 Romeo and Juliet had a profound influence on subsequent literature. Before then, romance had not even been viewed as a worthy topic for tragedy. In Harold Bloom's words, Shakespeare "invented the formula that the sexual becomes the erotic when crossed by the shadow of death". Of Shakespeare's works, Romeo and Juliet has generated the most — and the most varied — adaptations, including prose and verse narratives, drama, opera, orchestral and choral music, ballet, film, television and painting. The word "Romeo" has even become synonymous with "male lover" in English.
