The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and Related Readings

by McDougal Littell

"The permanent popularity, now of mythic intensity, of Romeo and Juliet is more than justified," writes eminent scholar Harold Bloom, "since the play is the largest and most persuasive celebration of romantic love in Western literature." William Shakespeare (1564-1616) based his early romantic tragedy on Arthur Brooke's 1562 poem The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet. Shakespeare's resulting masterpiece, in turn, has inspired countless retellings around the world in mediums that include literature, dance, stage, and screen.

Genres: Classics, Read For School, Romance

311 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1997

About the author

McDougal Littell was founded in 1969 and initially published supplementary soft-cover textbooks for secondary English teachers. After its first soft-cover books for secondary English, they branched out into additional soft-cover books for secondary Social Studies. Through the years, they expanded their publishing areas to include Mathematics, World Languages and Science, as well as Language Arts and Social Studies.
In 1994, McDougal Littell became part of Houghton Mifflin Company, headquartered in Boston, MA.

Reviews

[Lydia Grace]

Absolutely the stupidest book I have ever read!!!! Romeo is such a whiny baby and all Juliet wants is a boyfriend. the only character I liked was the nurse

[Motzy]

1

[Raven Gilmore]

I did not like it but I had to read it for ELA :(

[Daydreemer5696]

English class. What else is there to say? It's not exactly my choice in books. I'm not the kind of person that loves to read non-fiction books and the only classics I read are horror and the occasional mystery and I think that impacts my oppinion of the book. In my class, the story was read aloud and how can you understand the mumble, mispronounced (I think it's a word)voices of my classmates? I found that extremly irritating and I myself am still wondering wiether or not this is making my biased.

However, in a way, I can still see the beuty of the story. I can't help but thinking that this was inspiration for the song Anywhere by Evanescence.
"Dear my love haven't you wanted to be with me
And dear my love, haven't you longed to be free
I can't keep pretending that I don't even know you
And at sweet night, you are my own
Take my hand

[CHORUS:]
We're leaving here tonight
There's no need to tell anyone
They'd only hold us down
So by the morning light
We'll be half way to anywhere
Where love is more than just your name

I have dreamt of a place for you and I
No one knows who we are there
All I want is to give my life only to you
I've dreamt so long I cannot dream anymore
Let's run away, I'll take you there

We're leaving here tonight
There's no need to tell anyone
They'd only hold us down
So by the mornings light
We'll be half way to anywhere
Where no one needs a reason

Forget this life
Come with me
Don't look back you're safe now
Unlock your heart
Drop your guard
No one's left to stop you

Forget this life
Come with me
Don't look back you're safe now
Unlock your heart
Drop your guard
No one's left to stop you now"

[♡ Nyx ♡]

Had to read for school, and I hate having to decipher Shakespeare, especially for my district testing. Not fun.

[Jessica Daniels]

This book has a better decription than what u thought it would be because for one if you dont understand the word or a word it has the meaning on the side. in my english class we are about to watch the movie but i feel personally that it's better to read the book because it always has more detail and description. what do you feel about this opion?

[Brianna]

I'm really tempted to give this one 5 stars... I love the witty remarks, the diverse set of character, the metaphors, and the dramatic irony. I understood almost everything thanks to my lovely teacher who made this experience so much better :) YAY FOR GOOD SHAKESPEARE EXPERIENCES!

[Matthew]

The Shakespeare play itself was a masterpiece, even though the character's were moron's. The 'Related Readings' were all interesting, with modern twists on the story, or even humorous essays about the play itself.

[Brey]

I only did it for school....

[Maddie]

A tragic romance. Written in original English, as my English teacher would say. The English we speak today is received English.