4 minute read // Published by Young Peoples Theatre, January 2022
Written by Larissa Barwell
Synopsis
Fair Verona, driven by the ongoing feud between the Capulets and the Montagues is a City ravaged by brutality and old hatred; it’s a place where peace can only be forced under pain of death. Amongst this pain, star crossed lovers Romeo and Juliet are starving for the one thing they can never get from this City, love. When the masked Montagues attend a Capulet party, the young lovers are instantly drawn together by fate and the desire of a forbidden love. As Fair Verona scrutinizes this love through a growing hatred towards the feuding families and the city, only by fate the desperate attraction between Romeo and Juliet augments even more with death following at every turn. It is unmistakable that only by death and the pain of, that peace can emerge from the ruins of a war torn city.
Relevancy
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was created in 1597 so why is it still relevant? Although Romeo and Juliet is a very enjoyable play to watch, read and learn about, this is not the only reason why it has stood the test of time and is arguably William Shakespeare’s most famous play. Shakespeare analyses the problems and triumphs of the human condition, therefore, creating a story with such relatability that anyone regardless of age, gender, religion, sexuality or other, can find similarities to. It is a play that forces the audience to question their own actions in their everyday life and compare them to the very play they are watching.
