Romeo and Juliet

Balcony in Verona, Italy

The play, Romeo and Juliet, first opened on January 30, 1595, at the Curtain Theater in London. William Shakespeare wrote it early in his career, and it quickly became one of his most popular. Along with Hamlet, it is still his most frequently performed play. Set in Verona Italy, the tragedy tells of two young lovers torn apart by their feuding families.

Shakespeare's house

No one knows exactly when Shakespeare wrote the play. Best guesses say he began it around 1591. His idea may have come from ancient literature, where star-crossed lovers were a common theme.
Despite how well the play was received, critics were bound to come. The earliest known critic of the play came in 1662 when Samuel Pepys wrote, "It is a play of itself the worst that I ever heard in my life."

I certainly don't agree with Pepys. I like the play until we get to the ending. I'm not a fan of such tragedies, however. I think real life is rough enough, and I like to have happy-ever-afters in my entertainment. That's why I'll never write a novel that leaves the reader hanging, unsatisfied, or with a tissue in their hands. But I like Shakespeare's plays and think that Romeo and Juliet deserves applause.

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