Post on 25-Dec-2015
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
William Shakespeare
Introduction to the world’s most famous star-crossed
lovers!
William ShakespeareWe know little about his life!What we do know:Born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire in 1563 His father was a glovemaker and wool merchant and his mother, Mary Arden, the daughter of a well-to-do local landowner. He married in 1582 to Anne Hathaway, daughter of a farmer. The couple had a daughter seven months later and twins in 1585. (Suzanna, Judith, and Hamnet)
William Shakespeare
Began in theater as an actor
for Lord Chamberlain’s Men
Was also a stockholder in the company
Later, he began to write poetry, creating around 154 sonnets.
He also wrote 37 plays, with his first one appearing in 1594. He produced roughly two a year until around 1611.
Review
Shakespeare began his career as a(n):
A: Playwright
B: Actor
C: Poet
D: Novelist
E: Glove-maker
The Globe Theater
Built in 1599, most of Shakespeare’s plays were performed here.
Plays produced for the general public
Roofless: open air
No artificial lighting
Courtyard surrounded by 3 levels of galleries
The Globe Theatre
The Globe burned down twice…
Once in 1613, and again in 1644
A replica was built in 1997 and is currently in London on the South bank of the Thames river.
The Globe Theater
Wealthy got benches
“Groundlings” = poorer people stood and watched from the courtyard- Paid 1¢ to get in.
All but wealthy were
uneducated/illiterate
Much more
interaction than today: Yelling, throwing things!
Differences from Today
No scenerySettings: references in dialogueElaborate costumesPlenty of propsFast-paced, colorful2 hours!
Actors…no actresses
Only men and boys
Young boys whose voices had not changed play women’s roles
Would have been considered indecent for a woman to appear on stage
Review
Plays at the Globe were produced for:
A: Kings and Queens
B: Very wealthy people
C: Common people
D: Only educated people
Review
What happened to the Globe theatre?
A: It burned down
B: It was torn down by the conservatives who took over in the 1600s
C: Nothing. It is still standing today.
D: It was abandoned so it eventually fell into disrepair and had to be torn down
Review
What were the common people who paid a penny to get in and stand called?
A: Standers
B: Peasants
C: Groundlings
D: Commoners
E: Pennypayers
Review
What were the audiences at the Globe Theatre like?
A: Rowdy and Loud
B: Calm and Quiet
C: Mostly Bored
D: Respectful of the Actors
Review
Who played women in Shakespeare’s plays?
A: Unmarried Women
B: Married Women
C: Adolescent Boys
D: Older Men
Shakespeare’s Plays
Three different kinds:
Comedies
Tragedies
Histories
Written around 1595, Romeo and Juliet is considered a tragedy.
Tragedy (Shakespearean)
Drama where the central character(s) suffer disaster/great misfortune
In many tragedies, downfall results from:• Fate• Character flaw/Fatal flaw• Combination of the two
• But…there is also some comedy in the play.
Why include comedy in a tragedy?
It heightens the contrast
It gives the audience an emotional break
It diminishes the tension evoked in the tragic scenes
It delights the audience
It adds variety
When integrated with the plot, it can counterpoint & enhance the serious significance
What is it called?
Comic relief!“the introduction of comic characters, speeches, or scenes in a serious or tragic work, especially in dramas. Comic relief was universal in Elizabethan tragedies.”
M.H. AbramsProvides “relief” from seriousness or sadnessProvides contrast from the seriousness… “throw into relief”
What makes us laugh?Aside- Words spoken, usually in an undertone
not intended to be heard by all charactersContrastsExaggerationPoking funPuns- Humorous use of a word with
two meanings. Sometimes they are missed by the reader because of Elizabethan language.
Word play
Review
Which is NOT a type of play that Shakespeare wrote?
A: Comedy
B: History
C: Suspense
D: Tragedy
Review
____________ is a form of drama where the central character(s) suffer disaster/great misfortune.
A: Comedy
B: Tragedy
C: Suspense
D: History
Review
The downfall of characters in a tragedy often results from:
A: Fate
B: Character Flaw
C: Neither
D: Both
Review
Comic _________ is built in to the play in order to diminish tension, delight the audience, and provide variety.
A: Delight
B: Scene
C: Relief
D: Contrast
Review
Which shows an example of an aside?A: A character performs an action on the far left side of the stageB: A member of the audience stands up and yells at the actors on stageC: A minor character comes forward and says a lineD: A main character makes a sarcastic comment under his breath about another character on stage
Blank Verse
Much of R & J is written in:
unrhymed verse
iambic (unstressed syllable, stressed syllable)
pentameter( 5 “feet” to a line)
• ends up to be 10 syllable lines
This is the same form as Shakespeare’s sonnets.
Prose
Ordinary writing that is not poetry, drama, or song
Only characters in the lower social classes speak this way in Shakespeare’s plays
Why do you suppose that is?
Now…Romeo and Juliet
Review
The upper class characters in the play will be more likely to speak in:
A: Blank Verse
B: Prose
Romeo: Our Tragic Hero
Romeo Montague16 years old
Only child
In love with Rosaline
Impulsive
Eventually Exiled
Other Characters
Mercutio (Montague)Tybalt (Capulet)Nurse (Juliet’s Nurse)ParisFriar LawrenceMontague and Lady MontagueCapulet and Lady Capulet
Different Types of Characters (Review from short story unit)
•Round Characters: Characters who have many personality traits, like real people.
•Flat Characters: One-dimensional, embodying only a single trait
•Shakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief even in a tragedy
Different Types of Characters (Review from short story unit)
Static Characters: Characters within a story who remain the same. They do not change. They do not change their minds, opinions or character.
Dynamic Characters: Characters that change somehow during the course of the plot. They generally change for the better.
Monologues/Soliloquies
Monologue:One person speaking on stage. There may be other characters on stage too
ex . the Prince of Verona commanding the Capulets and Montagues to cease feuding
SoliloquySoliloquy: Long speech expressing the thoughts of a character alone on stage.
Review
Which of these is not a setting of Romeo and Juliet?
A: Mantua
B: London
C: Verona
D: 13th/14th Century
Review
This type of character changes as a play or story progresses:
A: Round Character
B: Dynamic Character
C: Flat Character
D: Static Character
Review
A soliloquy happens when a character is alone on stage, revealing his/her inner thoughts
A: True
B: False
As we read, look for these!
Contrasts. These contrasts include:
Light and dark
Night and day
Young and old
Love and hate
And…
As we read, look for these!
Contrasts (cont)Tragedy and comedy**
Think also about the contrasts between illusion and reality
And between the characters:• Romeo and Mercutio• The nurse and Lady Capulet• The nurse and Mercutio
As we read, look for these! Themes
A theme is a central idea or insight about life
(which, in a tragedy, explains the downfall of characters)
Look carefully for the following themes in Romeo and Juliet…
As we read, look for these themes!
LOVE causes pleasure and pain.Lustful love, for pleasure
Infatuation
Pure Love
As we read, look for these themes!
HATE causes people to do irrational and hurtful things.
Between Montagues & Capulets
FATE leads or directs lives.If stars cross couple is doomed
Letter never reaches Romeo
Fate is against Romeo & Juliet
Review
Which of these is not a theme to look out for in Romeo and Juliet?
A: Friendship
B: Love
C: Hate
D: Fate
Foreshadowing(use of symbols to show what will happen in the future)
Prologue tells Romeo & Juliet are “star-crossed” lovers
Clues that confirm Romeo and Juliet will have an unhappy end
As we read, look for: Symbols
POISON-Good/ Evil-Natural substance made
lethal by humans-Human society “poisons”
good things-Romeo & Juliet’s love is
poisoned
Mood
Love between Romeo & Juliet = Happy
Verona = Ugly, harsh, cruel b/c of feud
End of Romeo
& Juliet = Tragedy