Still one of Shakespeare's best loved and most performed plays, Romeo and Juliet has become the definitive love story of Western literature. Its lyrical depiction of an ill-fated romance has stirred audiences and inspired more adaptations and imitations than any other Shakespearean work. Widely considered the epitome of articulate romanticism, Romeo and Juliet also contains a subtext of sexual politics and generational conflict that echoes in relevance to the present day. In this study Cedric Watts uses both traditional and contemporary critical approaches to reveal the complexity underlying Shakespeare's romantic tragedy. Examining the scholarly problems raised by the play, Watts pays particular attention to its structure and ironic interplay of characterization. The author provides a detailed account of the sexual politics at work in the drama, examining the views it offers on arranged marriage, romantic love, and the treatment of women in society. Demonstrating the contrast of lyricism and bawdry in the play, Watts argues that Romeo and Juliet is a much more radical work than has previously been regarded. Watt's cogent analysis reveals the many contrasting elements of Romeo and Juliet -- its high comedy and bitter tragedy, sociable festivity and private raptures violent hatred and pacific understanding, impetuous youth and stubborn age, realistically expressive language and witty linguistic display. By examining the play's attempt to bridge these disparate aspects, this unique reading breathes new life into a work whose familiarity often causes modern audiences and readers to lose sight of its position as one of Shakespeare's masterpieces.