The Juliet Club Provides Love Advice from Shakespeare's Tragic Heroine | Gimundo

The Juliet Club Provides Love Advice from Shakespeare’s Tragic Heroine

Juliet Capulet, from William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, receives a lot of mail. Luckily, "Il Club de Guilietta" (The Juliet Club) is there to answer it.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on February 22 2010

William Shakespeare. Image: iStockphoto

Juliet Capulet is one of the world’s most famous love-struck teens. As the tragic heroine of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, she’s been portrayed by countless actresses, and her impassioned words have been read in millions of high school English classes.

Though Shakespeare’s famous play was based on a supposedly true story, the ill-fated young woman has been dead for hundreds of years. But that doesn’t stop lovelorn people from all over the world from seeking her advice on matters of the heart.

For more than seventy years, as the timeless story of Romeo and Juliet has gained even more cultural prominence, thousands of people of all ages have written to Juliet’s supposed address in Verona, Italy, asking her advice on relationship matters. Strangely, the fictional figure has become a sort of “Dear Abby” for the romantically destitute.

While it seems a bit unlikely that Miss Capulet herself will pen a reply, a group of volunteers, “Il Club de Guilietta” (“The Juliet Club,” in English), have made it their mission to respond to every missive.

Giulio Tamassia, a retired baker, is the club’s organizer. Since 1993, he’s been providing love advice to Juliet’s fans as a full-time job.

Because the letters are written in many different languages, and come from people all over the world, Tamassia passes on the correspondence to native speakers who can offer a wise reply. When the letters are more serious in nature, the letter-writers often seek help from a psychologist or a priest in coming up with a response.

“It is very important that every letter receives an answer,” Tamassia told the Christian Science Monitor. “For many, they have no one else to talk to. This is about love. This is serious.”

Curious to see what people are writing to Juliet? Read some of the letters, and more of the story, in the book Letters to Juliet.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, General Interest, History, Weird,

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