Abstract
The respective 1597 and 1599 quartos (original printings) of "Romeo and Juliet" have divergences, especially in its final scene. It famously is the scene of Montague (Romeo/groom)-Capulet (Juliet/bride) interfamilial reconciliation. In that scene, the legal term 'dowry' (of 1597) is replaced with the legal term 'jointure' (in 1599). The former is wealth a bride or her family (still) brings to a groom; whereas the latter is property (still) running from groom to bride. The (comparatively) "pro-groom atmosphere" of 1597 coincided with hostility between Shakespeare's 1593 and 1594 dedicatee, the Earl of Southampton, and his mother the Countess. The Earl, Shakespeare's lifelong sole dedicatee, might have influenced the dramatist. The 1599 text coincides with Countess-Earl reconciliation, encompassing offstage jointure and the Countess. This legal perspective was undeveloped for 418 years. It draws upon my practical, business law background, as attorney-Certified Financial Planner.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 89-162 |
| Journal | the quint: an interdisciplinary quarterly of the north |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 4 |
| State | Published - 2017 |