Each of these characters is an example of the many ways in which Shakespeare skillfully reworked his source. Students and scholars alike have marvelled at his ability to create a lasting work of dramatic art with universal appeal out of the Romeo and Juliet legend. Although there is still no resolution to the debates concerning Shakespeare's tragic design and the relative success of this early experiment in tragedy, there is nearly unanimous agreement that Romeo and Juliet is a remarkable and enjoyable play. In attempting to account for the tragedy's enduring popularity, commentators generally point to Shakespeare's moving depiction of the innocence and sincerity of young love. Romeo and Juliet, in the words of Robert Metcalf Smith, is "the perfect love poem of the English race and of the world,"

(See also Shakespearean Criticism, Vols. 5 and 11)