Romeo and Juliet By William Shakespeare Davis ‘10

Background and Setting Verona, Italy About 1450 AD Two feuding families of the upper-class –The Montagues vs The Capulets –Well respected and wealthy Have already started three public brawls (fights)

Shakespeare’s Language Shakespeare wrote his plays using two types of writing: –Blank verse: unrhymed, iambic pentameter –Prose: regular, everyday speech Iambic pentameter: each line of poetry is ten syllables, divided into five, 2-syllable chunks called iambs: “A horse, a horse, my kingdom for a horse!” –Richard III Prose: “Go to the store and get eggs, milk, bread, and cheese.”

Noble, educated, and/or serious characters used blank verse. Poor, uneducated, low-class, and/or comedic characters used prose. Some characters used both to signify to the audience that they were a combination of the above. Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt = blank verse Gregory, Abram, Sampson = prose Mercutio, the Nurse = both

Character Details Romeo = yrs –impulsive, moody, loves Rosaline Benvolio = Bene=good –kind, friendly, peace- maker Mercutio = talker, comedic,intelligent Juliet = 13 yrs, sweet, religious Tybalt = fiery, hot- tempered, good swordsman Nurse = talker, bawdy, loves attention Paris = about 25 yrs, respected, rich, related to the prince

More Characters Prince Escalus: ruler of Verona Mercutio: Romeo’s best friend and relative of the prince Friar Laurence: priest who helps Romeo and Juliet Balthasar: Romeo’s manservant

Characters The Montagues: Lord and Lady Montague (mom and dad) Romeo (their son) Benvolio (Romeo’s cousin) Various servants The Capulets: Lord and Lady Capulet (mom and dad) Juliet (their daughter) Tybalt (Juliet’s cousin) Nurse (Juliet’s nanny) Various servants

Play Vocabulary Acts = Large sections a play is divided into –S–Shakespeare’s plays usually had five Scenes = Smaller sections the Acts are divided into Prologue = introduction to a play or Act Monologue = a long speech made by one character to the other characters on stage Soliloquy = a long speech made by one character who alone on stage and speaking his/her private thoughts Aside = a brief, quiet remark that is intended for only the audience to hear Character foil = when two characters highlight the characteristics of each other through their opposite personalities

Social Customs Yes, Juliet was only 13, but her parents were already arranging her marriage. Juliet’s mother was already married and had given birth to Juliet by the time she was 13. People lived considerably shorter lives back then, so marrying at 18, 19 was acceptable. It was normal for an 18-year old girl to marry a much older man—obviously, her parents would want her to marry a man who had established himself and could take care of her.

Parents always arranged their kids’ marriages Noble parents tried to make sure their kids would be well taken care of —daughters by well-established, rich husbands—sons by beautiful, talented wives. In most households, kids had no say in their parents’ decisions. If they were lucky their parents would give them a chance to meet and hang out with their prospective spouse, but it wasn’t a requirement.

Romeo and Juliet are children of noble parents—that means they are rich and educated, but they have no job skills. Romeo can swordfight, ride horses, read, write, and do math, but he cannot work at any job or career. Juliet can sew pretty decorations, sing, play an instrument, read, write, and do basic math, but she cannot hold a job or career.

Children of noble parents had nannies who took care of them. Renaissance women were expected to be beautiful and perfect, so they rarely breastfed or took care of their own children. Nannies were hired to do this for them. Boys had their nannies from birth ‘til about age 9 or 10 Girls had their nannies from birth ‘til when they got married.

Nannies were called nurses back then, but they were not nurses as we think of them today—the name comes from the term “wet nurse” which means that the woman breastfed the noble parents’ children. Nurses also bathed, clothed, and took care of the children in their care. When boys hit puberty or a little before, their nurse moved on and the boys got a personal “manservant” about their age who ran errands for them, practiced sword fighting and riding with them, and hung out with them. When girls hit puberty, their nurse began teaching them how to be a lady and prepare for being a wife.

To Sum it Up: Girls married fairly YOUNG —(18-19) to older guys (23-25) Parents arranged who you married Children of noble families had NO job skills Nurses (nannies) took care of noble children, not their mothers At puberty, boys got a manservant to hang out with Girls’ nurses taught them how to be good wives

Who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet? Possible choices include –their parents –Romeo and Juliet themselves –Mercutio/Tybalt –Friar Laurence/the Nurse –Social rules/customs of 15 th century Italy (society) –Prince Escalus –Paris