Romeo and Juliet

by William Shakespeare

In a Society Dominated by Religion and Bound by ties of strict family loyalty, two teenagers are trapped by their secret love. As a dangerous vendetta spills onto the streets, the young lovers are forced to risk all to be together in Shakespeare's fast-paced tragedy of thwarted love.

Under the editorial supervision of Jonathan Bate and Eric Rasmussen, two of today's most accomplished Shakespearean scholars, this Modern Library series incorporates definitive texts and authoritative notes from William Shakespeare: Complete Works. Each play includes an Introduction as well as an overview of Shakespeare's theatrical career; commentary on past and current productions based on interviews with leading directors, actors, and designers; scene-by-scene analysis; key facts about the work; a chronology of Shakespeare's life and times; and black-and-white illustrations.

Ideal for students, theater professionals, and general readers, these modern and accessible editions from the Royal Shakespeare Company set a new standard in Shakespearean literature for the twenty-first century.

Genres: Classics, Romance, Graphic Novels

176 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor. He is 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" (or simply "the Bard"). His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems, and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children: Susanna, and twins Hamnet and Judith. Sometime between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part-owner ("sharer") of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men after the ascension of King James VI and I of Scotland to the English throne. At age 49 (around 1613), he appears to have retired to Stratford, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive; this has stimulated considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, his sexuality, his religious beliefs, and even certain fringe theories as to whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known works between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were primarily comedies and histories and are regarded as some of the best works produced in these genres. He then wrote mainly tragedies until 1608, among them Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, Othello, King Lear, and Macbeth, all considered to be among the finest works in the English language. In the last phase of his life, he wrote tragicomedies (also known as romances) and collaborated with other playwrights.
Many of Shakespeare's plays were published in editions of varying quality and accuracy during his lifetime. However, in 1623, John Heminge and Henry Condell, two fellow actors and friends of Shakespeare's, published a more definitive text known as the First Folio, a posthumous collected edition of Shakespeare's dramatic works that includes 36 of his plays. Its Preface was a prescient poem by Ben Jonson, a former rival of Shakespeare, that hailed Shakespeare with the now famous epithet: "not of an age, but for all time".

Reviews

[Ainara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand that Romeo and Juliet it’s a classic and it reflects the values of a different time period, but ugh… Juliet is just 14 when she is pressured into marrying a man she does not know. Then she meets dearest Romeo, oh Romeo, and falls in love with him (a stranger and the “enemy” yay). Juliet is so in love with him that she cannot imagine a life without him, of course, and ends up killing herself when she sees him dead.

What bothers me about this story is how, despite being a tragedy, it is often held up as the example of romantic love when we were growing up.

[Tanisha Varkala · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this book a 4 rating because it was a lovely book but it was a bit fast. It still covered up all the main ideas. I also liked this book because it covered up all the characters. Also, how the characters died. It also, showed how the conflict was resolved. I would recommend this book for you.

[William Jeanes Memorial Library]

This is a beautifully illustrated graphic novel in the series Saddleback's Illustrated Classics of the classic Shakespeare story. The story is told in modern English. The art really makes the story come alive. It is an excellent introduction to "Romeo and Juliet" for those who have never read the original and a fine retelling for those who have.

[Micaela *CLONAZINE* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Es una versión resumida del original, como para refrescar un poco la memoria. Esta buena para tener un acercamiento a la obra y me gustaron mucho las ilustraciones, son muy vintage.

[Kaihiolani · Rating 4 out of 5]

loved the graphic novel! could've done better with the illustrations, though

[Keirstyn Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

It made it easeor to read

[Santosh Thapa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Shrawan 21, 2077, Wednesday

Romeo and Juliet (Saddleback's Illustrated Classics) - Saddleback Educational Publishing (2005)

Genre: Sequential Art > Graphic Novels/ Fiction/ Comics/ Romance/ Classics
Pages: 61
Rating: 5/10

Theme: Love/ Individual vs. Society/ Violence/ Patriarchy/ Death/ Marriage/ Ideological Divide Between the Young and the Old/ Revenge

Opener:
“Many years ago in Verona, Italy, there lived two families who hated one another. The Montagues and the Capulets had been carrying on a feud for as long as they could remember.”

Summary:
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's well-known love story. It is a tragic love story where the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, are supposed to be sworn enemies but fall in love. Due to their families' ongoing conflict, they cannot be together, so they kill themselves because they cannot cope with being separated from one another.

Final Review:
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare’s most famous play alongside Hamlet, so much so that the title characters of Romeo and Juliet have earned everyday speech as an alternative for archetypal young lovers. As with adaptations, some things have to be left out and this graphic novel adaptation is no different. However, it is a valiant effort to condense the play in 60 odd pages.

[Julia]

How do you rate a Shakespeare classic?
You don't.
I have to admit, this one took so long to finish because it literally put me to sleep, every.time.
So there's that.
I don't think I would've missed out a lot if I hadn't read it and I'm hoping his other works are much more interesting than this.

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great script, of course, but an indifferent rendering of that script.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this version of R&J with my 7th graders. It's a translation, not an "abridged" version. I love this publisher's translations of the classics!

[Jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to understand

[Bridgette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent supplemental text