Book arrived first of the three ordered at the same time. Book was in excellent condition.

This was THE difference between my son completely missing Romeo and Juliet and him "getting it". It shows the original text along side the "understandable" version. Extremely helpful.

Yes dear reader, it is I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone. As you may have
divined, as Professor Emeritus of American Literature, I am well versed with
dramatic writings from our sister nation, England. Now, many of you are
unfamiliar with the work, as William Shakespeare is relatively unknown in
the bumpkin-ridden land you call "The Colonies". However, you
lucky few will discover a goldmine of quotes such as "Alack, Alack,
Alack" and other favorites. But I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone,
diverge. Yes yes. For those of you who wish to pursue the god-given purpose
of the most noble art of teaching American Literature, you must be familiar
with the works of Shakespeare. As you are stupid, and not a professor, like
I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone, you undoubtedly do not understand, but no
matter. The story of "Romeo and Juliet" is simple. it opens in a
court yard in Venice where the political rebels, Pyramus and Thisbe are
plotting to overthrow the evil fascist government (oh how I, Professor
Emeritus Johnstone know that feeling. I confess, dear reader, that once I,
Professor Emeritus Johnstone, lived in America until government stooges
exiled me to darkest India for poliical subterfuge. Suberfuge! Bah!). Alas,
Lord Capulet's men break into the meeting and arrest poor Pyramus and
Thisbe, casting them into the darkest dungeon. Ah, but fortune smiles on our
two heroes, for in the cell next to them are the "Star-burned
lovers" Romeo and Juliet, who were imprisoned for plotting to overthrow
the evil Capulet. Together, they escape the prison, kill all the
fascist-swine guards, and blow up the prison, bringing us, dear reader,
rather neatly to the end of Act I.
Act II opens in Lord Montague's (Lord Capulet's chief of security) hall,
where he has just made posters offering 5000 marks for the heads of the four
rebels. Enter the villain (mustache and all) Tybalt (cousin to Count Paris)
the bounty-hunter. Tybalt, in a scene that moved even I, Professor Emeritus
Johnstone, gives a heartrending "soliliquy" in which he mourns on
he pain of killing those whose politico agendas you support. Thus ends Act
II. In Act III, we find...ROMEO WORKING FOR LORD CAPULET! He has become a
traitorous lap-dog to the very system he despises (oh reader, how I,
Professor Emeritus Johnstone, know this feeling!). Pyramus and his rebel
army storm the palace, and in the final scene, Pyramus kills his traitorous
lover, Romeo, driving a dagger through his jugular...only to find out that
Romeo was a spy. Pyramus then jumps out the highest tower in penance to end
the play.
Genius. Every potential collegiate scamp should read this edition, for it
has a preface by one of the greatest scholars of our age...none other than
I, Professor Emeritus Johnstone.
Hark, I hear my Biddy calling me to gruel and morning prayers. As Hamlet
said, "Adieu Fair Readers!"

Bitterly,
--Professor Emeritus Percy Q. Johnstone

Romeo and Juliet is about stupid kids in love who make bad decisions about who they will marry and are too naive to consider the political implications of marrying a person from the enemy family. I thought it was interesting that Romeo and Juliet's marraige is set up in secret by irresponsible and foolish adults (the nurse and Friar Lawrence) who don't notify the parents what is being done. This bucking of parental wisdom and authority is what gets the ball rolling toward disaster.

Like King Lear, Juliet's father, Capulet, is highly patriarchal and authoritarian; both of them threaten to disown their daughters if they don't do as they say. Both consider their daughters ungrateful. In Capulet's case, he says he has spent so much time and effort into setting up an arranged marraige with Paris, that Juliet should not refused such a good and well-considered choice given that Paris in wealthy, noble, handsome, and friends with the family. It is interesting to note that the arranged marraige is a wise choice for Juliet and Juliet's choice of Romeo from a feuding family is a foolish one, guided by the passions of romantic infatuation and love at first sight. I thought that Romeo and Juliet were pretty silly in their immediate infatuation with all their talk of beauty and devotion without really knowing each other. But I remember way back when, when I was teenager, I used to be that stupid. I don't see any charm in such foolish romantic notions now and therefore I couldn't really relate to the romantic side of the play. All the love talk seemed foolish to me. I did, however, think maybe they should bring arranged marraige back since parents make better decisions about marraige than what kids choose to drag into a family. Modern people aren't as smart as their ancestors. --Just a provacative thought.

Lest I overly condemn Romeo and Juliet for being stupid, I will say that the feuding families are consumed by their passions of hatred for one another. Again though, it is the younger teen- aged member of both families who can't control their passions and can't stop fighting. Mercutio and Tybalt get into a deadly duel, which adversely affects the marraige of Romeo and Juliet. The heads of the families, Capulet and Montague, do not do enough to control the feud and this leads to disaster, even though they have been told by the Prince to stop fighting. The hatred of the families destroys the love affair of Romeo and Juliet, and Shakespheare's sympathies are definitely with the two. He doesn't reveal much criticism against their foolishness.

I thought the Nurse and Mercutio were good comic characters. The Nurse is another of Shakespheare's colorful rustic characters and Mercutio plays the witty and hyper young friend to Romeo. He reminds you of some of your old friends in high school and the laughs over bawdy witticisms you used to have.