Romeo & Juliet: The Star-Cross'd Lovers

When you think of famous couples/lovers, probably the first you think of is Romeo & Juliet, in the famous play by Shakespeare of the same name. So here is the info behind the image everyone has imprinted into their minds, and you can look at the lovely picture of the couple ala some artist I can't recall at the moment:

Juliet's family, the Capulets, hate Romeo's family, the Montagues. Both are wealthy families in Verona. Count Paris, a wealthy man high in society, loves Juliet and wishes to marry her. Lord Capulet, Juliet's father, tells him to come to the masquerade ball they are throwing. Juliet's mother Lady Capulet urges her young daughter to accept Paris's proposal, but Juliet says she will not unless she feels she loves him. Meanwhile, Romeo is in love with a girl named Rosaline, who doesn't love him back. His cousin, Benvolio, tells him to attend the Capulets' ball that night and Romeo goes in hopes of seeing Rosaline there.

However, once at the ball the two fall in love. However, they discover their families hate oneanother, they go and meet on Juliet's balcony in the scene everyone knows. They vow to marry oneanother. The Friar Lawerance believes their union will unite the families, and the two are married secretly. Then Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, challenges Romeo to a duel. Romeo refuses to fight, but his friend, Mercutio, is angry and fights with Tybalt, and is fatally wonunded and dies. Romeo is then livid and kills Tybalt.

When Verona and the Prince Escalus hears of the murder, he exiles Romeo. Juliet's parents tell her she must marry Count Paris in three days' time, or they will disown her. Desperate for help, she confides in Friar Lawerance, who gives her a drug that will put in her in a coma, so she'll appear dead, be buried in the family crypt, and then when she awakes the friar will take her to Romeo. Juliet takes the drug and the friar sends a messanger to tell Romeo of his plan. But, sadly, the messanger never reaches Romeo, and Romeo hears of Juliet's death via a servant. He is grief-stricken and buys poison from a apothecary, and goes to the Capulet tombs. There he encounters Count Paris, who believes Romeo is a vandal, fights him, and is killed. Romeo then takes the poison, and, saying his final words to Juliet, who is still in a coma, commits sucide. Then Juliet awakes, and Friar Lawerance finds her in the crypt, with Romeo's dead body. Her urges her to leave, but she stabs herself with Romeo's dagger.

When the families find their beloved dead, they are upset and Friar Lawerance tells them of the two lovers. Lord Montague says his wife has died of grief. The families are reconciled through their children's deaths and each family decides to erect statues of the other's child, with the Capulets' building one of Romeo and the Montagues one of Juliet.