Kevin, you might want to get this one. -----Original Message----- From: Richard Guilford [mailto:rguilford@voyager.net] Sent: Wednesday, February 04, 2004 10:04 AM To: PLANTAGENET-DESCENDANTS-PROJECT-L@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [PDP] Romeo & Juliet: Are they real? On Feb 4, 2004, at 1:25 AM, David Blocher wrote: > I was just told that Romeo or Juliet from Shakphre's "Romeo & Juliet" > play > was a Plantagenet. Can anyone confirm this? > > I always thought that these characters were just Myths, but then again > Shackspear [spelling] did write a lot of plays on actual people such as > "Henry V", "Lion in Winter", "MacBeth"; I guess I shouldn't be too > surprised! > > If they are real, then is Hamlet, or Ivanhoe real as well? Doesn't it depend on what you mean by "real?" Even the characters whose historical reality cannot be challenged, e.g., Richard III, have received treatment at the hands of the dramatist which has rendered their lives in a fashion some think "unreal." It is fair to assert that there is some unreality in all recordation of historical event, and some, maybe much, reality in well-done fiction. The skills, purpose and integrity of the historian and playwright are central to the issue. On the other hand, given the transience of all reality, it doesn't make much difference. It is satisfying to seek out historical evidence, but I would not spend much time worrying about the pedigree of dramatic characters, as such. The playwrights rarely do. Richard Guilford ============================== Gain access to over two billion names including the new Immigration Collection with an Ancestry.com free trial. Click to learn more. http://www.ancestry.com/rd/redir.asp?targetid=4930&sourceid=1237