1. The Prologue Prologue = Introduction Recited by the chorus Location, time of day, date, summary, what to expect, etc.

2. Two households, both alike in dignity, In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love, And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children's end, nought could remove, Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage; The which if you with patient ears attend, What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

4. No Fear Shakespeare Prologue In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes place, a long-standing hatred between two families erupts into new violence, and citizens stain their hands with the blood of their fellow citizens. Two unlucky children of these enemy families become lovers and commit suicide. Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their parents' feud. For the next two hours, we will watch the story of their doomed love and their parents' anger, which nothing but the children's deaths could stop. If you listen to us patiently, we'll make up for everything we've left out in this prologue on stage.

5. What do we learn from the Prologue? The play is set in Verona, Italy. Two families are fighting for unknown reasons and the fighting has been going on for generations. This feuding has caused much bloodshed already. Two people, one from each family, are going to fall in love The lovers are going to die and their deaths will bring the two families together The story will take two hours to tell (on stage) The lovers are “star-crossed”

6. Romeo and Juliet pg. 1038

7. Act I, Scene I Sampson (Capulet servant) Gregory (Capulet servant) Benvolio Tybalt Abraham (Abram) (Montague servant) Officer (short part) Citizens (short part) Capulet Lady Capulet Montague Lady Montague Prince Romeo

8. Very Punny –carry coals- submit to humiliation –Colliers- people who work with coal –In choler- angry –Collar- hangman’s noose A pun is a play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by exploiting similar sounding words having different meanings.

10. Analysis What claim is Sampson making about himself and anyone from the rival house of Montague?

12. Sarcasm How does Sampson’s use of sarcasm make the dialogue more realistic? “No, sir. I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I bite my thumb, sir.” Prediction: How might this scene have been different without the sarcasm?

13. Aside Contrast what the servants are willing to say openly to what they whisper to each other in an aside. What does this contrast reveal about Sampson and Gregory?

15. Oxymoron Add the definition and an example from the text to your notes. Oxymoron Two incongruous or contradictory words are placed right next to each other, as in “cold fire” or “bright smoke”

16. Dramatic Irony Dramatic Irony- when the audience knows something that a character does not know. Add the definition and an example from the text to your notes.

17. Act I, Scene II Capulet Paris Servant Romeo Benvolio Find examples of dramatic irony When was it used? What was the purpose? Why does Shakespeare use it?

18. Act I, Scene ii

19. Act I, Scene II Summary On another street of Verona, Capulet walks with Paris, a noble kinsman of the Prince. The two discuss Paris’s desire to marry Capulet’s daughter, Juliet. Capulet is overjoyed, but also states that Juliet—not yet fourteen—is too young to get married. He asks Paris to wait two years. He assures Paris that he favors him as a suitor, and invites Paris to the traditional masquerade feast he is holding that very night so that Paris might begin to woo Juliet and win her heart. Capulet dispatches a servant, Peter, to invite a list of people to the feast. As Capulet and Paris walk away, Peter laments that he cannot read and will therefore have difficulty accomplishing his task. Romeo and Benvolio happen by, still arguing about whether Romeo will be able to forget his love. Peter asks Romeo to read the list to him; Rosaline’s name is one of those on the list. Before departing, Peter invites Romeo and Benvolio to the party—assuming, he says, that they are not Montagues. Benvolio tells Romeo that the feast will be the perfect opportunity to compare Rosaline with the other beautiful women of Verona. Romeo agrees to go with him, but only because Rosaline herself will be there.

21. Act I, Scene III Lady Capulet Nurse Juliet How would you describe the nurse? How might Lady Capulet’s desire for Juliet to marry Paris present a conflict later in the play? How does Juliet’s relationship with her mom compare to her relationship with the nurse?

22. Act I, Scene III Summary In Capulet’s house, just before the feast is to begin, Lady Capulet calls to the Nurse, needing help to find her daughter. Juliet enters, and Lady Capulet dismisses the Nurse so that she might speak with her daughter alone. She immediately changes her mind, however, and asks the Nurse to remain and add her counsel. Before Lady Capulet can begin to speak, the Nurse launches into a long story about how, as a child, an uncomprehending Juliet became an innocent accomplice to a sexual joke. Lady Capulet tries unsuccessfully to stop the wildly amused Nurse. An embarrassed Juliet forcefully commands that the Nurse stop. Lady Capulet asks Juliet what she thinks about getting married. Juliet replies that she has not given it any thought. Lady Capulet observes that she gave birth to Juliet when she was almost Juliet’s current age. She excitedly continues that Juliet must begin to think about marriage because the “valiant Paris” has expressed an interest in her (1.3.76). Juliet dutifully replies that she will look upon Paris at the feast to see if she might love him. A servingman enters to announce the beginning of the feast.

23. CHARACTER FOIL –a character whose actions or thoughts are juxtaposed against those of a major character in order to highlight key attributes of the major character Juxtaposed- to place side-by-side, especially for comparison or contrast Character Foil

24. The Nurse and Lady Capulet Nurse: earthy (course and unrefined); crude-humored; warm Lady Capulet: formal; refined; detached Character Foil

25. Act I, Scene IV Romeo Benvolio Mercutio What puns are used in lines 11-22? What is the effect of puns? Character Foil: What does Romeo’s difference from and response to Mercutio in this scene tell you about Romeo?

26. Act I, Scene IV Summary Romeo, Benvolio, and their friend Mercutio, all wearing masks, have gathered with a group of mask-wearing guests on their way to the Capulets’ feast. Still melancholy, Romeo wonders how they will get into the Capulets’ feast, since they are Montagues. When that concern is brushed aside, he states that he will not dance at the feast. Mercutio begins to gently mock Romeo, transforming all of Romeo’s statements about love into blatantly sexual metaphors. Romeo refuses to engage in this banter, explaining that in a dream he learned that going to the feast was a bad idea. Mercutio responds with a long speech about Queen Mab of the fairies, who visits people’s dreams. The speech begins as a flight of fancy, but Mercutio becomes almost entranced by it, and a bitter, fervent strain creeps in. Romeo steps in to stop the speech and calm Mercutio down. Mercutio admits that he has been talking of nothing, noting that dreams are but “the children of an idle brain” (1.4.97). Benvolio refocuses their attention on actually getting to the feast. Romeo voices one last concern: he has a feeling that the night’s activities will set in motion the action of fate, resulting in untimely death. But, putting himself in the hands of “he who hath the steerage of my course,” Romeo’s spirits rise, and he continues with his friends toward the feast (1.4.112).

28. Soliloquy vs. Monologue Is Mercutio’s speech a monologue or soliloquy? What is the meaning of and purpose behind Mercutio’s speech?

29. FOIL RomeoMercutio

30. Act I, Scene V Look at how Romeo’s speech changes to rhyming couplets when he first sees Juliet (lines 42- 51). What does this reveal about Romeo? How do you think Tybalt will get his revenge? What great irony has Juliet just begun to grasp about love and hate in lines 136-139? First Servingman Second Servingman Third Servingman Capulet Second Capulet Romeo Servant Tybalt Juliet Nurse

33. Exit Ticket Explain the change in Romeo’s character from the beginning of Act 1 to the end. How might this sudden change also affect his future decision-making?