Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare and was first published in 1597, but the revised edition of 1599 is mainly used today. Shakespeare's principal source for Romeo and Juliet was a poem by Arthur Brooke (1562) Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet so that it could be performed by actors and enjoyed by audiences. Romeo and Juliet is 'A tragedy of youth as youth sees it', wrote Harley Granville
Barker. It is set in a Veronese high summer, and is both a tale of 'star-crossed lovers' and the healing of their parents feud.
Prior to Act 1 Scene 5 there is a brawl on a street in Verona between the rival families of Montague and Capulet, 'Two households both alike in dignity.' Tybalt, a Capulet, is eager for a fight, and the ensuing riot is stopped only by the arrival of the Prince's officers. Escalus, the Prince of Verona, angrily reprimands the Montague's and the Caplet's saying that there is a death penalty for anyone who disturbs the streets again.
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