Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet

Facts Written by William Shakespeare in about 1591 Based on Arthur Brooke's The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet Brooke translated it from an Italian novella by Matteo Bandello

The Globe  Audience included common drunks to the queen  Muddy floor made worse by people peeing (many went to the tavern first)  Must pay extra for a seat cushion (but if you had a seat, you were already rich!)

The Globe  Most people watching the play were illiterate  If audience did not like play, they would throw objects at the actors  Objects ranged from their shopping or shoes to clumps of wee soaked mud from the floor!

SO... To make sure his actors didn’t get laughed off stage... Shakespeare used:  the most dramatic words  some very SHOCKING (at the time) themes  very intriguing and entertaining characters. The fact that his plays are still extremely popular over four hundred years later proves he was doing something right!

What’s it all about?  Star-crossed lovers (teenagers) pursue their love for each other BUT  Their families have been fighting for decades STORY INCLUDES  sword fighting  Disguise  misunderstanding  tragedy  humour  Some of the most romantic language found in literature

Montagues

Who’s Who? Montagues Romeo – son to Montague. Benvolio – nephew to Montague & friend to Romeo. Balthasar – servant & friend to Romeo. Mercutio – friend to Romeo. Lady Montague – wife to Lord Montague. Montague – Romeo’s father and head of the family. Friar Lawrence – a local priest, friend of Romeo.

Capulets

Who’s Who? Capulets Paris – a young nobleman. Juliet – daughter to Capulet. Capulet – Juliet’s father and head of the family. Lady Capulet – wife to Lord Capulet. Nurse – servant & Nurse to Juliet. Tybalt – nephew to the Capulets.

Others C M

The Main Themes Love and Hate – Should intense love supersede all other values? Extremes of passion often accompany one another- Extreme love vs. extreme hate Are they right to continue to hate even though they don’t know why?

Society vs. individual- Individuals in the play (specifically R&J) struggle to balance their personal desires with their responsibilities to: Law (public order) Family (loyalties) Church (morality & God)

Fate – another common belief was that your future was mapped out in the stars and you couldn’t influence the future in anyway. Just like us reading our horoscopes really. Do you believe in fate? Why?

Fate Look for references to fate: Look for instances where events are blamed on “fate,” “destiny,” or “the stars”

Loyalty – Some characters have certain loyalties, like the Nurse to Juliet, the Friar to Romeo and The Montagues and Capulets to their own blood relatives. These loyalties become hard to maintain when certain decisions have to be made. Do you think you have to be loyal to someone just because it is expected of you?

Honesty – Many of the characters lie and deceive to get what they want such as The Friar, Romeo and Juliet. How far would you go to get what you wanted in life? Do a few lies here and there matter?

Look for… Foreshadowing Metaphor Personification Puns Allusions Oxymorons Paradoxes

Foreshadowing Foreshadowing is a reference to something that will happen later in the story. Juliet – “Give me my Romeo; and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night And pay no worship to the garish sun.” (Act III Sc. 2)

Metaphor A metaphor is a direct comparison between two unlike things. Romeo – “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” (Act II Sc. 2)

Personification Personification occurs when an inanimate object or concept is given the qualities of a person or animal. Juliet— “For thou wilt lie upon the wings of night / Whiter than new snow on a raven’s back. / Come, gentle night, come, loving, black- brow’d night” (Act III Sc. 2)

Puns A pun is a humorous play on words. Mercutio – “Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance.” Romeo – “Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes / With nimble soles; I have a soul of lead…” (Act I Sc. 4)

Allusions An allusion is a reference to a well known work of art, music, literature, or history. “At lovers’ perjuries, they say Jove laughs.” (Act II, Sc. 2) Jove is another name for Jupiter, the Roman King of the Gods.

Oxymorons An oxymoron describes when two juxtaposed words have opposing or very diverse meanings. Juliet – “Beautiful tyrant! fiend angelical!” (Act III Sc.2)

Paradoxes A paradox is statement or situation with seemingly contradictory or incompatible components. Juliet – “O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!” (Act III Sc. 2)

The Prologue The Prologue – Remember the play was written to be performed, not read. Also, the majority of the audience weren’t as intelligent as you so they needed a bit of a helping hand. The Prologue, (meaning ‘before speech’) gave them a few hints about what they were about to see and asked them to try and understand even if it didn’t all make perfect sense. Just what I’m asking you to do! (You don’t have to belch & wee on the floor like the groundlings though... Please!)

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.

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. The Montagues & Capulets Both very wealthy & powerful families. Italian city The old feud between the families. No one knows the reason why they fell out. The feud continues with new generations of Montagues & Capulets Suggesting that many civilians are guilty for killing others.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes,

A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whole misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife. Loins are your privates! What they do with their loins results in their death. enemies Their meeting was destined to happen through fate. suicide It was an adventure that went wrong But one good thing came from it in that it stopped all the hate & bloodshed

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, The time they had together was very dangerous Suggests they died at the hands of fate. Rage at the other families. Their parents never knew of the romance until they were dead. Only the death of their own children would make them stop hating the other family & make them call a truce.

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. The play lasts for two hours You need to listen & be patient If you don’t quite understand what I’ve just said in this prologue... I’ll work hard to help you understand in the action that’s about to happen!