Romeo and Juliet... and a Balcony

O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? There can be few scenes from the plays of William Shakespeare that are as iconic as the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. Romeo, flushed with excitement after the masked ball he gatecrashed earlier in the evening, decides to climb over the orchard walls of the Capulet household to try and catch a glimpse of the young Juliet. She appears on the balcony bemoaning the fact that the boy she has met is a Montague, a sworn enemy of her family. Come on, Valentine’s Day is coming up… 

What light Through Yonder Window Breaks?

Interestingly, there is no mention in the script of a balcony. It appears that the balcony that is lodged so firmly in our collective imaginations is an invention of set designers not of Shakespeare’s. A stage direction (Juliet appears at a window) was added in the 17th Century.

It is The East and Juliet is The Sun

Estate agents are always quick to make a feature out of a flaw. One can only assume it was they who came up with the romantic sounding ‘Juliet Balcony’ for the door in an upper storey that leads only to some bars of steel. Architecturally, a Juliet Balcony is not a balcony: it is a hole in the wall. We grant that it is fitting that a balcony that describes the absence of a balcony is named after a balcony that doesn’t appear in the script that made it famous.

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

If you have a teenage daughter that would only get into trouble if you let her out at night, but could use a bit of outdoor space to get away from her nurse, perhaps you should consider installing a roof balcony. We can construct roof balconies and walkways on all suitable flat roofs. If you have an enquiry, give us a call on 01603 418818 or email: enquiries@roofsuk.co.uk.