ChatterBank9 mins ago
romeo and juliet
does anyone know how far love stories like these go back? Was shakespeare the first to come up with a tragic love story?
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For more on marking an answer as the "Best Answer", please visit our FAQ.Regarding Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare got his sources from Greek Romance plays, so you can go at least that far back for this particular tragic love story.
Alot of the Bard's work was recycled from earlier stuff, in fact Ben Johnson refered to Pericles as a 'mouldy old tale' when Shakespeare put his version out. It had done the rounds of Elizabethan Theatre many times before. Although he may have had few original ideas and generally used source material (mystery plays, Greek romance, folk tales, Holinshed for history stuff, etc) this should not sway one from the achievements of this great writer.
... and here they are (in explanation, Romeo and Juliet have committed suicide and Juliet lies with her arms around Romeo. Prior to that Romeo had murdered Count Paris, whom Juliet's father had hoped she would marry, and his body lies to the right. In the background Romeo and Juliet's father's - Lord Montagu and Lord Capulet - have belatedly agreed to end the feud and are shaking hands. The location is the tomb).