romeo and juliet

[indian]

does anyone know how far love stories like these go back? Was shakespeare the first to come up with a tragic love story?

[henneth]

Regarding Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare got his sources from Greek Romance plays, so you can go at least that far back for this particular tragic love story.

Alot of the Bard's work was recycled from earlier stuff, in fact Ben Johnson refered to Pericles as a 'mouldy old tale' when Shakespeare put his version out. It had done the rounds of Elizabethan Theatre many times before. Although he may have had few original ideas and generally used source material (mystery plays, Greek romance, folk tales, Holinshed for history stuff, etc) this should not sway one from the achievements of this great writer.

[Peter Pedant]

google Sources of/for Shakespeare.

Whole books are written on where he got it all from

[Tatty Rollox]

... and here they are (in explanation, Romeo and Juliet have committed suicide and Juliet lies with her arms around Romeo. Prior to that Romeo had murdered Count Paris, whom Juliet's father had hoped she would marry, and his body lies to the right. In the background Romeo and Juliet's father's - Lord Montagu and Lord Capulet - have belatedly agreed to end the feud and are shaking hands. The location is the tomb).

[jno]

for all those posts about Shakespeare's sources, I think you may be right indian: although there were older stories, true and false, about adult lovers (Abelard and Heloise - true; Lancelot and Guinevere - false), I think R&J may have been the first tragedy about young lovers of the sort that Hollywood might make now. Anyone know any earlier ones?

[X111]

Just a brief thanks to Tatty for that marvellous picture (yet again!) and the explanation.

[phoenixxx]

Look at 'A MIdsummer Night's Dream' - the mechanicals act out the Greek myth 'Pyramus and Thisbe' - which has a storyline very similar to 'Romeo and Juliet'