Juliet Capulet

The origins of the images of two unfortunate lovers appear even in Ovid in his poem about Pyramus and Thisbe Metamorphosis .

The names of Romeo and Juliet are used for the first time in the autobiographical work of Luigi da Porto “The Newly Found History of Two Noble Lovers ” (published in 1530), and the action takes place in the city of Verona. The majestic castle of Scaligero in Montecchio Maggiore (now called Romeo and Juliet Castles ) inspired the author to create the main concept of the work about the irreconcilable families of Cappelletti and Montecchi. In the name of Montecchio it is easy to catch a connection with the name of Romeo Montecchi. The name for the protagonist Luigi da Porto could borrow from Dante , where Romeo di Villanova is (song VI v.127). Studies confirm the autobiographical history of da Porto, in which behind the images of Romeo and Juliet lurking the identity of Luigi himself and his cousin Lucien Savorgnan ^{[1] [2]} .

Inspiration for the history of Porto, probably, was the story by Maruccio Salernitza “ Mariotto and Ganozza ” , Which he reworked and introduced many elements that were later adopted by other writers ^[1] . The plot was popular with the Italian Renaissance writers. Matteo Bandello in 1554 wrote a short story that formed the basis of Arthur Brooke 's poem Romeo and Juliet (1562), which, in turn, inspired Shakespeare .

Juliet is a representative of a noble Verona family, the daughter of the signora and signora Capulet. Bandello and da Porto Juliet are 18 years old, whereas Shakespeare is 13 years old, because at the time of the English playwright, the minimum age for marriage was 12 years ^[3] . In the second scene, Juliet’s father responds to Paris ^[4] :

I will repeat what I said before:
My child does not yet know life;
She is not yet fourteen years old ^[a] ;
Let two more lush summers die -
Then Juliet can become a wife.

Juliet's name is first mentioned in the second scene of Act I, the heroine herself appears in the next scene, during a conversation with the wet nurse and then with her mother about Count Paris. In the fourth scene, Romeo and his friends come to a masquerade ball in the Capulet house. Romeo sees Juliet and falls in love with her at first sight. They kiss, and Romeo leaves. Juliet orders the nurse to find out who it was, and she replies that this is the heir to their mortal enemies — Montecchi. But the girl can no longer resist the senses.

At night, Juliet on the balcony is dreaming out loud about Romeo, who at this time stands by her windows and hears her words. He also confesses her love. Under cover of night, young people give each other an oath of love and loyalty.

Through Juliet’s breadwinner, lovers negotiate a secret marriage ceremony and Romeo’s friend, monk Lorenzo, secretly crowns young lovers.

The next day, Juliet learns from the nurse that Romeo killed Tybalt in a fight, and the Duke of Verona ousted the young man from the city, threatening to execute him upon his return. Romeo on the advice of Lorenzo is hiding in the nearby city of Mantua .

The next morning, Juliet's parents tell her that they pass her off for Count Paris. Juliet is in despair, she is even ready to commit suicide by taking poison. But Lorenzo offers her another way - to drink a special potion that will immerse her for three days in a dream like death. And in three days Romeo will arrive from Mantua to the tomb of Juliet, and the newlyweds will be able to escape from Verona .

But Giovanni - the monk whom Lorenzo sent with a letter to Romeo - could not get to Mantua due to the plague epidemic, and the message telling about the secret plan does not reach the young man.

Romeo, struck by the news of the death of his beloved, comes to the crypt of Capuleti, where he meets Paris, who also visits Juliet's grave. Having recognized Romeo, Paris is eager for revenge, Romeo unsuccessfully tries to get away from the fight, but Paris grabs his weapon. There is a fight, and Romeo stabs Paris. Romeo, saying goodbye to his beloved, drinks the harvested poison. Juliet wakes up and sees the dead body of her beloved; unable to bear grief, she stabs herself with a dagger. Over the bodies of their children, the heads of the families of Montecchi and Capulets forget about the bloody enmity and make peace.

Image in the theater

The outstanding performer of the role of Juliet was ballerina Galina Ulanova ^[6] , her “Juliet run” is considered legendary. Another performer, vividly expressing herself in the role of Juliet, is Alessandra Ferri ^[7] .

Since 2010, the role of Juliet has been performed by Elizaveta Arzamasova ^[8] , she also voiced the Shakespearean heroine in the 2013 feature film . At the time of the premiere (January 30, 2010) Lisa was 14 years old, and probably this is the only time on the professional stage when Juliet played her same age.

Movie Image

• Romeo and Juliet (1968) - Olivia Hussey ;
• Romeo + Juliet (1996) - Claire Danes ;
• Romeo and Juliet (2013) - Haley Stainfield .

Juliet's House

"Juliet's House" - a mansion of the XIII century, is now identified with the Shakespearean heroine, although in fact it belonged to the Dal Cappello clan (a possible prototype of the Capuleti family). In 1997, a museum dedicated to the Shakespeare play was opened in the house.

Especially popular among tourists is the bronze statue of Juliet by Nereo Costantini ( Nereo Costantini , 1972), a touch to the right breast of which is considered a good sign for lovers. Due to frequent touches, by 2014 the statue was worn out, a crack appeared on the “happy” right breast, and a fracture was made on the right hand. As a result, the city authorities decided to remove the statue to the museum, and put a copy in the courtyard of Juliet's house ^[9] .

Also, tourists leave notes with declarations of love on the walls of the house. Since chewing gum was used mainly as an adhesive, in 2012 the city administration introduced fines for such actions and put special mailboxes for messages (they are answered by leaving “Juliet Club” volunteers). The custom of leaving love notes in the courtyard of the “House of Juliet” formed the basis of the film “ Letters to Juliet ” (2010) ^[9] .

Juliet's Tomb

The sarcophagus of the 13th-14th centuries, made of red marble, is located in the crypt of the abolished Capuchin monastery. According to legend, he was prepared for Juliet. For the first time the tomb is associated with the name of Juliet in the novel by Luigi da Porto (1524) ^[10] . She was visited by many travelers, including Charles Dickens ^[11] .

Today, the sarcophagus is located in the crypt of the church, in which a semblance of Romeo and Juliet has been created. There is also a mailbox for letters to Juliet (they were answered by the initiator of the transfer of the sarcophagus Ettore Solimani, the superintendent of the complex of the monastery of San Francesco) ^[12] .

• Characteristic image of Juliet Capulet
• Giulietta e Romeo (it.) - the work of Luigi da Porto
• The true story of Romeo and Juliet (video)
• Material about Luigi Da Porto - the creator of the novel about Romeo and Juliet on the thematic site "Romeo and Juliet".