by William Shakespeare Tragedy in 5 acts
A civil war between the Montague and Capulet families dominates Verona. The political authorities are unable to settle the dispute. However, the blood of the youngest members of the two families, Romeo and Juliet, is stirred by something completely different - love. But even their secret marriage does not protect them from being drawn into the quarrels. When Romeo tries to settle a dispute between his friend Mercutio and Juliet's cousin Tybalt, the situation escalates. Romeo strikes Tybalt down and is banished from Verona. Meanwhile, old Capulet wants to marry his daughter off to Count Paris. A tragic chain of events surrounding their rescue drives Romeo and Juliet to suicide. Their willingness to die for love against the backdrop of a senseless feud makes this love eternal.
With Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare created what is probably the most famous love tragedy in literary history. The play has lost none of its fascination and appeal to this day and is our open-air summer theater in the Caspar David Friedrich Year 2024 against the romantic backdrop of the Eldena monastery ruins.
