Romeo and Juliet' remains one of Shakespeare's most popular and frequently produced plays. However, despite its enduring theatrical appeal, and the fact that it is widely described as the archetypal story of doomed love, it has nevertheless provoked a long-running debate about its unique interplay of comic and tragic elements. This indispensable volume provides:? a scene-by-scene theatrically focused commentary ? an introduction to the differences between the two Quarto and the Folio texts of the play? excerpts from Shakespeare's source and other contextual documents? a study of key performances on stage and screen, including the musical adaptation West Side Story and Baz Luhrmann's film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet? an overview of the debate about the play's status as a tragedy.