Romeo and Juliet is a play written by William Shakespeare.

It deals with the story of Romeo and Juliet, two of the most famous lovers in the world.

A play is a story told by actors in a theatre.

The actors perform the play on the stage.

The playwright writes the play.

The audience watch the performance.

William Shakespeare was born in 1564 and he died in 1616 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

His father was a glove-maker.

He studied until 15, but did not go to university.

He married Anne Hathaway in 1582 and had three children.

In 1597, he went to London without his family to work as a writer and actor.

In London he wrote Macbeth, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet and many other plays.

He worked for Queen Elizabeth I and then for King James I.

He earned a lot of money from the theatre and he became rich.

Shakespeare’s theatre was the Globe. It was built in 1599 on the south bank of the Thames.

It was made of wood. It was circular with an open roof.

Performances were in the afternoons because there was no lighting.

People could stand in front of the stage or sit in the balconies above.

Actors wore rich costumes.

The Renaissance was a time of great change in Europe.

Many important discoveries were made and many precious works of art were produced.

The English loved Italian culture.

Many of Shakespeare’s plays are based in Italy, about Italian people and history, or are originally Italian stories, for example The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Julius Caesar and Romeo and Juliet.

Enjoy the play!

Presentation designed and edited by Elena González Guerrero

Pictures taken from the Internet

Adapted reader: Romeo and Juliet. Vicens-Vives