Romeo and Juliet
A reproduction from the original 1623 First Folio
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- £1.99
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- £1.99
Publisher Description
This facsimile edition of Romeo and Juliet is taken from the large and handsome book known simply as the ‘First Folio’. This is the earliest collected edition of Shakespeare’s plays and was was printed in 1623, just seven years after his death.
For students of Romeo and Juliet, going back to these First Folio plays is an essential part of a more complete understanding of Shakespeare's work.
Eighteen of Shakespeare’s plays had already been published in the small, cheap format known as quartos during his lifetime, including such favourites as A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet. The First Folio added another eighteen, including Macbeth, The Tempest and Twelfth Night all of which are indispensable to the modern repertory. Without the First Folio only half of Shakespeare’s dramatic output would have survived.
Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's most enduringly popular play, telling the story of two doomed lovers. It has been performed and adapted in countless ways, and is still one of the most-studied plays in the world. It was written sometime between 1591 and 1595.
This is an enhanced eBookTreasures facsimile edition which includes a speech from the play performed with 17th century pronunciation, allowing you to hear the play as Shakespeare would.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Adults looking for a dramatically abridged version of Shakespeare's tragic love story with some lovely backdrops of Verona may find something to savor in Early's (Sleeping Beauty; William Tell) picture-book rendition. She gives a nod to several medieval fresco artists and to such Renaissance painters as Michelangelo and Botticelli, whose ornate patterns and borders may well be the inspiration for her paintings. A sharp attention to detail-- including the exquisite geometric designs of palace floors, elaborate period dress, authentic Verona streetscapes and the delicate strands of Juliet's golden tresses--distinguishes Early's art, but the lovers' faces are mask-like, and even the most dramatic of scenes appear to be static. Early's narrative paraphrases the action of this drama while showcasing some of the most legendary lines from the Bard's quill. But these clunky juxtapositions detract from Shakespeare's own words, as in this example: "Lord Capulet replied that Juliet was too young . Why not wait a little longer? `Let two more summers wither in their pride ere we may think her ripe to be a bride,' he entreated." Children will be better off waiting for the original--and adults better off returning to it. All ages.