English Edition
Literature
Romeo and Juliet
English BooksWhale Edition by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare’s famous tragedy of young love, family conflict, fate, passion, and irreversible loss.
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Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is one of William Shakespeare’s best-known tragedies, telling the story of two young lovers caught between rival families and destructive social conflict. Its language, emotional intensity, and dramatic structure have made it one of the most widely read and performed works in world literature. This BooksWhale edition presents the English original text for online reading, EPUB, and PDF.
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This edition is based on a public domain text and has been prepared for digital reading by BooksWhale.
Public domain basis
Why this edition can be shared
William Shakespeare died in 1616, and Romeo and Juliet was first published in the late sixteenth century. These dates support the public-domain basis for this English original edition.
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Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare
Preview chapterDramatis PersonæPreview
ESCALUS, Prince of Verona.
MERCUTIO, kinsman to the Prince, and friend to Romeo.
PARIS, a young Nobleman, kinsman to the Prince.
Page to Paris.
MONTAGUE, head of a Veronese family at feud with the Capulets.
LADY MONTAGUE, wife to Montague.
ROMEO, son to Montague.
BENVOLIO, nephew to Montague, and friend to Romeo.
ABRAM, servant to Montague.
BALTHASAR, servant to Romeo.
CAPULET, head of a Veronese family at feud with the Montagues.
LADY CAPULET, wife to Capulet.
JULIET, daughter to Capulet.
TYBALT, nephew to Lady Capulet.
CAPULET’S COUSIN, an old man.
NURSE to Juliet.
PETER, servant to Juliet’s Nurse.
SAMPSON, servant to Capulet.
GREGORY, servant to Capulet.
Servants.
FRIAR LAWRENCE, a Franciscan.
FRIAR JOHN, of the same Order.
An Apothecary.
CHORUS.
Three Musicians.
An Officer.
Citizens of Verona; several Men and Women, relations to both houses;
Maskers, Guards, Watchmen and Attendants.
SCENE. During the greater part of the Play in Verona; once, in the
Fifth Act, at Mantua.
Preview chapterThe ProloguePreview
Enter Chorus.
CHORUS.
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whose misadventur’d piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which, but their children’s end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which, if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.
[Exit.]
Table of contents
Inside this edition
- 01Full text
- 02Dramatis Personæ
- 03The Prologue
- 04ACT I
- 05SCENE I. A public place.
- 06SCENE II. A Street.
- 07SCENE III. Room in Capulet’s House.
- 08SCENE IV. A Street.
- 09SCENE V. A Hall in Capulet’s House.
- 10ACT II
- 11SCENE I. An open place adjoining Capulet’s Garden.
- 12SCENE II. Capulet’s Garden.
- 13SCENE III. Friar Lawrence’s Cell.
- 14SCENE IV. A Street.
- 15SCENE V. Capulet’s Garden.
- 16SCENE VI. Friar Lawrence’s Cell.
- 17ACT III
- 18SCENE I. A public Place.
- 19SCENE II. A Room in Capulet’s House.
- 20SCENE III. Friar Lawrence’s cell.
- 21SCENE IV. A Room in Capulet’s House.
- 22SCENE V. An open Gallery to Juliet’s Chamber, overlooking the Garden.
- 23ACT IV
- 24SCENE I. Friar Lawrence’s Cell.
- 25SCENE II. Hall in Capulet’s House.
- 26SCENE III. Juliet’s Chamber.
- 27SCENE IV. Hall in Capulet’s House.
- 28SCENE V. Juliet’s Chamber; Juliet on the bed.
- 29ACT V
- 30SCENE I. Mantua. A Street.
- 31SCENE II. Friar Lawrence’s Cell.
- 32SCENE III. A churchyard; in it a Monument belonging to the Capulets.
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