Matteo Bandello:
Following da Porto, in 1554 Matteo Bandello was inspired by da Porto’s Romeo and Juliet and created his own version of the tale titled, Novelle. Bandello dramatically transformed da Porto’s version of the character Mercutio, famous character, into an overpowering man who lacked respect, as described in his story as “audacious among maidens as a lion among lambs”. Bandello mainly transforms his version by going into extreme details about specific scenes and important characters. For example, Bandello goes to great lengths to establish Romeo’s love for another woman that is named Rosalind, instead of Juliet, in the very beginning of the story. Bandello changes his version to Giulietta wanting to run off with the banished Romeo, and instead he forbids it. Bandello also created a new character the nurse, who plays a significant role in his version by having information on the pertinent moment when Juliet viciously kills herself with Romeo’s dagger so that she may join Romeo in the afterlife, rather than merely wasting away as Giannoza did in Saleritano’s version. A major similarity between all of the different versions is each story ending with the death of Romeo and Juliet.