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Biography
about|the character in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet||Romeo (disambiguation)Infobox Shakespearean character| name = Romeo| image = Romeo and juliet brown.jpg| caption = The balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet as depicted by Ford Madox Brown in an 1870 painting.| creator = William Shakespeare | play = Romeo and Juliet | date =| source =| other_names =| family = Juliet (wife) Montague (father) Lady Montague (mother) Benvolio (cousin)| associates = Mercutio || role = Protagonist| quote =| portrayed_by =| see_also = Romeo is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare 's Romeo and Juliet . Romeo is the son of old Montague and Lady Montague|his wife , who secretly loves and marries Juliet , a member of the rival House of Capulet. Forced into exile by his slaying of Tybalt , Juliet's cousin, in a duel , Romeo commits suicide upon hearing falsely of Juliet's death.
The character's origins can be traced as far back as Pyramus , who appears in Ovid|Ovid's Metamorphoses , but the first modern incarnation of Romeo is Mariotto in the 33rd of Masuccio Salernitano|Masuccio Salernitano's Il Novellino (1476). This story was adapted by Luigi da Porto as Giulietta e Romeo (1530), and Shakespeare's main source was an The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet|English verse translation of this text by Arthur Brooke (poet)|Arthur Brooke . Although both Salernitano and da Porto claimed that their stories had fact|historical basis , there is little evidence that this is the case.
Romeo is one of the most important characters of the play, and has a consistent presence throughout it. His role as an idealistic lover has led the word "Romeo" to become a synonym for a passionate male lover in various languages. Although often treated as such, it is not clear that "Montague" is a surname in the modern sense.
Origins
The earliest tale bearing a resemblance to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is Xenophon of Ephesus ' Ephesiaca , whose hero is a Habrocomes.The character of Romeo is also similar to that of Pyramus in Ovid|Ovid's Metamorphoses , a youth who is unable to meet the object of his affection due to an ancient family quarrel, and later kills himself due to mistakenly believing her to have died.Halio 1998, p. 93 Although it is unlikely that Shakespeare directly borrowed from Ovid while writing Romeo and Juliet , the story was likely an influence on the Italian writers who the playwright was greatly indebted to.Bevington, p. 37 The two sources which Shakespeare most likely consulted himself are Brookes' translation of de Porta and W. Painter's The goodly historye of the true, and constant Love between Rhomeo and Iulietta .cite book|last=Hunter & Lichfield, p. 11
Role in the play
Romeo first appears in the play in the first scene, shortly after the brawl between the Montagues and the Capulets. As a young man, he is rash and quite easily distempered. As a general rule, he is a mirror image of Juliet, being urged to marry by his father. He is overly eager, especially because he is infatuated with Rosaline, who is uninterested in him due to her commitment to chastity . Romeo and Juliet , p.8 His cousin Benvolio (who is related by his divorced mother's new husband), wishing to distract him from his romantic plight, presumably to gain Rosaline's favour, takes him and his friend Mercutio, uninvited and disguised, to a feast at the house of the Capulets. Romeo and Juliet , p.13 There he meets and falls in love with Juliet Capulet|Juliet , the daughter of Capulet|Lord and Lady Capulet . Romeo and Juliet , p. 25 However, this was not merely infatuation, but true love, as Romeo explicitly states that loves Rosaline, but the two talk and indeed fall in love, as Romeo also is noted to find Juliet less than beautiful. This however changes and Romeo learns to see the beauty in his true love (as opposed to infatuation with Rosaline, Shakespeare's method of adding contrast). Romeo again meets her after the feast, as she laments her love for him from her balcony. Romeo and Juliet , p. 29 Through a meeting with Juliet's Nurse (Romeo and Juliet)|Nurse , Romeo arranges for them to be married secretly by Friar Lawrence . Romeo and Juliet , p. 43 When Tybalt , Juliet's cousin, insults Romeo in the streets the next day, he is prevented by his now familial relation with Tybalt from defending his honour. Romeo and Juliet , p. 49 His friend Mercutio, exasperated by this, fights Tybalt, and is killed by him. Romeo and Juliet , p. 50 Romeo, seeking revenge, kills Tybalt, which results in him being exiled from the city by the Prince. Romeo and Juliet , p. 52 He leaves the next morning, having consummated his marriage with Juliet. Juliet, whose father intends to marry her to an aristocrat, Paris, unbeknownst to Romeo takes a potion, provided by Friar Lawrence, which places her in a death-like coma. Romeo and Juliet , p. 74 She is therefore buried, and a messenger is sent to Romeo to tell him that Juliet is in fact alive, who unfortunately is unable to reach him to due to the plague. Romeo and Juliet , p. 89 Romeo, genuinely believing Juliet to be dead, travels to her grave, where he meets and kills Paris. Romeo and Juliet , p. 92 When he sees her body, he kills himself, moments before she awakes; when Juliet sees that Romeo is dead, she kills herself in turn shortly thereafter. Romeo and Juliet , pp. 93-95 The tragedy leads to the end of the feud between the two families. Romeo and Juliet , p. 100
References
reflist
Bibliography
cite book|title = How to read a Shakespeare play
|last = Bevington |first = David M. |year = 2006 |publisher = Greenwood Press |location = Westport |isbn = 0-313-30089-5
cite book|title = Romeo and Juliet: A Guide to the Play
http://www.opensourceshakespeare.com/views/plays/characters/charlines.php? CharID=romeo& WorkID=romeojuliet& cues=0& longlines=1 Complete listing of all of Romeo's lines
Romeo and Juliet
Category:Fictional characters introduced in 1597 Category:Fictional Italian people in literature Category:Fictional princes Category:Fictional murderers Category:Male Shakespearean characters Category:Characters in Romeo and Juliet Category:Fictional people who committed suicide
