Romeo and Juliet
罗密欧与朱丽叶

Like Hamlet , Romeo and Juliet was among Shakespeare's most popular and most frequently performed plays. This story happened in Italy. It was about the tragic fate of two young lovers victimized by the feuds and misunderstandings of their elders. Romeo and Juliet's families consider each other as enemy from their ancestral times and animosity was so deep that it controlled their minds and bodies. Just in such environment, Romeo and Julilet fell in love with each other quickly before they knew each other's background. The love between them was so strong that no one could live without the other. They secretly got married. But Romeo had to flee away after helping his friend kill Juliet's cousin. At the same time Juliet was forced to marry Paris who was the relative of the Prince by her parent's arrangement. Juliet wouldn't marry anyone else, and she took the medicine and pretended to die. Unluckily this daring scheme ran out of control. Romeo took the rumors that Juliet had died and he committed suicide by taking the poison. When Juliet woke up and saw the body of Romeo, she also killed herself. At last the parents of the two families made peace by shaking hands aside their children's bodies. The play ended with the Prince's elegy for the lovers: “For never was a story of more woe/ Than this of Juliet and her Romeo”.
《罗密欧与朱丽叶》与《哈姆雷特》一样，是威廉·莎士比亚最受欢迎、最经久不衰的戏剧之一。故事发生在意大利，描述了一对青年恋人成为家族世仇宿怨牺牲品的悲剧。罗密欧与朱丽叶的两个家族结有世仇，深重的仇恨夺去了人们的理智。就在这样一种环境下，罗密欧与朱丽叶在未弄清对方身份前就闪电般地、无可挽回地坠入爱河，发誓至死不渝。他们秘密成婚，但是不久罗密欧为朋友报仇而刺杀了朱丽叶的表哥，不得不出逃。与此同时，朱丽叶由父母做主许配给亲王的亲戚帕里斯。朱丽叶坚决不背叛罗密欧，假装服毒而死。但这场大胆的冒险计划突生变故，罗密欧误听传言以为朱丽叶已经死去，在朱丽叶身旁服毒自杀。当朱丽叶醒来发现罗密欧惨死身旁，也用匕首自杀。最终两个家族在这对殉情的儿女尸体旁握手言和。戏剧以亲王的挽歌落幕:“古往今来多少离合悲欢,谁曾见这样的哀怨辛酸!”