Romeo And Juliet

Product Description

The greatest love story in English William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet is a play of star-crossed lovers who take a valiant stand against social convention with tragic consequences This Penguin Shakespeare edition is edited with notes by TJB Spencer & an introduction by Adrian Poole' What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet' The city of Verona torn apart by the violent feud between the families of Montague & Capulet is a powder keg waiting to explode; the Prince of Verona seeking to restore order has declared any breach of the peace punishable by death But for the young Montague Romeo & his lover the Capulet Juliet the enmity of their families is immaterial Meeting in secret the two lovers gradually spiral towards disaster as their respective families edge closer towards open warfare A play that has inspired films as diverse as Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story & Baz Luhrmann's Romeo Juliet Romeo & Juliet is a dazzling combination of passion & hatred bawdy comedy & high tragedy This book contains a general introduction to Shakespeare's life & Elizabethan theatre a separate introduction to Romeo & Juliet a chronology suggestions for further reading an essay discussing performance options on both stage & screen & a commentary William Shakespeare (1564-1616) was born to John Shakespeare & Mary Arden some time in late April 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon He wrote some of the most exceptional works of drama ever produced including Romeo & Juliet (1595) Henry V (1599) Hamlet (1601) Othello (1604) King Lear (1606) & Macbeth (1606) as well as a collection of 154 sonnets which number among the most profound & influential love-poetry in English If you enjoyed Romeo & Juliet you might like A Midsummer Night's Dream also available in Penguin Shakespeare' Romeo was your first rebel without a cause ' Baz Luhrmann director of Romeo Juliet