Romeo and Juliet - Sources, Influences and Publication History

Sources and Influences on Romeo and Juliet The Literary Heritage Romeo and Juliet was not entirely original to Shakespeare. The play is based on earlier literary sources, primarily an Italian tale by Matteo Bandello. However, Shakespeare almost certainly worked from an English adaptation rather than Bandello's Italian directly. In 1562, Arthur Brooke published The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet, a verse translation of Bandello's tale. Brooke's poem became Shakespeare's primary source. While Shakespeare followed Brooke's narrative structure closely, he made significant creative choices—most notably, he expanded the roles of Mercutio and Paris into much more developed, complex characters. Brooke's versions of these characters were far less prominent. Shakespeare was drawing on a well-established European tradition. The story itself wasn't new; similar tragic love tales appeared in Italian novellas throughout the Renaissance. Luigi da Porto's 1524 novella Giulietta e Romeo introduced key plot elements that appear in Shakespeare's version, including the secret marriage and the potion plot. These were circulating in literary circles, and Shakespeare had access to this broader tradition of Italian stories—he used similar sources for other plays like The Merchant of Venice and Much Ado About Nothing. The story also echoes classical mythology. The myth of Pyramus and Thisbe from Ovid's Metamorphoses shares striking parallels with Romeo and Juliet: two young lovers separated by circumstance, a miscommunication leading to tragedy, and their eventual deaths. Shakespeare was clearly working within this mythological tradition while adapting contemporary Italian sources. When Shakespeare Wrote It Scholars generally date the composition of Romeo and Juliet between 1591 and 1595. One clue to this timeframe appears in the play itself: the Nurse mentions an earthquake, which scholars believe references the Dover Straits earthquake of 1580. This suggests the play was written sometime after 1580, narrowing the possible composition window. <extrainfo> The exact year of composition remains uncertain because Shakespeare didn't date his manuscripts, and the historical record doesn't provide definitive evidence. Various stylistic analyses and references within the text support the early-to-mid 1590s timeframe, but this remains an educated estimate rather than a confirmed fact. </extrainfo> Publication History: Why Editions Matter The publication history of Romeo and Juliet is particularly important because different early editions vary significantly in their text—and knowing which version is most reliable helps scholars and readers understand what Shakespeare actually wrote. The First Quarto (1597) The first printed edition, the first quarto, was issued in early 1597 by publisher John Danter. However, scholars consider this a "bad quarto." This term doesn't mean the printing was poor quality, but rather that the text differs substantially from other reliable early editions. The first quarto contains fewer lines, different wording, and less developed scenes compared to later versions. Scholars believe this edition may have been reconstructed from memory or based on performance notes rather than Shakespeare's original manuscript, which would explain the inconsistencies. The Second Quarto (1599) The second quarto, printed in 1599 by Thomas Creede and published by Cuthbert Burby, is titled The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedie of Romeo and Iuliet. This edition is roughly 800 lines longer than the first quarto and is considered far more reliable. Scholars believe the second quarto was printed from Shakespeare's manuscript or a close copy of it, making it the best source for understanding Shakespeare's intended text. When modern editors prepare versions of Romeo and Juliet for publication, they typically use the second quarto as their primary reference text. Later Editions The First Folio of 1623—the first collected edition of Shakespeare's plays—printed Romeo and Juliet primarily from the third quarto, with possible clarifications drawn from a prompt book (the version used for actual stage performances). This layering of editions is important to understand: there is no single "original" manuscript of Romeo and Juliet in existence. Modern editions reconstruct Shakespeare's likely original text by comparing these early printed versions and choosing the most reliable readings. The distinction between the "bad quarto" and the "good quarto" became a foundation for all serious study of the play's text.