num_pages: 210
description: Two different versions of Romeo and Juliet were published during Shakespeare's lifetime: the second quarto of 1599, on which modern editions are usually based, and the first quarto of 1597. The latter version was long denigrated as a 'bad' quarto', but recent scholarship sees in it a crucial witness for the theatrical practices of Shakespeare and his company. The shorter of the two versions by about one quarter, the first quarto has high-paced action, fuller stage directions than the second quarto, and fascinating alternatives to the famous speeches in the longer version. The introduction to this edition provides a full discussion of the origins of the first quarto, before analysing its distinguishing features and presenting a concise history of the 1597 version. The text is provided with a full collation and commentary which alert the reader to crucial differences between the first and the second quartos.
language: English
title: The First Quarto of Romeo and Juliet
titlecomplete: The First Quarto of Romeo and Juliet (The New Cambridge Shakespeare: The Early Quartos)
characters: Romeo, Benvolio, Abram, Friar John, Juliet, Lady Montague, Paris, Sampson, Capulet, Escalus, Montague., Mercutio, Balthasar, Lady Capulet, Friar Lawrence
genres: Fiction, Plays, Theatre, Poetry, Drama, School, Literature, Read For School, Classics, High School
ratings_count: 2519028
places: Verona, Italy
publisher: Cambridge University Press