Romeo and Juliette is a tragedy of William Shakespeare which takes its source in an Italian tale written by Masuccio Salernitano (Masuccio of Salerno) taken again by Luigi Da Oporto.

The part was represented for the first time in public the January 29th 1595.

The action proceeds with Vérone (in Italy of north). She tells the history of Romeo Montaigu ( Romeo Montecchi ) and of Juliette Capulet ( Giulietta Capuleti ), two young people who live a tragic love because of the enmity which opposes their two houses.

Intrigue

Act first

The competition which opposes Capulet and Montaigu ensanglante the town of Vérone to the great displeasure of prince Escalus. Only Romeo, heir to Montaigu, worried by his unhappy love affair for cold Rosaline, keeps away from these quarrels. For the dérider, his/her Benvolio friends and Mercutio persuade it to invite incognito with the festival which the Capulet old man impulsively decides to give in the honor of his daughter, Juliette; this one will be able to become acquainted there with the count Pâris whom his parents intend to him like husband.

The evening opens by a ball where Romeo, dazzled, sees Juliette and forgets Rosaline instantaneously. He does not think any more but of Juliette, who tests the same feelings. Two young people are overpowered when they discover that each one loves its worst enemy.

Act II

Romeo between during the night at Capulet and tries to see Juliette. When it appears with its balcony, he declares his passion to him. Juliette makes in the same way, but the propriety of the time prevents them from going further.

Romeo consults his confessor, the franciscain Laurent brother. This last deplores the inconstancy of Romeo but promises to arrange his marriage with Juliette in the hope to reconcile Capulet and Montaigu.

The following day, Romeo makes say to Juliette whom it takes pretext of confess to go in the Laurent brother, who will celebrate their marriage; this one will remain secret and Juliette will prepare a scale so that it can join it in its room the following night. The plan is carried out as envisaged.

Act III

From now on husband of Juliette, Romeo refuses to fight against his Tybalt cousin who insults it. Mercutio then takes its place and Romeo, while interposing, is involuntarily responsible for the wound which kills his/her friend. Despaired, it kills Tybalt returned the narguer. The prince then decides to banish Romeo: “And, for this offense, we exile it at once”.

Juliette, torn between mourning and the love, succeeds in spending one wedding night with Romeo before it takes the way of the exile with Mantoue. But his/her parents decided to hasten his union with the count Pâris. Not daring to acknowledge the truth, it will beseech the assistance of the Laurent brother.

Act IV

The Laurent Brother then proposes with to take a potion which will give him the appearance of death. It will be deposited in the vault of Capulet from where Romeo, warned by a letter, will come to make it leave.

The morning, the nurse discovers inanimate Juliette and all deplore. Funerals proceed according to the plan of the Laurent brother.

Act V

An epidemic of plague prevents the messenger of the Laurent brother from carrying his letter to Romeo, and only the news of false died of Juliette comes from until him. It returns in Vérone determined to die on the tomb of his young wife. It is there that it crosses the count Pâris, who causes it in duel and is made kill. Romeo enters the crypt, bids his farewell with Juliette before swallowing a flask of poison. The Laurent brother discovers horrified his lifeless body. Juliette awakes and understanding that Romeo died, the last kiss gives him before being thrown on its scraping-knife.

Prince Escalus, Lord Montaigu whose woman died of sorrow during the night, and the two Capulet husbands find themselves in the cemetery. Frère Laurent then tells them the true story of the two lovers; he has as a proof a letter that Romeo wrote before going to see Juliette with the cemetery. The two fathers reconcile themselves and state to want to raise a statue with the memory of their children.

Sources

The history is inspired partially of the myth by Pyrame and Thisbé , in particular told by Ovide in the Metamorphoses . But Shakespeare had more recent sources: The Tragical History off Romeus and Juliet , written in 1562 by certain Arthur Brooke or history of Romeo and Juliette in the collection of news of William Painter, The De luxe hotel off Pleasure .

In fact the name of the two rival families appears as of XIVè century in the Divine comedy of Dante (Purgatory, VI, 105), but only Montaigu are of Vérone. Capulet are of Brescia and the competition between the two houses falls under the conflict between Guelfes and gibelins without it being mentioned any history of love.

A first outline of the intrigue appears in 1476 in the news Mariotto and Ganozza of Masuccio Salernitano, whose action proceeds with His, in an environment much less dark than the drama shakespearien. But it is in Luigi da Oporto that one must in 1530 the modern form of the intrigue. Oporto transposes the action in Vérone the years 1301-1304, under the reign of Bartolomeo della Scala (which will become Escalus at Shakespeare). It is the version which one finds in the news of Matteo Bandello in 1554.

The news of Bandello was translated into French by Pierre Boaistuau (1559), and it is this version which was translated into English, in prose by William Painter in the Palace off Pleasure (1567) after having been it in worms in The Tragicall Historye off Romeus and Juliet (1562) of Arthur Brooke.

Go back to composition

In the absence of files and Shakespeare not having signed any published plays of alive sound (contrary to the poems, Venus and Adonis or Lucrèce for example), it is sometimes delicate to go back exactly the drafting to its dramatic works. One does not know exactly when he wrote Romeo and Juliette . The nurse evokes an earthquake which would have taken place eleven years before, but a jolt struck England in 1580, which would make it possible to go back this precise passage to 1591 if allusion is exact. But the stylistic resemblances between the part and Dream the one night of summer (which puts in scene a burlesque representation of Pyrame and Thisbée ), as well as the documents attesting of the existence of representations (the part having acquired a great popularity in 1595) seem to indicate that its drafting ranged between 1595 and 1596. An assumption rather commonly allowed is that Shakespeare would have outlined the first grinding of the part in 1591 qu ' it would have altered between 1595 and 1596.

Adaptations

This history will know many adaptations, in particular for the opera, the Ballet, and the Cinéma.

Music

Operas

Dance

  • 1990 on music of Prokofiev 1935: Romeo and Juliette choreography Angelin Preljocaj

Musical comedies

Films

  • 1908 : Romeo & Juliette

  • 1954 : Romeo & Juliette

  • 1978 : Romeo & Juliette

  • 1983 : Romeo & Juliette

  • 1996 : Tromeo & Juliet , of Lloyd Kaufman

  • 2005 : Romeo & Juliette

Televised series

  • 1982 : Romeo & Juliette (1982)
  • 1994: Romeo & Juliette (1994)
  • 2002: Romeo & Juliette (2002)
  • 2007: Romeo X Juliet (2007)

See too

Internal bonds

External bonds

  • '' Shakespeare one Passions '': Video conference of Rene Girard on Romeo and Juliette
  • Romeo and Juliet Audiobook

Random links:Franz Islacker | François Gautier | Adedayo Adebayo | The Files Goscinny, Volume I | Ramón Gómez of Serna

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