Book Description

Excerpt from Gounod's Opera of Romeo and Juliet: Containing the Italian d104, With an English Translation, and the Music of All the Principal Airs Shakespeare's drama is very closely followed. Both in structure and dialogue, in the present lyrical version of Romeo and Juliet. The book is in Five Acts. In the first, the house of Cspulet is discovered en file Amongst the crowd of maskers comes Romeo Mercutio, Benvolio and their friends on a youthful frolic. Juliet and Romeo meet - and mutually love at first Sight, mlgre the fair Capulet's betrothal to Paris. Tybalt, a bot, blooded kinsman, pierces through Romeo's disguise, and wishes to bring him to task then and there, but Cap ulet himself, in the true Spiritof hospitality, restrains him, and the act terminates as it beflins, with dance and song. Act second is devoted to the Balcony scene - almost literally transcribed from Shakespeare, with an episodical interruption by some retainers of the house, who fancy that something is amiss, but fail to discover what. Act third is divided into two scenes, - the first is the Friar's cell, and the business of this division of the act is the clandestine marriane of the two lovers. In the second scene, Romeo's page, Stephano - eu invention of the Iibrettist's - is dircovered searching by Capulet's door in Verona for his missing master. A boyish bit of arrogance on his part provokes the servants of the house into drawtnn on him, and speedily the combat becomes general, through the entrance of Mercutio, Paris, Benvolio, Tybalt, Romeo, and their several adherents. One grievance leads quickly to another, and Mercutio is slain by Tybalt, who, in his turn is killed by Romeo. Then Capulet arrives on the scene, closely followed by the Duke and his suite. After ashort investigation, the latter adjudges banishment to Romeo, who vows he will see Juliet once more, at all hazard, and so the act closes. In Act fourth there are also two scenes - the first is Juliet's room at night, when occurs the second grand duet for the lovers, also faithfully taken from Shakespeare. After Romeo departs at dawn, Capulet comes with Friar Lawrence to tell his daughter of her intended marria e with Paris, and that the ceremony will straightway be performed. Ile then retires to receive his guests, on in her despair. Iuliet asks the Friar's help, This he gives her in the shape of a potion, describing its elfects. The next scene IS the wedding party in Capulet's great hall. The epithalarnium is interrupted by the illne. Of Juliet, who finally falls insensible. She is dead, all cry as the act drop descends. Act fifth takes place in the tomb of all the Capulets. Here, as in the Shakespearean version, Romeo arrives, believes his mistress dead, and takes poison. Juliet only re wives to find her lover beyond mortal aid, and stabbing herself with a dagger, she dies in his arms. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.