In world literature there are works that are considered unconditional classics. Without a doubt, the tragedy of W. Shakespeare “Romeo and Juliet” also refers to them. Where the action of the play takes place, every schoolchild knows. The small Italian town of Verona is still a peculiar place of pilgrimage for lovers of the whole world. Here you can look at the house of Romeo and the tomb, which is associated with the young heroine of the tragedy.
Main Event Arena
The ancient city in which Romeo and Juliet lived, where events occur that led to their tragic death, is very well preserved. The guides are in full swing exploiting the image of Shakespearean heroes, claiming that in every narrow alley you can meet their ghosts. Verona was built according to ancient traditions. It is possible that the square from the drama is the oldest square in the city, Piazza Bra, preserved to this day.
Juliet's House
In medieval Verona there really lived two noble families that served as the prototypes of Montecchi and Capulet: the Monticoli family and Dal Capello. Whether there was such an implacable enmity between them is not known for certain, but the house in which Romeo and Juliet first met, where the action takes place, in which they fall in love with each other, as if struck by thunder, exists. Today it is turned into a museum. City authorities do not mind earning money from romantically inclined tourists.
At the entrance, visitors immediately fall into the courtyard, which opens onto an elegant balcony with carved railings. It is easy to guess that this is the place where Romeo and Juliet had their first date. Kissing on the legendary balcony is a cherished dream of romantics around the world. However, it should be noted that the authenticity is not fully observed: Shakespeare clearly says that the young Montecki is hiding under the balcony in the garden, and not on the stone-paved courtyard.
However, do not be too picky. The city authorities did everything possible and impossible to restore the interior decoration of the house in which the main character of the tragedy “Romeo and Juliet” lived, where an action takes place during which the lovers meet and then say goodbye. The ball probably took place on the third floor - in a spacious hall with a fireplace decorated with the arms of Del Capello. The interior of Juliet’s room was carefully recreated according to the famous painting by F. Hayec “The Last Kiss”, on which the artist depicted the farewell of lovers.
Secret marriage and exile
Not far from Verona, the remains of an ancient monastery of the Franciscans were preserved, in which, probably, was the cell of brother Lorenzo - a monk, with the help of whom Romeo and Juliet were secretly married. Where the events are directly related to the wedding, the drama is not mentioned, but, according to legend, this sacrament took place in this particular monastery.
Shortly after the wedding, the main character turns into an exile. In an effort to avenge the death of his friend Mercutio, he violently fights with Tybaldo - the cousin of his wife - and kills him.
Verona’s patience is full. All are outraged, including the duke - the ruler of the city. Since only Romeo remained alive from the brawlers, his anger is concentrated on him: he is forced to leave both Verona and his young wife.
Happy medieval marriage
Meanwhile, they are trying to marry the newlywed. One of the most cruel is the scene of the drama "Romeo and Juliet", where the action takes place in the main character's room. Not long ago lovers said goodbye here, and now the head of the Capulet family throws cruel words in the face of her daughter: if the girl does not marry the count, he is not her father.
To understand the whole series of tragic events of the play “Romeo and Juliet”, where and when the action takes place is important. This is a medieval city of the XIV century, in which noble feudal lords wage internecine warfare and where the desire of the bride is not necessarily a prerequisite for marriage. In those distant times, you really couldn’t stand on ceremony with your daughters: the threats of Capulet are not empty - in his power doomed Juliet to hunger and wanderings.
Brother Lorenzo agrees to help: he gives the thirteen-year-old girl a bottle with a terrible drug. After drinking it, she falls asleep in a dead sleep.
Tragic denouement
Then begins the fifth, last, act of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, where actions take place on Mantui Street, a city 40 km from Verona (in such an “unthinkable distance” from the house, the main character is serving his exile). A servant comes to him and reports that Juliet is dead. At the same time, the messenger of Brother Lorenzo, who must warn that the death is falsified, is late with this important news. Immediately, the young Montecca buys poison from a pharmacist and hurries to meet his fate.
The denouement of the drama Romeo and Juliet, where the action takes place in the family tomb of Capulet, is known to every person who knows how to read. According to legend, this place was located on the territory of the same monastery, where the heroes were married.
Immortal Heroes Today
Juliet's Tomb is today considered one of Verona 's most popular attractions. In the underground room, where the entrance leads through the church courtyard, there is a coffin made of red marble. The young lover of Romeo was buried in it.
Of course, there is no absolute certainty in this, but the tomb and the sarcophagus itself are genuine, very ancient. It is possible that it was precisely the victim of unhappy love that rested there , especially since the plot of the girl’s imaginary death, which entailed the suicide of her lover, and then the real death of the heroine herself, appears in Italian literature repeatedly and (moreover) long before the first edition of the tragedy Shakespeare. A similar story is described by Ovid in the “Metamorphoses”, but they, quite possibly, were created in the first century BC.