Romeo

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For other uses, see Romeo (disambiguation).
Romeo Montague
Benvolio Montague (cousin)
  • Tybalt Capulet (cousin by marriage)
  • Rosaline Capulet (cousin by marriage)
    • SpouseJuliet Montague
    NationalityItalian

    Romeo Montague (Italian: Romeo Montecchi) is the male protagonist of William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. The son of Lord Montague and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest named Friar Laurence.

    Forced into exile after slaying Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, in a duel, Romeo dies by suicide upon hearing falsely of Juliet's death.

    The character's origins can be traced as far back as

    Giulietta e Romeo (published posthumously in 1531). Da Porto named the character Romeo Montecchi, and the storyline is nearly the same as Shakespeare's adaptation.[1] Since no 16th-century direct English translation of Giulietta e Romeo is known, Shakespeare's main source is thought to be Arthur Brooke's English verse translation of a French translation of a 1554 adaptation by Matteo Bandello.[2]
    Although both Salernitana and da Porto claimed that their stories had a historical basis, there is little evidence that this is the case.

    Romeo, an only child like Juliet, 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

    Pyramus in 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 been dead.[3] 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 whom the playwright was greatly indebted to.[4] The two sources which Shakespeare most likely consulted are Brooke's translation of da Porto and William Painter's The goodly historye of the true, and constant Love between Romeo and Juliet.[5]

    Film portrayals

    Romeo and Juliet has been adapted into film several times, and the part of Romeo has been played by several actors, including

    Other portrayals

    References

    1. hdl:2027/mdp.39015082232961
      .
    2. ISBN 978-0-7546-5844-3
      .
    3. ISBN 1-4051-1396-0
      .
    4. ISBN 0-313-30089-5
      .
    5. ^ Hunter & Lichfield, p. 11

    Bibliography

    Wikimedia Commons has media related to Romeo (character).
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