Romeo Montague () is the male

protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a ...

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) 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 nation ...

tragedy A tragedy is a genre of drama based on human suffering and, mainly, the terrible or sorrowful events that befall a tragic hero, main character or cast of characters. Traditionally, the intention of tragedy is to invoke an accompanying catharsi ...

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

''. The son of

Lord Montague William Shakespeare's tragic play ''Romeo and Juliet'', set in Verona, Italy, features the eponymous protagonists Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. The cast of characters includes members of their respective families and households; Prince Es ...

and his wife, Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marries

Juliet Juliet Capulet () is the female protagonist in William Shakespeare's romantic tragedy ''Romeo and Juliet''. A 13-year-old girl, Juliet is the only daughter of the patriarch of the House of Capulet. She falls in love with the male protagonist Ro ...

, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest named

Friar Laurence Friar Laurence or Friar Lawrence is a character in William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet''. Role in the play Friar Laurence is a friar who plays the part of a wise adviser to Romeo and Juliet, along with aiding in major plot development ...

. Forced into exile after slaying Juliet's cousin,

Tybalt Tybalt () is a fictional character and the principal antagonist in William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet''. He is the son of Lady Capulet's brother, Juliet's short-tempered first cousin, and Romeo's rival. Tybalt shares the same name ...

, in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

, Romeo dies by suicide upon hearing falsely of Juliet's death. The character's origins can be traced as far back as Pyramus, who appears in Ovid's ''Metamorphoses'', but the first modern incarnation of Romeo is Mariotto in the 33rd of Masuccio Salernitano's ''Il Novellino'' (1476). This story was reworked in 1524 by Luigi da Porto 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. Since no 16th-century direct English translation of ''Giulietta e Romeo'' is known, Shakespeare's main source is thought to be Arthur Brooke (poet), Arthur Brooke's The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, English verse translation of a French translation of a 1554 adaptation by Matteo Bandello. 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.

Origins

The earliest tale bearing a resemblance to Shakespeare's ''Romeo and Juliet'' is Xenophon of Ephesus' ''Ephesiaca'', whose heroic figure is a Habrocomes. The character of Romeo is also similar to that of 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. 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. The two sources which Shakespeare most likely consulted are Brooke's translation of da Porto and William Painter (author), William Painter's ''The goodly historye of the true, and constant Love between Romeo and Juliet''.Hunter & Lichfield, p. 11

Film portrayals

''Romeo and Juliet'' has been adapted into film several times, and the part of Romeo has been played by several actors, including * Leonard Whiting in Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 film, Romeo and Juliet (1968 film), ''Romeo and Juliet'', opposite Olivia Hussey as Juliet. * Leslie Howard in George Cukor's 1936 film, Romeo and Juliet (1936 film), ''Romeo and Juliet'', opposite Norma Shearer as Juliet. * Laurence Harvey in Renato Castellani's 1954 film ''Romeo and Juliet (1954 film), Romeo and Juliet''. * Leonardo DiCaprio in Baz Luhrmann's modernized 1996 version, ''Romeo + Juliet'', alongside Claire Danes as Juliet. * Douglas Booth in Carlo Carlei's 2013 Romeo & Juliet (2013 film), ''Romeo and Juliet'' film adaptation, opposite Hailee Steinfeld as Juliet. * Orlando Bloom in a Broadway theatre, Broadway adaptation in 2013. * Jordan Luke Gage in the West End theatre, West End musical ''& Juliet''. * Kyle Allen (actor), Kyle Allen plays the character in Rosaline (film), ''Rosaline'' (2022 film). * Kit Connor in Sam Gold's 2024 Broadway adaptation, opposite Rachel Zegler as Juliet.

Other portrayals

* Nice Peter in an episode of the YouTube comedy series ''Epic Rap Battles of History''.

References

Bibliography

External links

Complete listing of all of Romeo's lines
{{Authority control Literary characters introduced in 1597 Fictional Italian people in literature Fictional exiles Fictional princes Fictional murderers Male Shakespearean characters Male characters in literature Male characters in film Characters in Romeo and Juliet Fictional suicides Teenage characters in film Archetypal names Fictional Italian people