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{{dablink|For other meanings see [[Romeo (disambiguation)]] and [[Juliet (disambiguation)]].}}
'''Allentown Central Catholic High School''' is a [[parochial school]] located at 301 North Fourth Street in [[Allentown, Pennsylvania|Allentown]], [[Pennsylvania]], in the [[United States]]. It predominantly serves students from the [[Lehigh Valley]] region of the state.
As of 2006, the school's total enrollment is 934 students, with a nearly equal number of female and male students. The school competes athletically in the [[Lehigh Valley Conference]] in District XI of the [[Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association]]. It plays its home [[American football|football]] and some of its [[soccer]] games at [[J. Birney Crum Stadium]], a 15,000 capacity stadium in the city.
'''''The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie of Romeo and Juliet''''', commonly referred to as '''''Romeo and Juliet''''', is a [[tragedy]] by [[William Shakespeare]] concerning the fate of two young "[[Star-crossed|star-cross'd]]" (ill-fated) lovers. It is perhaps the most famous of his plays, one of his earliest theatrical triumphs, and is thought to be the most [[archetype|archetypal]] love story in Western history. [[Image:Romeo and juliet title page.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Title page of the Second Quarto (published 1599)]]
==School accomplishments==
==Performance and Publication==
No specific performances are recorded during Shakespeare's era, though the title page of the first printed text states that ''Romeo and Juliet'' was "often played publicly." John Marston's ''Scourge of Villainy'' indicates that the play was performed at the [[Curtain Theatre]] (it won "Curtain plaudits," according to Marston's ''Satire 10'').
===Academic accomplishments===
The first printed edition appeared in [[1597]], a "[[bad quarto]]" printed by John Danter. The superior Q2 followed in [[1599]], published by Cuthbert Burby and printed by Thomas Creede; Q2 contains 800 lines missing from Q1. (Q2 also has an interestingly defective stage direction: it reads "Enter [[William Kempe|Will Kempe]]" instead of "Enter Peter" in IV,v,102.) Q3, a reprint of Q2, followed in [[1609]]; there was also an undated Q4. The play next appeared in print in the [[First Folio]] in [[1623]].
*First place, ''[[Scholastic Scrimmage]]'', 2005 and 2006.
After the theatres re-opened at the [[English Restoration|Restoration]], Sir [[William Davenant]] staged a [[1662]] production in which [[Henry Harris]] played Romeo, [[Thomas Betterton]] was Mercutio, and Betterton's wife [[Mary Saunderson]] played Juliet. [[Thomas Otway]]'s adaptation ''Caius Marius'', one of the more extreme of the Restoration versions of Shakespeare, debuted in [[1679]]. The scene is shifted from Renaissance Verona to ancient Rome; Romeo is Marius, Juliet is Lavinia, the feud is between patricians and plebians; Juliet/Lavina wakes from her potion before Romeo/Marius dies. Somewhat amazingly, Otway's version was a hit, and was acted for the next seventy years. [[Theophilus Cibber]] mounted his own adaptation in [[1744]], followed by [[David Garrick]]'s in [[1748]]. In [[1750]] came the so-called "''Romeo and Juliet'' War," with [[Spranger Barry]] and [[Susannah Maria Arne]] (Mrs. Theophilus Cibber) at [[Royal Opera House|Covent Garden]] versus Garrick and [[Anne Bellamy]] at [[Theatre Royal, Drury Lane|Drury Lane]]. Shakespeare's original returned to the stage in [[1845]] in the United States (with the sisters [[Charlotte Saunders Cushman|Charlotte]] and Susan Cushman as Romeo and Juliet),<ref>[[Charlotte Saunders Cushman]] played Romeo 54 years before [[Sarah Bernhardt]] played Hamlet.</ref> and in [[1847]] in Britain ([[Samuel Phelps]] at [[Sadler's Wells Theatre|Sadler's Wells]]).<ref>F. E. Halliday, ''A Shakespeare Companion 1564-1964,'' Baltimore, Penguin, 1964; pp. 125, 365, 420.</ref>
===Athletic accomplishments===
==Plot==
{{Spoiler}}
The play begins with a 14-line [[prologue]] in the form of a [[Shakespearean sonnet]]. The chorus explains to the audience that the story concerns two noble families of [[Verona]], the Capulets and the Montagues, that have [[feud]]ed for generations. The prologue also explains that the lovers' tragic suicides "[bury] their parents' strife."
Allentown Central Catholic is particularly known for its highly successful girls [[basketball]] team, which has won the Pennsylvania state championship in four of the past five years. The school's Pennsylvania state championships include:
=== Act I ===
*Pennsylvania state champions, boys basketball, 1984, 1986.
[[Image:Romeo_and_Juliet.jpg|thumb|right|275px|Romeo and Juliet statue in [[Central Park]] in [[New York City]].]]The action starts with a street-battle between the two families, started by their servants and put down by the Prince of [[Verona]], Escalus. The Prince declares that the heads of the two families (known simply as "Montague" and "Capulet") will be held personally accountable (with their lives) for any further breach of the peace, and disperses the crowd.
*Pennsylvania state champions, girls basketball, 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004.
*Pennsylvania state champions, football, 1993, 1998.
*Pennsylvania state champions, girls cross country, 2002.
*Pennsylvania state champions, girls volleyball, 2002.
==Notable alumni==
[[Count Paris]], a young nobleman, talks to Capulet about marrying his thirteen-year-old daughter, [[Juliet Capulet|Juliet]]. Capulet demurs, citing the girl's tender age, and invites him to attract the attention of Juliet during a [[Masquerade ball|ball]] that the family is to hold that night. Meanwhile Juliet's mother tries to persuade her young daughter to accept Paris' wooing during their coming ball. Juliet is not inspired by the idea of marrying Paris — in fact, she admits to not really having considered marriage at all. But, being a dutiful daughter, she accedes to her mother's wishes. This scene also introduces Juliet's nurse, the comic relief of the play, who recounts a bawdy anecdote about Juliet at great length and with much repetition.
*[[Michelle Marciniak]], women's basketball coach, [[University of South Carolina]], and former professional basketball player, [[Women's National Basketball Association|WNBA]]'s [[Portland Fire]] and [[Seattle Storm]].
*[[Billy McCaffrey]], former [[college basketball]] shooting guard, [[Duke University]] and [[Vanderbilt University]].
*[[Ed McCaffrey]], former professional football player, [[New York Giants]], [[San Francisco 49ers]] and [[Denver Broncos]].
*[[Tony Stewart (football player)|Tony Stewart]], current professional football player, [[Cincinnati Bengals]].
*[[Christine Taylor]], actress and wife of actor [[Ben Stiller]].
==External links==
In the meantime, Montague and his wife fret to their nephew [[Benvolio]] about their son Romeo, who has long been moping for reasons unknown to them. Benvolio promises Montague that he will try to determine the cause. Benvolio queries Romeo and finds that his melancholy has its roots in his unrequited love for a girl named Rosaline (an [[unseen character]]). Romeo is infatuated but laments that she will not "ope her lap to saint-seducing gold." Perhaps most frustrating to Romeo is the fact that Rosaline "will not be hit with [[Cupid]]'s arrow/ She hath [[Diana (mythology)|Diane]]'s wit". In other words, it's not that she finds Romeo himself objectionable, but that she has foresworn to marry at all (she has vowed not to fall in love, and to die a virgin). Despite the good-natured taunts of his fellows, including the witty nobleman [[Mercutio]] (who gives his well known [[Queen Mab]] speech), Romeo resolves to attend the masquerade at the Capulet house, relying on not being spotted in his costume, in the hopes of meeting up with Rosaline.
*[http://www.acchs.info/ Allentown Central Catholic High School Official Web Site].
*[http://www.highschoolsports.net/defaultcal_300.cfm?school=PA181023819 Allentown Central Catholic athletics schedule and scores] at HighSchoolSports.net.
*[http://www.lviac.net/central.asp Allentown Central Catholic High School Page at Lehigh Valley Conference Official Web Site].
{{High Schools in the Lehigh Valley}}
[[Category:Allentown, Pennsylvania]]
Romeo attends the ball as planned, but falls for Juliet as soon as he sees her and quickly forgets Rosaline. Juliet is instantly taken by Romeo, and the two youths proclaim their love for one another with their "love [[sonnet]]" in which Romeo compares himself to a pilgrim and Juliet to the [[saint]] which is the object of his pilgrimage.
[[Category:Roman Catholic secondary schools in Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:Roman Catholic Diocese of Allentown]]
[[Tybalt]], Juliet's hot-blooded cousin, recognizes Romeo under his disguise and calls for his sword. Capulet, however, speaks kindly of Romeo and, having resolved that his family will not be first to violate the Prince's decree, sternly forbids Tybalt from confronting Romeo. Tybalt stalks off in a huff. Before the ball ends, the Nurse identifies Juliet for Romeo, and (separately) identifies Romeo for Juliet.
===Act II===
Emboldened, Romeo risks his life by remaining on the Capulet estate after the party breaks up, to catch another glimpse of Juliet at her room, and in the famous balcony scene, the two eloquently declare their love for each other. This scene contains arguably the most famous line of Romeo and Juliet, "Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?" spoken by Juliet to the darkness ("wherefore" means "why" — Juliet is lamenting that Romeo is a Montague, and thus her enemy). The young lovers decide to marry without informing their parents, because they would obviously disallow it due to the planned union between Paris and Juliet.
[[Image:Romeo_and_juliet_brown.jpg|thumb|right|275px|''Romeo and Juliet'' by [[Ford Madox Brown]]]]
Juliet sends the nurse to find Romeo. Accompanied by one Peter, who carries her fan, the nurse exchanges some spicy insults with the bawdy Mercutio.
With the help of Juliet's Nurse and the [[Franciscan]] [[Friar Lawrence]] (Friar Laurence), the two are wedded the next day. The Friar performs the ceremony, hoping to bring the two families to peace with each other through their mutual union.
===Act III===
Events take a darker turn. Tybalt, still smarting from the incident at the Capulets' ball, had previously sent a letter to the Montagues challenging Romeo to a duel. Meeting Romeo by happenstance, he attempts to provoke a fight. Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt because they are now kinsmen — although Tybalt doesn't know it, as he doesn't yet know that Romeo has married Juliet. Mercutio, who is also unaware of the marriage, is angered by Tybalt's insolence – and Romeo's seeming indifference – and takes up the challenge himself. In the ensuing swordplay, Romeo attempts to allay Mercutio's anger, momentarily placing his arm around him. By doing so, however, Romeo inadvertently pulls Mercutio into Tybalt's rapier, fatally wounding him. Mercutio dies, wishing "a plague a'both your houses," before he passes. Romeo, in his anger, pursues and slays Tybalt. Although under the Prince of Verona's proclamation Romeo (and Montague and Capulet, as well) would be subject to the death penalty, the Prince instead fines the head of each house, and reduces Romeo's punishment to exile in recognition that Tybalt had killed Mercutio, who had not only been Romeo's friend but a kinsman of the Prince. Romeo flees to [[Mantua]] after attempting to see Juliet one last time.
Just after Romeo leaves Juliet's bedroom unseen, Capulet enters to tell the news to his daughter that he has arranged for her to marry Paris in three days' time, to console her perceived mourning for Tybalt, although it is in fact Romeo's exile that she mourns. Juliet is unwilling to enter this arranged marriage, telling her parents that she will not marry, and when she does, "it shall be Romeo, whom you know I hate." Capulet flies into a rage and threatens to disown her if she refuses the [[marriage]].
===Act IV===
Juliet visits Friar Lawrence and tells him to either find a solution to her problem or she will commit suicide. Friar Lawrence, being a dabbler in herbal medicines and potions, gives Juliet a potion and a plan: the potion will put her into a death-like coma for "two and forty hours" (Act IV. Scene I); she is to take it before her marriage day, and when discovered apparently dead, she will be laid in the family crypt. Meanwhile, the Friar will send a messenger to inform Romeo, so that he can rejoin her when she awakes. The two can then leave for Mantua and live happily ever after. Juliet is at first suspicious of the potion, thinking the Friar may be trying to kill her, but eventually takes it and falls 'asleep'.
===Act V===
[[Image:Johann Heinrich Füssli 060.jpg|right|thumb|Romeo at Juliet's Deathbed, by [[Johann Heinrich Füssli ]]]]
The messenger of Friar Lawrence does not reach Romeo, due to a quarantine. Instead, Romeo learns of Juliet's supposed "death" from his manservant Balthasar. Grief-stricken, he buys strong poison, sometimes held to be [[aconite]], from an Apothecary, returns to Verona in secret, and goes to the crypt, determined to join Juliet in death. There he encounters Paris, who has also come to mourn privately for his lost love. Paris assumes that Romeo has come to defile the Capulets' crypt and challenges him to a duel. Romeo kills Paris, and then drinks the poison after seeing Juliet one last time, exclaiming: ''" O true Apothecary! Thy drugs are quick! Thus with a kiss I die."''
At this point Juliet awakes and, seeing the dead, seeks answers. Friar Lawrence arrives, and tries to convince Juliet to come with him, but she refuses. He is frightened by a noise, and leaves Juliet alone in the crypt. The pain and shock of Romeo's death is too much for Juliet, and she stabs herself with his dagger. The two lovers lie dead together.
The two feuding families (except Lady Montague, who had died of grief over her son's banishment) and the Prince converge upon the tomb and are horrified to find Romeo, Juliet, and Paris all lying dead. Friar Lawrence reveals the love and secret marriage of Romeo and Juliet. The families are reconciled by their children's deaths and agree to end their violent feud, as foretold by the prologue. The play ends with the Prince's elegiac lamentation:
:''A glooming peace this morning with it brings;
:''The sun for sorrow will not show his head.
:''Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things;
:''Some shall be pardon'd, and some punishèd;
:''For never was a story of more woe
:''Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
==Cast of characters==
===Ruling house of Verona===
*'''[[Prince Escalus]]''': Prince of Verona.
*'''[[Count Paris]]''': Kin of Prince Escalus; desires to marry Juliet. Is killed by Romeo at the end of the play.
*'''[[Mercutio]]''': Kinsman of Prince Escalus and friend of Romeo; killed by Tybalt when Romeo interrupts their duel. His name derives from [[Mercury (mythology)|Mercury]].
[[Image:Leighton - Reconciliation watercolor.jpg|thumb|right|''The Reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets'' (1854) by [[Frederic Leighton]]]]
===Capulets===
*'''[[Lord Capulet]]''': Head of the house of Capulet; very wealthy.
*'''[[Lady Capulet]]''': Wife of Lord Capulet; wishes Juliet to marry Paris.
*'''[[Juliet]]''': Thirteen-year-old daughter of the Capulets; loves and marries Romeo.
*'''[[Tybalt]]''': Cousin of Juliet; angry and pugnaceous; killed by Romeo, as vengeance for killing Mercutio. His nickname of ''"the Prince of Cats"'' may refer to the quarrelsome and vicious character of Tybalt the Cat in the fable cycle [[Reynard the Fox]], which would have been well-known to Shakespeare's audience.
====Servants====
*'''Nurse''': Juliet's personal attendant and confidante: assists Juliet in her secret betrothal to Romeo.
*'''Peter''': Capulet servant, assistant of the nurse.
*'''Sampson''': Capulet servant; eager to fight the Montagues.
*'''Gregory''': Capulet servant.
===Montagues===
*'''[[Montague]]''': Head of the house of Montague.
*'''[[Lady Montague]]''': Wife of Lord Montague
*'''[[Romeo]]''': Son of the Montagues; loves and marries Juliet.
*'''[[Benvolio]]''': Cousin of Romeo. His name means "good will".
====Servants====
*'''Abraham''': Montague servant.
*'''Balthasar''': Romeo's personal servant.
===Others===
*'''[[Friar Lawrence]]''': Franciscan friar and Romeo's confidant; he marries Romeo and Juliet. He gives Juliet the sleeping potion that prevents her marriage to Count Paris.
*'''Friar John''': Another friar sent by Friar Lawrence to tell Romeo that Juliet awaits him; fails in this mission.
*'''Apothecary''': Druggist who reluctantly sells Romeo the poison.
==Text of the play==
''Romeo and Juliet'' was published in two distinct [[book size|quarto]] editions prior to the publication of the [[First Folio]] of 1623. These are referred to as Q1 and Q2.
Q1 was published in 1597. Because its text contains numerous differences from the later editions, it is labelled a 'Bad Quarto' composited from actors' memories of their lines, rather than on Shakespeare's manuscript or theatre text. It may have been put together by the actors who had played the roles of Romeo and Paris, since their lines are reasonably complete and uncorrupted in comparison to the rest of the play. Modern people would consider this a "pirate" edition, but the practice was far from unusual at the time.
Q2, a much more complete and reliable text, was first published in 1599, and reprinted in 1609, 1623 and 1637. Its title page describes it as "Newly corrected, augmented and amended". Scholars believe that this text was based on Shakespeare's pre-performance draft, since there are textual oddities such as variable tags for characters and "false starts" for speeches that were presumably struck through by the author but erroneously preserved by the typesetter.
The First Folio text of 1623 seems to be based primarily on the 1609 reprint of Q2, with some clarifications and corrections possibly coming from a theatrical promptbook.
==Commentary==
{{sectOR}}
Like most of Shakespeare's plays, the greater part of ''Romeo and Juliet'' is written in [[iambic pentameter]]. However, the play is also notable for its copious use of [[rhyme|rhymed]] verse, notably in the [[sonnet]] contained in Romeo and Juliet's dialogue in the scene where they first meet. This sonnet figures Romeo as a blushing pilgrim (palmer) praying before an image of [[Mary, Mother of Jesus|the Virgin Mary]], as many people in early-sixteenth-century England did at shrines such as the shrine of [[Our Lady of Walsingham]].[http://www.galbithink.org/sense-s5.htm] Because of its use of rhyme, its extravagant expressions of love, its Italian theme, and its implausible plot, ''Romeo and Juliet'' is considered to belong to Shakespeare's "[[lyric poem|lyrical]] period", along with the similarly poetic plays ''[[A Midsummer Night's Dream]]'' and ''[[Richard II (play)|Richard II]]''.
''Romeo and Juliet'' is one of the earlier works in the Shakespearean canon, and while it is often classified as a [[tragedy]], it does not bear the hallmarks of the 'great tragedies' like [[Hamlet]] and [[Macbeth]]. Some argue that Romeo and Juliet's demise does not stem from their own individual flaws, but from the actions of others or from accidents. Unlike the great tragedies, ''Romeo and Juliet'' is more a tragedy of mistiming and ill fate. Other commentators, such as [[Isaac Asimov]], consider rashness and youth to be the [[tragic flaw]]s of Romeo and Juliet, compounded by the ineffectuality of Friar Lawrence.
In a major change from his source, Shakespeare put the sympathies with the young lovers. [[Matteo Bandello]] described the reasons for the play in his prologue:
<blockquote>
And to this end, good Reader, is this tragical matter written, to describe unto thee a couple of unfortunate lovers, thralling themselves to unhonest desire; neglecting the authority and advice of parents and friends; conferring their principal counsels with drunken gossips and superstitious friars (the naturally fit instruments of unchastity); attempting all adventures of peril for th' attaining of their wished lust; using auricular confession the key of whoredom and treason, for furtherance of their purpose; abusing the honourable name of lawful marriage to cloak the shame of stolen contracts; finally by all means of unhonest life hasting to most unhappy death.
</blockquote>
The legitimacy of marrying without parental consent was in fact fiercely debated at the time. The Catholic Church had, at the [[Council of Trent]], ended centuries of debate by not including parental consent among the requirements for a valid marriage, but Protestant churches did not accept such unions, and in civil law, only England and Spain permitted marriage without parental consent.
==Style and themes==
{{sectOR}}
It has been noted that the plot of ''Romeo and Juliet'' is more that of a [[farce]] or [[comedy of errors]] than a tragedy, except that it lacks the vital last-minute save and that the main characters die at the end instead of "living happily ever after." In fact, it is crucial to an understanding of the play as a whole to compare it to traditional comedies of its day, such as ''Much Ado About Nothing'', in that most of the characters, especially Romeo and Mercutio, would be recognized by the audience as comedic. Were it not for the prologue, which explicitly states that the play will end in death, Elizabethan audiences would have thought they were watching a comedy until Act III, Scene i. As a reader or audience member, one should note the differences before and after this critical scene (the intermission is often put at the end of III.i., which unfortunately robs the play of the excruciating contrast between Act III, Scene i and Act III, Scene ii). Shakespeare often experiments with dramatic convention in this way - ''Romeo and Juliet'' could be called a "tragic comedy", just as many of the romances do not fit easily into conventional ideas about drama.
While a long-running feud is ended, although at the price of not only the two lovers' lives but those of an entire generation: Romeo, Mercutio, Tybalt, Juliet, Paris. The problem with this argument is that one must wonder how remorseful the families truly are. Throughout the play, Montague, Capulet, and the Prince speak of punishment in monetary terms (remember that the families were fined for Tybalt and Mercutio's deaths). At the end, the competition to see who can build a richer statue of the other's child seems petty, especially by comparison to Romeo and Juliet, who had found a love that does not rely on money.
While on a surface level the play is about love, the underlying theme of ''Romeo and Juliet'' is the fight for power, which results in the death of all the young members of Montagues (except for Benvolio), Capulets and the Prince's House. The play shows a system which imposes its beliefs on the individual, preventing him or her from reaching happiness and leaving death as the only escape.
==Adaptations==
There have been many adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, created for many media.
===Plays===
Other versions of the Romeo and Juliet play have been made, which had the "culture" of where the play was made as the "setting". For instance, a version of the play which had Romeo as a [[Palestinian]] and Juliet as a [[Jew]] in [[Israel]] and the [[Palestinian territories]] was made, which criticizes the [[Israeli-Palestinian conflict]].{{fact}} Similarly, versions have also been devised dealing with [[apartheid]] in [[South Africa]], in which Romeo is black and Juliet is white.
A Native American version called "Kino and Teresa" was first produced in 2005 by Native Voices at the Autry in Los Angeles. Written by James Lujan, the historical play was set in 17th Century Santa Fe, seventeen years after the Pueblo Revolt of 1680 and revolved around the conflict between the Pueblo Indians and Spanish colonists.{{fact}}
An updated version of Romeo and Juliet called [http://homepage.mac.com/christolley/RJR Romeo/Juliet Remixed] (or R0M30/JUL137 R3M1X3D) is set to a [[rave]] dance floor background with a [[kick-boxing]] Juliet and an [[Ecstasy (drug)|Ecstasy]]-taking Romeo. Before the play begins, this interactive show features a choice of [[glowstick]]s (pink if one chooses to be a Montague, yellow if one chooses to be a Capulet,) an escort to a mock dance club called "Club Verona" where "theater"-goers dance and mingle with the cast and other audience members, as well as the chance to cheer on a crew of [[breakdancing]] Montagues or Capulets, and a chance to be on the venue's big screen. Romeo and Juliet communicate via cell phone and [[text messaging]].
===Opera===
The story was converted into the [[opera]] ''[[Roméo et Juliette]]'' by [[Charles Gounod|Charles François Gounod]] in [[1867]] with a [[libretto]] written by [[Jules Barbier]] and [[Michel Carré]].
The Romeo and Juliet story was also the subject of [[Vincenzo Bellini]]'s opera ''[[I Capuleti e i Montecchi]]'', although Bellini and his librettist, [[Felice Romani]], worked from Italian sources, and these were only distantly related to Shakespeare's work.
In 2004 American composer [[Lee Hoiby]] also adapted "Romeo and Juliet" to write an opera, also titled "Romeo and Juliet."
===Ballet===
Several [[ballet]] adaptations of the story have been made, the first written in the 18th century. The best known feature music by [[Sergei Prokofiev]], and a variety of choreographers have used this music. The first version featuring Prokofiev's music was performed in [[1938]]. See: [[Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)]]
===Musical===
The [[Musical theater|musical]] ''[[West Side Story]]'', by [[Leonard Bernstein]] and librettist [[Stephen Sondheim]], also made into a film, is based on ''Romeo and Juliet'', updating the story to mid-[[20th century]] [[New York City]] and the warring families to ethnic gangs.
In 1999, [[Terrence Mann]]'s rock musical ''William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet'', co-written with Jerome Korman, premiered at the Ordway Theatre in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was not a critical success.
''[[Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour]]'', a musical by [[Gérard Presgurvic]], premiered on January 19, 2001 in the Palais de Congrès in Paris, France. By 2005, it had already attracted already some six million people.
The song "[[Exit Music (For a Film)]]" by [[Radiohead]] was made for the [[1996]] movie version (see below) of ''Romeo and Juliet'' and is sung from the point of view of someone waking up his lover and inviting them to join them in escaping from the oppression of their respective families through [[suicide]].
[[Romeo and Juliet (song)|Romeo and Juliet]] is also the name of a song by the British rock band [[Dire Straits]].
English punk/rock group [[Arctic Monkeys]] in their song "[[I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor]]" make reference to being a Montague or Capulet, in trying to signify difference.
The Reflections reached #6 on the pop charts in the summer of [[1964]] with the song "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet".
Also, Disney Channel Original Movie [[High School Musical]] is loosely based on Romeo and Juliet (the main leads are from different groups).
Elton John and Tim Rice's [[Aida|AIDA]] is based on Egypt and Nubia at war, yet an Egyptian (Radames) and a Nubian (Aida) find a way to be together.
===Instrumental music===
Among the instrumental pieces inspired by the play are [[Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky|Tchaikovsky]]'s ''[[Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)|Romeo and Juliet, Overture-Fantasy]]'' and [[Hector Berlioz]]'s [[Romeo et Juliette (symphony)|Roméo et Juliette "Symphonie dramatique"]], although the latter does have substantial vocal parts. Prokofiev also created three orchestra suites and a piano suite, [[Romeo and Juliet (Prokofiev)|Romeo and Juliet: Ten Pieces for Piano]], based on the music from his ballet.
===Film versions===
:''See also [[Shakespeare on screen#Romeo and Juliet|Shakespeare on screen (Romeo and Juliet)]]
There have been over forty movie versions of the tale, with the first made in [[France]] in [[1900]]. Some of the more notable adaptations include:
;1908 - ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1908 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'', a [[silent film]] made by [[Vitagraph Studios]].
:The first [[United States|American]] production, it was directed by [[J. Stuart Blackton]], the film starred [[Paul Panzer]] as Romeo and [[Florence Lawrence]] as Juliet.
;1936 - ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1936 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'', produced by [[Irving Thalberg]] and directed by [[George Cukor]]
:The 1936 screen version was one of the more notable of [[Classical Hollywood cinema|Classical Hollywood]]. Thalberg spared no expense, and showcased his wife, [[Norma Shearer]], in the lead role. Romeo was played by [[Leslie Howard (actor)|Leslie Howard]], [[John Barrymore]] was Mercutio, and [[Andy Devine]] was Peter, the servant to Juliet's nurse. However, the film was criticized because Howard and Shearer were both considerably older than the scripted roles.
:[[Academy Awards]] nominations:
:*[[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] - [[Irving Thalberg]], producer
:*Best Actor in a Supporting Role - [[Basil Rathbone]] - as Tybalt
:*[[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]] - [[Norma Shearer]]
:*Best Art Direction - [[Cedric Gibbons]], [[Fredric Hope]] and [[Edwin B. Willis]]
;1954 - ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1954 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'' directed by [[Renato Castellani]].
:A notable British/Italian production with a colourful setting. The cast includes [[Laurence Harvey]] as Romeo, [[Susan Shentall]] as Juliet, [[Flora Robson]] as the Nurse and [[Mervyn Johns]] as Friar Laurence.
;1968 - ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'', directed by [[Franco Zeffirelli]]
:Filmed in [[Italy]], the performance of the young [[Olivia Hussey]] as Juliet is a defining feature. It won [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]s for [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|best cinematography]] and [[Academy Award for Costume Design|best costume design]], and was nominated for [[Academy Award for Directing|Best Director]] and [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]]. It also starred [[Leonard Whiting]] as Romeo - he was seen as 'the next big thing' in film at the time, but his career did not match up to expectations.
;1978 - ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1978 movie)|Romeo and Juliet]]'', directed by [[Alvin Rakoff]]
:for the [[BBC Television Shakespeare]] series. This production is generally unregarded due to its inexperienced stars and low production values, although [[Alan Rickman]]'s Tybalt is notable.
;1983 - ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1983 movie)|Romeo and Juliet]]'', directed by [[William Woodman]]
:This film features an excellent set of costumes. The cast includes [[Alex Hyde-White]], [[Blanche Baker]], [[Esther Rolle]], [[Dan Hamilton]], and [[Frederic Hehne]].
;1996 - ''[[William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet|Romeo + Juliet]]'', directed by [[Baz Luhrmann]]
:Starring [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] and [[Claire Danes]] in the title roles, Luhrmann gave the famous tale a modern setting. The production uses Luhrmann's signature flamboyant color and stylization. Besides the modernization it is notable for significantly tweaking the ending, so that Romeo and Juliet get a final scene alive together.
:At the [[Berlin International Film Festival]] [[1997]], it won:
:* Best Actor (Leonardo DiCaprio)
:* Alfred Bauer Prize
:[[Academy Awards]] [[1996]] nominations:
:* Best Art Direction and Set Decoration ([[Catherine Martin]] and [[Brigitte Broch]])
;1996 - ''[[Tromeo and Juliet]]'', directed by [[Lloyd Kaufman]]
:The [[Troma]] team put their own inimitable spin on the story, setting it in [[Manhattan]] in a [[punk subculture|punk]] milieu. [[Lemmy Kilmister|Lemmy]] from [[Motörhead]] narrates.
;2000 - ''[[Romeo Must Die]]'', directed by [[Andrzej Bartkowiak]]
:With [[Jet Li]] as Han Ling (the Romeo of the story) who is out to avenge his brother's murder. He meets and eventually falls in love with Trish O'Day (the Juliet of the story, played by [[Aaliyah]]) who is the daughter of a rival American mob boss. Apart from the main characters being the son and daughter of bitter rivals, the plot has practically nothing to do with Romeo and Juliet the play.
;2005 - ''[[Romeo & Juliet (2005 H&M advertisement)|Romeo & Juliet]]'' directed by [[David LaChapelle|Dave LaChapelle]]
:Featuring [[Tamyra Gray]] as Juliet, [[Gus Carr]] as Romeo, and [[Mary J. Blige]], this is a 10-minute promotional advertisement for the [[H&M]] clothing company. Released in September 2005, this commercial was shown online ([http://www.hm.com/corporate/inspiration/campaigns/denim/index.jsp?clang=us&version=2005-44b H&M website]) and during the trailers of certain theatrical films, and featured the new "&denim" selection. In this musical remake which features background music provided by [[Tamyra Gray]] and [[Mary J. Blige]] (both songs are from the musical ''[[Dreamgirls]]''), Romeo is gunned down in a [[drive-by shooting]] and Juliet sings over his body while he bleeds to death on the street. Due to complaints that the commercial glamorized gang violence and was [[H&M|H&M's]] attempt to use [[gun culture]] to sell their jeans to teenagers, H&M subsequently withdrew the ad from Canadian & U.S. markets and issued an apology.
;2006 - ''[[Romeo & Juliet (2006 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]'', directed by Yves Desgagnés.
:This is a Canadian, [[québecois]] adaptation. The two principal roles are played by the newly discovered actors Thomas Lalonde and Charlotte Aubin, whose were both chosen during auditions. It is due for release on 15 December 2006.
The film ''[[West Side Story]]'' set in 1960s [[New York City]] was loosely based on the story of Romeo and Juliet, with the Montagues becoming the Jets and the Capulets becoming the Sharks.
The film ''[[Shakespeare in Love]]'' is a fictional account of how Shakespeare writes the play against the clock inspired by his love for a noble woman. The movie also describes the start of ''[[Twelfth Night]],'' inspired by the same woman's ultimate fate.
==Trivia==
{{cleanup-laundry}}
* The 1956 song ''[[Fever (1956 song)|Fever]]'' contains the lyrics "Romeo loved Juliet/Juliet, she felt the same/When he put his arms around her/He said, "Julie baby, you're my flame."
* The documentary ''[[Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo]]'' detailed a starcrossed romance that met a tragic end during the [[Siege of Sarajevo]] in the former [[Yugoslavia]].
* ''Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo'' is also the name of a song from [[Eric Bogle]]'s 1997 album Small Miracles, presumably inspired by the above documentary.
* The [[disco]] group Festival had a minor hit with a song called "Romeo and Juliet" which used as its lyrics the text of the prologue.
* [[Arctic Monkeys]]' song '[[I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor]] contains the lyrics 'Oh there ain't no love no, Montagues or Capulets/Just banging tunes in DJ sets'
* [[Madonna (entertainer)|Madonna's]] [[1989]] album [[Like A Prayer]]'s third single, [[Cherish (Madonna song)|Cherish]], a song about appreciation towards a lover, has a line that says "Romeo and Juliet, they never felt this way, I bet."
* [[Dire Straits]]' [[1980]] album ''[[Making Movies]]'' had a popular song "[[Romeo and Juliet (song)|Romeo and Juliet]]", in which the singer looks back on a failed relationship. It was inspired by [[Mark Knopfler]]'s broken romance with [[Holly Vincent]]. [[The Indigo Girls]] covered this song on their album ''[[Rites of Passage (album)|Rites of Passage]]''.
* The album ''Romeo Unchained'' by [[Tonio K]] includes a song called "Romeo Loves [[Jane Porter (Tarzan)|Jane]]", describing a romance between well-known fictional characters (perhaps as a satire of celebrity relationships). Another song, "Impressed", includes Romeo and Juliet in a long list of what the singer considers bad examples of how love should work.
* The [[Lou Reed]] song, "Romeo had Juliette" was included on the 1989 album ''New York''.
* The [[2003]] musical remake of ''[[Reefer Madness (musical)|Reefer Madness]]'' featured a song "Romeo and Juliet" in which a pair of young lovers compare themselves to Romeo and Juliet, having only read the first half of the play, and mistakenly assume the ending to be happy.
* The [[Radiohead]] song "[[Exit Music (For a Film)]]" was written for the closing credits of the Baz Luhrmann version. The lyrics describe a Romeo-like character entreating his sleeping lover to run away, inspired by Act III.
*[[The Delta Goodrem]] song "[[I Don't Care]]" contains the lyrics "they tried to keep Romeo and Juliet apart..."
* The [[Blue Öyster Cult]] song "[[(Don't Fear) The Reaper]]" mentions Romeo and Juliet as being "Together in eternity".
* The song ''Ampersand'' by [[The Dresden Dolls]], in which the singer rebuffs her former lover, features the lines "and I may be romantic, and I may risk my life for it/but I ain't gonna die for you/you know I ain't no Juliet."
* The [[Big Audio Dynamite]] [[1985]] album ''[[This is Big Audio Dynamite]]'' has in the song "The Bottom Line" a reference to Romeo (as well as a reference to the famous soliloquy in ''Hamlet'').
*The [[Ash (band)|Ash]] song "Starcrossed" is a reference to Romeo and Juliet.
* The [[Bob Dylan]] song [["Desolation Row"]], from the 1965 album ''[[Highway 61 Revisited]]'', contains the lyric "And in comes Romeo, he's moaning..."
* The game ''[[The Sims 2]]'' includes a neighborhod, Veronaville (a parody of Verona) in which two characters named Romeo Monty and Juliette Capp fall in love. The neighborhood's story is a parody of the play itself, including the feud between the Monty (Montague) and the Capp (Capulet) families.
* A book details the inter-racial difficulties of a teen-age couple and their community'' controversies, entitled "Romiette and Julio", by Sharon M. Draper.
* In the card game [[Magic: The Gathering]], a card called [[Dark Banishing]] displays a quote from Romeo and Juliet:
::''Ha, banishment? Be merciful, say 'death,'''
::''For exile hath more terror in his look,''
::''Much more than death.''
* The American band The Reflections reference the play in their song called "(Just Like) Romeo & Juliet" which has been covered by [[Sha Na Na]] and the Australian band [[Mental As Anything]].
* Two [[cigar]] brands exist that bear the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] version of the play's title, [[Romeo y Julieta (cigar brand)|Romeo y Julieta]].
* The Konami game ''[[Silent Hill 3]]'' contains a puzzle with excerpts from five tragedies, including ''Romeo and Juliet''. The player must identify which tragedy each quote is from and thereby arrange books in a particular order.
*[[HIM (band)|HIM]] frontman [[Ville Valo]] has stated their song "Join Me in Death" was inspired by ''Romeo and Juliet''.
*The [[Bon Jovi]] song "I'd Die For You" contains the lyrics "In a world that don't know Romeo and Juliet".
* Immediately following the end credits in certain episodes of ''[[Tiny Toon Adventures]]'', [[Plucky Duck]] would say "Parting is such sweet sorrow!"
*The band [[Genesis]] uses the names Romeo and Juliet for characters in the song 'The Cinema Show' from their album [[Selling England by the Pound]]
*John "the Savage" quotes ''Romeo and Juliet'' to Helmholtz Watson in Aldous Huxley's famous novel ''[[Brave New World]]''.
* Danish musician Sebastian has a song on the album Dejavu, entitled Romeo. The first line goes (translated from Danish): "There's something about this scene reminding me of Romeo and Juliet."
*The [[My Chemical Romance]] song The Sharpest Lives mentions Romeo and Juliet, in the second verse; "...Juliet loves the beat and the lust it commands / Drop the dagger and lather the blood on your hands, Romeo."
*The controversial German/Italian 1977 film [[Maladolescenza]] ; about a [[menage a trois]] between a teenage boy and two preteen girls , the youngest girl falling in love with the male teen; [[murder-suicide|ends with the boy killing the youngest girl and the boy commiting suicide later]]. Like in Romeo and Juliet (But Romeo kills himself first ; and later Juliet kills herself).
==Origins and Sources==
A common misconception is that the plot of ''Romeo and Juliet'' was invented by Shakespeare. In fact, his play is a dramatisation of [[Arthur Brooke]]'s narrative poem ''[[The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet]]'' ([[1562]]). Shakespeare followed Brooke's poem fairly closely but enriched its texture by adding extra detail to both major and minor characters, in particular the Nurse and [[Mercutio]].
Brooke's poem was not original either, being a translation and adaptation of [[Giuletta e Romeo]], by [[Matteo Bandello]], included in his ''Novelle'' of [[1554]]. This was in turn an adaptation of [[Luigi da Porto]]'s [[Giulietta e Romeo]], included in his [[Istoria novellamente ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti]] (c. [[1530]]). This is the version that gave the story much of its modern form, including the names of the lovers, the rival families of [[Montecchi]] and [[Capuleti]], and the ___location in [[Verona]], in the [[Veneto]].
However, the earliest-known version of the tale is the [[1476]] story of Mariotto and Gianozza of [[Siena]] by [[Masuccio Salernitano]], in [[Il Novelino]] (Novella XXXIII).
Bandello's story was the most famous and was translated into French (and into English by Brooke). It was also adapted by Italian theatrical troupes, some of whom performed in London at the time that Shakespeare was writing his plays. One such performance or script could have inspired Shakespeare's version of ''Romeo and Juliet''.
This story of ill-fated lovers had obvious parallels with similar tales told throughout history, including those of [[Hero and Leander]], [[Pyramus and Thisbe]], [[Floris and Blanchefleur]], [[Troilus and Cressida]], [[Antony and Cleopatra]], [[Layla and Majnun]], [[Tristan and Iseult]], [[Chosroes and Shirin|Shirin and Farhad]] and [[Hagbard and Signy]]. Shakespeare was familiar with these stories, some of which were included in his other plays. The tale of Pyramus and Thisbe appears in comic mode in [[A Midsummer Night's Dream]], while the Trojan War lovers, Troilus and Cressida, were given a history play of their own.
==References==
<references/>
==External links==
{{wikisourcepar|The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet}}
{{wikiquote}}
{{wikibooks|William Shakespeare's Works|Tragedies/Romeo and Juliet|Romeo and Juliet}}
*[http://www-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/romeo_juliet/] - Entire text of the play
*[http://www.gutenberg.net/etext/1112 Romeo and Juliet] - plain vanilla text from [[Project Gutenberg]]
*[http://librivox.org/romeo-and-juliet-by-william-shakespeare/ Romeo and Juliet] - Free downloadable audio reading of the play from [[LibriVox]]
*[http://wikisummaries.org/Romeo_and_Juliet Romeo and Juliet summary] - Free wiki of scene summaries, character profiles and study questions.
*[http://the-tech.mit.edu/Shakespeare/romeo_juliet/full.html Romeo and Juliet] - HTML version at MIT
*[http://www.italicon.it/index.asp?codpage=risorse01&lettera=M&autore=34&titolo=51&npag=tx37 ''Il Novellino, Novella XXXIII'', by Masuccio Salernitano] - The electronic text in Italian of the original story (requires free registration)
*[http://www.webcom.com/pweller/romeo/broke/BrookeIndex.html Arthur Brooke's ''Romeus and Juliet'']
*[http://www.dramaticpublishing.com/AuthorsCornerDet.cfm?titlelink=9731&artnumber=1 A history of the Italian sources of ''Romeo and Juliet'']
*[http://www.amrep.org/articles/4_3a/romeus.html Essay: ''How Romeus Became Romeo''] Comparing Brooke's work with Shakespeare's
*[http://www.slashdoc.com/tag/romeo_and_juliet.html Slashdoc : Romeo and Juliet] - Scholarly essays on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet
*[http://www.operaworld.com/belcanto/capsrome.shtml The history of the story] at OperaWorld.com
*[http://www.theatrehistory.com/british/romeoandjuliet001.html Analysis of Romeo and Juliet] at Theatrehistory.com
{{Shakespeare}}
[[Category:1595 plays]]
[[Category:English Renaissance plays]]
[[Category:Shakespearean tragedies]]
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