The play begins with a street fight between Montague and Capulet. The Prince of Verona intervenes and declares that a further violation of the peace will be punishable by death. Later, Count Parigi speaks to Lord Capulet about the possibility of marrying his daughter, but Capulet is wary of the request because Juliet is still only thirteen. Capulet asks Paris to wait two more years and invites him to attend a scheduled Capulet ball. Lady Capulet and Juliet's nurse try to persuade Juliet to accept Paris' courtship. After the fight, Benvolio talks to his cousin Romeo, son of Lord Montague, about Romeo's recent depression. Benvolio discovers that it stems from unrequited love for a girl named Rosaline, one of Lord Capulet's nieces. Persuaded by Benvolio and Mercutio, Romeo attends the ball at the Capulet house in the hope of meeting Rosaline. Romeo, however, meets and falls in love with Juliet. After the ball, in what is now called the "balcony scene", Romeo sneaks into the Capulets' courtyard and hears Juliet on her balcony swearing her love for him despite her family's hatred of the Montagues. Romeo makes himself known to her and they decide to get married. With the help of Friar Laurence, who hopes to reconcile the two families through the union of their children, they secretly marry the next day. Juliet's cousin Tybalt, offended that Romeo has snuck into the Capulets' ball, challenges him to a duel. Romeo, now considering Tybalt his kinsman, refuses to fight him. Mercutio is angered by Tybalt's insolence, as well as Romeo's "cowardly submission", and agrees to the duel on Romeo's behalf. Mercutio is mortally wounded and Romeo, angered by the death of his friend, chases and kills Tybalt. The prince exiles Romeo from Verona for the murder. He also adds that if Romeo returns, "that hour will be his last." Lord Capulet, misreading Juliet's grief, agrees to marry her to Count Paris and threatens to disown her when she refuses to become Paris's "joyful bride". When she then begs for the wedding to be delayed, her mother rejects her. Romeo secretly spends the night in Juliet's room, where they consummate their marriage. Juliet visits Friar Laurence for help, and he offers her a drug that will put her in a life-threatening coma for "forty-two hours." The Friar promises to send a messenger to inform Romeo of the plan, so that he can reach her when she wakes. The night before the wedding she takes the drug and, when she is discovered apparently dead, she is placed in the family crypt.