Performed all over the world, and constantly adapted and reinterpreted in a variety of mediums, Shakespeare's 1597 tale about the doomed "star-crossed lovers" from enemy families whose tumultuous affair ends in tragedy is one of his best known and most beloved plays. The story of the feuding Montague and Capulet families features the famous balcony scene where the lovers first realize their mutual affection, setting off a series of duels, secret plots, and misunderstandings that eventually leads to one of the most tragic death scenes in all of theater.