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Summary: Innocent young love doomed due to unavoidable circumstances
Review: At least that's what I feel should have been a worthy epitaph for these two ill-fated lovers. I read this classic work of fiction because I've never read anything by Shakespeare before. Being a romantic, I found it appealed to me as one unfathomable story of doomed love, and may I say the ending could not have been any other, even if it hadn't been a fictitious story. I agree with Ms. Paster, who in this edition gives a final, parallel account of the story in comparison to modern times; when she says that Romeo and Juliet's only way out to consumate their love was through death, because they had trespassed socially acceptable conventions of the era, and not just due to a family feud. This is true especially of Juliet, who, because she was a woman, had the least advantages and the most pressures to be married to someone previously chosen and approved by her father. She defies the world - literally - and runs to the arms of her Romeo to be married in secret. I cannot imagine the terrible strain and fear a woman would have gone through in the 1500's should she choose to follow her heart in such a way. I find Juliet, in this sense, a true pioneer of women's rights. She definitely risks it all, defying even her own father (the man who would "owned" her until she got married). The passage where he confronts her about her arranged marriage to Count Paris has to be one of the cruelest speeches in classic literature. She certainly would have to make use of a humongous supply of nerve to defy convention.Romeo, on his behalf, is truly besotted with Juliet. He admires her beauty more than her courage and, like most men when in love, shows himself a pathetic spectacle. However, he loves her and cannot live without her. He only has eyes and, what's really important, heart for her. That is why, when he receives news of her death, he decides to go to her tomb and kill himself there. The ill-fated destiny plays these lovers a bad hand when Romeo does not get a letter in time explaining his beloved's circumstances for her death. I enjoyed Shakespeare's language the most during the first half of the book. When Romeo climbs to Juliet's window and stays with her for a few hours in the night (the only time the young lovers have for each other throughout the play). He expresses his love with unforgettable lines. He wishes he would be someone else, so that he could love her freely: "Call me but love, and I'll be new baptized." (2.2.54) This edition by the Folger Library has new comments and offers historical background on the life of William Shakespeare as well his times and his theatre. Dimensions of The Globe and explanations on how the plays were acted are shown in detail; together with illustrations of engravings of the period. It all helps to give a good understanding of the play. If, like me, you are new to Shakespeare, you will find the left pages in the book an invaluable resource since they are like a mini-dictionary clarifying words, idiomatic expressions of the era and even full verses. Above all, fear not; and dare to dive into this torrent of love.
Rating: 
Summary: Getting old
Review: This may be one of the great works of humanity, but it just doesn't cut it for me. The gender sterotypes are nauseating, to say the least. Though required in schools, this book is nnot one of the bests to read on your own time. Or maybe I am just disillussioned.
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Summary: The best study guide
Review: I found this to be far and away the best study guide, much better than Cliff's notes. A great help for either high school or college students. Thorough, scholarly, yet easy to understand.
Rating: 
Summary: romeo and juliet
Review: i thought this book was pretty good..it was kind of complicated....but it was good.. the easy text side by side with the old text is the thing that kind of confused i didnt realize nothing untill after a couple chapters i was wondering why i kept rreading stuff over and over again alrato
Rating: 
Summary: A Really Good Version
Review: Ok, first of all, I'm not going to reveiw the story. If you don't know what it's about, read someone elses reveiw. This publication of the play has a great layout. You'd think having the actual story printed only on every other page would be annoying, ut it makes it a lot easier to find parts. The notes on the opposite page, as well as the pictures to go with them are helpful and informative, not only in understanding the story, ut in getting a feel for the language. The essays in the beginning and end are interesting to read, but annoying for those people who just want to open the book and get sucked in headlong. The guide to famous lines in the back is a great study guide as well.
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Summary: A good piece of writing, not too much to brag about though
Review: Romeo And Juliet. It's the typical love story. I'm sure everyone knows the tale of these "two star-crossed" lovers who are from two houses/families which have a feud with each other, ultimately forbidding the two lovers to marry, see each other, or even relate on a somewhat civilized basis, much less romantically. Therefore their secret marriage worsens the violent feud between the Montagues and the Capulets, sending both houses further against each other until the climax and resolution of the plot is reached. Breaking down the plot, there are a few questions which lie here and there, the first being, how is it that Romeo can fall in love so fast? It makes him out to be rather immature and careless with his feelings, seeing as his love for Rosaline diminished ever quickly in light of Juliet. The second is the fact that Capulet threatened to throw Juliet out on the streets if she did not obey him to marry Paris....why not let him throw her out? Her desire is to escape and be with Romeo anyway...The last being, what is the conflict between the two houses? Although it seems to just trace back to pride and might be better left unexplained for the plots sake, the feud's cause is never touched upon even once for a brief moment. Although it was, and is, commercially successful as one of the most well-known love stories of all time, weaving love, hate, pride, sacrifice, and desire into one tale, when you break it down it really isn't much different than the typical romance movie and/or novel put out today. The reason this play demands a reasonable amount of respect and understanding is because Shakespeare wrote it in a time when women were to be obedient to their husbands, basically lacking in equality and superiority when the sexes are compared. The fact that Shakespeare though up such a tale in this time period is interesting and note-worthy, although since Shakespeare was a literary genius, this play is not saying much in comparison to Hamlet and others, although it does provide some interesting contrast between comedy and tragedy. However, the play runs a bit deeper than the surface scratching of a romance story, such as the modern perspective as well as the introduction of the New Folger Library Edition shows us, examining the lust/desires of young marriages, the ties of brotherhood which were needed in the time period, the fascination of rape and sexual desire by the Capulet men, and various other aspects which are sometimes overlooked by many readers. All that and the further reading section gives the reader more to look into than the simple Old English version. (Yes, this edition provides translation of those "difficult" words.) If "Romeo And Juliet" had been written today, it would just be another piece of writing in the pile of tragedies and romance which is so abundant today. But seeing as it is one of those timeless love stories, respect must be shown to it and it is good reading, such is Shakespeare. If you buy any edition, make it the New Folger Library one, its one of the best I've seen.
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Summary: Romeo and Juliet
Review: The book Romeo and Juliet was extraordinary because William Shakespeare described love and hate in the same book.The character that reflected me most was Tybalt because he had an abundance of hatred for the Montagues.Then commited suicide out of love for each other
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Summary: My Reveiw of Romeo and Juliet
Review: I thought Shakespare made a great play beacause it was good in all ways and it left you wondering what was going to happen next!! It was sad at the end that Romeo killed himself for juliet and juliet killed herself for romeo but they were in love and the could't bare to stay away from each other ! They were teens in love ! I like the book alot ! Romeo did not care what people thought about him just that he was in love with juliet . This book kept me interested in every part of it ! Shakespare made a good play fro everyone to share and i am glad that i got to read Romeo and Juliet
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Summary: Shakespeare was too much a genius to write soap operas
Review: Unlike many reviewers who disliked this play, I had no trouble with the Old English, and quickly began to appreciate it. Once you understand the way he mixes up verbs and nouns, and once you know how to read it, (reading it in sentences rather than line by line helps immensely), you begin to like the language. Since the English language wasn't exactly finalized, Shakespeare had the liberty and power to create words and play with the language as he liked. But only two stars for this amazing piece of creative language because it has the stupidest plot I have ever read. Shakespeare, if you were alive now I would tell you how disappointed I am. He was too much of a genius to write soap operas. People call Romeo and Juliet a true love story ... but really people, does anyone fall in love that fast? The day after they meet, (yes, meet ... for the first time ever), they get married! I nearly died laughing at how stupid and ridiculously lame this play was, (Act I he doesn't even know Juliet ... and he loves another girl!). Shakespeare, this is the lamest play I have ever heard of.
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Summary: The map to begin a wonderful journey
Review: Before this book, my wife and I never enjoyed Shakespeare very much. This book makes the play perfectly clear, and with the side-by-side arrangement, makes the original poetry understandable and beautiful. We watched the play afterward and finally began to glimpse the wonder that is hidden within the words.
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