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 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 Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

upon hearing falsely of Juliet's death. The character's origins can be traced as far back as Pyramus, who appears in

Ovid Publius Ovidius Naso (; 20 March 43 BC – AD 17/18), known in English as Ovid ( ), was a Augustan literature (ancient Rome), Roman poet who lived during the reign of Augustus. He was a younger contemporary of Virgil and Horace, with whom he i ...

'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's 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 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 natio ...

'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

'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'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'', opposite Olivia Hussey as Juliet. * Leslie Howard in

George Cukor George Dewey Cukor ( ; July 7, 1899 – January 24, 1983) was an American film director and film producer, producer. He mainly concentrated on comedies and literary adaptations. His career flourished at RKO Pictures, RKO when David O. Selzn ...

's 1936 film, ''Romeo and Juliet'', opposite Norma Shearer as Juliet. * Laurence Harvey in Renato Castellani's 1954 film ''

''. *

Leonardo DiCaprio Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...

in Baz Luhrmann's modernized 1996 version, '' Romeo + Juliet'', alongside Claire Danes as Juliet. * Douglas Booth in Carlo Carlei's 2013 ''Romeo and Juliet'' film adaptation, opposite Hailee Steinfeld as Juliet. * Orlando Bloom in a Broadway adaptation in 2013. * Jordan Luke Gage in the West End musical '' & Juliet''. * Kyle Allen plays the character in ''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