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The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet is a narrative poem by Arthur Brooke, first published in 1562 by Richard Tottel, which was a key source for William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.[1] It is a translation and adaptation of a French story by Pierre Boaistuau, itself derived from an Italian novella by Matteo Bandello.
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5b/Arthur_Brooke_Tragicall_His.jpg/220px-Arthur_Brooke_Tragicall_His.jpg)
The plot of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet takes place over four days while Brooke's narrative takes place over many months.
Little is known about Arthur Brooke. He was admitted as a member of Inner Temple on 18 December 1561 under the sponsorship of Thomas Sackville and Thomas Norton.[2] He drowned in 1563 in a shipwreck while crossing to help Protestant forces in the French Wars of Religion.
The poem's ending differs significantly from Shakespeare's play — in the poem, the nurse is banished and the apothecary hanged for their involvement in the deception, while Friar Lawrence leaves Verona to end his days in a hermitage.
References
editExternal links
edit- Arthur Brooke's Romeus and Juliet Complete original text, with a glossary and a search engine.
- Essay: How Romeus Became Romeo Comparing Brooke's work with Shakespeare's