Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky) Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky) Romeo and Juliet, TH 42, ČW 39, is an orchestral work composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. It is styled an "Overture-Fantasy", and is based on Shakespeare's play of the same name. Like other composers such as Berlioz and Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky was deeply inspired by Shakespeare and wrote works based on "The Tempest" and "Hamlet" as well. Unlike Tchaikovsky's other major compositions, "Romeo and Juliet" does not have an opus number. It has been given the alternative catalogue designations TH 42 and ČW 39. Although styled an 'Overture-Fantasy' by the composer, the overall design is a symphonic
Romeo and Juliet The religious metaphors of "shrine", "pilgrim", and "saint" were fashionable in the poetry of the time and more likely to be understood as romantic rather than blasphemous, as the concept of sainthood was associated with the Catholicism of an earlier age. Later in the play, Shakespeare removes the more daring allusions to Christ's resurrection in the tomb he found in his source work: Brooke's "Romeus and Juliet". In the later balcony scene, Shakespeare has Romeo overhear Juliet's soliloquy, but in Brooke's version of the story, her declaration is done alone. By bringing Romeo into the scene to eavesdrop, Shakespeare breaks