The story of Romeo and Juliet summary. Ballet "Romeo and Juliet" by Sergei Prokofiev

The premiere of the “non-dance” ballet “Romeo and Juliet” to the music of Sergei Prokofiev in the USSR was postponed and banned for five years. It was first held on the stage of the Leningrad Opera and Ballet Theater named after Kirov (today the Mariinsky Theater) in 1940. Today, the ballet-symphony is staged on the most famous theater stages in the world, and individual works from it are performed at classical music concerts.

Classic plot and “non-dance” music

Leonid Lavrovsky. Photo: fb.ru

Sergei Prokofiev. Photo: classic-music.ru

Sergei Radlov. Photo: peoples.ru

Sergei Prokofiev, world-famous pianist and composer, participant in the Russian Seasons enterprise of Sergei Diaghilev, returned to the USSR in the 1930s after long tours abroad. At home, the composer decided to write a ballet based on William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet. Usually Prokofiev himself created the libretto for his works and tried to preserve the original plot as much as possible. However, this time, Shakespeare scholar and artistic director of the Kirov Leningrad Theater Sergei Radlov and Adrian Piotrovsky, a playwright and famous theater critic, took part in writing the libretto for Romeo and Juliet.

In 1935, Prokofiev, Radlov and Piotrovsky completed work on the ballet, and the management of the Kirov Theater approved the music for it. However, the ending of the musical work differed from Shakespeare's: in the finale of the ballet, the characters not only remained alive, but also maintained their romantic relationship. Such an attempt on a classic plot caused bewilderment among the censors. The authors rewrote the script, but the production was still banned - allegedly because of the “non-dance” music.

Soon, the Pravda newspaper published critical articles on two works by Dmitry Shostakovich - the opera Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk and the ballet The Bright Stream. One of the publications was called “Confusion Instead of Music,” and the second was called “Ballet Falsity.” After such devastating reviews from the official publication, the management of the Mariinsky Theater could not take risks. The premiere of the ballet could cause not just discontent on the part of the authorities, but real persecution.

Two high-profile premieres

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet - Galina Ulanova, Romeo - Konstantin Sergeev. 1939 Photo: mariinsky.ru

On the eve of the premiere: Isaiah Sherman, Galina Ulanova, Peter Williams, Sergei Prokofiev, Leonid Lavrovsky, Konstantin Sergeev. January 10, 1940. Photo: mariinsky.ru

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". The final. Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after S.M. Kirov. 1940 Photo: mariinsky.ru

Culturologist Leonid Maksimenkov later wrote about Romeo and Juliet: “Censorship took place at the highest level - from the principle of expediency: in 1936, 1938, 1953 and so on. The Kremlin has always proceeded from the question: is such a thing needed at the moment?” And in fact, the question of staging was raised almost every year, but in the 1930s the ballet was shelved every year.

Its premiere took place only three years after it was written - in December 1938. Not in Moscow or St. Petersburg, but in the Czechoslovak city of Brno. The ballet was choreographed by Ivo Psota, who also danced the role of Romeo. The role of Juliet was performed by the Czech dancer Zora Shemberova.

In Czechoslovakia, the performance to Prokofiev's music was a great success, but for another two years the ballet was banned in the USSR. The production of Romeo and Juliet was allowed only in 1940. Serious passions flared up around the ballet. Prokofiev's innovative "non-ballet" music provoked real resistance from artists and musicians. The former could not get used to the new rhythm, and the latter were so afraid of failure that they even refused to play at the premiere - two weeks before the performance. There was even a joke among the creative team: “There is no sadder story in the world than Prokofiev’s music in ballet”. Choreographer Leonid Lavrovsky asked Prokofiev to change the score. After discussions, the composer finally added several new dances and dramatic episodes. The new ballet was significantly different from the one staged in Brno.

Leonid Lavrovsky himself was seriously preparing for work. He studied Renaissance artists in the Hermitage and read medieval novels. The choreographer later recalled: “In creating the choreographic image of the performance, I proceeded from the idea of ​​​​contrasting the world of the Middle Ages with the world of the Renaissance, the collision of two systems of thinking, culture, and worldview.<...>Mercutio’s dances in the play were based on elements of folk dance... For the dance at the Capulet ball, I used the description of an authentic English dance of the 16th century, the so-called “Pillow Dance”.

The premiere of "Romeo and Juliet" in the USSR took place in Leningrad - on the stage of the Kirov Theater. The main roles were performed by the star ballet duo of the 1930s and 40s - Galina Ulanova and Konstantin Sergeev. The role of Juliet in Ulanova’s dance career is considered one of the best. The design of the performance corresponded to the high-profile premiere: the scenery for it was created by the famous theater designer Peter Williams. The ballet transported the viewer to the exquisite Renaissance era with antique furniture, tapestries, and dense expensive draperies. The production was awarded the Stalin Prize.

Productions of the Bolshoi Theater and foreign choreographers

Rehearsal of the ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet - Galina Ulanova, Romeo - Yuri Zhdanov, Paris - Alexander Lapauri, chief choreographer - Leonid Lavrovsky. State Academic Bolshoi Theater. 1955 Photo: mariinsky.ru

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet - Galina Ulanova, Romeo - Yuri Zhdanov. State Academic Bolshoi Theater. 1954 Photo: theatrehd.ru

Ballet "Romeo and Juliet". Juliet - Irina Kolpakova. Leningrad State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater named after S. M. Kirov. 1975 Photo: mariinsky.ru

The next production of Romeo and Juliet took place after the Great Patriotic War - in December 1946 at the Bolshoi Theater. Two years earlier, by decision of the Central Committee, Galina Ulanova moved to the Bolshoi, and ballet “moved” with her. In total, the ballet was danced more than 200 times on the stage of the country's main theater; the leading female part was performed by Raisa Struchkova, Marina Kondratyeva, Maya Plisetskaya and other famous ballerinas.

In 1954, director Leo Arnstam, together with Leonid Lavrovsky, shot the ballet film Romeo and Juliet, which received a prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Two years later, Moscow artists performed the ballet on tour in London and again created a sensation. Prokofiev's music was set to productions by foreign choreographers - Frederick Ashton, Kenneth MacMillan, Rudolf Nureyev, John Neumeier. The ballet was staged in the largest European theaters - Opera de Paris, Milan's La Scala, London's Royal Theater in Covent Garden.

In 1975, the play began to be staged again in Leningrad. In 1980, the ballet troupe of the Kirov Theater toured Europe, the USA and Canada.

The original version of the ballet - with a happy ending - was released in 2008. As a result of research by Professor Simon Morrison of Princeton University, the original libretto was made public. It was staged by choreographer Mark Morris for the Bard College Music Festival in New York. During the tour, the artists performed the ballet on theater stages in Berkeley, Norfolk, London and Chicago.

Works from Romeo and Juliet, which musicologist Givi Ordzhonikidze calls a ballet-symphony, are often performed at classical music concerts. The numbers “Juliet the Girl”, “Montagues and Capulets”, “Romeo and Juliet before Separation”, “Dance of the Antillean Girls” became popular and independent.

Characters:

Escalus, Prince of Verona
Count Paris, a young man, a relative of the prince
Montagues
Capulets - heads of two warring houses
Uncle Capulet
Romeo, son of Montague
Mercutio, relative of the prince, friend of Romeo

Benvolio, nephew of Montague, friend of Romeo
Tybalt, Lady Capulet's nephew
Brother Lorenzo
Brother Giovanni - Franciscan friars
Balthasar, Romeo's servant
Samson
Gregorio - servants of the Capulets
Peter, the nurse's servant
Abram, Montague's servant
Pharmacist Page of Paris
Lady Montague, Montague's wife
Lady Capulet, Capulet's wife
Juliet, daughter of Capulet
Juliet's nurse

Location: Verona and Mantua

The Chorus enters and announces:

Two equally respected families
In Verona, where events meet us,
There are internecine fights
And they don’t want to stop the bloodshed.
The children of the leaders love each other,
But fate plays tricks on them,
And their death at the grave doors
Puts an end to irreconcilable strife.
Their life, love and death and, moreover,
The peace of their parents on their grave
For two hours they will make up a creature
Were played out before you.

Act I

In Verona Square, Samson and Gregorio, armed with swords and shields, are preparing to “not disgrace themselves” before the “Montague mongrels.” Seeing Abram and Baltazar, Samson and Gregorio begin to bully them, Samson defiantly calls on his comrade to show his “valiant blow.” Benvolio appears. He orders the servants to hide their weapons and disperse. However, Tybalt, noticing Benvolio, declares that he “hates the world and the word ‘peace’.” Benvolio and Tybalt fight with swords. Followers of both houses join the fight. The heads of both warring families and their wives enter the square. They loudly insult each other. The prince intervenes. He stops the “traitors, the murderers of silence,” orders them to “throw swords from inglorious hands,” and orders the Montagues and Capulets to appear before him to testify.

Lady Montague is concerned about her son's condition. She asks Benvolio why Romeo seeks solitude, avoids communication with his parents, and does not answer questions. Benvolio promises to find out his secret from his friend.

Benvolio learns from Romeo that he is unrequitedly in love with Rosaline. “Beauty, she will take her world of beauty untouched to her grave,” because she took a vow of celibacy. Benvolio advises his friend: “Give freedom and space to your eyes - admire others.”

Capulet tells Paris that the prince fined him and the Montagues. Paris wooes Juliet, but so far Capulet responds to his proposal evasively: “After all, my daughter is still just a child, she is not yet fourteen years old.” He advises Paris to “come to terms” with Juliet, and then two years later her father will announce her as Paris’s bride. Capulet invites Paris to his party in the evening, where there will be “a rich congress of shining brides, like the stars of the night.” There the young man will be able to impartially appreciate Juliet's beauty.

A servant, who is ordered to go around with a list of all the Capulet guests, accidentally meets Romeo and Benvolio on the street and asks them to read him the names and addresses of the guests (the servant is illiterate). Romeo sees Rosaline on the list and decides at all costs to sneak into the ball under a false name in order to look at his beloved. Benvolio shares the aspirations of his friend, but pursues a different goal: “The Capulets will have the most prominent beauties of Verona at the ball.” Therefore, Romeo will be able to compare Rosaline with other girls, and Benvolio is sure that his friend will immediately forget his sadness.

Lady Capulet announces to Juliet that young Paris has wooed her. The nurse and mother unanimously praise the groom in every possible way - “not a person, but a picture”, “a flower such as Verona has never seen.” The mother advises Juliet to take a closer look at Paris at the ball and try to get to know him better. Juliet obediently agrees to please her parents.

Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio with several mummers and a torchbearer stand in front of the gates of the Capulet house. Romeo still complains about his unhappy lot, about the fact that “under the burden of love” for Rosaline he is “bending.” It seems to him that he is going to visit is not good, since the day before he had a bad dream. Mercutio assures his friend that dreams are “nonsense... the fruits of a trifle-dream and a sleeping idle creature.” However, Romeo is not at ease:

...Something unknown
What is still hidden in the darkness,
But it will begin with this ball,
Will shorten my life untimely
Due to some terrible circumstances...

Romeo, Benvolio and Mercutio, wearing masks, enter the hall where the Capulet guests are dancing. Romeo sees Juliet among the dancers, cannot take his eyes off her, asks the servant who this girl is, but the servant cannot give an answer. Romeo does not know that in front of him is the daughter of Capulet, the sworn enemy of his family. Romeo instantly forgets Rosaline, forgets his misfortunes and complaints.

Disguised as a monk, Romeo approaches Juliet, kisses the girl, and she kisses him back. Romeo learns from the nurse that Juliet is the mistress of the house. He is shocked, but cannot fight the passion that has gripped him. FoMeo does not intend to give up on Juliet just because she is a Capulet. When Juliet herself finds out who kissed her at the ball and who she liked so much, she understands perfectly well that in the eyes of her parents, “Romeo is not a groom.”

Act II

A feeling of all-consuming love overwhelms a young couple. And Romeo and Juliet can't think of anything but each other. Romeo, having sneaked into the Capulet garden, waits for Juliet to appear on the balcony of her room, so that he can take another look at the one who shocked his imagination.

...Juliet, you are as clear as day!
Stand by the window, kill the moon with your proximity;
She's already sick with envy,
That you overshadowed it with whiteness.
Leave to serve the goddess of purity.
The virgin's dress is pitiful and inconspicuous.
He doesn't suit you. Take it off.
Oh dear! O my life! O joy!

Juliet appears on the balcony. Without seeing her lover, the girl talks out loud to herself. She is sorry that Romeo is mowing down the Montague surname; she dreams that he would renounce the family and make her his wife, so that she would no longer be a Capulet. After all, the name is not the main thing, the main thing is the person himself: “Romeo under any name would be the height of perfection that he is.”

Romeo from below replies that for the sake of his beloved he will accept a new baptism. His love will not be stopped either by a high fence or the hostility of Juliet’s relatives. For him, “death from their blows is better than a long century without Juliet’s tenderness.”

Juliet asks the young man not to lie to her, not to give empty vows.

Of course I'm so much in love
Why should you seem stupid?
But I'm more honest than many, touchy
Who play modesty...
Sorry for the ardor and don't accept it
Direct speeches for ease and accessibility...
What I own is beyond my control.
My love is bottomless, and kindness -
Like the vastness of the sea. The more I spend
The more vast and richer I become.

Juliet asks Romeo, if he “decided to marry in earnest,” to inform her maid the next day when and where the wedding will take place. Lovers cannot part for a long time. Having said goodbye repeatedly, they return to each other again and again. Finally, Juliet, who is persistently called by the nurse, disappears.

Brother Lorenzo brings a basket of sleepy grass to his cell, from which he will prepare a healing potion. He argues that everything in the world has meaning and everything is necessary, for everything was created by the earth, “the mother of all species”:

What amazing powers
The earth has invested in stones and flowers!
There is no such fiber in the world,
Which she wouldn't be proud of
How can you not find such a basis,
Where there would be nothing bad.
Everything is useful, by the way, and not on time -
All blessings turn into vice...
So they split our soul in two
The spirit of kindness and evil self-will.

Romeo comes to Lorenzo and asks the monk to marry him to Juliet as quickly as possible. Lorenzo makes fun of how quickly Romeo forgot about Rosaline. But the young man has a ready answer: he preferred Juliet to Rosaline, because “she was angry, and this one was kind.” Lorenzo agrees to fulfill the young man’s request, because in the marriage of Romeo and Juliet he sees a “denouement of civil strife” between the Montagues and the Capulets.

Romeo meets Benvolio and Mercutio. They wonder where their friend disappeared the night before, when they agreed to leave together after the Capulet ball. Romeo answers evasively; he still does not find the strength to tell his friends about everything that happened to him last night.

The nurse appears. She needs to talk to Romeo face to face about the wedding. Romeo tells Juliet through her that, under any pretext, she should come to confession at noon to the monk Lorenzo, who agreed to marry the lovers.

Juliet is impatiently waiting for her nurse in the garden. She counts the minutes until the nanny arrives and scolds her for her slowness. The nurse conveys to her Romeo’s words and tells her that at night her husband will come to Juliet along a rope ladder.

Brother Lorenzo performs the wedding ceremony for Romeo and Juliet. Romeo asks Juliet to find words to express the feelings that overwhelm him. Juliet answers:

The richness of feelings is avoided by embellishment,
Only inner poverty is verbose.
My love has grown so terribly,
That I can’t cover even half of it.

Act III

Mercutio, Benvolio, a page and servants walk across the square. Benvolio persuades Mercutio to go home: he has a presentiment that today they will not avoid trouble, because “Capulets are everywhere.” But while they are bickering, Tybalt appears. He clings to Mercutio, bullies him. A quarrel breaks out. Benvolio tries his best to prevent a conflict, offers to retire, discuss the “issues” that have arisen with a “cold soul” and go their separate ways.

But then Tybalt sees Romeo. There is no way in hell he would agree to leave without a fight. Romeo (who is now a relative of Tybalt) calmly explains that he does not want to quarrel with him, that he is ready to forgive his “blind malice”, and offers to part as friends. Mercutio, who is not yet aware of the fact of Romeo’s marriage, declares with contempt that he must wash away Romeo’s shame with blood (Romeo’s conciliatory sentiments seem to Mercutio to be a shame).

Mercutio draws his sword and rushes at Tybalt. Romeo tries in every way to separate the fighters, rushes between them. From under Romeo's hand, Tybalt wounds Mercutio and escapes with his accomplices.

“Plague take both of your families!” - exclaims the dying Mercutio. Benvolio takes him away. Romeo feels guilty that his friend and relative of the prince was so dangerously wounded because of him, while Romeo himself “silently suffered a mortal insult” - a public insult from Tybalt, a man who an hour ago became his family.

Benvolio approaches Romeo and announces to him that Mercutio has died. Triumphant Tybalt returns. Romeo rushes at him to avenge his dead friend, kills Tybalt and runs away.

The townspeople, the prince, the Montagues, the Capulets and their brothers run in. Benvolio tells the prince what happened. Lady Capulet sobs over the corpse of her nephew, demanding justice and revenge. The prince, whose family feelings also suffered (Mercutio is his relative), orders Romeo to be immediately expelled from the city. The angry prince imposes a huge fine on the Montagues and Capulets, whose discord has finally tired of him. If Romeo appears in Verona again, the prince orders his execution.

In the Capulet garden, Juliet waits for the evening when she will see Romeo again:

After all, those who love see everything in the light
The excitement of lighting up faces.
Love and night live by the instinct of the blind.
Great-grandmother in black, prim night,
Come and teach me some fun
In which the loser is the winner,
And the stake is the integrity of two creatures.
Hide how your blood burns with shame and fear,
Until suddenly she gets bolder
And he won’t understand how pure everything is in love.

The Nurse tells Juliet that Tybalt has been killed and Romeo banished. At first, Juliet begins to reproach Romeo, “a dragon in a charming guise,” “a nonentity with the features of a deity,” for the murder of her cousin. The nurse picks up her lamentations:

...In men there is no one
No conscience, no honor. It's all pretense
Empty seduction and deception.

Here Juliet, as if waking up, pulls herself together. Her beloved “was not born for shame,” he is a wonderful person, pure, sincere, and scolding her husband is baseness on the part of the wife. For her, the worst thing is not the death of her cousin. But if something bad happened to Romeo, Juliet's life would be darkened forever. She cannot bear the thought of expelling her loved one. The nurse promises to find Romeo (he is hiding with Lorenzo in the monastery) and bring him to Juliet.

Brother Lorenzo persuades Romeo to quietly leave the city, to wait until the prince’s anger passes. But Romeo is deaf to all his beliefs. He wants to rush to Juliet, he is delirious about her, without her he has no life.

The nurse comes to Lorenzo's cell and informs Romeo that Juliet is eager to see him. Romeo, in a fit of nobility, renounces his family and draws a sword to stab himself (because he caused Juliet so much suffering). Brother Lorenzo stops the young man, scolds him for his tearfulness and blindness of actions, for the fact that Romeo scolds his family.

Lorenzo reminds that Romeo should thank God for his happiness. He is not killed by Tybalt, Juliet loves and waits for him. Brother Lorenzo advises Romeo to quietly go to Juliet at night, and in the morning, before the guards go around, to return and immediately leave for Mantua until an opportunity presents itself to make their marriage public and reconcile the Montague and Capulet families. Lorenzo promises to regularly send Romeo to Mantua news of Juliet with his servant.

Juliet cries all the time because Romeo is banished. The parents decide that their daughter is being killed by the late Tybalt. The father believes that Juliet needs something to distract her from sad thoughts. Paris, appearing on a day of mourning (Tybalt's funeral) in the Capulet house, reminds of his matchmaking. Capulet himself promises Paris Juliet's hand, schedules the wedding for the coming Thursday (i.e., three days later) and orders his daughter to be notified of the upcoming celebration.

At dawn, Romeo is about to leave Juliet's room. The lovers are unable to part. Romeo promises to send his wife news from a foreign land, encourages her to hope for the best, assures her that the pangs of separation will later serve as a memory for them. Juliet is tormented by bad feelings. Romeo disappears.

Lady Capulet announces to her daughter that in three days she will be marrying Paris. Juliet cries bitterly, explaining her melancholy by the pain of losing Tybalt. The mother promises to get even with Tybalt’s murderer (i.e., Romeo), and through faithful people to mix poison into his food. Juliet volunteers to compose the poison herself, but refuses to marry Paris.

Capulet appears. He can’t wrap his head around how his daughter dared to disobey him, how it could be “not obvious to her how much more noble the groom is,” and not be proud of her parents’ choice. The father rudely scolds Juliet. It literally drives him crazy that his many years of efforts to find a worthy groom for his daughter were not crowned with gratitude and strict obedience on her part. Capulet threatens to kick Juliet out of the house, deprive her of a piece of bread and gives her two days to think about it. Juliet begs her mother to intercede for her and postpone the marriage for at least a month, but her mother is adamant. The parents leave.

Juliet cries in the arms of her nurse. Ta advises her to spit on her husband and marry Parks, because “the new marriage will overshadow the previous one with its benefits,” and “the current husband is so far away that it is like a dead man, the same benefits.” Realizing that the nurse is no longer her ally, Juliet sends her to her parents to ask them to let Juliet go to confession in Brother Lorenzo’s cell.

Paris comes to Lorenzo and schedules his wedding with Juliet for Thursday. Lorenzo tries to dissuade the young count from a hasty marriage under the pretext that he “doesn’t know the bride’s way of thinking.” At Lorenzo's, Paris encounters Juliet and calls her his wife. Juliet, without directly renouncing the marriage, nevertheless does not answer Paris’s questions and in every possible way avoids communicating with him.

Left alone with Lorenzo, Juliet asks him to do anything to turn her away from her hated marriage and help her reunite with Romeo. Lorenzo tells her to go home, give her father consent to the wedding, and on Wednesday evening drink a bottle of the drug that Lorenzo gives her before going to bed. It will plunge Juliet into such a deep sleep that it will be indistinguishable from death. Her relatives will bury her in the family crypt in a coffin without a lid (this is the Capulet family tradition). Meanwhile, Lorenzo will call Romeo and come with him to the crypt. Forty-two hours later, Juliet will wake up, and Lorenzo will arrange for her and Romeo to escape. Juliet fearlessly takes the bottle and promises to follow his instructions exactly.

Under the pretext that she needs to pray properly before the wedding, on Wednesday evening Juliet persuades the nurse to leave her alone in the bedroom for the night. At the thought that the monk could give her real poison to drink, Juliet “is struck by a slight chill, and horror stops the bleeding.” She imagines Tybalt impaling Romeo on a sword. Juliet drinks poison “for Romeo’s health” and falls on the bed without breathing.

In the morning, active preparations for the wedding are underway in the Capulet house. Finally, the nurse goes to wake up the young bride, but returns in tears. The news of Juliet's death spreads throughout the house. The Capulets are in despair. Lorenzo appears, who was preparing to “marry Juliet and Paris,” but will now perform her funeral service, and the festive dinner “will go to the funeral ceremony.”

Act V

Balthasar brings Romeo to Mantua the news that Juliet has died and lies in the family crypt. Lorenzo gave a letter for Romeo, in which he explained that Juliet would still wake up from sleep, to brother Giovanni, but he had no one with whom to send the letter to Mantua.

Romeo immediately goes to Verona. Romeo does not want to live without Juliet, but he strives to see her before her death, even though she is dead. Before leaving, he is visited by a pharmacist. He brings Romeo, at his request, poison, one sip of which kills a person instantly and without pain.

Lorenzo learns from brother Giovanni that his letter to Romeo was not sent. Friar Lorenzo hurriedly goes to the Capulet crypt, because “any minute Juliet might get up.” Lorenzo decides to hide her in his cell, and in the meantime write to Romeo and call him from Mantua. Lorenzo does not know that Balthasar has already visited Mantua, and Romeo rushes towards Verona,

Paris comes to Capulet's tomb with his page, Paris says goodbye to his would-be wife, and decorates her coffin with flowers. Hearing footsteps, Paris hides.

Romeo and Balthazar appear. Romeo sends Balthazar away, explaining that he wants to take an expensive ring off his wife’s finger. However, Balthazar, just in case, hides in the bushes nearby, so that if something happens, he can come to the rescue, since the sight of Romeo is terrible.

Paris stops Romeo and arrests him (Romeo has no right to be in Verona). Romeo is trying to avoid conflict, explaining that he is “preparing reprisals against himself.” But Paris stands his ground. They begin to fight and Romeo kills Paris. The page rushes to call the guard. Romeo carries Paris, at his dying request, into Juliet's crypt,

Left alone with Juliet, Romeo sobs over her lifeless body:

My love! My wife! End
Even though I sucked your breath dry,
I couldn't cope with your beauty...
I'm sorry! Juliet, why?
You are so Beautiful?..

Romeo presses his lips to Juliet's face in order to “seal his perpetual contract with death with a long kiss.” Romeo drinks poison for his love and dies.

Brother Lorenzo enters the tomb. He already knows from Balthasar that Romeo came to Verona without receiving news from him. Lorenzo sees Romeo and Paris at Juliet's tomb. He does not immediately find “the key to solving this.”

Juliet awakens. Lorenzo bitterly explains to her that an evil force prevented his actions. He didn't keep his promise. Romeo is dead. Lorenzo hurries Juliet, persuades her to leave the crypt. He is ready to help the unfortunate woman take monastic vows.

Juliet refuses to leave the crypt. Lorenzo leaves. Juliet sees that the bottle from which Romeo drank the poison is empty. She kisses her husband on the lips, hoping that at least a drop of poison remains on his lips. Juliet hears someone's voices. The guards, called by Paris's page, approach the crypt. Juliet grabs Romeo's dagger and stabs herself.

In addition to the guards, the prince and Montagues and Capulets come to the crypt. They arrange a biased interrogation of Baltazar and Lorenzo.

Lorenzo tells the prince what was the true reason for the death of the young offspring of the Montague and Capulet families. Montague's wife also died: she could not bear the separation from her son. The prince reproachfully addresses the heads of the warring families:

Where are you, irreconcilable enemies,
And your dispute, Capulets and Montagues?
What a lesson for the haters
That the sky is killing you with love!

Capulets and Montagues shake hands at the grave of the children and agree that they will erect a monument to Romeo and Juliet from pure gold. Everyone leaves to mourn together. According to the prince, “the story of Romeo and Juliet will remain the saddest in the world.”

Ballet in three acts with prologue and epilogue

Libretto by L. Lavrovsky, A. Piotrovsky, S. Radlov and S. Prokofiev based on the tragedy of the same name by W. Shakespeare.
Choreographer L. Lavrovsky.
First performance: Leningrad, Opera and Ballet Theater. S. M. Kirov, January 11, 1940
Characters:
Escalus, Duke of Verona. Paris, a young nobleman, Juliet's fiancé. Capulet. Capulet's wife. Juliet, their daughter. Tybalt, Capulet's nephew. Juliet's nurse.
Montagues. Montague's wife. Romeo, their son. Mercutio and Benvolio, friends of Romeo. Lorenzo, monk.

Samsone, Gregorio, Pietro - servants of the Capulet. Abramio, Balthazar - servants of Montague. Paris's page. Page Romeo. Juliet's friends.
The owner of the zucchini. Maids. Beggars. Troubadour. Jester.
A young man in battle. Greengrocer. Townspeople.

In the middle of the orchestral introduction, the curtain opens, revealing to the audience a three-piece triptych picture: on the right is Romeo, on the left is Juliet, in the center is Lorenzo. This is the epigraph to the play.

Verona in the early morning. The city is still dormant. Romeo alone can't sleep. He wanders aimlessly through the deserted streets, immersed in dreams of love.
The streets gradually come to life, early passers-by appear. Stretching lazily, having difficulty losing sleep, the inn maids clear the tables.
The servants Gregorio, Samsone and Pietro leave the Capulet house. They are nice to the maids and start dancing. On the other side of the square, Balthazar and Abramio come out of Montague's house.
Servants of two warring families glance sideways at each other, looking for a reason to quarrel. Stinging jokes turn into bickering, someone pushes someone and a fight breaks out. The weapon is drawn. One of the servants is wounded. Benvolio, Montague's nephew, separates the fighters and orders everyone to disperse. The servants, grumbling dissatisfiedly, obey.
And here comes Tybalt, Capulet's nephew. An adventurer and a bully, he is just waiting for the chance to fight the hated Montagues. Happening
introduced himself. The battle begins. The Montagues and Capulets run out of their houses in response to the noise. The fight is heating up. The whole city was in motion. Heavy sounds of the alarm sound. The Duke of Verona appears. With the movement of his sword, he gives a sign to lay down his weapon. From now on, the Duke announces, anyone who starts a fight with a weapon in their hands will be executed. The people, satisfied with the Duke's order, disperse.

Juliet's room. The naughty Juliet cheerfully teases her nurse, throws pillows at her, runs away from her, and she, clumsily waddling, tries to catch her.
The merry fuss is interrupted by Juliet's mother. Gradually and sternly, she tells her daughter to stop playing pranks: after all, Juliet is already a bride. This one asks for her hand
a worthy young man, like Paris. Juliet laughs in response. Then the mother solemnly brings her daughter to the mirror. Juliet can see for herself - she is quite an adult.
A ball has been announced at the Capulet palace. The nobility of Verona in festive clothes goes to the celebration. Accompanied by singers and musicians, they go to
ball of Juliet's friend and Paris with his page. Mercutio runs by, talking animatedly and laughing. He is dissatisfied with Romeo, he does not understand his sadness. AND
Romeo himself cannot figure out what is happening to him. He is tormented by ominous forebodings.
The action moves to the hall of the Capulet house. Solemnly seated at the tables, the guests conduct a decorous conversation. The dancing begins. The guests ask Juliet to dance. She agrees. Juliet's dance reveals her purity, charm, and poetry. Romeo, who entered the hall, is unable to take his eyes off her.
Wearing a hilarious mask, Mercutio amuses the guests to tears. Taking advantage of the fact that Mercutio has captured everyone's attention, Romeo approaches Juliet and
excitedly tells her about the feeling that has arisen in him. The mask accidentally falls off Romeo's face. Juliet is amazed by Romeo's beauty and nobility. IN
Juliet's heart was also kindled with love.
Tybalt, an involuntary witness to this scene, recognized Romeo. Putting on the mask, Romeo disappears. When the guests leave, the nurse tells Juliet that Romeo belongs to the Montague clan. But nothing can stop Romeo Juliet.

On a moonlit night they meet in the garden. Juliet is completely at the mercy of the feeling that flared up for the first time. Unable to bear even the shortest separation from her beloved, Juliet sends Romeo a letter, which the nurse should give to him. In search of Romeo, the nurse and her accompanying Pietro find themselves in the thick of the carnival fun.
Hundreds of townspeople dance, sing, and frolic in the square. A procession carrying a statue of the Madonna appears to the sounds of an orchestra.
Some mischievous people tease the nurse, but she is busy with one thing - looking for Romeo. And here he is. The letter was delivered. Romeo reverently reads Juliet's message.
She agrees to become his wife.
Romeo comes to Father Lorenzo's cell. He tells Lorenzo about his love for Juliet and asks him to marry them. Touched by the purity and strength of feelings
Romeo and Juliet, Lorenzo agrees. And when Juliet enters the cell, Lorenzo blesses their union.
And in the squares of Verona the carnival is noisy and sparkling. Among the merry Veronese, Romeo's friends are Mercutio and Benvolio. Seeing Mercutio, Tybalt
starts a quarrel and challenges him to a duel. Romeo, who arrived at this time, tries to calm the quarrels, but Tybalt mocks Romeo, calling
him a coward. And when Romeo withdraws Mercutio's sword to prevent bloodshed, Tybalt deals Mercutio a fatal blow. Overcoming
pain, Mercutio tries to joke; he dances, but his movements weaken and he falls dead.
Not remembering himself from grief, avenging his beloved friend, Romeo enters into battle with Tybalt and kills him.
Juliet's mother runs out of the Capulet house. She calls for revenge. Benvolio takes Romeo away, who must immediately escape. At night, Romeo
secretly sneaks into Juliet's room to see her beloved before separation... Dawn is approaching. Lovers say goodbye for a long time. Finally Romeo
leaves.
Morning. The nurse enters, followed by Juliet's parents. They report that the day of her wedding with Paris has been set. Juliet begs her mother and father
to spare her, not to force her into a union she hates with the unloved. The will of the parents is adamant. The father raises his hand to Juliet. She's desperate
runs to Lorenzo. He gives Juliet a potion, after drinking which she will fall into a deep sleep, similar to death. Only Romeo will know
the truth. He will return for her and take her away secretly from the open crypt. Juliet happily accepts Lorenzo's plan.
Returning home and pretending to be submissive, she agrees to marry Paris. Left alone, Juliet drinks the drug. When in the morning
Friends come to dress her for the wedding; they find the bride dead. The news of Juliet's death reaches Mantua, where Romeo fled.
Overcome with grief, he hurries to Verona.
The funeral cortege is moving. Juliet rests in an open coffin. The coffin is placed in the family tomb. Everyone leaves.
Night. Romeo runs into the cemetery. He falls to the tomb, says goodbye to Juliet and drinks poison.
Juliet wakes up. Consciousness and memory do not immediately return to her. But when she sees herself in the cemetery, she remembers everything. Her gaze falls on Romeo.
She rushes towards him. Saying goodbye to him, saying goodbye to life, Juliet stabs herself with Romeo's dagger.
Old men Montagues and Capulets approach the grave. They look in horror at the dead children. Then they stretch out their hands to each other and swear in the name of life, in
the memory of two beautiful creatures will forever end the feud.

The Montague and Capulet families are at odds. The prince's relative, Paris, expressed a desire to marry 13-year-old Juliet from the Capulet family. In honor of this, the family gave a ball, where Romeo, from the Montague family, entered in a mask. Seeing each other, Romeo and Juliet fell in love. They began to meet, and soon Friar Lorenzo married them. Mercutio and Benvolio, friends of Romeo, after an accidental quarrel, fought in a duel with Tybalt, Juliet's brother. Romeo tried to stop them, but Tybalt killed Mercutio, after which Romeo killed Tybalt. Romeo had to flee the city, and Juliet began to be prepared for an urgent wedding with Paris. Friar Lorenzo suggested that Juliet drink one solution that would put her to sleep, and everyone would think that she had died. She will be buried in the crypt, and he will summon Romeo, thus avoiding her wedding to Paris. Romeo's servant, Balthazar, managed to inform Romeo about Juliet's death before Lorenzo's letter. Romeo bought poison and decided to take it at Juliet's tomb. When he arrived at the crypt, he found Paris, whom he killed in a duel, at the tomb. After this, he took poison and died. Then Juliet woke up, saw dead Romeo and, in grief, killed herself with a dagger. Soon after these tragic events, the Montague and Capulet families made peace.

Summary (details)

The tragedy covers five days of one week and includes a series of fatal events. In the first act, the servants of Montague and Capulet quarreled. Everyone in Verona knows that these two noble families have been at enmity for a long time. It is unknown what caused the next brawl, but passions in the square were heating up. The townspeople had difficulty breaking up the fighting. Meanwhile, the duke and supreme ruler of the city appeared, who ordered the suspension of this clash, threatening execution. Romeo Montague came to the square. He had already heard about what happened, but it didn't bother him much. His thoughts were occupied with the unapproachable Rosalind. He seemed to be seriously in love, as he told his friend Benvolio. He just laughed at his friend and advised him to turn his attention to other girls.

Count Paris, a relative of the prince, arrived to visit Capulet. He expressed a desire to marry young Juliet, who was not even fourteen at the time of the events. Since Paris was noble and rich, Juliet's father immediately gave his consent. At the same time, the Capulets invited the young man to the annual ball organized by their family. Juliet's mother shared this good news with her daughter. Everyone, including the nurse who raised Juliet from the cradle, was incredibly happy. For now, the girl relied on her parents’ choice in everything. In search of adventure, Romeo and his friends showed up to the masked ball. They were distinguished by their hot temper and sharp tongue, especially Mercutio. Romeo himself was a little sad. He was tormented by vague feelings of anxiety. An inner voice told him that there was no need to come to this celebration.

At the height of the celebration, among the noisy crowd, Romeo saw Juliet. When their eyes met, he realized that he had never loved before. Everything that came before it was not real. The world for both has changed dramatically and transformed. When he uttered words of admiration out loud, Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, recognized his voice. He immediately grabbed his sword, but his hosts stopped him in time and asked him not to cause a commotion at the holiday. Moreover, everyone knows that Romeo is noble and kind, and one should not expect trouble from him. Tybalt retreated, but harbored a grudge in his soul. In the monk's costume, Romeo's face was not visible. He managed to exchange a couple of phrases with Juliet, after which she left. Her mother was looking for her. From the nurse he learned that this was the daughter of the owners. From her, Juliet learned that Romeo was the son of their sworn enemy.

Romeo's friends quietly left the ball, and he hid in the garden to secretly look at Juliet. At the call of his heart, he found her balcony. Freezing, he heard her talking about him. He came out of hiding and entered into conversation. Their speech was full of timid exclamations, and then they swore an oath of eternal love and expressed a desire to immediately unite their destinies. From that moment on, they were completely absorbed in their love for each other, acting confidently but with great caution. Childish naivety disappeared in their behavior and maturity quietly appeared. They were wholeheartedly supported by the monk Brother Lorenzo, Juliet's nurse and Romeo's confessor. Lorenzo was ready to secretly marry the young people in the hope that thanks to this reunion, their families would soon reconcile. The secret wedding ceremony took place in his cell. The young people were incredibly happy.

Summer in Verona turned out to be extremely hot, and the blood began to boil faster in the veins of local residents. One day Mercutio was passing the time in the square with Benvolio when the rude Tybalt appeared with his supporters. It became clear that a clash could not be avoided, but then a peaceful and happy Romeo appeared. He tried not to respond to Tybalt's provocations. After all, now he is like a brother to him, although few people know about it. Talking was not enough for Tybalt, he continued his taunts to provoke conflict. Then the enraged Mercutio stood up for Romeo and a serious brawl began. Romeo, trying to separate them, caused the death of his best friend. Tybalt meanly stabbed Mercutio from under his hand. Dying, the young man cursed both families. Romeo, in despair, drew his sword and killed Tybalt in a short fight. Frightened, Benvolio advised his friend to flee the city. When Romeo left, a crowd of indignant townspeople gathered in the square. Benvolio explained everything to the Duke, who pronounced his verdict. From now on, Romeo was condemned to exile, and if he appeared in the city, he would die.

Juliet learned about this terrible incident from the nurse. She was very upset. She was tormented by bitterness over the death of her brother and fear for the life of her husband. Brother Lorenzo persuaded Romeo to hide for a while and promised to write him regular letters. The young man was very upset that he had to part with his beloved. This exile became like death. At night, he secretly made his way into his beloved’s room, and they managed to communicate briefly. At dawn it was time to leave. When Lady Capulet appeared in the room, she found her daughter in tears, to which Juliet replied that it was because of the death of her brother. Her mother brought her terrible news. Count Paris asked to hurry up with preparations for the wedding, and his father agreed to marry them the very next day.

After Lady Capulet left, the nurse tried to console her and asked her not to be so upset, because a marriage with Paris could be even better than with Romeo. From that moment on, she also saw an enemy in the nurse, and now only brother Lorenzo could help her. Left alone with the monk, she admitted that there was no more hope. He understood the girl’s hopeless situation and sincerely sympathized with Romeo. There was only one way out. She had to pretend that she agreed to marry Paris, and on the eve of the wedding, drink one potent solution that would plunge her into a deep sleep, similar to death, for three days. During this time, she will be buried in the Capulet family crypt. Lorenzo will write Romeo a letter asking him to appear urgently. He would have to arrive at the crypt by the time she woke up, then they could run away together and hide until better times. Juliet agreed to this plan. After all, there was no other way to be with my loved one.

In the Capulet house, preparations for the wedding were in full swing. Left alone in her room, Juliet decided to take the sleeping pills that Brother Lorenzo gave her. Before this, she doubted for a long time, she wasn’t sure whether everything would work out as they had planned, but she still drank. The next morning the nurse discovered her and raised a heart-rending cry. The girl lay on her bed in her wedding dress, pale and numb. There was no doubt, she was dead. Paris, like all of Juliet's relatives, was depressed and upset by this news. Brother Lorenzo came, expressed words of sympathy and said that it was time to bury the deceased in the family tomb. Romeo, meanwhile, was hiding in Mantua and had a terrible prophetic dream in which he was dead. He was looking forward to news from brother Lorenzo, but instead his servant Balthazar came to him with the terrible news of Juliet’s death.

In desperation, he ordered the horses to be harnessed and set off. On the way, he bought the most powerful poison from a local doctor. Out loud, he promised his beloved that he would join her today. The last scene shows the Capulet crypt where Tybalt is buried. The “dead” Juliet was also placed there. Paris stood at the bride's coffin. At that moment, a grief-stricken Romeo appeared. Paris blocked his path with threats. Romeo, not wanting to get into a fight, asked him to leave in peace, but he refused. In the duel of young people, the innocent Paris died. Romeo, left alone, could not get enough of his beloved. It seemed that she was as beautiful as alive. After kissing her, he drank potent poison. Lorenzo was late and did not have time to save him.

When Juliet woke up, she saw a monk. She assured him that she felt good and cheerful, and asked where her husband was. Lorenzo did not want to tell her the truth and asked her to leave this place as soon as possible. But Juliet's gaze fell on the dead Romeo and life lost all meaning. Seeing a dagger next to his body, she took it and boldly plunged it into her chest. Those who entered the tomb found the bodies of the dead Romeo, Juliet and Paris. Lorenzo was in tears and told everything as it happened. The Montagues and Capulets mourned their unfortunate children for a long time and inconsolably and decided to put an end to many years of enmity. It was decided to erect golden statues on their graves. Much time has passed since then, but the story of Romeo and Juliet remains the saddest in the world...

The story tells of a tragic ending love between a boy and a girl due to hostile confrontation between two noble Italian families Montagues and Capulets. The work is included in the compulsory school curriculum.

For many decades, a young couple has symbolized a beautiful love that can overcome any enmity. What preceded the appearance of this tragic story, who is the author who wrote the play “Romeo and Juliet”, brief content and meaning - we will talk about all this in more detail.

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The author and his intention

First, let's look at who wrote this wonderful work. The author is considered a famous English writer, playwright, poet William Shakespeare, who composed the best sonnets and plays.

The history of creation is traditional. The staged death of a girl, which led to the suicide of her loved one, and then to her real death - this plot has already been used more than once in many works long before the play was written. An example of this is the poem “ Metamorphoses» Ovid, whose main characters are Pyramus and Thisbe, residents of the city of Babylon.

The lovers, despite the opposition of their father and mother, decided meet secretly under the cover of darkness. Thisbe appeared first, but when she saw the bloody lion, she began to run.

When Pyramus arrived, he saw his beloved’s handkerchief covered in blood (during her flight, Thisbe dropped it and the lion tore it) and realized that the girl is dead, so he stabbed himself with a sword. Returning, Thisbe discovered the dying Pyramus and also threw her chest at the sword.

Shakespeare inserted this plot into the comedy A Midsummer Night's Dream, so it is logical to conclude that he was well acquainted with it.

This poem became the basis for many similar works by other authors. Luigi da Porto, a writer who lived in Italy, wrote the famous novella " The story of two noble lovers" The plot is very similar to Shakespeare's play, only with some differences.

Attention! The girl in the Italian writer’s short story managed to wake up even when her beloved was alive, but Shakespeare’s Juliet was not.

In addition, there is an assumption that Shakespeare took the plot from the poem “ The tragic story of Romeus and Juliet", authored by Arthur Brooke. He, in turn, took some elements from Italian short stories by Matteo Bandello, as well as the poetry of Geoffrey Chaucer. It is this version of the creation story that is considered reliable.

This topic was developed by many writers, but it is generally accepted that a masterpiece of the highest level came from the pen of William Shakespeare that no one will dispute.

Reliability of the stated facts

The authenticity of the story, unfortunately, not proven. But the historical background of the story, the basis of life, traditions may indicate that there is a possibility of existence there was never such a love story in the city of Verona.

The existence of life sources can be evidenced by da Porto's novella, which William could partially take as a basis. Stories about the unhappy love of couples of that time in Italy serve basis for the plot, the use of real surnames of clans that really were at enmity with each other (I even mentioned this).

Genre of the work

Those who do not know this masterpiece well (or only know it by hearsay) will find it difficult to determine its writing form. This is a play written in tragedy genre.

True, such a statement causes heated debate among critics: although everything ends sadly, the narrative is saturated joy, love, and most of all with light sadness without serious tragedy.

There is no darkness or strong drama in the play (this is what is present in other works).

A purely theoretically described story cannot be novel or story. The novel, as a rule, is of a long form, describes a significant period of time and describes the fate of many characters.

Here the action takes place over five days, the center of the play is the life of the two main characters. The story should also be more complex and larger in volume. But the main difference of the work is sonnet form.

What did the author want to tell the reader?

What are the characters in the play like? Some of the heroes belong to the Capulet family, in which Juliet was brought up, the second part - Montague (surname Romeo).

The Capulet family is represented by:

• Signor Capulet is the head of the family;
• Senora Capulet - the lord's wife;
• Juliet is their daughter;
• Tybalt - Juliet's cousin, nephew;
• The nurse is the kind nanny of the main character.

Members of the Montague family:

• Signor Montague - head of the family;
• Senora Montague - the wife of the lord;
• Romeo is their son;
• Abram - servant;
• Benvolio is the protagonist’s friend, his father’s servant;
• Balthazar is the servant of the main character.

Residents of Verona, noble people:

• Escalus - Duke of Verona;
• Count Paris - Juliet's future husband;
• Mercutio is a relative of the Duke, a friend of the protagonist.

Exposition

The play begins with a fight between servants who belong to two families, the Montagues and the Capulets, who are at war with each other. The Supreme Ruler separates the fighters. This background shows the dreams of the main character: his thoughts are filled with Rosaline with whom he is in love. His friend Benvolio suggests taking a break and finding another girl. Simultaneously in Juliet's house preparing for the ball in honor of the fact that she is already the bride of Count Paris, a rich young man from a noble family.

The beginning

Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio, thirsting for thrills, secretly come to the ball, hosted by the Capulet family. Romeo and Juliet meet their gazes, and between them love is born. Juliet's cousin Tybalt recognizes Romeo, who was not killed only because of the desire not to completely ruin the feast. After this, the main character hides under my lover's balcony and detects her presence. A dialogue begins between them, at the end of which they swear love to each other. In the hope of future peace between the warring clans, brother Lorenzo crowns the lovers.

Friends Benvolio and Mercutio, not without disastrous consequences, meet Tybalt in the square, who intends to kill their friend. Who did Tybalt kill? Mercutio, which Romeo could not come to terms with, so took the life of his friend's killer. He is forced to leave Verona to avoid execution, but manages to make his way to Juliet to spend the whole night talking with her.

Climax

In alarm, the girl turns to her brother Lorenzo, who advises her drink a drink, causing her to fall soundly asleep. The family will think she is no longer alive and will leave her alone.

Juliet accepts the advice. Meanwhile, Romeo acquires a poisonous drink and then returns to Verona. Near the crypt of his beloved, a battle arises between him and the girl’s fiancé, whom Romeo kills. Thinking Juliet is dead he takes poison and dies.

Juliet wakes up and, seeing the dead Romeo, with commits suicide with a dagger. Thus, they died together on the same day.

Denouement

Capulets and Montagues, bitterly mourning their children, resume peaceful relations. The death of the children helped them admit their mistake and make reconciliation. How old were Romeo and Juliet? A very interesting question. Juliet's age was about 13 years old(two weeks to fourteen), which is stated several times in the text itself. But how old Romeo and her lover were is not indicated exactly, but there are assumptions that somewhere 15-16 .

The essence of the play

Tragedy is a dramatic work where the hero faces a hostile world and is shown how he dies because his ideals collapse. The basis is laid acute experiences, suffering, death, collapse.

In our play, first of all, the tragedy lies in the fact that the lovers belong to warring clans. This prevents them from being together, speak openly about yours and get married. After all, in fact, they are obliged to hate each other.

The confrontation between the families leads to a fight, and a few moments later, to the murders: first of Romeo's friend, then of his beloved relative. The author showed all the cruelty of this world. Romeo's flight from execution completely deprives the lovers of the opportunity to unite their lives and be together.

The girl’s action may have saved her from an unwanted wedding, as she wanted, but in the end it brought her even greater grief: The young man committed suicide, not knowing that her beloved is alive. This is the biggest tragedy. None of the heroes could have imagined such a turn of events. Time and chance played their tragic role, because if the girl had woken up earlier, everything could have ended completely differently

Important! Not everything is so sad, because the death of the heroes served as the reason for a truce between two huge families. Who knows how many people they saved or made happy in the end.

Excerpt from the film Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet

Conclusion

In this masterpiece, lovers find reflection of their feelings and circumstances Not everything in our life is as smooth as we would like. The play is still widely popular among other literary works - dramatic, classical. Many saw the theatrical production. The problems addressed by the tragedy remain relevant to this day. To fully experience the atmosphere and depth of what happened, it is recommended read the whole play.