Romeo and Juliet Resources

West Side Story is a retelling of Romeo and Juliet as a musical centered around two warring New York City gangs. The classic film was directed by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

Tromeo and Juliet is a campy, street punk version of Romeo and Juliet that high school teachers are highly unlikely to show in class. It also happens to feature a whole lot of raw meat (we're not kidding).

Shakespeare in Love is a fictionalized account of how Shakespeare overcame writer's block and penned Romeo and Juliet, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes. Anyone who hearts Shakespeare should see this film. (Psst. It's co-written by Tom Stoppard, the guy responsible for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.)

Romeo Must Die, a modern re-telling of the classic play, directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak and starring Jet Li.

Gnomeo and Juliet, an animated film featuring Kate Winslet as Juliet and Ewan McGregor as Gnomeo.

An 18th season episode of The Simpsons is called "Rome-old and Juli-eh" – it's about old Grandpa Simpson's "forbidden" love affair with Marge's sister Selma, who is much younger but equally unattrractive. You can watch the full episode here.

Shakespeare's play is based on Arthur Brooke's popular English poem "The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet" (first published 1562, two years before Shakespeare was born). You can read online or download a (modernized) copy of Brooke's poem that was republished in 1908.

Book 4 of Ovid's Metamorphoses (Ovid started the project around 2 A.D.) contains "The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe," another source for Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. You can read and download an English translation here.

Act 5, Scene 1 of Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream (written around the same time as Romeo and Juliet) features a performance of "Pyramus and Thisbe," a play-within-the-play that explores the same themes as Romeo and Juliet. You can read it here (and check out Shmoop's learning guide for Midsummer while you're at it). This is a link to Act 5, Scene 1 but you can follow the links to read the entire play.

Think Romeo and Juliet would make a great tabloid cover story? You're not the only one. Check out the BBC's hilarious "60 Second Shakespeare."

Check out this modern and super-condensed adaptation of Shakespeare's play, compliments of the BBC's "60-Second Shakespeare."

Galaga meets Romeo and Juliet? Play 'Speare, an arcade-style video game that helps users learn about Shakespeare's language and plays. Compliments of the Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project.

Play Romeo and Juliet Jeopardy! (PowerPoint)

Check out the "Interactive Folio" of Romeo and Juliet, where you can click on the lines of the play for access to definitions, fun facts, images, dramatic readings, and cool video clips.