Romeo and Juliet
Order It: The prologue to Romeo and Juliet
“Two households, both alike in dignity…” Take this quiz to see if you can correctly order the lines of the prologue to Romeo and Juliet.
These Violent Delights: Retelling Romeo and Juliet
Chloe Gong writes about adapting “Romeo and Juliet” into her debut novel, “These Violent Delights,” which focuses on the blood feud at the heart of Shakespeare’s play. The story is about two teen heirs of rival gangs in 1920s Shanghai.
Tana Wojczuk on Charlotte Cushman's Radical Life
Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 152 Charlotte Cushman was one of the most famous American theater artists of the mid-19th century. And while she was known for her Lady Macbeth and Oliver Twist’s Nancy, she was acclaimed for her performances as Romeo…
Order It: Juliet’s “What’s in a name?” speech
Juliet’s famous balcony speech begins with “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” But what comes next? Take this quiz to see if you can correctly order the lines of the speech.
Romeo and Juliet: Is Shakespeare’s famous love story actually a play about violence?
Tybalt (Rex Daugherty) duels Mercutio (Brad Koed), with Benvolio (Aaron Bliden) looking on. Romeo and Juliet, Folger Theatre, 2013. Casey Kaleba was the fight director. Photo by Teresa Wood. Is Romeo and Juliet a play about love? Well yes, but…
Charles Gounod: The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in four beautiful duets
Charles Gounod’s 19th-century opera “Roméo et Juliette” is a love story of heartbreaking tragedy, punctuated by four masterful duets. Matthew Shilvock of San Francisco Opera explains why the work is such a masterpiece.
Simon Mayo: "Mad Blood Stirring"
Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 115 In a novel just released in the US, author and longtime BBC radio host Simon Mayo tells an amazing—but true—story: that England’s first all-black production of Romeo and Juliet was staged by Black American prisoners of…
Excerpt - The Girl on the Balcony by Olivia Hussey
Read an excerpt from “The Girl on the Balcony: Olivia Hussey Finds Life After Romeo and Juliet,” a memoir by the star of Franco Zeffirelli’s classic film.
Olivia Hussey: The Girl on the Balcony
Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 113 Olivia Hussey was just fifteen when Franco Zeffirelli cast her in Romeo and Juliet. When the film was released in October 1968, it catapulted Hussey and Leonard Whiting, the young actor playing Romeo, to global stardom. For…
Drawing Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Artist Paul Glenshaw describes Romeo, Juliet, and the Nurse, poised at a key moment in his drawing of “Romeo and Juliet” from a Folger bas-relief.
Leonard Bernstein and West Side Story
Shakespeare Unlimited: Episode 80 Without a doubt, American composer Leonard Bernstein’s most significant contribution to the world of Shakespeare was West Side Story, the 1957 smash Broadway hit adaptation of Romeo and Juliet written and created by Jerome Robbins, Arthur…
The Q Brothers take on the star-crossed lovers
The Q Brothers are back at the Illinois Shakespeare Festival this summer with I Heart Juliet, a hip-hop adaptation of Romeo and Juliet.