A rose by any other name is still a rose. Shakespeare got it right! From her balcony, young Juliet laments her sweetheart’s name is Montague, an enemy. And yet at a tender age, she recognizes, “’Tis but thy name that is my enemy … What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” Wouldst Juliet’s wisdom leap into our dangerous political rhetoric.
FUN FACTS: Juliet was 13 when she spoke from her balcony. “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” does not ask where Romeo is, but why is he a Montague. In the written play, Juliet is at a window; later theater productions create the famous balcony scene. Juliet proposes to Romeo, not the other way around! Juliet is amongst literature’s strongest female characters—a wealthy heir to a powerful family, independent of mind, fiercely loyal to her heart and truth.
Shakespeare (b. April 23, 1564) was about 30 years old in mid-career when he wrote Romeo and Juliet, reportedly, in 1594. He was co-owner of the performing company, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, and co-owner of the Globe Theater. The original Globe Theater held 3,000 people. Two-thirds stood in the central yard; “groundlings” paid one half to 1 penny, approximately $7.50-$15.00 in today’s currency.
Seating in the round rose vertically three stories and accommodated 1,000 people on benches covered with a roof. Lower bench seats near the open-air pit of groundlings and stage cost about $30 in today’s currency; upper benches with cushions protected from rain cost $90; upper suites called “Lord’s Rooms” were more.
Performances occurred 40-50 weeks a year, 5-6 days per week, lasting about 2-3 hours each. Shakespeare was paid for writing and acting. He also received a 12.5% owner’s share of the Globe’s profits. He retired a rich man around the age of 48, likely after the theater burned down without property insurance; London fire insurance began in 1666. Shakespeare died April 23, 1616, at 52.
Will in the World: How Shakespeare Became Shakespeare by Stephen Greenblatt (2004) is a page-turning book with impeccable research that puts to rest many questions about Shakespeare’s life and career.
Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 movie cast teenage actors Olivia Hussey, 15, and Leonard Whiting, 17, in a risqué adaptation which cost $850k and grossed $39 million, 46 times the cost. A more modern 1996 film version starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes cost $14.5 million and grossed $147 million, 10 times the cost.
