Sir Frank Dicksee's painting of Romeo and Juliet captures the passion of the doomed lovers.

Romeo and Juliet know what it's like to be in a no-win situation. In some ways, this is a play about two young people who decide that they just can't be apart, regardless of the consequences. They decide that the rules aren't fair, and they do what they please. They choose to be with one another, and the price they ultimately pay is their lives.

But this is not just a tragic tale of two lovesick kids. They are caught in the crossfire of a social order — power, politics, and family relationships — beyond their control. They cause some of their troubles, but the mess doesn't start with them.

At the crux of their dilemma lies a blood feud. Romeo's family, the Montagues, are the sworn enemies of Juliet's kin, the Capulets. Of course, they live in the same place, and it seems like everybody in town, except Prince Escalus who rules Verona, takes a side. Only the dictate by the Prince keeps the families from destroying each other. Escalus is angered by the disruption to the peace and order of the state.

But Romeo and Juliet think their love can conquer this long-standing hostility. Why? What makes them so special? That's the story that Shakespeare tells.

Dating from the 13th century, Juliet's home is one of Verona's most popular tourist attractions today.

Shakespeare's play is set in Verona and the surrounding Italian countryside. The larger themes in the tale suggest that it could be set anywhere at any time. In fact, this story has been modernized and retold in film adaptations and in the musical West Side Story.

Shakespeare wasn't even the first author to seize upon the story of the "star-crossed lovers" and recognize it as good material. Surprised?

The tale first originated in Italy more than a century before Shakespeare tackled it in 1595. But Shakespeare probably knew the poem "Romeus and Juliet" that Englishman Arthur Brooke had written in 1562. It was reprinted in 1587, about eight years before the first performance of Romeo and Juliet. So, why is Shakespeare's version the one that most interests people today?

Shakespeare reshaped the Brooke version, which was, in turn, taken from earlier renditions of the story written by Salernitano, da Porto, Beaudello, and others. Shakespeare elaborated on and developed certain key characters, particularly Mercutio, who is just a minor figure in Brooke's poem.

But the most striking argument for Shakespeare's success with the play derives from his stunning use of the English language. No one remembers Brooke's line "What hap have I to love my foe?" but everyone remembers Shakespeare's Juliet bemoaning the fact that she has fallen in love with her enemy.

Juliet isn't asking, "Where are you Romeo?" She is wondering, "Of all the men in the world, why do you have to be Romeo Montague? Why can't you be someone other than my enemy?" Romeo is Juliet's enemy, not because of anything he has done, but because their two families have been feuding for a long, long time.

Juliet looks down from her balcony in the 1968 film version of Romeo and Juliet.

As Shakespeare fashions her, Juliet is young and pretty. Though she is only 13 years old, she is being married off by her parents. Many "eligible bachelors" seek her hand, but Juliet's dad is calling the shots. He will decide whom she should marry based upon what match would be the best for the family. In Shakespeare's time this was the way things were done.

Because he is a boy, Romeo has more choices. He is slightly older than Juliet and he is girl-crazy. Until he meets Juliet, he is not even considering marriage. But once he glimpses her, he forgets everyone and everything else, including blood feuds and his parents.

And Juliet dismisses all the handsome young men her mother and father think would be good for her and falls madly in love with the one young man who is forbidden to her, Romeo Montague.

Romeo and Juliet decide they will listen to their hearts. Juliet passionately states:

Juliet	But my true love is grown to such excess I cannot sum up sum of half my wealth.
(2.6.33-34)

This view of the River Adige winding through modern-day Verona gives some sense of why Romeo claimed that there was no life outside the walls of this beautiful city.

But to whom can they turn for help in such a dangerous situation? Do Romeo and Juliet have any idea where their passion will lead?

Juliet's nurse reluctantly offers her assistance, and Romeo seeks help from Friar Lawrence. Their plan for escape unfolds and includes potions, herbs, and a crypt. What a way to begin a marriage! Ultimately, a series of bad decisions leads to a tragic ending: the young lovers die.

The Prince pronounces the final, sad words of the play:

From the time they first meet until their deaths the end of the play, only a few days elapse. But during those few days, the lovers experience a lifetime of emotions.

Are love and death so closely related? Does the play suggest that one voice — the voice of reason — should have been heeded? Was it the voice of the Prince? Was it the voices of the families? Was it the voices of the lovers? It's all in the text. The key is to unlock the language, learn to hear its message, and discover Shakespeare's clues to meaning.

		No Win Situation: Have you ever been caught in the middle?

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