This page discusses William Shakespeare's play. Regarding the main characters, refer to Romeo and Juliet. See Romeo and Juliet (disambiguation) for other usage.
William Shakespeare wrote the play Romeo and Juliet early in his career, which centers on the romance between two young Italians from rival families. Shakespeare's play was one of the most well-liked during his lifetime and is one of the most performed, along with Hamlet. The title characters are considered to be classic youthful lovers today.
Romeo and Juliet is a part of an ancient lineage of tragic love stories. The story is based on an Italian story by Matteo Bandello, which Arthur Brooke translated into poetry in 1562 and William Painter retells in prose in 1567 as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet. Shakespeare significantly incorporated elements from both, but he also added new characters to the story, most notably Mercutio and Paris. The drama, which is thought to have been composed between 1591 and 1595, was initially released in 1597 in quarto form. However, the first quarto version's text was of low quality, and subsequent editions improved it to more nearly resemble Shakespeare's original
Shakespeare's use of poetic dramatic structure has been hailed as an early indication of his dramatic genius. This includes effects like the story's embellishment through multiple subplots and the dramatic tension created by alternating between tragedy and comedy. The drama assigns several poetic forms to various characters, occasionally altering the form as the character grows. Throughout the play, Romeo, for instance, becomes increasingly skilled at the sonnet.
Numerous theatrical, movie, musical, and opera adaptations of Romeo and Juliet have been produced. William Davenant brought it back to life and made significant revisions during the English Restoration. The 18th-century adaptation by David Garrick similarly altered a few scenes, eliminating content deemed inappropriate at the time. Georg Benda's Romeo und Julie also utilized a happy ending and cut out a significant amount of action. 19th-century performances, such as Charlotte Cushman's, restored the original text and put more of an emphasis on reality. Shakespeare's play was remarkably faithful to John Gielgud 1935 adaptation, which also benefited from Elizabethan staging and costumes to heighten the drama. The play has been filmed in a variety of ways in the 20th and 21st centuries, including George Cukor 1936 Romeo and Juliet and Franco Zeffirelli Romeo and Juliet.
A long-standing feud between two influential families explodes in violence. By barging into a Capulet party, a group of disguised Montagues puts the party at risk of more conflict. Romeo Montague, a young and infatuated man, falls in love with Juliet Capulet right away. Juliet is about to wed the man of her father's choosing, the County Paris. The women set up the wedding for the following day with the aid of Juliet's nurse; however, Romeo is exiled after killing Tybalt, Juliet's own cousin, when intervening in a street fight. Following the Friar's scheme and pretending to die, Juliet makes a valiant effort to get back together with Romeo. Romeo doesn't receive the message, and after concluding that Juliet is dead, he commits suicide in her tomb. When Juliet awakens, she discovers
