Romeo and Juliet

shakespeare-sources

Ephesiaca by Xenophon of Ephesus
Ephesiaca is a 5th-century story (printed in 1726 and translated into English the following year) which tells the story of a woman called Anthia, who is separated from her husband and rescued from robbers by Perilaus. To avoid marrying Perilaus, Anthia obtains a draught from a physician which she thinks will kill her, but which turns out only to be a sleeping potion. She awakes in a tomb and is carried off by tomb-robbers to other adventures.

The theme of star-crossed lovers became popular in Renaissance Italy. Masuccio's Il Novellino (1476) includes the story of Mariotto and Giannozza of Sienna, who are secretly married by a Friar, after which Mariotto quarrels with a prominent citizen, kills him and is exiled to Alexandria. Giannozza's father chooses a husband for her but to avoid marriage, Giannozza gets a sleeping potion from the Friar, sends word to her husband of what's going to happen, is buried, taken from the tomb by the Friar, and sets sails for Alexandria. By a cruel twist of fate, the messenger carrying her letter is captured by pirates and Mariotto, hearing she has died, returns to Sienna disguised as a pilgrim. Trying to open the tomb, he is seized and beheaded. Giannozza makes her way home to Sienna and dies in a convent.

Luigi da Porto's tale of Montecchi and Cappelletti
The storyline of Luigi da Porto's Istoria Novellamente Ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti (published c. 1530) is closer to Shakespeare's play. The story is set in Verona, the lovers, Romeo and Giulietta, are aristocrats. Their families - the Montecchi and the Cappelletti - are sworn enemies. Romeo goes disguised to a Carnival ball at the Cappelletti's house, hoping to see the object of his unrequited love. There, Giulietta falls in love with him at first sight, he abandons his pursuit of unrequited love and later climbs up to Giulietta's balcony to woo her. Hoping their union will reconcile the two houses, they go to a Franciscan Friar, Lorenzo, who marries them hoping that peace will follow. He is wrong. At the end of the story, Giulietta awakes before Romeo dies and so they have the chance to speak to each other. Giulietta 'drew in her breath and held it long, and then, uttering a great cry, fell dead on the corpse of Romeo'.

There are other versions dating back to the mid 16-centruy but Shakespeare's main source is undoubtedly Arthur Brooke's long poem The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562), which text is a loose translation of Boiastuau.

Romeo and Juliet before Shakespeare: four early stories of star-crossed love (Toronto: Centre for Reformation and Renaissance studies, 2000) contains four early versions of the Romeo and Juliet story :

Mariotto and Ganozza by Masuccio Salernitano

A tale about two noble lovers by Luigi da Porto

The unfortunate death of two most wrethched lovers by Matteo
Bandello

Of two lovers by Pierre Boaistuau.

The dates of the authors range from mid-15th century to mid-16th century. These are possibly the earliest versions of the story but there is no evidence to suggest that Shakespeare read them.


			Ephesiaca is a 5th-century story (printed in 1726 and translated into English the following year) which tells the story of a woman called Anthia, who is separated from her husband and rescued from robbers by Perilaus. To avoid marrying Perilaus, Anthia obtains a draught from a physician which she thinks will kill her, but which turns out only to be a sleeping potion. She awakes in a tomb and is carried off by tomb-robbers to other adventures. The theme of star-crossed lovers became popular in Renaissance Italy. Masuccio's Il Novellino (1476) includes the story of Mariotto and Giannozza of Sienna, who are secretly married by a Friar, after which Mariotto quarrels with a prominent citizen, kills him and is exiled to Alexandria. Giannozza's father chooses a husband for her but to avoid marriage, Giannozza gets a sleeping potion from the Friar, sends word to her husband of what's going to happen, is buried, taken from the tomb by the Friar, and sets sails for Alexandria. By a cruel twist of fate, the messenger carrying her letter is captured by pirates and Mariotto, hearing she has died, returns to Sienna disguised as a pilgrim. Trying to open the tomb, he is seized and beheaded. Giannozza makes her way home to Sienna and dies in a convent. The storyline of Luigi da Porto's Istoria Novellamente Ritrovata di due Nobili Amanti (published c. 1530) is closer to Shakespeare's play. The story is set in Verona, the lovers, Romeo and Giulietta, are aristocrats. Their families - the Montecchi and the Cappelletti - are sworn enemies. Romeo goes disguised to a Carnival ball at the Cappelletti's house, hoping to see the object of his unrequited love. There, Giulietta falls in love with him at first sight, he abandons his pursuit of unrequited love and later climbs up to Giulietta's balcony to woo her. Hoping their union will reconcile the two houses, they go to a Franciscan Friar, Lorenzo, who marries them hoping that peace will follow. He is wrong. At the end of the story, Giulietta awakes before Romeo dies and so they have the chance to speak to each other. Giulietta 'drew in her breath and held it long, and then, uttering a great cry, fell dead on the corpse of Romeo'. There are other versions dating back to the mid 16-centruy but Shakespeare's main source is undoubtedly Arthur Brooke's long poem The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (1562), which text is a loose translation of Boiastuau. Romeo and Juliet before Shakespeare: four early stories of star-crossed love (Toronto: Centre for Reformation and Renaissance studies, 2000) contains four early versions of the Romeo and Juliet story : Mariotto and Ganozza by Masuccio Salernitano A tale about two noble lovers by Luigi da Porto The unfortunate death of two most wrethched lovers by Matteo Bandello Of two lovers by Pierre Boaistuau. The dates of the authors range from mid-15th century to mid-16th century. These are possibly the earliest versions of the story but there is no evidence to suggest that Shakespeare read them.