We'll find him a girl that will make him forget about Rosaline in a heartbeat!" Romeo didn't want to go, but later that night he found himself with the two older men, all wearing masks and beating drums, ready to march into the Capulet's party and have a great time!
The party at the Capulets was huge. The Capulets were very rich, and their big home was filled to the brim with the most famous and influential people in all of Verona, singing and dancing and drinking. Romeo looked around for Rosaline, hoping she would be there... Instead he found himself staring at the front of the room, shocked.
In walked the most beautiful girl Romeo had ever seen, escorted by Tybalt, the nephew of Lord Capulet. She had shining, luscious brown hair that hung at her side in a thick plait, adorned with fresh flowers and sparkling gems. Her dress was a simple pink that matched perfectly the sweet blush of her delicate cheeks. Her eyes were a deep, dark brown, filled with life and love and intelligence. Her lips... Romeo blushed. They were a perfect rosebud pink. He wished he might kiss her.
"I have not seen true beauty till this night," Romeo exclaimed. "Have I ever truly loved before now - I'm afraid that I've fallen for this beautiful girl before we've even met!"Romeo wandered through the crowd, desperate to catch just one more glimpse of this enchanting girl.
Meanwhile, Tybalt saw him, looking across the room and was furious. Leaving the girl to dance with the rest of the party, he ran to Lord Capulet. "I cannot believe that the only son of our worst enemy would dare to come here! What an insult!! I should go fight him now," he complained to his uncle, Capulet. Tybalt was very hot-headed and no one hated the Montagues more than he.
Lord Capulet however, remembered the Prince's threat. He did not want to cause trouble, especially not at his party. "Let it go!" He cried.
"I cannot," Tybalt bit back, furious. "It's an insult to you, uncle!!!"
"Why, you cheeky little boy," said Capulet, angered by Tybalt's disobedience. "You'll be quiet right now, or I'll..."
Tybalt was quiet, but still furious. He would get Romeo back for making a fool of him like this.
