Innocent love is the most pure... and the sight of those who are in that beautiful whirlwind of its hypnotic clutches is a sight to behold.

Is it true? "Is youth wasted on the young."

Sometimes, sometimes not.

Romeo and Juliet is the most known western love story of all time.

Why?

This is not an easy question to answer, however, personally, I would never go back to those extremes of pure love; that game playing, jealousy, love-making so innocent,(wonderful) and the relationship inevitably ending in tragedy.

What makes this 500 year old love story one of a kind is its "truth", that we are essentially envious beings, and pure love is something we all either unconsciously or consciously yearn for...and attempt to destroy.

Shakespeare was a clever fellow: with the sacrifice of these two lover's, at last, the feuding families ended their years of fighting... the Montague's & Capulet's. Peace fell upon Verona.

Does true love always end in tragedy?

A good question.

Shakespeares' classic is considered a "love story"; but the Bard revealed pure love's true irony...young love so pure, so intense, so true, the god's become envious and tragedy is pure love's ultimate end.

Very sad, but very true.

As the cliche' goes:

"Nothing ventured nothing gained."

Re-read this beautiful story and reflect that true love just might conquer all.

I'm not a believer in love at first sight, so I always thought the premise was a bit silly. I didn't come to love this play until I taught it to a group of ninth graders during my semester of student teaching.

I had read the play in school, but was never given the opportunity to do more than merely read it. My students were encouraged to act it out and to watch clips from several versions to see how a different director's perspective could change the story. The most fun day was when the class divided up into Montagues and Capulets and hurled Shakespearean insults at each other.

People get scared of the language, but that's really the best part of Shakespeare. Revel in it!

"Romeo and Juliet" maintains pace until the very last page. Audacious crashing of the enemy's ball, love at first sight, underground marriage, fateful killings of Merkutio and of Tybalt, exile, ruse with Juliet's death, life-threatening return to Verona, killing of Paris and the double death make it as eventful as any Shakespearean play.

The first pages of Scene I set the tone. The rapid-fire wordplay exchange between Sampson and Gregory will be echoed in the puns throughout the play. The speed with which the servants' brawl escalates to the brawl of their masters will be repeated when the two youngsters, having met at the evening ball, immediately fall in love and the same night decide to marry. The spirit and imagination of the two minor characters, shining especially bright against the clumsiness of the two pater familias, will resurface in the colorful if bawdy Merkutio and the bold old Nurse, dangerously close, respectively, to Romeo and Juliet.

Merkutio and Nurse are the most playful characters of this play. Like Richard in "Richard III", Porter and Weird Sisters in "Macbeth", Fool in "Lear" or Iago in "Othello", they are the recipients of the most animated spirits. While Romeo and Juliet advance the narrative, these supporting characters create sparks for the moment. I enjoyed the play more for these sparks than for the larger movements of the plot.

I'll admit that the only reason I purchased this book was so that I didn't have to carry around my twenty pound Literature book. I purchased ths particular copy because it had many of the same interpretations as my Literature book did, so I could carry this little two ounce book around instead.

For all instances, it worked very well. I could read this book along with the movie and follow along flawlessly. I could read the interpretations along the left binding and see exactly what people meant when I couldn't figure it out.

I did, however, have two problems, which is why this is only a four-star review. The first thing I noticed was that even if there were little explanations on the left side, the right side didn't give you a clear indication of what was being translated. You had to actually be confused enough to look to the page on the left, and then you had to find line numbers, which I found extremely irritating.

Another thing I found annoying was that only the bare minimum was actually translated. On further inspection of our ninth-grade Literature book and this book, I found that the Literature book actually went into more detail, with examples, alternate word orders, etc.

Overall, this is an especially great book to purchase if your English teacher suddenly sticks you with Romeo and Juliet two weeks before the end of school. And even if she didn't. :D

But if you're only at the age of fourteen or fifteen, try to stick with your Literature book. I didn't have any trouble, but there are definitely MORE modern interpretations in your Lit book, solely to help with the fact that you're not at a senior or college level yet.

Even if you're only purchasing to get rid of the back strain, you won't regret it.

First of all, before I begin actually talking about the story itself, I congratulate Folger's edition for providing summaries in the beginning of each act and definitions of some words. You see, this edition is rather helpful as the story is located on the right pages and definitions and plot synopsis is on the left. This is for the people who cannot understand old English!

Anyways, this was the first Shakespeare book I have ever read, and it is probably the same for all high school students. Obviously I know everyone knows that this is about a love story, so I won't bother mentioning that. I will add, however, that Shakespeare is a master at writing tragic dramas. He was also somewhat witty. It seems that if one pays close attention and reads the prologue, one will find out all that will happen in the plot. An explanation could be because that this was a play and people actually acted his stories out. Well, considering the times, it would not be presumptuous to say that during those times, the more talkative people would still be talking after the play begins, he uses the prologue to hush his audience, and naturally nobody would ever really pay attention to the prologue.

Set around the Renaissance and in northern Italy, the play begins rather comically with sexual allusions and a big ruckus. You have to remember, that not only was Shakespeare's goal to write, but to entertain and make people laugh. He has many intended puns weaved into his story, which are really quite funny, if one reads hard enough.

Shakespeare's forte is weaving a lot of imagery and figurative language in his dialogue. He would paint Juliet as the beautiful, but strong and determined woman bordering between the age of child and adulthood, a teenager. One can see that she is a rather rational thinker, whereas Romeo is impulsive and rash acting only on his emotions and disregarding the consequences. This was the thing that bugged me the most, Romeo's character, although he is a protagonist, I found it impossible to like him, rather I liked his best friend the most, Mercutio. He is the witty prankster who has to die because of Romeo's impulsive thinking, he seems to be the mediator between Romeo and his irrational love, always keeping him in check.

This book is not very long, but the contents are quite deep, there is so much going on in each of Shakespeare's rhythmic sentences, that one just needs to stop and admire how much he can cram into just one sentence, it is just amazing. This makes for a very high re-readability.

Anyone who has not yet read this book is simply deprived, and anyone who has chosen not to read it has sinned! (don't take this too seriously, I am just exaggerating so you guys get my point) So what are you waiting for? Enlighten yourself and discover the poetry in Shakespeare's iambic writing.

I can't review this item because it never made it to me. I received an email a few days later saying the money would be credited back to me (which it was). However, I have never had a problem with receiving shipments at my address. The seller claimed that my address was not found. I received something from a different seller just 2 days before though. I am not sure what address they tried to send it to, but it was not the one I gave. Unfortunately I had to find this book somewhere else. The book is a great find, however, and I am very pleased with it.

This was my first Shakespeare and it certainly won't be my last. While some people dislike this book for the "love at first sight" "stupidity" of the two, I think you need to try to get past that. I definitely agree that Romeo and Juliet are morons, but it makes for a nice story. Would you really want to watch a play about two people who court each other for years, get married to the happiness of their families, and have prosperous children? I sure wouldn't.

So what if know in their right mind would ever act like? The play is written beautifully and it doesn't lag.

Romeo and Juliet is a beautiful story, and it is a marvellous play to introduce young people to the beauty of Shakespeare. Who doesn't like to read or hear about star-crossed lovers? Who hasn't already heard the legend? The play is easy to read as the plot moves along rapidly, and it's beautifully written. Romeo and Juliet are so tragic in their love, and the silly feud between their two families is so destructive and senseless. Read it for the story, but enjoy it for the beautiful prose.

To get to the point, I really hated Romeo and Juliet. While the lines, though archaic, were extremely well-written, I found myself hating most of the characters. I really didn't like the way Romeo was so in love and so heart broken by Rosaline, and then, in the miracle of an instant, fell in love with her cousin, Juliet. It makes it seem like Romeo was either making a mountain out of a molehill about his feelings for Rosaline or else Juliet was his rebound, and all the much better because she was young and naive (as girls who aren't yet 14 tend to be) and therefore eager to return his affections.

And then, aside from how quickly they fall in 'love', there is the matter of their suicide. Honestly, even if it was true love, Juliet was an idiot to kill herself for him, and he was an idiot to kill himself in the first place. They had potiental to be things or do things in their lives, and although that potential was stunted by the times, it was still there, but wasted for the price they wanted to pay for love. They might have been star-crossed lovers because of their feuding families, but they only exacerbated the situation with their rash (and stupid) actions.

The language is great, though. I thought it was particularly amusing that some of the lines were written in blank verse while others rhymed; it signified the importance of the lines that did rhyme, underlining key points.

I had to read this in school years ago and hated it, then reread it recently to see if I liked it any better. I didn't, so read it at your own risk.

Romeo and Juliet is a wonderful read. I loved reading every minute of it. The summaries and the explanatory notes help you understand everything about it. This is a great book and I would recommend you read this as an introduction to Shakespeare. I did and I am now going to start A Midsummer Night's Dream. Read this book! You'll love every minute of it!

In one of Shakespeare's most famous and beloved plays, true love is thwarted at the cruel hands of fate.

The Capulets and the Montagues have been rivals for years. However, this doesn't stop Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague from falling in love with one another. And so the timeless and beautiful story of Romeo and Juliet begins.

Both the play and the romance of the two main characters take off almost unrealistically quickly; the play is set only over the course of a few days. But what a few days it is. Shakespeare expertly captures the naive and innocent viewpoints of the two teenagers and his language is always metaphorical and flawless.

I found this version of the play extremely helpful, as it was the first Shakespeare play I had read and I wasn't yet accustomed to the unique language of the era. On one side of the page is the actual text of the play and on the opposite side is a list of words and phrases that modern-day citizens may not be accustomed to. This greatly increased my comprehension level of the book, and is a definite asset to anyone who isn't yet "Shakespeare-savvy". Happy reading!

Romeo and Juliet is a compelling romantic tragedy which I first read at secondary school. I suppose that since the play is simple, it was a good introduction for me to the wealth of Shakespeare's genius. I thoroughly enjoyed the moving exchanges between Romeo and Juliet.

Here were two families, the Capulet and Montague that were in perpetual feud. The quarrel was going on for a long time that no one in the two families really cared to find out the root cause and if it could not be resolved. All that the two families cared about was to kill each other wherever possible.

Romeo (a Montague) falls in love with Juliet (a Capulet). However, because of the long-running feud between their families, they were married in secret by Friar Lawrence. They decide to flee Verona since Juliet was due to be married to another man. Romeo gets banished from Verona following his killing of Tybalt when he was avenging the death of his friend Mercutio.

With the dilemma that Romeo and Juliet were having, Friar Lawrence and Juliet come up with a plan for Juliet to take a poison that would make her appear dead and Romeo would come and take her when she wakes up 48 hours later. However, Romeo was not aware of the plan and when he turns up and sees Juliet apparently dead, he decides to kill himself. When eventually Juliet wakes up, she finds her lover dead so she also kills herself. When the two feuding families discover what happened, they decide to end their feud.

For those who want to start learning Shakespeare, this is a good place to start. The play is first class, simple and straightforward romantic tragedy. I love the play as it highlights the ultimate futility of all conflicts and teaches the often unfortunate and unnecessary tragic consequences of such conflicts.

The Folger edition of Romeo and Juliet is very easy to read. The many notes and illustrations make it enjoyable.

This is one of the best plays anyone could ever read. The story begins with a brawl between the Montagues and the Capulets. Romeo is against the war between the families. He wants peace. Romeo is in love or so he thinks with Rosalind Juliet's cousin. The Capulets throw a huge party and Romeo wants to go hoping to see the beautiful Rosalind but what he doesn't expect is to fall in love with another. But, once he meets Juliet they fall madly in love without knowing they are sworn enemies. By the end of the night they realizes what they are star crosses lovers. This doesn't matter to either one of them. They are in love and Romeo promises to send word for her so that they can marry. The Friar marries them and they are happy for a little while. Romeo tries to mend what is broken with the families and his best friend ends up getting killed and curses both of the families. Romeo goes to Juliet and tells her everything. Romeo is then exiled from Verona. Juliet has been promised to another man. Her family doesn't know that she is already married. Juliet goes to the friar for help. He gives her some drug that will make her sleep, and look and feel dead. Then the Friar will contact Romeo and they can run away and be happy. This is the just of the play. I don't want to ruin the ending if haven't read it yet. It is a romantic tragedy.

We reading Romeo and Juliet at our school. It is a little freaky. I dislike the ending of the book. I do but I don't like Shakespeare's book. We are not allowed to talk about vilence at all at our school. That is what all Shakespeare's books. We just finished reading Macbeth and I also disliked the ending of that book. His books are too freaky for kids my age. They are better for 16 year olds. Here are the things that I don't really understand: does Romeo really die, Do romeo and Juliet get married? How can people this play and this book a lot? Why are shakespeare's books always really grouse and vlient?

Like most of Shakepeare's other works, the story of Romeo and Juliet has become the definition of the love story.

Two young star crossed lovers overwhelmed by the tragedy of their environment. And in the end their belief in love is so strong that they sacrifice their lives to it.

It is a tale that becomes sweeter with age. Because as you grow older, you remember the person you once were with that young love of your own. You get a hint of the passion you once had, and although the pain might still sting, you're thankful for it because it shows that you are human.

Not that I don't like Shakespeare's works, but his tragedies are terrible, especially this one. I can't understand the language real well, so I have to grab one with the contemporary language so that it'll be easier to understand. I just can't understand this love tragedy at all! Here are some things that confuse me:

*How did this feud really begin?
*Why can't this story end in happily ever after?
*Why does Lady Capulet have to be so stuck up on everybody?
*Why couldn't Shakespeare have written in a language we could all understand?
*Why does everybody have to jump to conclusions?

I simply can't understand why people love this play so much. It's ridiculous! If you want a true love story, try reading "A Midsummer Night's Dream". This one absolutely SUCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

My class read this book, so we went over it and thats what made it make sense for me, and once you get the jist of the language, you can understand it better. Im sure you know what it is about but im going to summariize it anyways. The Montague and Capalet families have been enemies for generations. The current generations dont exactly know why, but they still stay enimies with each other. Romeo Montague finds out about a party hosted by the Capulet's (Juliet's family) and he intends to go there to see a girl, Juliet's cousin. Since the party is a costume party, he manages to get in without anyone knowing he is a Montague. Juliet's parents have found a suitor for her, Count Paris. They make a deal with her that at the party, she will look at him and see if she likes him but if she doesnt, they can't force her to marry him (when you read it the line about that is something like "i'll look to like if looking liking..."). While at the party she meets Romeo and they pretty much fall in love at first sight. She finds out he is a Montague and he finds out she is a Capulet so they keep their relationship secret. Meanwhile, they secretly get married and plan on telling their families, hoping it will bring them to a truce. But then Romeo does something that causes him to be banished from Verona and so he and Juliet come up with a plan for them to be together. You probably know that it doesnt work out and the ending is not a happy one. Thats why this is called a tragedy... Anyways, its actually pretty good, even though its hard to follow somethimes and is so old fashioned.

i just read this book. everybody like always talks about how great it is and everything. but i don't think so. like, it's been done before, right?? soooo cliched. omg.

Romeo and Juliet was one of my first Shakespearean plays, but I still love it. Each time I read it, it gets better and better. It's so poetic, and the way Shakespeare plays with words and phrasing in this play has yet to be beaten. And, of course, there's that irresistible plot...

In fair Verona, Italy, where this play takes place, two houses, alike in dignity, are feuding-the Monatagues and the Capulets. Romeo, a Monatague, attending an evening party at the Capulets in disguise (for if he went as himself he'd get killed), falls in love with the beautiful Juliet, who is a Capulet. Nevertheless, both find time to see each-other and fall even more in love. They marry in secret, but when Romeo is forced to kill the evil Tybalt, he is banished. Juliet is plunged into despair and hatches an elaborate plan to be with Romeo once again. This leads to their famed and passionate deaths, and, at last, the breaking of the feud between the family.

Many people like to make fun of this play (formerly me included) and call it a comedy, but I got so caught up in the plot that I actually cried at the end--just reading it. It's a sad story, but it's still so beautifully written and wonderful. A must on any shelf.

I recently completed reading Romeo And Juliet (though not this version) for independent reading. It was amazing. Breathtaking. It blew me away. I'm thriteen years old and had to write out a "blue card" (a review of our favorite book that we write once a month.) Having to place this in a genre was horribly difficult for me. It is a tragedy, unlike many of Shakespeare's other plays, yet it is almost Realistic Fiction.

A month ago I finished Twelfth Night, which was interesting but nothing compared to this work of beauty and magnificence given to us by the Immortal Bard himself.

Putting all translation difficulties aside, I could easily say this is the best book I've ever read in my entire life. (And I know, doesn't seem much with my age but rest assured... I've read quite a many books.)

Reccommending this book to anyone who enjoys tragic romance novels and who is not easily frustrated by larger words. It is a must-read for all Shakespeare fans... for how could you call yourself a fan if you've not read it yet?

I recently re-read ROMEO AND JULIET prior to attending The Colorado Shakespeare Festival's performance of the Bard's most famous love story under the summer stars here in Boulder. It tells the familiar, romantic tragedy of an age-old feud between the Montague and Capulet familes, and the love between "star-crossed" lovers, Romeo (a Montague) and Juliet (a Capulet). After the two lovers secretly marry, the hostility between their families escalates, driving young Romeo and Juliet to their shared destiny of love and death. ROMEO AND JULIET is a powerful play about the pursuit of love in a violent society. It is also a play that reminds me that it is perhaps better to read and re-read Shakespeare than to devour one bestseller after the next.

G. Merritt

Many people in my 9th grade class didn't understand this play because Shakespeare uses a lot of weird words to our ears. But when you get right down to it, isn't it a beautiful story, about enduring love and people and stuff? Yes it is. I won't summarize the plot here because Shakespeare isn't about the plot, oh no, it's about the way he melds a magical medley of music with witty waggish words. For example, the pun in the first scene on maidenhead. Isn't that hilarious. I laughed and laughed, but the other people in my class didn't get it. It's sad that some aren't clever enough to enjoy the rapturous beauty of the Bard. One complaint I had is that he uses a lot of cliches and stuff. Like having Juliet on the balcony, I mean, balcony scenes are kind of hackneyed so I wonder why he used it instead of something original. And the ending was so sad. When we finished reading it, I said I wish it hadn't ended it was so good, and this doofus in my class, Eddie, said that it seemed like it never ended to him. I was really glad when Eddie moved to Phoenix. Anyway, I really really recommend this book to anyone with a mind who likes being challenged and reading good plays and stuff.
--A 10th grade student from Plano