 Sir William Davenant of the Duke 's Company staged a 1662 adaptation in which Henry Harris played Romeo , Thomas Betterton Mercutio , and Betterton 's wife Mary <unk> Juliet : she was probably the first woman to play the role professionally . Another version closely followed Davenant 's adaptation and was also regularly performed by the Duke 's Company . This was a tragicomedy by James Howard , in which the two lovers survive . 
