ABSTRACT

WithLuigidaPorto'sIstorianovellamenteritrovatadidue NobiliAmanti(pubd.c.1530)thetalecomesneartoShakespeare.ThesceneisVerona,theloversarearistocrats,andtheir families,theMontecchiandtheCappelletti,areatfeud. Romeogoes,disguisedasanymph,toaCarnivalballathis enemies'houseinhopeofseeingaladywhohasscornedhis love.Giuliettafallsinlovewithhimatfirstsightandissadto seehimholdinghimselfaloof;butinthelastdance(theTorch), wheretheladieschangepartners,heisleftnexttoGiulietta, ontheothersideofwhomisanobleyouthnamedMarcuccio Guertio('whobynaturehadverycoldhands,inJulyasin January').ShetakesRomeo'shandsand,tomakehimspeak, thankshimforcomingsinceatleastonehandwillbewarm thoughMarcuccioisfreezingtheother.Shetellshimthatno othernymphpresentappearstoherasbeautifulasheis.He soonabandonspursuitofhiscruelfairone,andGiuliettahopes thathermarriagetohimmightreconcilethetwohouses, 'alreadytiredandsatedwiththeirstrife.'Theloversseeeach otheratchurch,andRomeohauntsherchamber-window, climbingherbalconytowooherardently.Theymeetthere frequentlyuntilonenightwhenitissnowinghebegsadmittancetoherroom.Giuliettarefuseswithmodestscorn,declaringthatoncesheishisbrideshewillgiveherselftohimand followhimanywhere.TheFranciscanFriarLorenzo,agreat philosopherandexperimenterinthingsnaturalandmagical, andafriendofRomeo's,marriesthepair,hopingtobring peacebetweentheirfamilies.'Andthingsbeingthus,ithappens thatFortune,enemyofeveryearthlyjoy,sowingIknownot whatevilseed,revivesthealmostdeadfeud.'InabrawlRomeo avoidsharminganyofhiswife'speople,butwhenhisown partyisstrickenandvanquishedheslaysThebaldoCappelletti, 'Whoappearsthefiercestofhisenemies'.HeleavesforMantua aftertellinghiswife'sservanttolethimknowthroughtheFriar everythingthathappensinherhouse.SeeinghergriefGiulietta'sparentsthinkshewantstobemarried,sincesheisnow

Introduction 18. They arrange a marriage with the Count of Lodrone, but she enrages her father by refusing him, while her mother suspects she must be in love with someone else. Her servant Peter tells the Friar, who lets Romeo know; he says that he will come for Giulietta in eight or ten days' time. Giulietta asks the Friar for poison to 'free me from grief and Romeo from shame'; instead he gives her a sleeping potion to last 48 hours, intending to take her from the family vault and hide her in his cell until he can take her to Mantua, disguised as a Friar. All goes as planned until Friar Lorenzo, obliged to leave the city on duty, gives a letter for Romeo to another Friar who goes to Mantua, calls twice or thrice on Romeo, and not finding him at home, keeps the letter for safety. Meanwhile Peter, believing his mistress dead, takes the bad news to Romeo, who dresses as a peasant, and carrying with him some poison which he already has in his chest, goes to the Cappelletti tomb, laments over Giulietta's body, takes the poison, and lies down embracing her. She awakes and they speak to each other before Romeo dies. The Friar arrives and tries to persuade Giulietta to go to a convent, but, resolved on death, she 'drew in her breath and held it long, and then, uttering a great cry, fell dead on the corpse of Romeo.' All being known, the grieving parents 'freely embraced each other •.. so that the long feud •.. was now extinguished by the unhappy and piteous death of the two lovers.'