what happened at the ball

's
friends,and , are worried because Romeo is so lovesick, pining for a young woman, Rosaline, who
doesn't return his love. They therefore urge him to go with them to the Capulet masquerade ball,
which they are crashing in disguise, in the hopes he will meet another girl.

Romeo unwillingly agrees to go. He insists it's not a good idea because he had a bad
dream about it, and also, more importantly, because there could never possibly ever be another
girl he could love better than Rosaline.

Of course, the minute Romeo arrives
at the ball and lays eyes on , not even knowing who she is, he falls head over heels in love
with her beauty. She shines out like a radiant jewel against every other person in the room.
Rosaline is instantly forgotten.

If this were a comedy, we might laugh at the
Romeo's lightning change of allegiance. As it happens, he and Juliet dance and feel a deep,
passionate connection with one another. The ball did what his friends had hoped, causing Romeo
to forget Rosaline. However, neither of his friends know that Romeo has found a new love
interest nor the extent to which he is deeply in love with her.