ROMEO AND JULIET
“Don't waste your love on somebody, who doesn't value it.”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
“For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”
― William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
In William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a long feud between the Montague and Capulet families disrupts the city of Verona and causes tragic results for Romeo and Juliet. Revenge, love, and a secret marriage force the young star-crossed lovers to grow up quickly and fate causes them to commit suicide in despair. Contrast and conflict are running themes throughout Shakespeare's plays, Romeo and Juliet is also one of the Shakespeare's most popular romantic tragedies.
The first performance of Romeo and Juliet took place in the autumn/winter of 1594, when the playhouses (globe theatre) reopened for the first time after a sustained outbreak of the plague had forced the authorities to close all the playhouses in London in January 1593. The first performance of the play was at the playhouse called the Globe Theatre where Shakespeare and his company the Lord Chamberlain's Men were based until 1597. The Theatre was the first purpose-built playhouse in London and could hold over 1,500 people. It was a large, octagonal-shaped building with a thatched roof just around the perimeter so that the yard below was open air. Most of the audience, referred to as groundings, paid a penny to stand in the yard surrounding the stage. Wealthier playgoers preferred to pay an extra penny to sit in one of the galleries so that they could watch the play in comfort and more importantly, be seen by the rest of the audience.
The first performance of Romeo and Juliet took place in the autumn/winter of 1594, when the playhouses (globe theatre) reopened for the first time after a sustained outbreak of the plague had forced the authorities to close all the playhouses in London in January 1593. The first performance of the play was at the playhouse called the Globe Theatre where Shakespeare and his company the Lord Chamberlain's Men were based until 1597. The Theatre was the first purpose-built playhouse in London and could hold over 1,500 people. It was a large, octagonal-shaped building with a thatched roof just around the perimeter so that the yard below was open air. Most of the audience, referred to as groundings, paid a penny to stand in the yard surrounding the stage. Wealthier playgoers preferred to pay an extra penny to sit in one of the galleries so that they could watch the play in comfort and more importantly, be seen by the rest of the audience.
