Romeo and Juliet

1. Romeo and Juliet An introduction…

2. Factsheet Information… • Author: William Shakespeare • When Written: early to mid 1590’s • Where Written: England • When Published: 1597 • Literary Period: The Renaissance (1500 -1600) • Original Title: The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet • Genre: Tragic Drama

3. Characters… • Romeo – the 16 year old son of Montague and Lady Montague. • Juliet – the beautiful 13 year old daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet, and cousin of Tybalt. • Nurse – a servant who nursed Juliet as a baby (the Nurse’s own baby died just before Juliet was born). The nurse raised Juliet through childhood, and she is Juliet’s closest friend and confidant. In many ways, she is more Juliet’s mother than is Lady Capulet.

4. Mercutio – Romeo’s close friend, and a kinsman of Prince Escalus. He hates romantic ideals and mocks those who hold them. • Friar Laurence – a Franciscan monk and a friend to both Romeo and Juliet. He preaches moderation. • Capulet – Juliet’s father. He is the leader of the Capulet family, and an enemy of Montague. He tries to appear open-minded, but believes that he knows what is best for his daughter even though he never consults her about her feelings.

5. Lady Capulet – Juliet’s mother. She married Capulet when she was Juliet’s age (13). Loves Juliet, but is an ineffective mother. Believes in material happiness that a “good match” can bring, rather than in love. • Benvolio – Montague’s nephew, Romeo’s cousin, and Mercutio’s friend. He is the most calm and the least quick-witted of the three boys. • Tybalt – Capulet’s nephew, Juliet’s cousin. He hates the Montagues and seems to look for excuses to fight. He is skilled with a sword.

6. Paris – a kinsman of Prince Escalus who wants to marry Juliet. He is good looking and wealthy, but is pompous, boring, and lacks Romeo’s passion. Loves Juliet, but thinks he can make her decisions for her. • Prince Escalus – the Prince and leader of Verona. He is concerned with keeping order in the city, and will do anything in his power to stop the feuding between the Capulets and the Montagues. • Montague –Romeo’s father. He is quick to anger at his bitter rival, Capulet.

7. Lady Montague – Montague’s wife and Romeo’s mother. • Friar John – a Franciscan friar. He is sent to Mantua to tell Romeo of the Friar’s plan. He is quarantined and never arrives. • Balthasar – Romeo’s servant • Sampson and Gregory – Capultet servants • Abraham – Montague’s servant

8. Peter – an illiterate Capulet servant • The Apothecary – a poor drug seller in Mantua who sells Romeo illegal poison. • Rosaline – a young woman with whom Romeo is infatuated at the beginning of the play. • The Chorus – an on-stage commentator on the events of the play (usually a single person).

9. Themes and Ideas… • Romantic love can be beautiful and ennobling. • Passion can overtake reason and common sense. • Immaturity and inexperience can lead to tragic endings. • Judge people by their character and personal qualities, not by their name or social status. • Fate acts through human folly.

10. Marriage in Elizabethean England... • With parental permission, boys are legal to marry at 14, girls at 12, though it is not recommended so early. • A marriage contract includes provision both for the bride’s dowryand for ajointure. ~The dowry is an amount of money, goods, and property the bride brings to the marriage. ~The jointure is an agreement by the groom’s family to guarantee specific money, property, and goods to the bride if her husband dies before she does, aside from or in addition to what is in his will. • It is generally considered foolish to marry for love, although love may occur in marriage. • Everyone wants (and expects) to have children. • Children are the property of their parents, and give them the respect a servant gives his master. • Wives are the property of their husbands.

11. Some women are more independent than others. However, every woman expects to be married, and to depend on her male relatives throughout her life. • Widows can own property and run their own businesses. • It is still a good idea to re-marry to protect one’s interests, however. There are minor problems to do with whether a woman’s word or signature is legally binding. • In general, every man wants to marry too, or at least acknowledges that he must. If he is not noble, he must be married to become the legal head of a household and eligible to hold public office or other positions of civic responsibility.

12. Vocabulary: Academic • Allusion – a reference in one work of literature to a person, place, or event in another work of literature or in history, art, or music. • Aside – words spoken by a character in a play, usually in an undertone and not intentional. • Blank verse – unrhymed iambic pentameter • Climax – the point of greatest emotional intensity, interest, or suspense – the high point • Conflict – a struggle between two opposing forces • Couplet – two consecutive lines of poetry that rhyme

13. Diction – a writer’s choice of words for clarity, effectiveness, and precision • Dramatic Irony – a contrast between what the audience perceives and what a character does not know • Figurative Language – language that is not meant to be interpreted in a literal sense • Foil – a character who sets off another character by contrast • Foreshadowing – the use of hints or clues in a narrative to suggest what action is to come.

14. Iambic Meter – unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable • Motivation – a reason that explains, or partially explains, why a character thinks, feels, acts, or behaves in a certain way. • Pun – the humorous use of a word or phrase to suggest two or more meanings at the same time. • Monologue – a long, uninterrupted speech presented in front of other characters • Oxymoron – a figure of speech that combines apparently contradictory terms.

15. Situational Irony – a contrast between what is expected and what really happens • Soliloquy – a speech in which a character is alone on stage and expresses his or her thoughts out loud • Sonnet – a fourteen-line lyric poem that has one of several rhyme schemes. A sonnet form used by William Shakespeare is called the Shakespearean Sonnet. It has three four-line units (quatrains) followed by a concluding two-line unit (couplet). The most common rhyme scheme for a Shakespearean Sonnet is: ababcdcdefefgg

16. Verbal Irony – a contrast between what is said and what is meant • Protagonist – the main character in a story or play; the hero • Antagonist – the character or force that works against the protagonist

17. Act I Vocabulary Terms • adversaries • esteem • languish • rapier • transgression • valiant • chaste • grievance • purge • solemnity

18. Act II Vocabulary Terms • conjure • livery • idolatry • consorted • invocation • perjury • procure • variable • wanton • confound

19. Act III Vocabulary Terms • gallant • fray • banishment • calamity • commend • dexterity • prevail • reconcile • vile • abhor

20. Act IV Vocabulary Terms • pensive • vial • enjoined • abate • beguile • dirge • distraught • fester • prostrate • shroud

21. Act V Vocabulary Terms • apothecary • remnants • haughty • amorous • conspire • inter • paramour • sepulcher • penury • scourge