The Complete Romeo and Juliet

About the Book

Among teenagers Romeo and Juliet appears to be the most popular of the Shakespeare tragedies. Perhaps this is because of the age of the protagonists. I suspect it is something far deeper than that, however. The depth of passion evinced by both Romeo and Juliet is familiar to most adolescents, and their isolation from the world of adults is also recognized by contemporary teens. Capulet’s ranting when dealing with Juliet’s nascent independence is no doubt familiar to today’s sons and daughters. Thus, it seems Shakespeare continues to speak a universal language; this, I believe, accounts for the continued popularity of the work.

About the Author

Donald J. Richardson embarked upon the path to becoming a writer when he first learned to read in the second grade. For him the printed word opened up a magical world of possibility, of resolutions of problems, of potentially attained goals, all within the pages of books. Of course, not all of it has come to fruition, but the potential is still there. Yes, he engages in e-mail and electronic communication on a daily basis, but never in his lifetime, he says, will they ever totally supplant the magical world of books for him. He continues to read dozens of books every year because he loves to immerse himself in this world of undefined boundaries. Books are your friend, my friend, he echoes.