Marvin Dawkins,^[2] better known by his stage name Romeo or MC Romeo is an English rapper/MC.

Biography[link]

Romeo first found fame in the garage group So Solid Crew, having grown up on and around the notorious Surrey Lane, Winstanley and Badric Court estates of Battersea. He subsequently had a solo career. He got his name Romeo due to his smoothness with the ladies.

Romeo released his solo album Solid Love in November 2002, through Relentless records, the label that So Solid had just left for Independiente.

He enjoyed two top 10 singles, "Romeo Dunn" which reached #3 in the UK Singles Chart in 2002, and secondly a duet with Christina Milian, "It's All Gravy", which reached #9 in the UK Singles Chart in the same year.^[2]

However, only a disappointing 40,000 copies sold of his album, peaking at #46 in the UK Albums Chart. In March 2003, Relentless filed for bankruptcy with debts of £3m.^[2][3]

In 2004 Romeo appeared in the reality show The Games, and returned to the series to compete in the Champion of Champions contest in 2006. Romeo also featured in a gameshow called Fool Around With... Romeo on Channel 4 in 2005, in which he had to guess which girl out of four was single.

Romeo appeared in an episode of Don't Tell the Bride on BBC Three on 22 September 2009, as the best man for his brother, Darnell Dawkins.

Romeo is currently signed to So Solid's Lisa Maffia's record label, Maffia Recordz. A second album, announced for release during 2008, has not yet materialised. In 2009, Romeo and fellow members of So Solid Crew attempted a musical comeback with the single "Since You Went Away".^{[citation needed]}

Romeo appeared in Celebrity Big Brother 2012 up until his eviction on January 25, 2012 just narrowly missing out on the final. He is father to two daughters. His most famous lyric is '2 multiplied by 10 plus 1 Romeo Dunn'

Criminal activity[link]

In 2001 at his 21st birthday concert the members of So Solid Crew were rushed off stage when two audience members were shot at close range by Romeo. Police later found a 9mm Beretta handgun.^[4]

In August 2004, Romeo was charged with wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and violent disorder after slashing the face of Ejay Armstrong with a knife, leaving a 16 cm gash, when it was alleged that he joined friends in a dispute after a night out in London's Leicester Square.^[5]

In June 2005, the jury failed to reach a verdict against him and the prosecution was suspended. However, Romeo's brother Julian Dawkins and friend Darren Moore were cleared of all charges against them and did not face a retrial.^[6]

During the retrial in November 2005, he told the jury that he had been trying to act as peacemaker and was found not guilty of wounding with intent when the prosecution decided not to continue the case.^[7][8]

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Studio albums[link]

Singles[link]

As a featured artist[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Unreality TV - Romeo News, Gossip and Chat
• Romeo Heaven
• Romeo Lovers Yahoo Group
• Romeo on Myspace

Romeo
The balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet as depicted by Ford Madox Brown in an 1870 painting.
Creator	William Shakespeare
Play	Romeo and Juliet
Family	Juliet (wife) Montague (father) Lady Montague (mother) Benvolio (cousin)
Associates	Mercutio
Role	Protagonist

Romeo is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. Romeo is the son of old Montague and his wife, who secretly loves and marries Juliet, a member of the rival House of Capulet. Forced into exile by his slaying of Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, in a duel, Romeo commits suicide upon hearing falsely of Juliet's death.

The character's origins can be traced as far back as Pyramus, who appears in Ovid's Metamorphoses, but the first modern incarnation of Romeo is Mariotto in the 33rd of Masuccio Salernitano's Il Novellino (1476). This story was adapted by Luigi da Porto as Giulietta e Romeo (1530), and Shakespeare's main source was an English verse translation of this text by Arthur Brooke.^[1] Although both Salernitano and da Porto claimed that their stories had historical basis, there is little evidence that this is the case.

Romeo is one of the most important characters of the play, and has a consistent presence throughout it. His role as an idealistic lover has led the word "Romeo" to become a synonym for a passionate male lover in various languages. Although often treated as such, it is not clear that "Montague" is a surname in the modern sense.

Origins[link]

The earliest tale bearing a resemblance to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is Xenophon of Ephesus' Ephesiaca, whose hero is a Habrocomes.The character of Romeo is also similar to that of Pyramus in Ovid's Metamorphoses, a youth who is unable to meet the object of his affection due to an ancient family quarrel, and later kills himself due to mistakenly believing her to have died.^[2] Although it is unlikely that Shakespeare directly borrowed from Ovid while writing Romeo and Juliet, the story was likely an influence on the Italian writers who the playwright was greatly indebted to.^[3] The two sources which Shakespeare most likely consulted himself are Brookes' translation of de Porta and W. Painter's The goodly historye of the true, and constant Love between Rhomeo and Iulietta.^[1]

Role in the play[link]

Romeo first appears in the play in the first scene, shortly after the brawl between the Montagues and the Capulets. As a young man, he is rash and quite easily distempered. As a general rule, he is a mirror image of Juliet, being urged to marry by his father. He is overly eager, especially because he is infatuated with Rosaline, who is uninterested in him due to her commitment to chastity.^[4] His cousin Benvolio (who is related by his divorced mother's new husband), wishing to distract him from his romantic plight, presumably to gain Rosaline's favour, takes him and his friend Mercutio, uninvited and disguised, to a feast at the house of the Capulets.^[5] There he meets and falls in love with Juliet, the daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet.^[6] However, this was not merely infatuation, but true love, as Romeo explicitly states that loves Rosaline, but the two talk and indeed fall in love, as Romeo also is noted to find Juliet less than beautiful. This however changes and Romeo learns to see the beauty in his true love (as opposed to infatuation with Rosaline, Shakespeare's method of adding contrast). Romeo again meets her after the feast, as she laments her love for him from her balcony.^[7] Through a meeting with Juliet's Nurse, Romeo arranges for them to be married secretly by Friar Lawrence.^[8] When Tybalt, Juliet's cousin, insults Romeo in the streets the next day, he is prevented by his now familial relation with Tybalt from defending his honour.^[9] His friend Mercutio, exasperated by this, fights Tybalt, and is killed by him.^[10] Romeo, seeking revenge, kills Tybalt, which results in him being exiled from the city by the Prince.^[11] He leaves the next morning, having consummated his marriage with Juliet. Juliet, whose father intends to marry her to an aristocrat, Paris, unbeknownst to Romeo takes a potion, provided by Friar Lawrence, which places her in a death-like coma.^[12] She is therefore buried, and a messenger is sent to Romeo to tell him that Juliet is in fact alive, who unfortunately is unable to reach him to due to the plague.^[13] Romeo, genuinely believing Juliet to be dead, travels to her grave, where he meets and kills Paris.^[14] When he sees her body, he kills himself, moments before she awakes; when Juliet sees that Romeo is dead, she kills herself in turn shortly thereafter.^[15] The tragedy leads to the end of the feud between the two families.^[16]

Francisco Araiza playing Romeo in a 1990 production of Giuseppe Verdi's opera adaptation of the play.

References[link]

Bibliography[link]

• Bevington, David M. (2006). How to read a Shakespeare play. Westport: Greenwood Press. ISBN 0-313-30089-5. 
• Halio, Jay (1998). Romeo and Juliet: A Guide to the Play. Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 1-4051-1396-0. 
• Hunter, Lynette, Lichfield, Peter (2009). Negotiating Shakespeare's language in Romeo and Juliet: reading strategies from criticism, editing and the theatre. Ashgate Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7546-5844-3. 
• Shakespeare, William (1859). Romeo and Juliet:A tragedy. Leipzig: G. Græbner. http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=izgALQkNvwwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Romeo+and+Juliet&hl=en&ei=nau0TbuqGZCI5Aab4eGkDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CEEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false. 

External links[link]

• Complete listing of all of Romeo's lines

v t e William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Characters Romeo Juliet Mercutio Tybalt Benvolio Friar Laurence Nurse Paris Prince Escalus Rosaline Full Character List Sources The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet Pyramus and Thisbe Palace of Pleasure Troilus and Criseyde Ephisaica Musical adaptations Romeo und Julie (1776) I Capuleti e i Montecchi (1830) Roméo et Juliette (Berlioz) (1839) Roméo et Juliette (1867) Romeo and Juliet (overture) (1870) Romeo und Julia (1929) Romeo and Juliet (1938) West Side Story (1957) Roméo et Juliette, de la Haine à l'Amour (2001) Giulietta e Romeo (2007) On screen Romeo and Juliet (1900) Romeo and Juliet (1908) Romeo and Juliet (1916) Romeo and Juliet (1936) Romeo and Juliet (1954) Romeo i Dzhulyetta (1955) Romeo and Juliet (1968) Romeo and Juliet (1978) The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet (1982) Romeo and Juliet (1992) Romeo + Juliet (1996) Romeo and Juliet (2012) Adaptations Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953) Romeo, Juliet and Darkness (1960) Romanoff and Juliet (1961) West Side Story (1961) Romie-0 and Julie-8 (1979) The Sea Prince and the Fire Child (1981) Tromeo and Juliet (1996) Love Is All There Is (1996) The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998) Shakespeare in Love (1998) Romeo Must Die (2000) Romiette and Julio (2001) Hobak Nar (2004) Pizza My Heart (2005) West Bank Story (2005) Romeo & Juliet: Sealed with a Kiss (2006) Romeo × Juliet (2007) Saints & Sinners (2007) Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) Book:Romeo and Juliet

Ashley Anthony Walters (born 30 June 1982), also known as Asher D, is a British rapper and actor.

Education[link]

Ashley Walters was born in Peckham, London and raised by his mother, Pamela Case, a local government officer.^[1] He attended the Sylvia Young Theatre School, in London, from the age of 6. After graduating from the Sylivia Young Theatre School, Walters starred in some of the more popular stage productions at the time.

Music career[link]

Musically, he is best known as Asher D in the group So Solid Crew. He enjoyed relative success as a lyricist, particularly for their number 1 hit "21 Seconds". After the group split, he went on to focus on other projects, most recently 2006's In Memory of the Street Fighter, featuring the single "Andrea".

He released a studio album in 2008 on AD82 records, entitled The Appetiser, a twelve track affair produced by both him and Laurence Ezra.

With Dewi Bruce Konuah, he co-owns a production company, AD82 Productions, specialising in talent in the British music and film industries.

Acting career[link]

Walters is also an actor, appearing under his full name, Ashley Walters. He appeared in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles at age 10 and Grange Hill at age 14 (in the role of "Andy"). He appeared in Bullet Boy, where he played Ricky who had just came out of jail to start a new life/role, a role for which he was named Best Newcomer at the British Independent Film Awards. He also appeared in Get Rich or Die Tryin' alongside rapper 50 Cent.

He played the role of "Wolf" in the film Stormbreaker, and "Danny" in the film Life and Lyrics for which he has received many plaudits. He has filmed WΔZ, alongside Selma Blair and Melissa George, and Sugarhouse Lane. He played Lacey in the BBC Three drama pilot West 10 LDN.

He appeared in five episodes of the fourth series of BBC TV drama Hustle, playing the character Billy Bond.

He has appeared in the MTV series Top Buzzer and played the role of "Al B" in the 2006 production House of 9 alongside Dennis Hopper.

He has appeared on stage at the Royal National Theatre in Roy Williams’ Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads^[2] and the Royal Court Theatre in Levi David Addai's Oxford Street.^[3] Another feature film, Tu£sday, sees him playing a jewel thief alongside John Simm, Philip Glenister and Cristian Solimeno. He appeared in Bola Agbaje's play Off the Endz at the Royal Court Theatre during February and March 2010.

He made appearances in police drama The Bill and firefighting drama London's Burning.

His Grange Hill history and autobiography was referenced by the comedian Stewart Lee on 16 March 2009, on the BBC2 show Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle in the episode themed on "Toilet Books". He also appeared in 2009's TV adaptation of Small Island and as Jack Holt in the short-lived drama Outcasts on the BBC in February and March 2011.

For the BBC Learning project "Off By Heart Shakespeare", Walters delivered one of Shakespeare’s best known speeches, "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?" from Romeo and Juliet.^[4]

In October 2011, Walters starred in the Arjun Rose slasher Demons Never Die.

From 31 October 2011, he played the main character "Dushane" in one off (4-day) drama Top Boy alongside Kano (Kane Robinson) and Scorcher.

In February 2012, he played one of the main characters "Chris" in one off BBC drama Inside Men.

Personal life[link]

In July 2001, following an argument with a traffic warden, he was found to be carrying a loaded Brocock air pistol modified to fire live ammunition. He was arrested and, in 2002, jailed for 18 months, in a young offenders' institute. Having spent the previous nine months in custody, he subsequently served an additional nine months to complete his sentence.^[5][6]

He has two sons and two daughters with partner Natalie.^[7]

Filmography[link]

Films[link]

Television[link]

Discography[link]

Studio Albums[link]

Mixtapes[link]

Singles[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Asher D at the Internet Movie Database
• Official Asher Walters Website
• Official Asher D Myspace