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Romeo and Juliet

This study guide will help you analyze William Shakespeare’s tragedy Romeo and Juliet. We give you notes on the play, summaries, background information about the Elizabethan era, and a detailed analysis of popular scenes. We also suggest ways to interpret the play and put it into perspective.

Note: A text version of Romeo and Juliet can be found online as well as in various textbooks. While the numbers of acts and scenes are always the same, line numbers may vary depending on the edition. The quotes in this webbook have been taken from the textbook Romeo & Juliet by Shakespeare which was written by Bo Høpfner Clausen and Jesper Kaalund, 2017.

Presentation of the text

Title: The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (1597)

Playwright: William Shakespeare

Genre: Drama

Romeo and Juliet is widely considered one of Shakespeare's best plays. We do not know exactly when the play was written, but it is believed to be in the 1590s, during the Elizabethan era. The play was first published in 1597, but this version contained a number of errors compared to the original play. In 1599, a more reliable version was published.