She consumes it and is placed in a mausoleum and the Friar sends a courier to inform Romeo of the ruse. He provides her a potion, which simulates death, allowing her to reawaken 42 hours later to join Romeo in secret for a new life outside of Verona. When Lord Capulet announces his intention to marry off Juliet, she in desperation seeks the aid of Father Laurence. Well undeterred, Romeo returns, spends a night with Juliet and consummates their marriage, fleeing the next day to exile in the town on Mantua. Romeo is outraged and slays Tybalt, which earns banishment from Verona by the Prince, with the caveat that if he returns, he will suffer death. His best friend Mercutio however accepts the challenge and is struck down by Tybalt. Romeo refuses as he considers Tybalt now family. Juliet’s first cousin Tybalt discovers Romeo attended the ball and challenges him to a duel. They secretly marry yet life around them soon comes crashing down upon their heads. Fate would have it that Romeo of House Montague would meet Juliet of House Capulet at a masquerade ball and fall madly in love. To end the constant fighting the Prince of Verona informs both Houses that any more dueling violence will have harsh punitive consequences. House Montague and House Capulet contest in a longstanding and bitter blood feud. The story offers Shakespeare’s iconic romantic tragedy, which tells the tale of young lovers Romeo and Juliet. Joining them would be Milo O’Shea as Friar Laurence, Michael York as Tybalt, John McEnery as Mercutio, Natasha Parry as Lady Capulet, and Robert Stephens as the Prince of Verona. Leonard Whiting, a 17-year-old, was cast as Romeo, and Olivia Hussey, a 15 year old, as Juliet. In an audacious casting move Zeffirelli decided to cast the lead roles as minors, assuring fidelity to Shakespeare’s original conception. For the screen play Zeffirelli collaborated with Masolino d’Amico and Franco Brusati. A budget of $850,000 was provided and the British team of Anthony Havelock-Allan and John Brabourne would produce the film. Yet his fortunes changed when Paramount Pictures agreed to join in partnership with BHE Films, Verona Produzione and Dino de Laurentis Cinematografia to finance a big screen release. A lack of funding however drove him to pursue a television production. It was a commercial success, and for his next project he conceived a new adaptation of another of Shakespeare’s famous plays, “Romeo and Juliet”. Director Franco Zeffirelli’s first film was The Taming of the Shrew in 1967, which was adapted from the original Shakespearean play.

Romeo and juliet music 1968