Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Summary, History and Facts

00:45 - Romeo and Juliet Info; 01:15 - Sources; 02:22 - Characters; 02:46 - Summary Romeo and Juliet; 10:06 - Critical Appraisal; A thorough summary of Romeo and Juliet, one of the most popular plays by William Shakespeare. It was based on Italian folktales. Often compared with the Punjabi folktale of Heer Ranjha, it is a tragic love story. Romeo and Juliet is considered the best dramatic narration of this story. It was partly based on Ovid's Metamorphosis. The play was first performed in the year 1595. Shakespeare added a number of new characters in the story to make his play. The most popular Shakespearean characters added to Romeo and Juliet were Mercutio and Count Paris. Earlier, William Shakespeare wrote a tragedy Titus Andronicus which was also inspired by Ovid's Metamorphosis and he was also influenced by Christopher Marlowe and Thomas Kyd's revenge tragedies. Christopher Marlowe's Hero and Leander and Dido the Queen of Carthage influenced Shakespeare to create this tragic romance story. Along with Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet is considered as the most popular play of William Shakespeare. Just like Romeo and Juliet is considered the best dramatic presentation of the story of Romeo and Juliet, Heer by Waris Shah is considered the best poetic narration of the Punjabi folktale of Heer and Ranjha.