Romeo (Shakespeare) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Romeo Montague |
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| Romeo and Juliet character | |
Romeo and Juliet on a poster
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| Created by | Luigi da Porto, William Shakespeare |
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| Spouse(s) | Juliet Montague |
| Nationality | Italian |
Romeo Montague (Italian: Romeo Montecchi) is the main character in William Shakespeare's famous play, Romeo and Juliet. He is the son of Lord Montague and Lady Montague.
Romeo secretly falls in love with and marries Juliet, even though their families, the Montagues and the Capulets, are bitter enemies. A kind priest named Friar Laurence helps them get married in secret.
Tragically, Romeo is sent away from Verona after a fight where he accidentally kills Juliet's cousin, Tybalt. Later, he mistakenly hears that Juliet has died. Believing this false news, Romeo tragically takes his own life.
Romeo is a very important character in the play. He is often seen as an ideal romantic hero. Because of his role, the name "Romeo" is now often used to describe a passionate male lover in many languages.
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Who is Romeo Montague?
Romeo is a young man from the Montague family. He is known for being very emotional and passionate. At the start of the play, he is sad because a girl named Rosaline does not love him back.
However, everything changes when he meets Juliet Capulet at a party. He instantly falls in love with her. Their love story is central to the play.
The Story of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet come from two families who have been fighting for a very long time. Despite this, they fall deeply in love at first sight. They decide to get married in secret.
Their secret marriage is meant to bring their families together. But a series of unfortunate events leads to a sad ending. Romeo gets into a fight with Tybalt, Juliet's cousin. Romeo kills Tybalt, which causes him to be banished from the city.
Later, Juliet fakes her death to avoid marrying someone else. She hopes to be reunited with Romeo. But Romeo does not get the message about her plan. He hears that she is truly dead and rushes back to her tomb.
Believing Juliet is gone forever, Romeo drinks poison and dies next to her. When Juliet wakes up and sees Romeo dead, she uses his dagger to take her own life. Their deaths finally end the long-standing feud between their families.
Where Did Romeo's Story Come From?
The idea for Romeo's character and the story of Romeo and Juliet did not start with Shakespeare. Similar tales existed long before his time. One of the earliest stories like it is about a character named Pyramus. This story is found in an ancient Roman poem called Metamorphoses by Ovid.
In the Pyramus story, a young man and woman cannot be together because of a family feud. The young man also mistakenly believes his love is dead and takes his own life. While Shakespeare likely didn't read Ovid directly, these older stories influenced Italian writers.
Shakespeare's main sources were likely an English poem by Arthur Brooke called The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet. This poem was a translation of an earlier Italian story. Another source was a book by William Painter called The goodly historye of the true, and constant Love between Romeo and Juliet.
Romeo in Movies and Plays
The story of Romeo and Juliet is very popular. It has been made into many movies and plays over the years. Many actors have played the role of Romeo.
Some famous actors who have played Romeo include:
- Leonard Whiting in the 1968 film by Franco Zeffirelli.
- Leslie Howard in the 1936 film.
- Leonardo DiCaprio in the modern 1996 movie, Romeo + Juliet.
- Douglas Booth in the 2013 film adaptation.
- Orlando Bloom in a Broadway play in 2013.
- Jordan Luke Gage in the West End musical & Juliet.
- Kyle Allen in the 2022 film Rosaline.
