Book details
Romeo and Juliet
by William Shakespeare
1590 · Washington Square Press
About the book
Set in the Italian city of Verona, this dramatic tragedy follows the lethal animosity between two noble houses, the Montagues and the Capulets. When Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall in love at a masked ball, they choose to marry in secret, aided by a sympathetic friar. Their brief union triggers a chain of violent events, including a fatal street duel and a sentence of exile. Through a series of mismanaged messages and impulsive decisions, both protagonists commit suicide in a tomb, ending the blood feud between their grieving parents.
Readers of classic drama and historical fiction turn to this work to observe the intersection of social obligation and private desire. Those interested in the technical aspects of Elizabethan poetry find a dense collection of sonnets and blank verse. The text provides a study of how ancient family grievances can override individual safety and logical choice. Readers walk away with a specific understanding of how timing and chance dictate the outcome of high-stakes human conflict.
Details
- Published
- 1590
- Publisher
- Washington Square Press
- ISBN
- 9780743477116
- Language
- EN