These Violent Delights and Our Violent Ends comprise a retelling of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the well-known tragedy of star-crossed lovers from feuding families. The first known printing of the play appeared in 1597 and has since been translated into dozens of languages and formats, including films, radio productions, and ballets. Romeo and Juliet has also been adapted into various historical and cultural contexts, such as West Side Story’s (1961) tale of rival gangs in 1950s New York City, or Warm Bodies (2013), in which the ill-fated lovers are human and zombie. Though the narrative of Romeo and Juliet is traceable back to a single original play, the frequent reproductions and reinterpretations of the story have given it a status similar to cultural folklore.

In the original play, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet are the son and daughter of feuding families. Despite the animosity between their families—and their previous love interests—the young lovers vow to marry, no matter the cost. They concoct an elaborate plan to get away from their families so they can be together, but misunderstandings and impulsive choices get in the way. Romeo, believing Juliet has died, kills himself, and Juliet, finding her lover dead, stabs herself in the heart.