Shakespeare has seldom been related to " revolution", but is usually assimilated into the lyrical tradition. This paper takes the production of Romeo and Juliet by Shanghai Amateur Experimental Troupe in 1937 as an example, discussing how Zhang Min, the director, turned the "lyrical"Shakespearean play into a "revolutionary" performance by resorting to "emotions" in various ways in the special historical period. The re-discovery of that historical period helps us understand the complicated entanglements of "revolution" and "lyric",as well as the multifaceted history of Shakespeare on Chinese stages, the left-wing theatre and Chinese modern theatre.