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    Romeo and Juliet
    Romeo and Juliet
    Romeo and Juliet
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    Romeo and Juliet

    Written by William Shakespeare

    Narrated by Claire Bloom and Albert Finney

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A pair of star-cross'd lovers   -Prologue

    Romeo and Juliet

    was Shakespeare's first great tragedy, a richly lyrical love story that has long been one of the author's most popular plays for performer and audience alike. Romeo and Juliet is a simple but dramatic cautionary tale about the blindness that both love and hate can engender. As performed by Claire Bloom and Albert Finney, this lively production captures the youthful exuberance and poetic passion that characterize all of Shakespeare's early work and makes Romeo and Juliet in particular the greatest romantic creation in English Literature.

    This unabridged, full-cast recording is a wonderful way to experience and listen to Shakespeare out-loud.

     

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCaedmon
    Release dateDec 27, 2003
    ISBN9780060743253
    Author

    William Shakespeare

    William Shakespeare is the world's greatest ever playwright. Born in 1564, he split his time between Stratford-upon-Avon and London, where he worked as a playwright, poet and actor. In 1582 he married Anne Hathaway. Shakespeare died in 1616 at the age of fifty-two, leaving three children—Susanna, Hamnet and Judith. The rest is silence.

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    Reviews for Romeo and Juliet

    4/5

    98 ratings81 reviews

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    • 2/5
      I love Shakespeare. I simply detest this play.
    • 1/5
      I am not a Shakespeare fan. I have never gotten why people think his writing is so great. I'm just not cut out for this kind of reading. I hate it, I really do. Being forced to read him in high school had a lot to do with creating this extreme dislike I have for almost all of his work.
    • 5/5
      This is one of my favorite writes by William Shakespeare, along with Julius Caesar and The Merchant of Venice. Forbidden love, yet desire to be together. An elaborate plan that would have worked, had one been a little more patient as it pertained to Juliet waking up. The epitome of a romantic tragedy but not without lessons. The main one being that some feuds should be squashed.
    • 2/5
      Bad audio quality when the actors shout or speak loud.
    • 4/5
      It makes for a more interesting read if you choose to interpret it as a Trainwreck, instead of a love story against which all others should be measured. If ~anyone~ in the entire play had enough sense to tell them "Hey, slow down, you knew each other for under a day when you decided to get married, let's just be rational," things wouldn't have turned out as they did. Shakespeare's very very impressive in how lifelike his characters are, and how engaging his plays are (compared to many other dull dull plays of the time), but...Romeo and Juliet really pushes the boundaries of credibility for me
    • 5/5
      While designing a board game based in Verona, Italy in the 1400's, I ended up reading the play 14 times. It stands up very well. If you're looking for a brilliant treatment in a film, the Francesco Zefferelli version is near perfect. Try to get a version that doesn't edit the Tibault/Mercutio sword-fight, a magnificent dramatic sequence. But for reading aloud in an evening, this is a great experience as well. Should I tell you that the male brain isn't fully matured until the age of 26? It is germane to the plot.
    • 4/5
      Romeo and Juliet is very famous story all over the world. I have known this title too, but not known this story well. Needless to say, this story is a story of the tragedy. An old tradition and manners of Italy tore their love. I think that you should read this book once.
    • 4/5
      Underage, star-crossed lovers, gangs and drugs. What more can you ask for? I read Romeo and Juliet as an 11-year-old and fell in love with the aforementioned themes.
    • 5/5
      This review is for the Frankly Annotated First Folio Edition, with annotations by Demitra Papadinis.The layout of the book is fantastic, making it easy to keep your place in the play when checking on the notes. The notes themselves are fantastic, going in depth and not leaving out the dirty jokes. A thoroughly enjoyable and educational edition!
    • 4/5
      What can I say about Romeo and Juliet that hasn't already been said? Nothing...but I'll still tell you what you've already heard. Romeo and Juliet is one of the most tragic love stories ever written. The love between Romeo and Juliet is so beautiful because it is immediate and forbidden. Isn't that intriguing? Yes. We all want what is forbidden and we all want a love that doesn't ask why, it just is. Unfortunately, the tragic part must be there too because if this love were to last longer than it had, those questions why would have popped up and ended this great love affair. Romeo and Juliet is the classic love story because its timing is right on mark. The love is immediate in two young characters, that love is only experienced for a short period of time and the death comes before any one or any thing can make them no longer be in love.
    • 4/5
      Classic story of love and loss. ;) It's Shakespeare, and it's beautiful.
    • 5/5
      Teenage Proclivity for Conjugation: "Romeo and Juliet" by William Shakespeare, J.A. Bryant Jr. Published 1998.

      Upon each re-reading I always wonder why Shakespeare does not reveal the reason that the families hate each other. We are told that the households are alike in dignity (social status). We are even provided with a "spoiler alert" when we learn that the "star crossed lovers" will commit suicide, resulting in a halt to the feuding between the two families. In addition, we receive the clue that the feud has gone on for a long time (ancient grudge) However, the omission of the reason for the feud leaves us wondering and imagining a variety of scenarios--just as Shakespeare must have intended. I think it is important for an author to leave a mystery for the reader to explore. In Star Wars there was a sense of mystery about the Force, what was it. Are there any reasons needed, ever? The humankind's history is filled with feuds which are completely pointless... "Ancient grudge", servants' street fight -- and general desire to feel better than someone else. Isn't this very pointlessness that Shakespeare intended the viewers to see?

      The rest of this review can be read elsewhere.
    • 5/5
      11/04/11Romeo & Juliet is a dramatic play and a beautiful story written by William Shakespeare. It is a tragic love story between two households that held a grudge against each other and is set in Verona, Italy, Elizabethan times. When Romeo saw Juliet, he fell in love with her instantly. Even though Juliet was a Capulet, Romeo took his chances and confessed his love for her. Like all love stories, she felt the same way about him, but this love was forbidden by both households. Juliet's cousin Tybalt, finds out the forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet. He kills Romeo's best friend Mercutio, and Romeo kills Tybalt out of rage. Because of such violence, Romeo is forced out of Verona's boundaries. Juliet is forced into a marriage with Paris, the Prince's friend. Knowing that, Juliet takes a sleeping potion that lasts for a few hours. Everyone grieved, thinking she was dead. Sadly, the message did not get to Romeo. Having Romeo thinking Juliet's dead, he takes a trip to the Apothecary, purchasing a tube of poison. He enters Juliet's room, and just as she wakes up, he drinks the poison and dies. Seeing Romeo dead, Juliet takes Romeo's dagger and stabs herself and dies. The death of the son and daughter of two families ended their grudge and from then on, the Montagues and Capulets were friends, not enemies.The Character that interested me the most was Romeo, as his personality and features changed throughout the story, and that is what makes me like him the most. At first, when he is introduced into the story, he is gloomy and lovesick about a girl named Rosalyn, but as time flashes, he sees Juliet and falls for her. This is when he changed and made a big effect on me as he suddenly forgot about Rosalyn and cared about nothing but Juliet. He started becoming more hasty in his actions as he slays Tybalt, and gets forced out of Verona. Another incident that made a big impression on me was when he found out that Juliet was dead, he did not check for himself, and instead he hastily purchased a vile of poison and drank it seeing Juliet lying unconscious. Although he was hasty and impatient, he was truly brave and his courage made him my favourite character throughout the story.The main theme of this story taught us about love and how it can affect a person's life, how it can change a person's characteristics. It also gives us a message not to be too hasty in our actions as we may regret it later on in life. It tells us not to give in on life because of one thing, as more good things will come. Letting one bad thing past is always better than stopping all the good things that are to come, this is the most important theme. It is conveyed through the language throughout the whole story. It is easily understandable if the reader is paying attention to every scene. Shakespeare's purpose of this text was to share some experiences he had in life, so that everyone that read his stories could understand him more and live life to the fullest.
    • 4/5
      The more I read Romeo and Juliet the more I enjoy it. And I've had to read it many times -- for acting classes and teaching it to freshmen. I love the romantic poetry, but even more than that I love the fact that it's got some rather raunchy comedy to it. I mean, really, sexual refferences, booze, violence -- how can you go wrong?
    • 4/5
      Romeo and Juliet is a romantic play written by the famous playwright William Shakespeare. This play shows an in-depth story about two lovers who suffer a tragic end. Their love is denied through the play because the two Montague and Capulet families are sworn enemies. This book is written from many different perspectives and characters. This book focuses on the two main characters, Romeo and Juliet, but it also focuses on many other characters; such as Friar Lawrence, Tybalt and Benvolio.Romeo and Juliet tells the tragic tale of two star crossed lovers who met by fate. Their fateful meeting was followed by a series of unfortunate events after they found out they were sworn enemies by name. The Montague and Capulet families had been fighting each other for centuries but Romeo and Juliet found each other and were united by love. Romeo hastily proposed to Juliet and they were married by Friar Lawrence. Their marriage had to be kept secret and they were in constant danger of being caught together.Romeo and Juliet is a very sad story that ends in tragedy and death. Both the main characters die at the end play after they making many bad choices and by keeping their marriage secret. This book was originated from the famous play ‘Romeo and Juliet’ which was written and directed by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare used smart writing techniques to engage the audience and readers. Romeo and Juliet’s unfortunate deaths are caused by bad choices made by close friends and enemies. Throughout the play, both Romeo and Juliet constantly tempt their fate by making bad choices, which finally ends in their unfortunate, early demise. In the end, Romeo and Juliet both suffer a painful and emotional death which was caused by bad choices and unlucky timing; this is the classic ending of William Shakespeare’s famous play ‘Romeo and Juliet’.In my opinion, I think that Romeo and Juliet is a very confusing book but it is also very exciting and enjoyable. Shakespeare indelicately uses insults and cussing in arguments instead of harsh swearing or foul language. By doing this, he makes the reader think about what the characters are saying and it makes the book much more interesting. This book has unfortunate and avoidable deaths which intensify situations and make the book more emotional. I rate this book 9 out of 10 because it was a perfectly written book over 500 years ago, and even till this day, it is still considered one of the best plays/books ever written.
    • 4/5
      Brilliant. I am not a fan of love stories or romances or even stories of betrayal and family dynamics. However, this is a stunning book, one of the best ever written I suppose. (I also liked the movie with Leonardo di Caprio and John Leguizamo by this name. It seemed to have all the original writing or a good chunk of it in a modern movie which I've never seen done well before -- I liked it much better than the Liam Neeson ones). The story is basic compared to many of his other books but the writing's as good or better.
    • 5/5
      Some people think Shakespeare is too old, outdated and overrated. However, when I can read something for the 14th time, and STILL find new things in it? Obviously that means the author did something right.

      The themes that appear in this play: love, suicide, hate, and revenge being some of them are very relevant to the youth of today. The feud between the Capulets and the Montagues is one that mirrors that of gangs in modern times. And it's interesting that I can lead students through this text, and they can say how stupid it is that Romeo and Juliet killed themselves, how dumb it is for the families to be feuding....and then trying to show them that gangs are the same, well that is the challenge.

      Hopefully this play also brings to light what a msitake it is to take one's own life out of love. This play hits a personal note there, knowing a student who did that to herself last year.

      Romeo and Juliet is a CLASSIC that should be taught to students everywhere. It is not something that should be pushed aside because it is 'too hard' or 'written weird' (arguments I hear at my school). It is not too difficult for students to read, although it will take support from the teacher.

    • 3/5
      I'm a big Romeo & Juliet fan. I've memorized the book, that's how much I've read it. I read along to Leonardo di Caprio and Claire Danes as they said their lines in that movie.
    • 3/5
      You know, it's a play written in the sixteen hundreds. Not a bad read as far as these things go, but only the sort of thing you read in school or when you're going to put on the play
    • 3/5
      Bekannte Geschichte.Junge trifft Mädchen und sie verlieben sich. Eltern sind dagegen. Tragisches Ende. Der Stoff aus dem heute noch jeder dritte Liebesfilm besteht.
    • 5/5
      Setting: The play is set in Verona; its main theme is true love.Plot: Romeo and Juliet, members of feuding families meet and fall in love. They get married but Romeo is banished and the play ends with their deaths.Characters: Romeo (protagonist)- moony, passionate; Juliet (protagonist) loving, shrewd; Firar Lawrence- fatherly, helpful; Tybalt (antagonist) hates peace; Mercutio- playful, fun loving; Benvolio- peacemaker; Montague- Romeo's father; Capulet- Juliet's fatherSymbols: love, pilot of life allusionsCharacteristics: play, Romeo and Juliet's sonnet, famous quotes such as "a thousand times good night"My Response: I think this story is too well known to make a lasting impression on me.
    • 2/5
      Easily one of my least favorite of The Bard's works. Reading this in high school very nearly put me off Shakespeare for good. One of the first books I ever remember reading that made me want to smack both main characters upside the head and ask them "What the heck are you thinking?!"
    • 4/5
      I just love this play it is so romantic and yet it is very sad at the same time. i had to read it for school and i was saddened when i got my copy and it was an abriged version but one of these days i will read an unabriged version adn cry my eyes out when Romeo and Juliet die because they are in love.
    • 2/5
      overly compressed, beautifully-written play in which two teenagers fall in love, marry, fuck, and die, all in the span of three days. concessions should be made to late 16th century literary convention, but still...
    • 5/5
      The story of Romeo and Juliet is classic...star crossed lovers from two different families who are in love and end up dying for their love. This is a good book to practice many things: decoding an unfamiliar language, acting out scenes, and analyzing character development (among others). Its overall theme of adolescent love is one that students will be able to relate to.
    • 5/5
      Such a beautiful and tragic story. One of Shakespeare's best.
    • 4/5
      Ah. The tragic story of Romeo and Juliet. After years and years of hearing what its about, I finally got to read the story for myself. And what a wonderfully tragic story is was. First thing that surprized me was the sexual stuff. Well, I didn't know it was referring to sexual stuff until the teacher pointed it out, but still. I also realised how unrealistic this play is. I mean, two people falling in love at first sight, getting married before the week is over, and dying because of each other is something that I don't see happening in real life. And I'm so glad it doesn't.
    • 3/5
      Thanks to TV and movies, I knew the basic premise of this book before even reading it. Thus, when I read it I was not really impressed. To be fair, I skimmed through it, but nothing stood out that made me want to read it. Damn Hollywood.
    • 5/5
      I give this book 5 stars because it uses creative and expresses a true form of writing that makes you want to read more until you've read the whole book!!
    • 3/5
      Romeo and Juliet is a huge tragedy. It is a good romance novel though. I liked reading it because I was able to understand all of those classic lines used in the novel. like romeo oh romeo where for out thou romeo.