ROMEO AND JULIET - Stratford Festival

dead beside her, Juliet too kills herself, leaving both families to mourn their children and
abandon their feud.
SOURCES AND ORIGINS
Shakespeare’s direct source was The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet (1562), a
long narrative poem by Arthur Brooke, based on a French story by Pierre (1559).
In 1476, Masuccio Salernitano wrote of the lovers in his Il Novellino, and Luigi da Porto
retold the story in his Istoria novellamente ritrovata die due Nobili Amanti (circa 1530).
In his version the feuding families were named the Montecchi and the Cappellati. They
lived in Verona, and there was a balcony scene and a double suicide, plus a minor
character called Marcuccio.
Other versions of the story include a play by Groto (1578), a prose novella by Matteo
Bandello (1554) and a translation of Bioastuau in Painter’s Palace of Pleasure (1567).
The latter was known to Shakespeare.
STAGE HISTORY
Romeo and Juliet has always been one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. Even in
Shakespeare’s time it had “been often (with great applause) plaid publiquely” [sic].
Its popularity continued throughout the 17 th century, with one noteworthy production by
William Davenant taking place in 1662. In the 1670s, a London production had two
endings, which played on alternate nights. In one, the young lovers died, and in the other,
they lived. Another 17 th -century production called Caius Marius (1680, by Thomas
Otway) was set in ancient Rome and played regularly for 70 years.
In the mid-18 th century, rival adaptations by Colley Cibber and David Garrick enjoyed
enormous popularity. In 1750, both productions played at the same time in what was
called “The Romeo and Juliet War.”
In the 1840s, Shakespeare’s own text was again used on stage and continues to be
performed frequently. Unusual productions include one in which sisters played both
Romeo and Juliet. Henry Irving’s 1880s production, John Gielgud’s 1935 production and
Zeffirelli’s 1960 stage production were all highly acclaimed.
Only Hamlet has had more films made of it than Romeo and Juliet. At least twenty film
versions and six television films have been made, in numerous languages.
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