Romeo and Juliet (version 2)

Written by William Shakespeare

Narrated by LibriVox Community

Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's famous tragedy of two "star-crossed lovers" from rival houses. Romeo and Juliet meet at a party and fall instantly in love, realizing too late that their families, the Montagues and the Capulets, are mortal enemies. Braving parental opposition, the teenage lovers marry in secret, with the aid of the well-intentioned Friar Lawrence. Yet, as Shakespeare has often observed, the course of true love does not run smoothly, and Romeo and Juliet must risk death to be together. (summary by Elizabeth Klett)

Cast:
Escalus: David Muncaster
Paris: mb
Montague: Chris Hughes
Capulet: Andy Minter
Old Man and Friar Lawrence: Alan Davis Drake
Romeo: Simon Taylor
Mercutio: Andrew Lebrun
Benvolio: David Nicol
Tybalt: Joshua B. Christensen
Friar John: Sean McKinley
Balthasar: Scott D. Farquar
Sampson: Esther
Gregory: David O'Connell
Peter and Second Watchman: Gesine
Abraham and First Watchman: Caliban
Apothecary: Lucy Perry
First Musician and Second Citizen: Laurie Anne Walden
Second Musician: om123
Third Musician: Aaron Walden
Chorus: ancilla
Page: C. J. Nowak
Lady Montague: Christie Nowak
Lady Capulet: Cori Samuel
Juliet: Elizabeth Klett
Nurse: Kristin Hughes
First Servant: Abigail Bartels
Second Servant: Lizzie Driver
Third Watchman: bryfee
First Citizen: Rhys Lawson
Narrator: David Lawrence

Audio Edited by: Elizabeth Klett

• Language: English
• Publisher: LibriVox
• Release date: Aug 25, 2014

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, on England’s Avon River. When he was eighteen, he married Anne Hathaway. The couple had three children—an older daughter Susanna and twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, died in childhood. The bulk of Shakespeare’s working life was spent in the theater world of London, where he established himself professionally by the early 1590s. He enjoyed success not only as a playwright and poet, but also as an actor and shareholder in an acting company. Although some think that sometime between 1610 and 1613 Shakespeare retired from the theater and returned home to Stratford, where he died in 1616, others believe that he may have continued to work in London until close to his death.

Reviews for Romeo and Juliet (version 2)

[R. Michael Markham · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Having read several of Shakespeare's plays by now, it's amazing how the play stands out. Excellent, complex in plot, writing and rhetoric. The influence on culture cannot be understated. This reading is also excellent and permits you to lie back and let the play act out in your mind.