Unit created by Mrs. D. Wittmann
Romeo and Juliet Overview Category: Tragedy Period written: 1594-1596 First known performance: 1662 (recorded) Number of lines: 3093 Number of scenes: 26 Total Characters: 37 Prose/Verse: 12% / 88% Possible Sources: The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet (Arthur Brooke, 1562) Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet at a time of public rioting, outbreaks of violence, and civil unrest in London. In June 1595, around 1,000 apprentices took part in a riot on Tower Hill to protest about the appalling social conditions in the city.
BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS CHARACTER Characters in literature allow readers to study and explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms represented by those characters. SETTING Setting and the details associated with it not only depict a time and place, but also convey values associated with that setting. STRUCTURE The arrangement of the parts and sections of a text, the relationship of the parts to each other, and the sequence in which the text reveals information are all structural choices made by a writer that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a text. NARRATION A narrator’s or speaker’s perspective controls the details and emphases that affect how readers experience and interpret a text. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Comparisons, representations, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text. LITERARY ARGUMENTATION Readers establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through arguments supported by textual evidence.
The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet Shakespeare took his plot involving a tragic feud between two noble families from a popular folktale, which was first translated into English by Arthur Brooke in 1562. In The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet, Brooke gives the story a cautionary message, warning that if we give in to lust and neglect the advice of our parents, we will face an ‘unhappye deathe’. When writing his own version, Shakespeare squeezed Brooke’s nine-month story into five days, and reduced Juliet’s age from scarcely 16 to ‘not yet 14’. Shakespeare also inserted a sword fight between Tybalt and Benvolio in the first scene, and expanded the roles of Paris, Mercutio and the Nurse, using comedy to offset tragic tension.
Romeo and Juliet is not only a love story. Andrew Dickson describes how the play reflects the violence and chaos of Shakespearean London – and how, more recently, directors have used it to explore conflicts of their own time: All Shakespeare’s plays contain themes that feel universal – the father who breaks disastrously from his children, the marriage that collapses under the pressure of a husband’s jealousy. However, the ingredients that make up Romeo and Juliet are perhaps more universal than most: young love, bitter hate, feuding communities, tragic and undeserved death. Shakespeare drew his story of a pair of star-crossed Veronese lovers from the lumbering narrative poem Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet by the Elizabethan writer Arthur Brooke, but in reality the idea could have come from almost anywhere. The story is surely as old as love itself.
LEVELS OF LANGUAGE Shakespeare’s plays were written to be played in daylight on an open air stage. To give a range of intensity and focus, whereas in modern times a director might use lighting, and a film director would use different shots, such as close up and long shots, Shakespeare uses different styles of language. The levels are (in increasing levels of intensity): Prose – most like normal speech, it is often used for comedy characters and moments of relaxed talk. Blank verse – iambic pentameter without rhyme, used for the bulk of a play and lines are easier to remember. Rhymed verse – also iambic pentameter, but with the addition of rhyme. Song – used to give texture and variety, rhymed but not usually iambic.
SHAKESPEARE'S VOCABULARY The average educated English-speaking person today has a vocabulary of 5,000-15,000 words. Shakespeare's vocabulary is almost 30,000. We are told that he used 29,066 different words in his works and 884,647 words altogether. Shakespeare invented many new words - over 1,700 in all. Word Games: The Use of Bawdy, Puns, and Malapropisms Bawdy: naughty jokes Puns: play on words Malapropism: having comic characters use words incorrectly - "He was a man of great statue" (should be stature) - "I desire some confidence with you" (should be conference)
William Shakespeare is considered by many to be the greatest playwright of all time, although many facts about his life remain shrouded in mystery. He lived during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I and coined hundreds of new words and phrases that we still use today.
William Shakespeare William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616) was born at Stratford-upon-Avon in a house in Henley Street. This is preserved intact. His mother, Mary Arden, was one of the daughters of Robert Arden, a yeoman farmer of Wilmcote: his father, John Shakespeare, was a glover and wool dealer of good standing who held the office of Bailiff of the Borough in 1568. From the age of seven to about 14, he attended Stratford Grammar School receiving an excellent well rounded education. At the age of 18 Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, who was seven years his senior and three months pregnant. She was of 'yeoman' stock - her family owned a farm one mile west of Stratford in Shottery. He endured her until he could stand it no longer and fled to London to become an actor. He then became actor-manager and part-owner in the Blackfriars and afterwards the Globe Theatres.
Shakespeare's acting career was spent with the Lord Chamberlain's Company, where he was a first-rate actor. The company was renamed the King's Company in 1603 when James succeeded to the throne. Among the actors in the group was the famous Richard Burbage. The partnership acquired interests in two theatres in the Southwark area of London, near the banks of the Thames - the Globe and the Blackfriars. Shakespeare returned to Stratford for his latter years where he died at the age of 52 and now lies at rest in his special grave at Holy Trinity Church. The Plays of William Shakespeare His 37 plays vary in type; historical romances, light, fantastic comedies, some are tragedies, all including the comical and the farcical. He also wrote 154 sonnets. He was a shrewd business man, amassing quite a fortune in his time.
William Shakespeare In 2000, he was named as the most significant human being in the previous thousand years of British history. He is quoted endlessly. His plays remain the single largest contribution to contemporary London theatre; they are also filmed and televised at frequent intervals.
10 AP Prep Terms to Know
simile metaphor oxymoron allusion personification synecdoche (understood among us) pun symbolism metonymy (substitution) onomatopoeia hyperbole litotes (li-toh-teez) dramatic irony situational irony (irony of situation) verbal irony assonance consonance antithesis alliteration repetition anaphora (beginning) epiphora (end) polysyndeton (bound together) asyndeton (unconnected) polyptoton imagery (all types) foreshadowing fate Dame Fortune (Wheel of Fortune) humours soliloquy aside couplet sonnet blank verse tragedy pathetic fallacy comic relief euphonious cacophonous
Shakespearean Terms Tragedy: Drama in which the hero, through a flaw in his character, is brought to his destruction. Soliloquy: A device in which a character utters his thoughts aloud - usually alone on stage Aside: a remark or passage by a character in a play that is intended to be heard by the audience but unheard by the other characters in the play. Pun: Play on words. Pathetic Fallacy: attributes human qualities and emotions to inanimate objects of nature (“imparting emotions to something else”). Comic Relief: an amusing scene, incident, or speech introduced into serious or tragic elements, as in a play, in order to provide temporary relief from tension, or to bring out the full effect of the unfortunate events that occur, mainly through contrast.
Humours: a person's physical and mental disposition was thought to be governed by a combination of fluids, or humours, within the body. Astrology: the study of the positions and aspects of celestial bodies in the belief that they have an influence on the course of natural earthly occurrences and human affairs and events (horoscope). Astronomy: the branch of science and physics that studies the physical and chemical properties of celestial bodies (objects and matter outside the earth's atmosphere) and the universe as a whole. Fate: the belief that an individual's life has been decided for them and there is nothing they can do to change it. Fortuna: the goddess of fortune and personification of luck in Roman religion. Couplet: two consecutive rhyming words. Blank Verse: unrhymed verses in iambic pentameter.
http://teachingenglishlanguagearts.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Humours-Quiz-Shakespeare.pdf
What "Humour" are you?
ASTROLOGY In Shakespeare's time astrology was held in high regard. Both high-born and commoners employed astrologers and were familiar with astrological terms and concepts (Clark 37-43). The most famous astrologer of Elizabethan times was John Dee. Dee was a famous astrologer and had as his most famous client Queen Elizabeth I. His diary tells how Dee often met with the Queen and members of her court in his capacity as an astrologer and also chronicles the day-to-day life of a working astrologer at that time (Naylor 183-196). Given the wide-spread use of astrology in England at that time, it is not surprising that Shakespeare was so well versed in its concepts. Renaissance scholars often practised astrology to pay for their research into other subjects.[63] Gerolamo Cardano cast the horoscope of king Edward VI of England, while John Dee was the personal astrologer to queen Elizabeth I of England.[63] Catherine de Medici paid Michael Nostradamus in 1566 to verify the prediction of the death of her husband, king Henry II of France made by her astrologer Lucus Gauricus.[63] Major astronomers who practised as court astrologers included Tycho Brahe in the royal court of Denmark, Johannes Kepler to the Habsburgs and Galileo Galilei to the Medici.[63] The astronomer and spiritual astrologer Giordano Bruno was burnt at the stake for heresy in Rome in 1600
FATE The fates The Moirai or Fates were three sister deities, incarnations of destiny and life. Their names were Clotho, the one who spins the thread of life; Lachesis, she who draws the lots and determines how long one lives, by measuring the thread of life; and Atropos, the inevitable, she who chose how someone dies by cutting the thread of life with her shears.
FORTUNE The Wheel of Fortune, or Rota Fortunae, is a notion that has its origins in medieval and ancient philosophy referring to the unpredictability of Fate. The goddess Fortuna spins the wheel at random, changing the positions of those on the wheel. Some suffer great misfortune while others receive enormous gain. The Wheel was widely used as an allegory in medieval literature and art to aid religious instruction. Fortune appears in all paintings as a woman, sometimes blindfolded, ‘puppeteering’ a wheel. Shakespeare included many references to Fortune throughout his plays. The concept arose in antiquity; it was used by Cicero. The Wheel originally belonged to the Roman goddess Fortuna. Fortuna eventually became Christianized: the Roman philosopher Boethius (d. 524) was a major source for the medieval view of the Wheel, writing about it in his Consolatio Philosophiae. “I know how Fortune is ever most friendly and alluring to those whom she strives to deceive, until she overwhelms them with grief beyond bearing, by deserting them when least expected … Are you trying to stay the force of her turning wheel? Ah! dull-witted mortal, if Fortune begin to stay still, she is no longer Fortune.” ~ Boethius, Consolation of Philosophy
Star-Crossed In star-crossed, cross carries the relatively rare sense to betray or thwart, and star refers to the astrological belief that stars guide people’s destinies, so star-crossed means opposed by fate or destined to misfortune. The phrase comes from a line in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life. As far as we know, there are no recorded instances of star-crossed from before Shakespeare, so there’s a good chance it’s his coinage.
Romeo and Juliet Creation of the play Romeo and Juliet can be plausibly dated to 1595. Shakespeare must have written the play between 1591 and 1596. The earliest date is considered to be too early, because of Shakespeare’s writing style in the play. The later date allows the necessary time for the compilation of the manuscript used to print the first ‘bad’ quarto in early 1597. Romeo and Juliet relates most closely to a group of plays usually dated to the period 1594-1595, Love’s Labour’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Richard II. Early performances Romeo and Juliet had certainly been performed by 1597, when the first quarto was published. There are no surviving records for any performances before the Restoration in 1660, but it is likely that Romeo and Juliet was first acted by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men at the Theatre and then at the Curtain. It has been suggested that Richard Burbage may have played Romeo, with the boy actor Robert Goffe as Juliet.
Areas of Study STORY ELEMENTS 1. Narrative perspective (POV) DRAMA 2. Setting: Verona and Mantua and specific settings within 3. Plot: By Act (1-5) and By Day (Sunday - Thursday) 4. Characters: Both major and minor 5. Conflicts: Both internal and external 6. Themes: Create thematic statements PLUS 1. Shakespearean beliefs: Astrology, Astronomy, Fate, Fortune, Humours 2. Sonnets 3. Aubade 4. Letters (as a plot device) 5. Allusions (in particular, mythical) 6. Dreams / Foreshadowing (as a plot device) 7. Tropes and Schemes: oxymoron, simile, metaphor, personification, alliteration, hyperbole,... 8. Imagery 9. Symbols and Motifs 10. Irony
BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS STRUCTURE The arrangement of the parts and sections of a text, the relationship of the parts to each other, and the sequence in which the text reveals information are all structural choices made by a writer that contribute to the reader’s interpretation of a text.
THE PROLOGUE (Shakespearean sonnet) Two households, both alike in dignity, a In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, b From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, a Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. b From forth the fatal loins of these two foes c A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; d Whose misadventured piteous overthrows c Do with their death bury their parents' strife. d The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, e And the continuance of their parents' rage, f Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, e Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; f The which if you with patient ears attend, g What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend. g
Setting The play is set during the Renaissance. The Renaissance is a period in European history, covering the span between the 14th and 17th centuries and marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. Most of the action occurs in "fair" Verona, with a brief switch to Mantua - approximately 35 km away.
BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS SETTING Setting and the details associated with it not only depict a time and place, but also convey values associated with that setting.
Romeo and Juliet Capulets Lord and Lady Capulet Juliet The Nurse (Angelica) Tybalt (Juliet's cousin) Sampson and Gregory (servants) Rosaline Montagues Lord and Lady Montague Romeo Benvolio (Romeo's cousin) Abraham and Balthasar (servants) Others Prince Escalus Mercutio (kinsman to the Prince) County Paris (kinsman to the Prince) Friar Lawrence Friar John Apothecary
Question: Just what exactly is in a name? Take the time to think about your answer. What does your name mean?
BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS CHARACTER Characters in literature allow readers to study and explore a range of values, beliefs, assumptions, biases, and cultural norms represented by those characters.
QUOTATION ANALYSIS: Prince Escalus Q1. UNDERSTANDING: Describe the circumstances surrounding the quotation. Include who, what, where, and when. Q2. LANGUAGE: Analysis of effect (how) Select TWO elements of style from the quotation and explain their effect or function. INTEGRATE key words or phrases from the quotation in your answer. You may consider such elements as tone, diction, syntax, figurative language, and imagery. Q3. EXTENDING: Analysis of meaning (why) In a well-argued paragraph, explain how the EXCERPT reveals a theme in the play. You may consider such elements as characters, thoughts, conversations, actions, effects, looks, symbols, motifs, structure, setting, conflict, narration, events, and choices.
Q1. UNDERSTANDING: Describe the circumstances surrounding the quotation (who, what, where, when) A1. The speaker in this quotation is Prince Escalus speaking to his subjects. At this point in the play a fight has broken out in the Verona streets. Instigated by Sampson, a servant of the House of Capulet, he draws his sword and begins a fight with Abraham of the House of Montague. The peaceful Benvolio attempts to part the pair but is prevented by the fiery Tybalt, who then draws on Benvolio. They fight and the citizens join the fray, including the heads of the households. The Prince arrives and demands the feuding parties drop their swords.
Q2. LANGUAGE: Analysis of effect (how) A2: Shakespeare employs metaphors and repetition to effectively showcase the anger and frustration Prince Escalus feels as his witnesses yet another brawl between the Montagues and the Capulets. The metaphor accurately showcases this. It first used to expose men as “beasts” (1.1.70) displaying crude animal behaviour common to lower animals. Also, blood is compared to “purple fountains” (1.1.72) issuing from their veins. This comparison evokes the image of blood streaming up and outwards into the streets below using their blood to quench the fire, yet another metaphor. Clearly he is frustrated by the behaviour of his citizens. Shakespeare also employs repetition for the same purpose. “Canker’d" (1.1.82) is repeated twice in the same line. A canker is an evil or corrupting influence that spreads and is difficult to wipe out. Both Capulet and Montague are described this way. As a result, Shakespeare uses these devices to clearly illustrate his dissatisfaction with the fight in the public square.
BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE Comparisons, representations, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the figurative and invite readers to interpret a text.
Q3. EXTENDING: Analysis of meaning (why) A3. Seeking revenge can lead to bloodshed and chaos. This theme is first revealed in the depth of the conflict between the two families. The feud involves the entire household, as even the servants battle in defence of their employer’s honour. The lords are described as “old” (1.1.77) and still continue this on-going battle, the reason for which, seems to have been forgotten. The continuing bloodshed and chaos has not curbed their desire for vengeance. This theme is also revealed through the words of the Prince. He is seen as a man who is frustrated with the brawls that occur in his streets, yet has been unsuccessful in preventing them. In his frustration he states, “If ever you disturb our streets again,/ Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace”(1.1.83-84). He is a man who appears to want the feud to end but is ineffectual. His inability to bring about a resolution furthers the bloodshed and chaos. Clearly, this excerpt is thematically important as it depicts the tragic results of a feud that appears to be violent and never-ending.
BIG IDEAS AND ENDURING UNDERSTANDINGS LITERARY ARGUMENTATION Readers establish and communicate their interpretations of literature through arguments supported by textual evidence.
Cupid is usually imagined as a boy (though his age varies from the infant through to the adolescent), who is blind (suggested by his blindfold) and winged.
The Romans viewed Diana as a many-sided goddess associated with forests and hunting. Artists usually portrayed her as a virgin hunter, often with a bow and quiver, accompanied by maidens, hunting dogs, or deer. Read more: http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Cr-Dr/Diana.html#ixzz4gtmwcpoe
King Cophetua and Echo and Narcissus the Beggar Maid Dido and Aeneas Petrarch and Laura
Marc Antony and Helen of Troy Cleopatra Hero and Leander Thisbe and Pyramus
THE PLOT DEVICE OF LETTERS Stay, fellow. I can read. (He reads the letter.) Signior Martino and his wife and daughters, County Anselme and his beauteous sisters, The lady widow of Vitruvio, Signior Placentio and his lovely nieces, Mercutio and his brother Valentine, Mine Uncle Capulet, his wife and daughters, My fair niece Rosaline and Livia, Signior Valentio and his cousin Tybalt, Lucio and the lively Helena. A fair assembly. Whither should they come? (1.2.64-73).
The valiant Paris seeks you for his love Over the next twenty lines, she keeps to the point. Here, the insistent movement of the blank verse – "What say you? Can you love the gentleman? This night you shall behold him at our feast" (1.3.85-86). This conveys Lady Capulet’s insistence that her young daughter accept a young man whom she has not yet even seen. Pre-empting any possible misgivings, she tells Juliet to run her eye over him and ‘find delight’ in every one of his features. “Speak briefly, can you like of Paris’ love? (1.3.100) Duty-bound to obey her strict parents, Juliet – at this initial stage – is nothing but compliant with their sharp demands: "I'll look to like, if looking liking move: But no more deep will I endart mine eye Than your consent gives strength to make it fly" (1.3.101 - 103). Translated into modern parlance: “If, as you say, it’s possible to judge soundly by appearances, then I’ll do my best, Mum.” What is more, she will not ‘like’ any face which she sees - not do any ‘liking’ without her mother’s ‘consent’ …
Married at First Sight Lady Capulet What say you? can you love the gentleman? This night you shall behold him at our feast; Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face, And find delight writ there with beauty's pen; Examine every married lineament, And see how one another lends content And what obscured in this fair volume lies Find written in the margent of his eyes. This precious book of love, this unbound lover, To beautify him, only lacks a cover: The fish lives in the sea, and 'tis much pride For fair without the fair within to hide: That book in many's eyes doth share the glory, That in gold clasps locks in the golden story; So shall you share all that he doth possess, By having him, making yourself no less. (1.3.85-100)
Juliet Capulet Modern audiences are often shocked by the age of the young protagonists, particularly Juliet who is 13. However, audiences in Shakespeare’s day might also have been shocked since the average age for English women to get married was in their mid-twenties, and men in their mid to late-twenties. In his conduct book (1622), William Gouge establishes the legal minimum age as 12 for girls and 14 for boys, but suggests that it is better to wait ‘some yeares longer’. Juliet is the youngest leading female character in a Shakespeare play – she is just about to turn 14. Juliet is also the third-longest female role in Shakespeare; only the much more adult Cleopatra and Rosalind have more lines. A young girl, who, in the course of the play, makes life-changing decisions and tells the audience about them, in poetry of extraordinary eloquence.
QUEEN MAB In Act 1, scene 4, Mercutio delivers a dazzling speech about the fairy Queen Mab, who rides through the night on her tiny wagon bringing dreams to sleepers. Mercutio is an anti-romantic, an anti-hero; his primary function in the play is to express a realistic view of love. Nowhere does he carry out this role more eloquently than in the exchanges with Romeo which terminate in his Queen Mab speech. Essentially, Mercutio’s thesis is that the dreams which lovers have are deceptive: in his view, ‘dreamers often lie’. Delicate though Queen Mab may be, she is actually spiteful.
One of the most noteworthy aspects of Queen Mab’s ride is that the dreams she brings generally do not bring out the best sides of the dreamers, but instead serve to confirm them in whatever vices they are addicted to—for example, greed, violence, or lust. Another important aspect of Mercutio’s description of Queen Mab is that it is complete nonsense, albeit vivid and highly colorful. Nobody believes in a fairy pulled about by “a small grey-coated gnat” whipped with a cricket’s bone (1.4.65). Through the Queen Mab imagery, Mercutio suggests that all desires and fantasies are as nonsensical and fragile as Mab, and that they are basically corrupting. TASK: Mercutio is not only loquacious, but also sagacious. EXPLAIN.
MASKS were a common feature of popular entertainment and everyday life in early modern Italy. Traveling troupes of masked commedia dell’ arte players performed stylized bawdy scenes at carnival time in Venice. These are perhaps a little like the masquers and torchbearers in Act 1, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet.
The Inciting Incident The Capulet Masquerade "Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear, Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear. So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows As yonder lady o'er her fellows shows. The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand, And, touching hers, make blessèd my rude hand. Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night." (1.5.42- 51).
Fetch my rapier, boy! (1.5.47) In the original setting of Romeo and Juliet in Italy in the 16th century, a typical weapon would have been the rapier, mostly used in duels between nobility with grudges to settle. In his fight scenes, Shakespeare incorporates Italian terms for tricky fencing manoeuvres like the ‘passado’ and the ‘punto reverso’ (2.4.26–33). At this time, the Italian fashion for fencing with rapiers – narrow, double edged swords – was a novelty in England and it prompted mixed reactions. The fencing master, Vincentio Saviolo promotes fencing as a means to resolve disputes, but he is keenly aware of how easily ‘frivolous quarrell[s]’ can descend into ‘deadly hatreds’.
The rapier was a sharper and lighter weapon that the previously used broadsword. This left one hand free for other weapons (daggers, lanterns, anything handy), while its sharper edge made thrusting and stabbing the favored way of doing damage. Only people of noble status would have carried the rapier. Dueling was a popular way to settle arguments and defend honor among the noble classes. In fact, laws were passed in Elizabethan times to forbid dueling because too many young noblemen were dying.
Romeo Montague CAPULET Content thee, gentle coz, let him alone, ’A bears him like a portly gentleman; And to say truth, Verona brags of him To be a virtuous and well-govern’d youth. I would not for the wealth of all this town Here in my house do him disparagement; Therefore be patient, take no note of him; It is my will, the which if thou respect, Show a fair presence and put off these frowns, An ill-beseeming semblance for a feast. (1.5.57 - 66)
LOVE AT FIRST SONNET ROMEO, taking Juliet’s hand If I profane with my unworthiest hand This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. JULIET Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss. ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? JULIET Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer. ROMEO O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do. They pray: grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. JULIET Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake. ROMEO Then move not while my prayer’s effect I take.
THE PALMER'S SONNET The 14-line sonnet form was most commonly used for love poems. In his lifetime, Shakespeare was well-known as a poet as well as a playwright, and he published a collection of sonnets in 1609. He also incorporated sonnets into some of his plays, most famously when the lovers first kiss in Romeo and Juliet. This sharing of lines, this use of stichomythia, has the effect of showing how closely intertwined Romeo and Juliet are. By these poetic means, Shakespeare couples them, weds them together. Furthermore, his use of a religious imagery (‘shrine’, ‘pilgrim’, ‘saints’, ‘palmers’, ‘prayer’) suggests the reverence in which the two speakers already hold each other. PBS VIDEO https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/shak15.ela.lit.meeting/love-at-first-sonnet-romeo-and-juliet-meet/#.Wif0BVWnG1s
ACT ONE: THE EXPOSITION FILL IN THE FOLDABLE Act 1, Prologue: PROLOGUE Act 1, Scene 1: Verona. A public place. Act 1, Scene 2: A street. Act 1, Scene 3: A room in Capulet's house. Act 1, Scene 4: A street. Act 1, Scene 5: A hall in Capulet's house.
THE SONNET: ONE MORE TIME Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie, And young affection gapes to be his heir. That fair for which love groaned for and would die, With tender Juliet matched, is now not fair. Now Romeo is beloved and loves again, Alike bewitchèd by the charm of looks, But to his foe supposed he must complain, And she steal love’s sweet bait from fearful hooks. Being held a foe, he may not have access To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear, And she as much in love, her means much less To meet her new belovèd anywhere. But passion lends them power, time means, to meet, Temp’ring extremities with extreme sweet.
QUOTATION ANALYSIS: SOLILOQUY BY FRIAR LAWRENCE Q1. UNDERSTANDING: Describe the circumstances surrounding the quotation. Include who, what, where, and when. Q2. LANGUAGE: Analysis of effect (how) Select TWO elements of style from the quotation and explain their effect or function. INTEGRATE key words or phrases from the quotation in your answer. You may consider such elements as tone, diction, syntax, figurative language, and imagery. Q3. EXTENDING: Analysis of meaning (why) In a well-argued paragraph, explain how the EXCERPT reveals a theme in the play. You may consider such elements as characters, thoughts, conversations, actions, effects, looks, symbols, motifs, structure, setting, conflict, narration, events, and choices.
Q1. UNDERSTANDING: Describe the circumstances surrounding the quotation (who, what, where, when) A1. The speaker in this quotation is Friar Lawrence speaking to himself in the form of a soliloquy. At this point in the play Sunday night has moved into Monday morning. Friar Lawrence, with basket in hand, is in the field gathering herbs. Romeo is coming to see him after leaving Juliet.
Q2. LANGUAGE: Analysis of effect (how) A2. Shakespeare employs personification and rhyming couplets to effectively reveal Friar Lawrence’s thoughts on duality in nature and humanity. Personification begins the soliloquy as Friar Lawrence watches the sun rise: “The grey-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night,” (2.3.1-2). Romeo, once sad and melancholy, is now happy and sociable. The contrast of light and dark, employed earlier in the play is continued here. It is also the dawn of a new day, foreshadowing the friar’s optimism in ending the feud by marrying Romeo and Juliet. Additionally, duality is shown through the use of rhyming couplets, a device used throughout his speech. Friar Lawrence states, “The earth that's nature's mother is her tomb; / What is her burying grave that is her womb,” (2.3.9-10). Using the couplet, life and death is powerfully shown in the example of Mother Nature controlling both. This also foreshadows events to come and Friar Lawrence is the catalyst for these actions. Through language this soliloquy powerfully demonstrates the duality of which the friar speaks.
Q3. EXTENDING: Analysis of meaning (why) A3. Good becomes corrupted by human weakness, evil, and error. This theme is revealed through the actions of Friar Lawrence as he is seen collecting plants and studies herbal medicine. This medicinal information becomes invaluable as the play progresses. He is a man who recognizes that humanity holds a dual nature: “Two such opposed kings encamp them still / In man as well as herbs, grace and rude will” (2.3.27-28). Recognizing this, the friar has good intentions, but naively disregards his own warning, demonstrating an error in judgment. The theme is also revealed directly by what Friar Lawrence says. While examining the flower he professes, “Within the infant rind of this small flower / Poison hath residence and medicine power:” (2.3.23-24). The love between Romeo and Juliet is poisoned by the feud between the two families. Their love is also poisoned by their rashness - their head-long, hasty rush into marriage. This excerpt is dramatically important to the story in revealing a timeless and universal theme.
THE PLOT DEVICE OF LETTERS Benvolio. Tybalt, the kinsman of old Capulet, Hath sent a letter to his father's house. Mercutio. A challenge, on my life. Benvolio. Romeo will answer it. Mercutio. Any man that can write may answer a letter. Benvolio. Nay, he will answer the letter's master, how he dares, being dared (2.4.6-12).
ACT TWO: THE RISING ACTION FILL IN THE FOLDABLE Act 2, Prologue: PROLOGUE Act 2, Scene 1: A lane by the wall of Capulet's orchard. Act 2, Scene 2: Capulet's orchard. Act 2, Scene 3: Friar Laurence's cell. Act 2, Scene 4: A street. Act 2, Scene 5: Capulet's orchard. Act 2, Scene 6: Friar Laurence's cell.
The Climax "Comic possibility becomes tragic inevitability" Explain this statement. Comedy versus Tragedy - two sides of the same coin – both have elements of each other as laughter and crying are both cathartic.
Act Three Scene One: At the start of Act Three, Romeo and Juliet are proceeding towards "high Fortune"; at this precise moment, the action of the play takes a turn which diverts the course of their true love forever. Tragically, their fortunes will attain no greater height; at the zenith, their stars cross. BENVOLIO "I pray thee, good Mercutio, let's retire: The day is hot, the Capulets abroad, And, if we meet, we shall not scape a brawl; For now, these hot days, is the mad blood stirring" (3.1.1-4). MERCUTIO: Comedic Relief and Dramatic Death
Act Three, Scene Two Juliet's love for Romeo At the start of this scene, Juliet delivers a soliloquy in which she once more expresses her adolescent impatience. Although she speaks an impassioned verse, her 32-line soliloquy underlines what a sensible girl she is. Emotional though this speech is, it exhibits rational self- awareness. This soliloquy, in some respects, is her counterpart to Romeo's "What light?" speech. "Gallop apace, you fiery-footed steeds, Towards Phoebus' lodging: such a wagoner As Phaethon would whip you to the west, And bring in cloudy night immediately. Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night, That runaway's eyes may wink and Romeo Leap to these arms, untalk'd of and unseen. Lovers can see to do their amorous rites By their own beauties; or, if love be blind, It best agrees with night. Come, civil night, Thou sober-suited matron, all in black, And learn me how to lose a winning match, Play'd for a pair of stainless maidenhoods:" (3.2.1-13).
Act Three, Scene Three Romeo's love for Juliet Whereas Juliet expresses her feelings with a degree of rational restraint, Romeo is hysterical and melodramatic (Romeo's Rant). It is when Romeo is forced to contemplate his existence without Juliet that hysteria overwhelms him. "'Tis torture, and not mercy: heaven is here, Where Juliet lives; and every cat and dog And little mouse, every unworthy thing, Live here in heaven and may look on her; But Romeo may not: more validity, More honourable state, more courtship lives In carrion-flies than Romeo: they my seize On the white wonder of dear Juliet's hand And steal immortal blessing from her lips, Who even in pure and vestal modesty, Still blush, as thinking their own kisses sin; But Romeo may not; he is banished:" (3.3.29-40).
THE PLOT DEVICE OF LETTERS I'll find out your man, And he shall signify from time to time Every good hap to you that chances here: Give me thy hand; 'tis late: farewell; good night. (3.3.170-171).
An aubade is a morning love song (as opposed to a serenade which is in the evening), or a song or poem about lovers separating at dawn. The Lark The Nightingale The entire movement of the play is towards the realization that Romeo and Juliet’s wedding bed is a grave.
"And then to have a wretched puling fool, A whining mammet, in her fortune's tender, To answer 'I'll not wed; I cannot love, I am too young; I pray you, pardon me.' But, as you will not wed, I'll pardon you: Graze where you will you shall not house with me: Look to't, think on't, I do not use to jest. Thursday is near; lay hand on heart, advise: An you be mine, I'll give you to my friend; And you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets, For, by my soul, I'll ne'er acknowledge thee, Nor what is mine shall never do thee good: Trust to't, bethink you; I'll not be forsworn" (3.5.184-196). TASK: Explain Capulet's anger towards his daughter.
ACT THREE: THE CLIMAX FILL IN THE FOLDABLE Act 3, Scene 1: A public place. Act 3, Scene 2: Capulet's orchard. Act 3, Scene 3: Friar Laurence's cell. Act 3, Scene 4: A room in Capulet's house. Act 3, Scene 5: Capulet's orchard.
The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To paly ashes, thy eyes’ windows fall Like death when he shuts up the day of life. Each part, deprived of supple government, Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death, And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt continue two and forty hours And then awake as from a pleasant sleep. Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead. Then, as the manner of our country is, In thy best robes uncovered on the bier Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie. In the meantime, against thou shalt awake, Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, And hither shall he come, and he and I Will watch thy waking, and that very night Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua. And this shall free thee from this present shame, If no inconstant toy nor womanish fear Abate thy valor in the acting it. (4.1.101-122).
WHAT IS THE PLAN?
QUOTATION ANALYSIS Q1. UNDERSTANDING: Describe the circumstances surrounding the quotation. Include who, what, where, and when. Q2. LANGUAGE: Analysis of effect (how) Select TWO elements of style from the quotation and explain their effect or function. INTEGRATE key words or phrases from the quotation in your answer. You may consider such elements as tone, diction, syntax, figurative language,and imagery. Q3. EXTENDING: Analysis of meaning (why) In a well-argued paragraph, explain how the EXCERPT reveals a theme in the play. You may consider such elements as characters, thoughts, conversations, actions, effects, looks, symbols, motifs, structure, setting, conflict, narration, events, and choices. COMPLETE A QUOTATION ANALYSIS FOR JULIET'S SOLILOQUY (4.3.15-58) Colour-code the topic sentence and your two points
INSIDE THE MIND OF JULIET
ACT FOUR: THE FALLING ACTION FILL IN THE FOLDABLE Act 4, Scene 1: Friar Laurence's cell. Act 4, Scene 2: Hall in Capulet's house. Act 4, Scene 3: Juliet's chamber. Act 4, Scene 4: Hall in Capulet's house. Act 4, Scene 5: Juliet's chamber.
APOTHECARY, giving him the poison Put this in any liquid thing you will And drink it off, and if you had the strength Of twenty men, it would dispatch you straight. ROMEO, handing him the money There is thy gold, worse poison to men’s souls, Doing more murder in this loathsome world Than these poor compounds that thou mayst not sell. I sell thee poison; thou hast sold me none. Farewell, buy food, and get thyself in flesh. Apothecary exits. Come, cordial and not poison, go with me To Juliet’s grave, for there must I use thee.
Romeo describes the apothecary (druggist) and his shop, and remembers how he thought, when he first saw them, that this would be a place to buy poison. He knows that in Mantua death is the penalty for selling poison, but he thinks that the desperately poor apothecary will take the risk. This scene is often omitted in productions of this play. At what cost?
In early modern England, people were keenly aware of the dangers and benefits of plants as remedies and poisons. John Gerard’s Herball (1597) includes a section on ‘sleeping nightshade’ which has sleep-inducing properties. When consumed it makes people waver between sleep and death. Gerard warns that it is so ‘furious and deadly’ that it provokes ‘a dead sleepe wherein many have died’. Aconitine could come from the plant, monkshood (Aconitum napellus). Gerarde stated that all aconite species are ‘deadly to man, likewise to all other living creatures.” However, even this very deadly herb did have medicinal uses for treatment of fever and pain when applied externally, so it would make sense that an apothecary might carry it.
THE PLOT DEVICE OF LETTERS ROMEO Tush, thou art deceived. Leave me, and do the thing I bid thee do. Hast thou no letters to me from the Friar? (5.1.31-33) FRIAR LAWRENCE Who bare my letter, then, to Romeo? FRIAR JOHN I could not send it—here it is again— Returning the letter. Nor get a messenger to bring it thee, So fearful were they of infection. FRIAR LAWRENCE Unhappy fortune! By my brotherhood, The letter was not nice but full of charge, Of dear import, and the neglecting it May do much danger. Friar John, go hence. Get me an iron crow and bring it straight Unto my cell. (5.3.13-22).
Infectious Pestilence There were several years during Shakespeare's time in London in which the plague was severe enough to close the theatres: 1582, 1592 (15,000 deaths), 1603, and 1607. The Elizabethans had no idea that the plague was spread by fleas that had lived on rats; though there were many "cures" for the plague, the only real defense--for those who could afford it--was to leave the crowded, rat-infested cities for the country.
A mourning Paris visits Juliet’s tomb. Romeo arrives, and the two begin a duel outside the vault, which ends in Paris’s death: Sweet flower, with flowers thy bridal bed I strew,-- O woe! thy canopy is dust and stones;-- Which with sweet water nightly I will dew, Or, wanting that, with tears distill'd by moans: The obsequies that I for thee will keep Nightly shall be to strew thy grave and weep. (5.3.12-17) Lines 1 - 87 of Act 5, Scene 3 are often omitted in productions of this play. TASK: Why does Shakespeare re-introduce Count Paris at this point in the play?
THE PLOT DEVICE OF LETTERS BALTHASAR I brought my master news of Juliet’s death, And then in post he came from Mantua To this same place, to this same monument. This letter he early bid me give his father And threatened me with death, going in the vault, If I departed not and left him there. PRINCE Give me the letter. I will look on it.— (5.3.280-286)
The Missed Moment Juliet awakens after the death of Romeo. Some interpretations have Romeo and Juliet speak together before he succumbs to the poison. How do you feel about this plot twist?
ACT FIVE: THE CATASTROPHE FILL IN THE FOLDABLE Act 5, Scene 1: Mantua. A street. Act 5, Scene 2: Friar Laurence's cell. Act 5, Scene 3: A churchyard; in a tomb belonging to the Capulets.
Debate: Who’s to Blame? In the final lines of the play, the Prince says, “Some shall be pardoned, and some punished.” But who gets pardoned? And who gets punished? Debate these very questions Make a “pardoned” list and a “punished” list, with evidence exonerating or indicting the accused, and—if guilty—what their punishment should be.
Analysis of the Text What is the purpose of the text? How does it achieve its purpose? Who is the target audience? Create an audience profile. Why is it interesting?
Romeo and Juliet, in tendency, is a transitional play between the sunny comedies and dark tragedies. There are three schools of thought taking three different viewpoints concerning the tragic end of the play: One school believes that Romeo's impetuosity and too great haste is responsible for the tragic end of the play. Another school believes that fate is responsible for the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. The third school believes that it is a tragedy of fate and character both.
Deficiencies of Romeo and Juliet as a Tragedy no giant figure Romeo is much less flawed a Tragedy of Fate rather than a Tragedy of Hamartia - tragic flaw: “some vicious mole of nature” (Hamlet 1.4.24) influence of the stars - over emphasis of chance unlucky accidents at every critical moment difficult to see the inner feelings of Romeo - lack of substantial soliloquies - minimum introspection rapid actions - perpetual haste begins Sunday morning, ends at dawn on Friday
Let's play SAMPSON Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumb at them, which is disgrace to them if they bear it. He bites his thumb. ABRAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? SAMPSON I do bite my thumb, sir. ABRAM Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? (1.1.43-47) If only ... Sampson did not bite his thumb. Your turn.
Prince Escalus The Prince of Verona A kinsman of Mercutio and Count Paris The Italian rank of count corresponded with that of the English earl Prince Escalus appears THREE times in the play: Exposition Climax Catastrophe How would you describe the Prince? What is his role in the play?
How do the parents drive the play? Consider the acitons of thr
The Friar Took unfair risk Only religious character Plans do not include ordinary accidents Demonstrates overconfidence in one's powers Familiar with medicinal qualities of plants Motivated for the good Looks for reconciliation between feuding families The Nurse Crude, vulgar Practical, pragmatic Genuine affection for Juliet Gives poor advice Unintelligent Her perception of love is physical in nature and she enjoys bawdy humour Underestimates the true, romantic love Juliet feels for Romeo
The Maturation Process
Romeo In the Exposition - Romeo is "in love" with Rosaline In love with the idea of being in love Maturation Demonstrates directness, genuine love for Juliet Fall from maturity once when he is speaking with the Friar "Art thou a man? Thy form cries out thou art. / Thy tears are womanish" (3.3.109-110). No sign of childishness at the end of the play Juliet In the Exposition - very obedient young lady Juliet could seek advice from 1. father - becomes impossible 2. mother - sides with her husband 3. Nurse - not intelligent Forced to make her decisions on her own Relies on herself Drinks the potion Maturation Decisive action when she sees Romeo dead
Compare Juliet's soliloquy before she drinks the potion in Act Four, with Romeo's soliloquy before he drinks the poison in Act Five:
APOLLO AND HYACINTHUS Thomas Bulfinch 1855 In the classic myth “Apollo and Hyacinthus,” Thomas Bulfinch retells the tragic story of the relationship between the god Apollo and a young man, Hyacinthus. Pair excerpts from Romeo and Juliet with “Apollo and Hyacinthus” and ask students to discuss how love changes the characters in the two texts. How do the two texts use imagery of flowers? What effect does this have on the theme and tone of the two texts?
SETTING AS A CAMERA Careful control of setting can be somewhat equivalent to directing a film camera. Many films begin with a long shot, then a middle shot, then a close up. Identify the "types of shots" in your text.
ITALY Italian Renaissance 1330-1550 VERONA MANTUA A public place A street A street A room in the Capulet house A hall in the Capulet house A lane by the wall Capulet's orchard Friar Lawrence's cell Juliet's chamber Churchyard and Tomb
Elements of Contrast Nature - born of the earth, buried in the earth Poison (death) and Potion (death-like) Love and Hate Light and Dark Reason and Passion Wisdom and Ignorance Youth and Age Virtue and Vice Life and Death Slow and Haste
SYMBOLS A character, an action, a setting, or an object representing something else can be a symbol. Most often, the symbol in a story is an object that represents its owner’s character or situation, or both. Something that on the surface is its literal self (tangible) but which also has another meaning (intangible) or even several meanings. A literary symbol gains its meaning from the context of a literary work and often changes as the work develops. Ring Rose Gold statue Thumb-biting Poison and Potion Rapier and Sword Queen Mab Cupid Dagger Juliet's balcony A public place Friar Lawrence's cell
MOTIFS In literature, a motif can be defined as any recurring image, object, idea, or element within a particular work. A motif should never be meaningless. In fact, a motif should contribute some form of symbolic significance to the story. For instance, a motif may be used to establish mood and atmosphere, or to reinforce/further explore the overriding themes of a story. Light and Dark / Day and Night Dreams Fire and Smoke Youth and Age Passion and Cynicism
MOTIF VERSUS SYMBOL As motifs are often symbolic in nature, they can often be mistakenly identified as mere symbols; however, it is important to remember that these two literary devices are not one and the same. What is the difference between the two? The key difference to note between motifs and symbols is the element of repetition. As we’ve already established, a motif is an item that reoccurs throughout a text. In contrast, a symbol may only appear once. A symbol tends to be something concrete that represents or stands for an abstract idea or concept, but a motif's meaning typically comes from the different ways and situations in which it recurs.
State the device, how it is used, and the specific effect or impact: "But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” (2.2.1-2). "Death lies on her like an untimely frost" (4.5.28). “Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,” (2.2.3). "Ay, ay, a scratch, a scratch. Marry, 'tis enough" (3.1.94). ...'tis twenty years til then" (2.2.182). “Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,” (1.1. 180). "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man" (3.1.97-98).
State the device, how it is used, and the specific effect or impact: “What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?" (1.1.66). “A crutch, a crutch, why call you for a sword?” (1.1.75). “Ay” (1.3.44) “Dido a dowdy, Cleopatra a gipsy, Helen and Hero hildings and harlots,” (2.4.40-41). “Give this ring to my true knight” (3.2.142). “Young men's love then lies / Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes” (2.3.67-68). “With Rosaline? My ghostly father, no:" (3.2.45).
The Play As the title page of the play's 1597 edition tells us, Romeo and Juliet was a popular success in its day: '...it hath been often (with great applause) plaid publiquely'. Shakespeare designed it to be played in daylight on the simple thrust stage of an Elizabethan playhouse, where the balcony at the rear of the stage provided Juliet's bedroom window and a trapdoor in the stage was her tomb. No scenery and a minimum of props allowed the action to move swiftly and the audience to focus on the richly evocative language. Music and costume added to the effect.
Shakespeare wrote his plays with the strengths and talents of his fellow players in mind. His gifted boy players took the female roles and Shakespeare must have been confident of the youth playing Juliet to entrust to him so much of the play's chance of success. We know that Peter, the Nurse's comic servant, was played by the popular comedian Will Kemp and the male tragic lead must have been played by the expert wielder of both sword and poetry, Richard Burbage.
The Life of Edward Alleyn (1566 - 1626) Aka Ned Alleyn Edward Alleyn is considered one of the greatest actors of Shakespeare's time. Born the son of a London innkeeper, Alleyn began his acting career in his late teens when he joined the provincial troupe the Earl of Worcester's Men. The troupe toured the areas outlying London between 1584 and 1585, playing in Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford many times. Alleyn, however, was not content to tour the provinces. In 1585 he left Worcester's Men and moved to London with hopes of performing before Elizabeth and her court. Not long after his arrival in the great city, Alleyn joined the Admiral's Men and promptly ascended to the role of principal actor. He gained the respect and admiration of some of the most influential people of the day by playing the title roles in popular dramas such as Tamburlaine, Doctor Faustus, and The Jew of Malta, written by Christopher Marlowe, and in Orlando Furioso by Robert Greene.
Richard Burbage Born in 1571, Richard was younger son of the entrepreneur James Burbage . The Chamberlain's Men's primary lead, and a great box office draw, Richard played all Shakespeare's most celebrated lead roles – Hamlet, Othello, and King Lear. He was a close friend of the poet and was even remembered in his will. His acting style might be nearest compared with the method actors of today in that he assumed the identity of his character and maintained it, not only through the delivery of the lines but also in the space in between. He died in 1619.
Christopher Marlowe Aka Kit Marlowe Christopher Marlowe as poet and playwright was at the forefront of the 16th Century dramatic renaissance, a man to whom Shakespeare and others owe a huge debt of gratitude. He also led a full and intriguing life outside the theatre. Entangled in the outer reaches of the Elizabethan espionage web, Marlowe's life is alleged to have ended prematurely in 1593 when, at just 29, he was reportedly stabbed to death in Deptford.