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The original title that William Shakespeare chose for Romeo and Juliet was actually The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.
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When the play was written by William Shakespeare women were not allowed to act on stage. It is believed that her character was played by a man in those days.
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Shakespeare is quoted more in the English language than any other writer, if the Bible is not included. Only the texts of the various writers of the Bible are quoted more than Shakespeare (in English).
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The play Romeo and Juliet was first published in 1597 in the First Quarto. It is believed this was an unauthorized and incomplete version of the play. The first authorized publication of Romeo and Juliet was published in the Second Quarto, in 1599.
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The main characters in Romeo and Juliet include Prince Escalus, Count Paris, Mercutio, Capulet, Lady Capulet, Juliet, ybalt, Montague, Lady Montague, Romeo, Benvolio, and Friar Laurence.
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In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo and Juliet are the protagonists. The antagonists (the characters working against the goal of Romeo and Juliet to be together) are The Montague and Capulet families, Tybalt, Verona's Price and citizens, and fate is also an antagonist.
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Romeo's love interest at the beginning of the play is not Juliet. He is in love with Rosaline. When Romeo meets Juliet at the ball, he falls in love with her instead.
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In Romeo and Juliet, the tragedy begins when Romeo is exiled from Verona for killing a man. Juliet asks Friar Laurence to help her. The friar gives Juliet a potion that will make her appear dead. She takes the potion and is laid in the family crypt. But Romeo does not get the message that her death is fake. He kills himself. When Juliet awakens she sees that Romeo is dead and kills herself too.
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The balcony scene has become the most famous scene in the play, when Romeo and Juliet declare their love for each other - her from her balcony and him from the ground below.
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Romeo and Juliet is so popular that there have been more than 27 operas written that were based on the play. There have also been ballets, jazz music, musicals, movies, modern music, adaptations, a Twitter series, and paintings and other art works created that were based on Romeo and Juliet.
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Romeo has become a name often used to refer to male lovers in the English language.
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