Romeo and Juliet

1. Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare

2. Unit Aims • To develop understanding of dramatic texts; • To explore characters and themes of the play; • To learn about the style and language Shakespeare uses and explore the language; • To identify and examine key scenes in the play and their function within it; • To develop independence in making notes; • To work in groups on classwork and homework; • To learn how to select appropriate essay questions; • To learn essay writing skills.

3. By the end of this unit you will be able to: • Discuss the characters’ personalities and how the develop through the play; • Discuss the themes and how they are portrayed; • Identify, explain and analyse features of Shakespeare’s style and language; • Identify and analyse key scenes from the play and explain their relevance; • Make your own detailed notes through working with your classmates; • Select an appropriate essay question; • Write a critical essay.

4. William Shakespeare Shakespeare is probably the world’s greatest known playwright. He lived and worked during the reign of Elizabeth the first and it is believed he wrote nearly 40 plays and over 150 poems and sonnets. He died 23rd April 1616.

5. Romeo and Juliet There are very few records of the dates that Shakespeare wrote his works, but ‘Romeo and Juliet’ is believed to have been written sometime between 1591 and 1595. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from Arthur Brooke’s ‘The tragic History of Romeus and Juliet’ and William Painter’s ‘Palace of Pleasure’ which both retold the old Italian tale of the two lovers.

6. Shakespeare’sStyle Shakespeare’s style for many is very confusing and off-putting. He uses very extravagant language and his characters at times go off on tangents, taking a long time to say very little. However, for others (like me!) this is part of the appeal. Before we begin reading, I think it is important to understand a little more about the style you will be reading.

7. Iambic Pentameter Most of Shakespeare’s plays are written in iambic pentameter. Iambic pentameter is a line in poetry made up of five iambs. An iamb is a pattern of an unstressed syllable, followed by a stressed syllable e.g. today, insist, confirm. So, a line of iambic pentameter will follow this pattern: da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum, da dum.

8. As you can probably imagine, this is an incredibly difficult style of writing to maintain and at times Shakespeare’s writing doesn’t quite fit this style, but there are times when it is very obvious. Often, Shakespeare differentiates between his characters’ status and class using his writing style. Characters of importance and of high social standing speak in iambic pentameter, whereas characters such as servants speak in prose.

9. The Main Characters

10. Cast (in order of appearance) Chorus – Sean RJ Samson – Rachel M Gregory – Natalie Abraham – Steven Benvolio – Lewis Tybalt – Jack Capulet – Alicia Lady Capulet – Lindsey Montague – Ryan Lady Montague – Louise Prince Escalus - Tyler Romeo – Allan Paris – TJ Nurse – Corey Juliet – Saif Mercutio – Sean M Friar Lawrence – Euan Minor Characters Balthasar – Pertruccio - Capulet’s cousin – Peter – Citizens -

11. You will be issued with a handout giving an Act by Act summary. After each Act, or important scene, I will give you questions and tasks to work on, but it is important that you make your own notes on the individual scenes and characters as we go.

12. As a result, you will be working in groups to summarise the scenes for each Act as homework. These notes will be made available for the rest of the class. If you don’t produce your notes the WHOLE class miss out on them – no one else will produce them for you (i.e. I’m not doing it!)

13. Because these will be your only notes, they should cover the following areas: • A summary of what happens • An overview of character development • The development of key themes • Any important or notable quotations.

14. Get into Groups There needs to be 5 groups. Each group should consist of no fewer than 3, no more than 5 people. It is up to your group to decide how to tackle the scene summaries. Options include: • Meeting to do the work together, • Splitting the tasks up and doing them individually, • Swapping email addresses to arrange the tasks.

15. Groups’ Responsibilities Group 1 – Act 1 Group 2 – Act 2 Group 3 – Act 3 Group 4 – Act 4 Group 5 – Act 5

16. To provide you with an example, I have provided for you in your class notes a summary of the first scene of Act 1.

17. Prologue • What is the purpose of the prologue? • What do you think are the most important lines in the prologue? It is written in the form of a sonnet . We will come across this form again later in the play.

18. Cast (in order of appearance) Chorus – Miss McKenzie Samson – Rachel M Gregory – Natalie Abraham – Steven Benvolio – Lewis Tybalt – Jack Capulet – Alicia Lady Capulet – Lindsey Montague – Ryan Lady Montague – Louise Prince Escalus - Tyler Romeo – Allan Paris – Megan Nurse – Corey Juliet – Saif Mercutio – Sean M Friar Lawrence – Euan Minor Characters Balthasar – Pertruccio - Capulet’s cousin – Peter – Citizens -

19. Act 1 – Scene 1 • The play begins with a riot. What is the purpose of this? • Look at Benvolio’s first speech. What does that tell you about his character? • What do we learn of Tybalt in this scene? • We meet Romeo in this scene. What do we learn of him? (Look at the way he speaks – it is very typical of love poetry of Shakespeare’s time.)

20. Act 1 – Scene 3 • We meet Juliet in this scene. • How would you describe Juliet’s relationship with her mother? • How does Juliet feel about marrying Paris? What do you think her speeches reveal about her knowledge of love? Use evidence to support your answer.

21. Act 1 – Scene 5 • The lovers meet. • Romeo and Juliet speak to each other as if they are separate from the rest of the party. • Look at lines 92-105, the lines spoken between Romeo and Juliet before the share their first kiss. What do you notice about them?

22. Sonnet These lines are written in sonnet form. A sonnet is a form of poetry which contains 14 lines made up of 3 sets of 4 lines (called quatrains) and ending on a rhyming couplet. Sonnets have the following rhyme scheme: abab, cdcd, efef, gg.

23. Task • Annotate your copy of these lines. You should work together to do this. • Mark on it the rhyme scheme and highlight any notable features e.g. figures of speech, etc. • Pay attention to the sounds used (e.g. assonance, use of consonants). What is the overall effect of this? • What comparisons do they make? What imagery is used? What do you think the significance of this is?

24. In this scene we also see Tybalt again. We first saw him in the first scene attempting to fight with Benvolio. Here he declares he will kill Romeo. However, Capulet tells him not to. • Why do you think this is?

25. Act 1 • The chorus at the end summarise Romeo’s emotional journey through the act. • Do you think they sympathise with him? Or are they teasing him? • This Act introduces us to some of the major themes in the play. What would you say the themes are and where/when are they highlighted?

26. Notes for Act 1 The notes for Act 1 should be submitted by Group 1 by next Friday (23rd March). They should be done electronically so they can be easily distributed. email them to L.McKenzie@mgfl.net

27. Act 2 Benvolio and Mercutio look for Romeo. Juliet tells Romeo she loves him and they exchange vows. Romeo goes to see Friar Lawrence, who agrees to marry them as it may help end the feud. Meanwhile Tybalt makes it known he wishes to challenge Romeo to a duel. Romeo tells the Nurse of his plan to marry Juliet. Juliet blushes when she hears the news. Romeo and Juliet meet at the Friar's cell and are married in secret.

28. Act 2, Scene 2 The Famous ‘Balcony Scene’. This is one of the major key scenes in the play. Interestingly enough, Shakespeare’s script makes no mention of a balcony – this is something that has been added by those in charge of productions. It enables the characters to speak but not to touch.

29. Act 2, Scene 2 • Look at Romeo’s first line – has he heard Mercutio?What does this line reveal about his feelings towards Rosaline? • Both Romeo and Juliet speak to themselves for quite a while before they speak to each other (Romeo doesn’t talk to her directly until line 49). How do these lines reveal their personalities /views on love or the family conlfict?

30. Act 2, Scene 2 Soliloquy – when a character in a play (particularly in Shakespeare) speaks to just themselves or the audience. Usually quite a long speech.

31. Act 2, Scene 2 Look at Romeo’s speeches from lines 2-32. He is talking about his feelings towards Juliet (who is above him). • How many references can you find to things that are above him? Make a note of these references. What is the significance of these comparisons? • He also makes many references to light. How many references to light can you find? What significance do these have?

32. Act 2, Scene 2 Juliet speaks to herself, unaware of Romeo’s presence. • Summarise in your own words what she says in lines 33-6 and 38-49 (use your close reading skills – simplify, don’t try to translate the speeches!) • What do these lines reveal about her views on the family feud?

33. Act 2, Scene 2 Romeo announces his presence, embarrassing Juliet because she realises he has heard what she said. • What is her main concern in lines 62-74? • How does Romeo respond to these concerns (lines77-8)? What is the significance of this?

34. Act 2, Scene 2 From line 85 onwards Juliet’s concerns change. • What does she ask him? • How does Romeo respond? • What does this discussion reveal about both Juliet’s and Romeo’s views on love? Use evidence from lines 85-115 to support your answers.

35. Act 2, Scene 2 When Juliet returns in line 142, she asks him to prove his love by marrying her. • What does this reveal about her character? • Are you surprised that it is Juliet and not Romeo who suggests marriage? Give reasons for you answer.

36. Act 3, Scene 1 This is a pivotal scene in the play. The death of Mercutio is arguably the event that spurs on the rest of the tragedies that follow. Today we will focus on Tybalt’s character and look at the impact Mercutio’s death has.

37. Act 3, Scene 1 • Look at the beginning of the scene and the discussion between Mercutio and Benvolio. How does this foreshadow or prepare the reader/audience for the conflict that occurs later in the scene?

38. Act 3, Scene 1 • Look at Tybalt’s speeches (lines 39 onwards). How are these typical of his character? Pick out examples and explain what they show of his personality. • Why does he want to fight Romeo and not Mercutio? • Read again the discussion between Romeo and Tybalt (lines 61-91). Why is Romeo reluctant to fight Tybalt?

39. Act 3, Scene 1 • Mercutio’s death. • As Mercutio is dying he says “A plague on both your houses”. Explain the significance of this. Who do you think he blames for his death? • Look at Romeo’s speech in lines 112-118. How does he feel about Mercutio’s death? How does he feel about how he handled the situation?

40. Act 3, Scene 2 This beginning of this scene almost mirrors Act 2 Scene 5 when Juliet is anxiously awaiting the return of the Nurse with news of the wedding plans. However, this time she is waiting for Romeo on their wedding night. • Look at lines 1-31 and identify the lines that show Juliet has matured from the earlier scene.

41. Act 3, Scene 2 After some confusion, Juliet learns that Tybalt is dead and that it was Romeo who killed him. This causes a conflict for Juliet – her husband has killed her cousin. • Look at lines 73-85 and pick out examples that show this conflict within her. • Look at how she speaks to the Nurse for saying “Shame come to Romeo” (line 90). Why do you think Juliet reacts this way, despite what she said earlier?

42. Act 4, Scene 3 During this scene, Juliet takes the poison given to her by Friar Lawrence. Before she does so, she begins to doubt whether she is doing the right thing. • What are her fears? Use quotations to back up your ideas.

43. Themes The main themes of the play are: • Love • Conflict • Fate

44. Love We have looked carefully at Romeo and Juliet’s views on love throughout the play. • Summarise each of the characters’ thoughts on love and trace any changes in their attitudes towards it (make references to notable scenes)

45. Conflict This is a theme introduced from the very beginning with the prologue. • Summarise how the theme of conflict influences the outcome of the play. • What scenes involving conflict would you say are the most significant any why?

46. Fate We have touched on this briefly. The fate of the two characters is told to us at the very beginning. Throughout the play, there are many instances where the ending of the play is foreshadowed. • How far do you believe the characters’ lives were driven by fate? Make reference to the play in your answer.

47. Practice Essay - Higher From 2008: Choose a play which explores the theme of love in difficult circumstances. Explain how the dramatist introduces the theme and discuss how in the course of the play s/he prepares you for the resolution of the drama.

48. Practice Essay – Intermediate 2 From 2007: Choose a play which portrays a strong relationship between two of the main characters. Describe the nature of the relationship and explain how the nature of the relationship influences the fate of the two characters concerned.