| Romeo Montague | |
|---|---|
| Romeo and Juliet character | |
 The balcony scene inRomeo and Juliet as depicted byFord Madox Brown (1869-70) | |
| First appearance | |
| Created by | William Shakespeare |
| Based on | Romeus, fromThe Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet (1562) |
| In-universe information | |
| Family |
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| Spouse | Juliet Capulet |
| Nationality | Italian |
Romeo Montague (Italian:Romeo Montecchi[roˈmɛːomonˈtekki]) is the maleprotagonist ofWilliam Shakespeare'stragedyRomeo and Juliet. The son ofLord Montague and his wife,Lady Montague, he secretly loves and marriesJuliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet, through a priest namedFriar Laurence.
When Romeo was forced into exile after slaying Juliet's cousin,Tybalt, in aduel,Friar Laurence givesJuliet a sleeping potion that makes her seem dead for 42 hours and sent a letter to Romeo, but it never reached him. Romeo dies bysuicide upon hearing falsely of Juliet's death.Juliet later dies upon waking to find Romeo dead.
The character's origins can be traced as far back asPyramus, who appears inOvid'sMetamorphoses, but the first modern incarnation of Romeo is Mariotto in the 33rd ofMasuccio Salernitano'sIl Novellino (1476). This story was reworked in 1524 byLuigi da Porto asGiulietta e Romeo (published posthumously in 1531). Da Porto named the character Romeo Montecchi, and the storyline is nearly the same as Shakespeare's adaptation.[1] Since no 16th-century direct English translation ofGiulietta e Romeo is known, Shakespeare's main source is thought to beArthur Brooke'sEnglish verse translation of a French translation of a 1554 adaptation byMatteo Bandello.[2] Although both Salernitana and da Porto claimed that their stories had a historical basis, there is little evidence that this is the case.
Romeo, an only child like Juliet, is one of the most important characters of the play and has a consistent presence throughout it. His role as anidealistic lover has led the word "Romeo" to become a synonym for a passionate male lover in various languages.
The earliest tale bearing a resemblance toShakespeare'sRomeo and Juliet isXenophon of Ephesus'Ephesiaca, whose heroic figure is a Habrocomes. The character of Romeo is also similar to that ofPyramus inOvid'sMetamorphoses, a youth who is unable to meet the object of his affection due to an ancient family quarrel, and later kills himself due to mistakenly believing her to have been dead.[3] Although it is unlikely that Shakespeare directly borrowed from Ovid while writingRomeo and Juliet, the story was likely an influence on the Italian writers whom the playwright was greatly indebted to.[4] The two sources which Shakespeare most likely consulted are Brooke's translation of da Porto andWilliam Painter'sThe goodly historye of the true, and constant Love between Romeo and Juliet.[5]
Romeo and Juliet has been adapted into film several times, and the part of Romeo has been played by several actors, including
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