“There were Montagues and Capulets, they were real families – Montecchi e Cappelletti.” – David Blixt

I know it seems outlandish but the two aristocratic families were real with a real rivalry. Famous for their contretemps and fighting, they became a trademark for “feuding families” which were considered a synonym.

There are a village and castle between Verona and Vicenza called Montecchio, in which it is assumed by many that the Montecchi live there. Despite the name being based on each other, they didn’t need to live there. Often in Italian names, the place tied to your name would indicate the place of origin, not the place you currently reside in. Even when the offspring of a family has never lived in the country of origin all his or her life.

Montague/Montecchi :

The powerful family in Verona was important in the public offices in the city government since the 12th century. Near Verona, the Montecchi owned many pieces of land and castles, one of them being Montecchio. In the mid-13th century, they were almost completely killed out in a conflict.

Capulets/Cappelletti:

Rather than coming from Verona, they came from Cremona, around 100 km away. The capulets were the leaders of the Guelph faction of Cremona. By the time Shakespeare had written Romeo and Juliet, the Cappelletti had already fallen.

Clashing more predominantly in the area of Cremona rather than Verona. Victims of power struggles, typical of Italian city-states in the Middle Ages, the Montagues and Capulets which were reworked into a romantic tragedy.

The true history of the feud between two families is surprising because I didn’t know the history of the Montagues and Capulets existed. The fact that the capulets were already disbanded before Shakespeare wrote the play spreads some light on this topic. I hope I can use this information later in the project but either way it was interesting to learn.

Work Cited:

“Are the Montague and Capulet Families Real? – Quora.” Quora, www.quora.com/Are-the-Montague-and-Capulet-families-real. Accessed 12 Jan. 2021.

“The Real Capulets & Montagues.” David Blixt, themasterofverona.typepad.com/the_master_of_verona/2007/09/the-real-capule.html. Accessed 12 Jan. 2021.