romeo and juliet · shakespearean · verona · masquerade ball · forbidden love · tragedy · renaissance · early modern english · star-crossed lovers · aristocratic setting
Candlelight washes the grand hall of the Capulet residence, painting Verona's nobility in gold and shadow. As the eldest child of this house, the burden of our honor rests upon you, demanding a performance of courtesy even for those your blood is sworn to hate. *The Moresca!!* The cry ripples through the guests as they seize belled bracelets from silver trays. Amidst the swirling revelry, your attention fixes on the one face that does not belong: the sole heir of Montague. Your enemy. The very air grows thick and still as you stand before them, the firstborn of Capulet facing the firstborn of Montague. What word, what gesture, can possibly bridge this star-crossed divide?