William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright considered one of the greatest writers in the English language. He wrote more than 30 plays for The King's Men, the most important theatre company in England at the time. One of his most famous plays is Romeo and Juliet, written in the 1590s, which tells the story of two young lovers from feuding families in Verona who fall in love and marry in secret but face many tragic obstacles that ultimately lead to their deaths. The play explores themes of love, fate, death and time and has been adapted into many films and other works over the centuries.

1. Romeo and Juliet
Written by William Shakespeare in
1594 or 1595

2. Who’s William Shakespeare?
William Shakespeare was
an English poet, playwright
and actor, widely regarded as
the greatest writer in the
English language and the
world's pre-eminent
dramatist. He is often called
England's national poet and
the "Bard of Avon".
(26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616)

3. Nobody knows how Shakespeare began to write, or when he
entered the theatre. But we know he became a leading member of the
theatre troupe known as 'The Lord Chamberlain's Men'. The
company proved very popular, and later, when King James I granted
it the right to perform at his court, became known as 'The King's
Men'.

4.  Shakespeare wrote more than 30 plays for
'The King's Men', making it the most
important theatre company in the country.
He often wrote parts for particular actors,
too.
 He was very successful and wealthy in his
time, and his work has remained very
popular ever since.

5. Romeo and Juliet in
Popular Culture
The basic story, of two
young lovers from opposing
families in Italy, the
Montagues and the
Capulets, had been popular
for hundreds of years
before Shakespeare wrote
the play. However, there is
no evidence Romeo or
Juliet ever actually existed.
We think Shakespeare
based the play on a poem
he had read.

6. What makes Romeo and Juliet special is how Shakespeare tells the
story. It has become perhaps his best-known play. Romeo and Juliet has
been filmed many times and adapted in all sorts of ways. For instance,
there are cartoon versions for children, older versions with the rude jokes
taken out, and others set with gang fights in the US.

7. The basic story A boy, Romeo, and a girl,
Juliet, fall in love. But they
come from families which
hate each other, and know
they will not be allowed to
marry. They are so much in
love they marry in secret
instead. However, before their
wedding night Romeo kills
Juliet's cousin in a duel, and
in the morning he is forced to
leave her. If he ever returns to
the city, he will be put to
death.

8. Juliet is then told she must marry Paris, who has been chosen
by her parents, who do not know she is already married. She
refuses - then agrees because she plans to fake her death and
escape to be with Romeo.

9. She takes a sleeping potion and appears to be dead, so her
parents lay her in a tomb. However, Romeo does not know about
the plan, visits her grave, finds her 'dead', and kills himself. Juliet
finally wakes up, finds Romeo dead, and then kills herself.

10. Who were the Montagues?
Lord and Lady Montague
– Romeo’s parents
Romeo Montague -

11.  Balthasar and Abram
– servants to the
Montagues
 Mercutio – Friend of
Romeo and relative of
the Prince

12. Who were the Capulets?
 Lord and Lady
Capulet – Juliets
parents
 Juliet Capulet

13.  Nurse – Juliets attendant
 Tybalt – cousin to Juliet
 Sampson and Gregory – servants to the
Capulets

14. The main themes in Romeo and Juliet
 Love at first sight.
Common 16th
century belief that
if you didn’t fall
in love at first
sight then you
were not really in
love.

15.  Fate is another major topic of Romeo and Juliet: the
belief that an individual's life has been decided for
them and there is nothing they can do to change it.
This is used right from the start. Shakespeare sets
the two families against each other, and there is
nothing Romeo and Juliet can do about this.

16.  Death is also mentioned a lot, in lots of different ways,
such as 'we were born to die' or 'cold death', and
'death-darting eye'. Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Romeo
and Juliet all die during the play. In Shakespeare's
time people generally died much younger than they do
now.

17.  Time is another
major topic. It is also
crucial to the plot: the
plans for Juliet's
marriage are brought
forward, the sleeping potion only lasts a certain
time, and Romeo kills himself just before Juliet
wakes up. Even her death is related to time -
she says she will 'be brief'.

18.  Duality (light and dark). Scholars have long noted
Shakespeare's widespread use of light and dark imagery
throughout the play. For example, both Romeo and Juliet
see the other as light in a surrounding darkness. This
contrast of light and dark can be expanded as symbols—
contrasting love and hate, youth and age in a metaphoric
way.

19.  Sometimes these
intertwining metaphors
create dramatic irony.
For example, Romeo
and Juliet's love is a
light in the midst of the
darkness of the hate
around them, but all of
their activity together is
done in night and
darkness, while all of
the feuding is done in
broad daylight.