Romeo & Juliet

1. Romeo & Juliet Literary Devices

2. Iambic Pentameter • Iambic pentameter is a line of poetry made up of five iambs: • an iamb is a metrical foot consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by one stressed syllable; • the pentameter line has five metrical feet; Shall I / compare / thee to / a sum/mer’sday?

3. Romeo & Juliet: The capulets Lord Capulet: Juliet’s dad. Loves Juliet and wants to see her marry well, but thinks she is too young to marry yet. Expects obedience. Lady Capulet: Juliet’s mom. Manages the Capulet household. Like most wealthy women at the time, does not actively participate in Juliet’s upbringing, so they have a distant relationship. Juliet: 13 year-old daughter. Has been brought up to be a lady and be obedient to her father’s will. Like most women of the time, Juliet has lived a sheltered life. Tybalt: A hot-tempered cousin who’s always looking for a fight. Nurse: Juliet’s caretaker since birth. She had a daughter, Suzanna, who was Juliet’s age, and served as a wet nurse for Juliet . She is responsible for Juliet’s daily upbringing and becomes her confidante. Peter: The Nurse’s servant. Samson & Gregory: Capulet servants.

4. Romeo & Juliet: The montagues Lord Montague: Romeo’s father and head of the Montague family. Lady Montague: Romeo’s mother who is worried about Romeo’s depression at the beginning of the play. Romeo: The Montague’s teenaged son. At the beginning of the play, he is sad because Rosaline has rejected him. He vows he will never love again. Benvolio: Romeo’s peaceful and encouraging cousin. Benvolio tries to break up fights and encourages Romeo to play the field to get over his heartbreak. Balthasar & Abraham: Montague servants

5. Romeo & Juliet: other characters Church Friar Laurence: Religious advisor to Verona. Like many monks of the time, Friar Laurence is also a scientist whose expertise is in herbology. He has frequently advised Romeo to give up his failed courtship of Rosaline and serves as Romeo’s confidant. Friar John: Another monk who visits the sick. Royalty Prince Escalus: Ruler of Verona. Early in the play, he establishes the law that anyone who reignites the feud will be put to death. Mercutio: Romeo’s best friend. Mercutio is moody and erratic. Count Paris: A member of the royal family who is trying to make arrangements with Lord Capulet to marry Juliet.

6. Drama Genre meant to be performed by actors in front of an audience. Ex: Romeo and Juliet, The Crucible

7. tragedy Sub-genre of drama in which events turn out disastrously for the main characters, often in death, caused by fate or a character’s tragic flaw. Ex: Romeo and Juliet

8. prologue A brief opening of a play spoken by the “chorus” that settles the audience and previews the plot. Ex: “Two households, both alike in dignity…”

9. pun A play on words that sound alike but have different meanings. Ex: Did you hear about the sleeping man who got run over by a car? He was tired and exhausted!

10. oxymoron Two juxtaposed words that mean opposite things. Ex: sweet sorrow loud silence jumbo shrimp

11. alliteration Repetition of similar consonant sounds in the same proximity. Ex: Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.  Ex from R&J: “I’ll look to like if looking liking move” (Juliet Act 1, scene 3)

12. Monologue A long, dramatic speech delivered by one character, and meant for other characters to hear. Ex: Prince Escalus addresses the crowd after the fight.

13. sonnet A 14-line lyrical poem written in iambic pentameter and following the rhyme scheme: ABAB CDCD EFEF GG. Last two lines called heroic couplet EXAMPLE: The Prologue of Romeo and Juliet

14. Imagery • Language that appeals to the five senses of sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell. • Ex: The hot pizza burned his mouth but tasted great as it filled his growling stomach.

15. Personification • A figure of speech in which an object or idea is given human qualities. • Ex: The grass danced in the wind, happy to receive a spring breeze.

16. Simile • A figure of speech that compares two things using like or as. • Ex: She floated in like a cloud on a breezy day.

17. Metaphor • A figure of speech that directly equates two unlike things. • Ex: The book was a passport to adventure.

18. Aside • Words spoken that other characters on stage do not supposedly hear. • Ex: Juliet speaking about Romeo, but her mother not hearing.

19. Soliloquy • A long speech in which a character, usually alone on stage, reveals thoughts and/or feelings. No other characters are meant to overhear a soliloquy. • Ex: Romeo talking about how beautiful Juliet is while hiding beneath her balcony.

20. Monologue A long, dramatic speech delivered by one character. Ex: Prince Escalus addresses the crowd after the fight.

21. Malapropism • Absurd or humorous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound. Not a pun – often a mistake. • When the Nurse says “I desire some confidence with you.” She should have said conference. • EX: When the oven caught on fire, my brother had to use the fire distinguisher to put it out. • "He was a man of great statue."   Thomas Menino, Boston mayor • "Republicans understand the importance of bondage between a mother and child."   Dan Quayle, Vice President

22. Foreshadowing • Clues in the text to suggest what is going to happen later. • Ex: Act 1, scene 4 • Romeo: “I fear too early, for my mind misgives some consequence yet hanging in the stars…”

23. Dramatic Irony • The audience knows something the characters do not know. • Ex: We know the killer is in the closet, but the soon-to-be victim does not. • Romeo and Juliet example: • ?????????

24. Foil Character • A character that contrasts the personality traits of another character, usually opposites. • Ex: ????

25. Apostrophe • A figure of speech in which a character directly addresses an inanimate object or someone who is either dead or simply not there as if it were alive and present and could reply. Apostrophes can be used to heighten our understanding of a character's emotions, whether positive or negative. • Ex: Juliet talking to her tears.

26. Allusion • A reference to a person, place, or thing in literature or culture that the writer expects the reader to understand. • Ex: She is as mysterious as the Mona Lisa’s smile.

27. Comic Relief • Humor in a play to break a serious mood or relieve tension. • Ex: The musicians making puns with Peter after Juliet is found dead.

28. Hyperbole • An exaggeration or overstatement used for effect. • Ex: My backpack weighs a ton!

29. Situational Irony • The situation turns out differently than the audience expects. • Ex: A wife sells her hair to buy her husband a watch chain, but he has sold his watch to buy combs for her hair.

30. VERBAL IRONY • Saying one thing but meaning another, often sarcastically. • Ex: You have a broken leg that really hurts but you say, “I feel like I could run a marathon!”

31. Motif • Recurring idea or element (symbol, character, etc.) in a work. • Ex: Various bird references appear in To Kill a Mockingbird.

32. Symbol • Represents something beyond itself, usually abstract or complex. • Ex: The American flag symbolizes freedom and democracy to many people.

33. Theme • A stated or implied underlying meaning or message of a work. • Ex: Dorothy learns that “there’s no place like home” in the Wizard of Oz.

34. Act 2 & 3 Quiz • Plot developments for Acts 2 and 3 (multiple choice) • Literary Devices – Review all (matching) ** personification, simile, metaphor, soliloquy, foreshadowing, aside, allusion, character foil, dramatic irony, comic relief, oxymoron, alliteration • What does “wherefore” mean? • If someone is rash, what does that mean? • If you’ve missed class, or are confused, go to No Fear Shakespeare online. MODERN ENGLISH.

35. Final exam spring 2013 • “Come, civil night, Thou sober-suited matron all in black …,” What literary device is this? How do you know? • “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!” What literary device is this? How do you know? • Mercutio’s line, “Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man,” from Romeo and Juliet, is an example of which literary device?

36. Final exam spring 2013 • “…cold fire, sick health…” is an example of which literary device? • When Romeo is leaving Juliet and she says “I have an ill-divining soul! Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb,” this is an example of which literary device? Why? • What is imagery?

37. Final exam spring 2013 • Which example best demonstrates an apostrophe? • a. “O tears, shut the door, and when thou hast done so/ Come weep with me—past hope, past cure, past help! • b. “A plague a’ both your houses!” • c. “Well, Juliet, I will lie with thee tonight.” • What other literary device is apostrophe closely related to?

38. Final exam spring 2013 • “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move” is an example of which literary device? • Most of the characters don’t know that Romeo and Juliet have gotten married, but we (the audience) know. What literary device is this? • The reference to Phoebus and Phaeton in Romeo and Juliet (“Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds,/ Towards Phoebus’ lodging! Such a wagoner/ As Phaeton would whip you to the west/ And bring in cloudy night immediately.”) is…?

39. Final exam spring 2013 • Benvolio’s character serves as a character foil for Mercutio because Benvolio is more ____________________ • What is an aside?