Verona - Marcus Hogan

. .

Résumé :

Before Romeo met Juliet, their families met in Verona. It wasn't love at first sight.

Welcome to the CAPULET series - a sprawling six-part prequel - an epic tale of ambition, passion, sacrifice and the brutal cost of revenge. Long before the tale of tragic love that defined a generation, the Capulet name was forged in the powder keg of 1434 France. Their ancestral saga is not merely a romance, but a high-stakes chronicle of loyalty, heroism, seductions and betrayals that will launch a blood-soaked feud that consumes more than one generation. Two children in Lyon, Armand de Capulet and Ilaria Marchand, are promised at birth. But in a world of shifting power, their union becomes the flashpoint for a conflict that will force them to abandon innocence for the cold, calculated necessities of survival.

Their story is told through the eyes of Marcel Poquelin, a sharp-tongued roguish musician who finds himself the unlikely chronicler of their remarkable rise. Through Marcel's irreverent lens-whose favored exclamations are Cupid's Balls! and Bite my bare ass!-you'll witness the sometimes elegant, sometimes bawdy, yet often dangerous climb of two innocents, learning to navigate a ruthless elite world of excess. But as the Capulets rise, that world darkens. From the war-torn citadels of France to the hidden, hedonistic depths of Italy, Armand and Ilaria are drawn into a volatile web of faction rivalry, dooming curses and religious fanaticism. And the moment they enter the walls of fair Verona, the might of two mercenary houses (Montecchi and Paris) await them. Both bristle with arrogance, appetites for power and pleasure, and a contempt for any but those of their factions. Both will stop at nothing to have their way in everything. Both see the na?ve, newlywed Capulets as easy prey.

Yet, Armand and Ilaria's greatest enemy may be fate itself. Gifted with terrifying, accurate premonitions, Ilaria finds herself guided along their path by a succession of mystics, offering windows and warnings to what lies ahead. Every vision is heeded, every disaster confronted - until the warning of a final, catastrophic vision becomes lost in a swirl of erupting events. As the series evolves, from the vibrant ambitions of their youth, into the haunting sacrifices of their adulthood together, Ilaria and Armand (with their irreverent shadow Marcel) must confront a brutal truth which emerges: the harder they fight to change their future, the tighter the grip of destiny becomes.

CAPULET is the genesis of a time-honored tale told for the modern reader: elegant and poetic at times but also filled with grit and humour, through encounters that are often raw, provocative and relentlessly human. 1 fated pair. 3 mighty factions. 1 burning question: How did Romeo and Juliet's families come to be at each other's throats? But who among them will pay the ultimate sacrifice to make it so? As the seductions mount and body counts rise, every dark question is answered.

Book 2 - Verona. Following an unexpected truce, the Capulets set out to meet Armand's sister in Verona. But now married, he and his male retinue must adjust to life in feminine company, including Ilaria and her new server Maxine. A pair of experienced Italian soldiers are assigned to guide them. They know the path, yet navigating the road through the alps and onto Verona, will be full of surprises. Hoping to win hearts and minds along the way, Armand and Ilaria must woo influential family and associates. Yet not all will welcome the new leaders-in-waiting. Jealousies and ambitions surface that lead the Capulets into danger. But the most perilous surprise awaits at their destination. The estate of Armand's sister ad...

Biographie:
I conceived this project in Boston during the summer of '92 while producing my first Shakespeare (Romeo & Juliet). It was staged at the Huntington Theatre Studio and sold out before we opened. That was when the notion of a prequel was born that would reveal how the famous families came to be at each other's throats, and how the associations between so many characters were first formed. The full story frame of Capulet (6 books) was written over 4 years writing 7 days a week 7 hours a day with just a few exceptions.For the trivial record, my first experience with Shakespeare was as a punishment in my last year of high school. I was given a detention for fighting (a bully was harassing a friend and though I'm no hero I intervened). The English Mistress who caught us made me memorise the 'quality of mercy' monologue from The Merchant of Venice. It had to be word perfect to avoid another stay. She told me it wasn't word perfect. But she said I was 'good' and would let me off if I agreed to audition for the play. I did. Somehow I managed to get the lead.That led me to a BA in Drama at the University of Queensland. UQ led me to a BFA in Acting at Cornish College in the USA. That led to specialised study at the National Shakespeare Conservatory in NY (closed after 9/11) and finally an MFA scholarship to study Directing at Boston University. Fast forward 25 years. I began this project in earnest during the last few months of the pandemic.I hope their tale moves you. I found it very moving to write.Marcus Hogan...

Sommaire:

The epic prequel series continues.

They left war behind them in France. What lies ahead is far more perilous.

Following an unexpected truce that ends the bloody Hundred Years War, the newlywed Capulets find themselves free to journey to Verona to meet Armand's sister. But now they are married, Armand's small but colorful retinue, Marcel, Caspar and Fabrizio, must adjust to a new life in formidable feminine company, including their new mistress Ilaria de Capulet and her fiery new server.

A pair of experienced Italian soldiers who served Armand's family for many years are assigned to protect them on the long journey. They know the path forward well. But navigating the adventurous road on their marriage tour, through the alps to northern Italy and onto Verona, will be full of surprises and perils.

The glamorous young Capulets are to be wooed by influential famille and associates as they press on, hoping to win hearts and minds. Though not all will be so welcoming to the new faction leaders-in-waiting. Jealousies surface, personal ambitions are revealed in surprising moments that lead the newlyweds into danger.

Yet the most perilous surprise awaits at their final destination. Armand's sister Aurelie is now prima Donna to the powerful Cortelanni faction in Verona. Settled in the northern hills with her husband Don Sabatino, their beautiful estate sits next to the ancestral home of the most powerful mercenary warlord in the region. The paths of two famous families will cross. The result will be startling.

It won't be love at first sight.