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Remembering The Tragic Tale Of Love This Valentine 

By Chinelo Eze
14 February 2022   |   2:13 pm
The story of Romeo and Juliet has become the legendary tale of love, usually thought about on Valentine’s Day. Thus their tale of love has become the archetype of what romantic love is. The celebrated account of Romeo and Juliet isn’t some fiction as made known by the ingenious work of Shakespeare; the story of…

The story of Romeo and Juliet has become the legendary tale of love, usually thought about on Valentine’s Day. Thus their tale of love has become the archetype of what romantic love is.

The celebrated account of Romeo and Juliet isn’t some fiction as made known by the ingenious work of Shakespeare; the story of the cupid struck lovers was built on real life experiences of the Montagues and the Capulet family’s historical feud.

In the villa of Monsorso Vicento lies a castle known as the castles of Romeo and Juliet and their story begins in Italy Verona in the 16th century.

Although they are popularly known as Romeo and Juliet, their real names respectively are Luigi da Porto and Lucina. 

Luigi da Porto (Romeo) returns from war with a spinal cord injury he sustained during his time away. Lucina not being able to deal with the present reality of her lover’s incapacitated state, walks away from her love and marries another giving him two children.

Suffering from a broken heart and failing health, Luigi nurses his wounds by taking solace in writing a story of his failed love, titling it A Novel of Two Lovers and Their Death in Verona.  

Significantly, Luigi marks the day 26th February in his novel as the day he and his depicted lover fall in love and the same day that a peasant uprising occurred.  

In choosing the names; Juliet was the name of Lucina’s younger sister while the inspiration for the name, Romeo, was drawn from the idea of a foreigner from a far away land.  

Hence, Luigi’s novel became the blueprint of the creative story of Romeo and Juliet of what writers wrote on and William Shakespeare did the same 75 years later. 

It is believed that Shakespeare discovered the story of the lover in Arthur Brooke’s poem titled ‘‘The History of Romeo and Juliet’’ thus inspiring the Elizabethan story enjoyed today.

In the re-enacted version of Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet fell in love when they met at a party that was organised by the head of the Capulet family who were hat makers. Romeo, an uninvited guest, was in love with Rosaline and had to be with her. The host being a gentleman held back the urge to kick him out and didn’t want to cause a scene thus letting him be. During the course of the party, Romeo meets Rosaline’s cousin Juliet, lightning strikes and the two fall in love. 

This Shakespearean version of love has been the favourite tragic tale of love and how it persists in the face of trials. How far will you go for your partner as we contemplate on love this Valentine’s day?

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