William Davenant: Thomas Otway: Theophilus Cibber:
After Shakespeare’s version of Romeo and Juliet was published several writers were inspired to revise or completely transform his work. These writers included William Davenant, Thomas Otway, and Theophilus Cibber. During the Commonwealth period, through influential friends, Davenant was able to open a type of theatre that featured toned-down plays. He was able to open the Duke’s theater in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. Thomas Otway had much greater success with his adaptation in 1679, the only version of the play to be seen on stage for the next 70 years or so. Otway's The History and Fall of Caius Marius set the action in ancient Rome and renamed the lovers to Marius and Lavinia. Lastly in 1744, Theophilus Cibber played Romeo in a version closer to Shakespeare’s original but also retaining some of Otway’s version, including Juliet waking up before Romeo dies. A common similarity between the versions is the fact that Romeo always died before Juliet.