Romeo & Juliet Sample Answers

1

ROMEO & JULIET Sample Answers

Cian Hogan English Notes 2012

2

Jun ior Cer t i f i cate Eng l i sh

Stud ied Drama Past Quest ions

2009

1. Choose a scene f rom a p lay you have s tud ied where a par t icu lar mood

or atmosphere i s created .

( i ) Descr ibe the mood or atmosphere in th i s scene . Suppor t your

answer wi th re ference to the text . (15)

( i i ) How does the p laywr ight create th i s mood or atmosphere? Aspects

you may wish to cons ider cou ld inc lude : set t ing , l i ght ing , s tage d i rect ions ,

mus ic , sound or d ia logue . (15)

( i ) The Scene that I have chosen i s Act V Scene i i i , o f Romeo and

Ju l ie t . The scene takes p lace near Ju l ie t ’s tomb. At the beg inn ing of the

scene , Par i s ar r ives to the cr ypt in order to p lace f lower s by Ju l ie t ’s

gr aves ide . He order s h i s ser vants to keep watch and to whis t le i f anyone

shou ld approach . Meanwh i l e , Romeo and Ba l thaza r a r r i ve to the

gr aveyard . Romeo in forms Ba l thazar that he wishes to look at h i s dead

br ide ’s face one las t t ime . Adding that he hopes to retr ieve a prec ious

© Cian Hogan 2010 2

3

r ing f rom Ju l ie t ’s corpse he instr ucts Ba l thazar to leave and warns h im

not to return under pa in of death . As Romeo ar r ives to the gr aves ide

wi th “mattock and wrench” in hand , he i s recogn ised by Par i s and

cha l lenges h i s r ight to be there . A f ight ensues and Romeo k i l l s Par i s .

Lay ing Par i s ’s body a longs ide Ju l ie t ’s , Romeo i s s t r uck by the manner in

which Ju l ie t seems “untouched by death” . Then , he embraces h i s be loved

one las t t ime and dr inks f rom the pot ion that the apothecar y has

prepared for h im:

Here ’s to my love , o t rue apothecar y

Thy drugs are qu ick

Thus wi th a k i ss I d ie .

At th i s po int in the scene , Fr iar Lawrence ar r ives and d iscover s the

bodies of Par i s and Romeo. Ju l ie t then awakens to d i scover her be loved

Romeo dead . Desper ate to jo in her lover in death , she ignores the Fr iar ’s

promises of sanctuar y in a convent and k i sses Romeo in the hope that

there remains some poison on h i s l ips . However, in order to guar antee

her death , she s tabs her se l f through the hear t wi th Romeo’s dagger. As

the scene winds to a c lose , Pr ince Esca lus ar r ives a long wi th the

Montagues and the Capulets . Tak ing on the ro le of a Chor us , the Pr ince

echoes our fee l ings when he says that th i s t r agedy has been caused by

the “enmity” between both fami l ies . As the cur ta in i s dr awn, the fut i l i ty

o f the feud i s pa in fu l ly p la in to see . The mood in th i s scene i s sombre

and poignant because , the aud ience i s forced to confront the t r ag ic

rea l i ty of Romeo and Ju l ie t ’s deaths .

( i i ) Th is intense ly dr amat ic scene wor ks to h igh l ight the key aspects

of the centr a l char acter s and to under l ine the p lay ’s main themes . The

churchyard , the tomb and the n ight contr ibute to a mood of fear and


4

doom. The page te l l s us that he i s a f r a id of be ing a lone , whi le the Fr iar

for h i s par t , on ly remains for a shor t t ime before r unn ing away. The

fee l ing of doom is matched by a he ightened sensat ion of tens ion

throughout the scene . The audience i s gr ipped with apprehens ion , as we

wonder i f the Fr iar wi l l ar r ive in t ime to save Romeo and Ju l ie t . The

confrontat ion between Par i s and Romeo i s a hor r i f i c one . Our loya l ty i s

torn , because we rea l i se that Par i s i s act ing nobly in wish ing to defend

Ju l ie t ’s gr aves ide . Shakespeare fur ther he ightens the dr amat ic e f fect of

the scene , when Romeo descends to v iew the body of h i s dead wi fe . I t i s

a moment f i l led wi th the deepest of pathos . However, th i s sadness i s

in tens i f ied when Ju l ie t awakens to f ind Romeo dead bes ide her. The scene

bu i lds to a dr amat ic c l imax that invo lves much movement and confus ion ,

before br ing ing about the reconc i l i a t ion of both fami l ies . On a more

pr act ica l leve l , Shakespeare mainta ins the dr amat ic qua l i ty of the scene

through the language spoken by the var ious char acter s . Romeo’s language

i s pass ionate and i s for the most par t de l ivered in blank ver se . Th is

makes i t appear more genu ine and natur a l . The v io lent imager y that

Romeo re l ies on , re f lects h i s v io lent d i spos i t ion . On the other hand , Par i s

speaks in rhymed iambic pentameter. As a resu l t , the reader v iews h im as

be ing convent iona l and formal . In th i s manner, Par i s reminds us of jus t

how much Romeo has changed s ince the beg inn ing of the p lay. Th is h igh ly

dr amat ic scene br i l l i ant ly captures not on ly the profound changes that

have occur red in the two main char acter s , but a l so the deeply t r ag ic

nature of the i r deaths .


5

OR

2. From a p lay you have s tud ied choose one impor tant re la t ionsh ip.

( i ) Descr ibe the main char acter i s t i cs o f th i s re la t ionsh ip throughout the

p lay. (15)

( i i ) How does e i ther the set t ing ( t ime or p lace) or another char acter

have an in f luence on th i s re la t ionsh ip? Suppor t your answer wi th

re ference to the text . (15)

The p lay that I have chosen i s Romeo and Ju l ie t . Th is p lay examines one

of the best -known re lat ionsh ips in of a l l l i ter ature , that of the two ‘ s tar-

crossed lover s ’ Romeo and Ju l ie t .

(a) One of the most interest ing aspects of

the re lat ionsh ip between Romeo and Ju l ie t i s the manner in which both

char acter s are changed utter ly by the exper ience of fa l l ing in love wi th

one another. When we f i r s t meet Romeo, he i s se l f -absorbed, immature

and inexper ienced when i t comes to rea l love . His fee l ings for Rosa l ine

por tr ay a l l these aspects of h i s char acter. In i t i a l ly, h i s approach to love i s

inte l lectua l and lack ing in t r ue emot iona l depth . In fact , the language that

he speaks mir ror s th i s lack of rea l fee l ing . I t i s se l f -consc ious , ornate and

i s punctuated by hyperbole , par adox and oxymoron:

Love ’s a smoke

Made with the fume of s ighs


6

Being pur g ’d ,a f i re spar k l ing

In lover ’s eyes […]

A madness most d i screet

A chok ing ga l l , a preser v ing sweet .

However, Romeo’s encounter wi th Ju l ie t changes h im fundamenta l ly. He

becomes consumed by h i s love for her as a per son and not just wi th the

idea of love i t se l f . He no longer confuses the metaphys ica l aspects of

love wi th the rea l i ty of lov ing another human be ing :

Amen , amen , bu t c ome wha t s o r r ow

can .

I t cannot counter va i l , the exchange of joy That one shor t minute g ives

me in her s ight .

At th i s po int in the p lay, h i s language swi tches f rom rhymed iambic

pentameter to unrhymed blank ver se . In other words , the ornate ar t i f i c ia l

hyperbole of h i s ear l ier days i s rep laced by rea l i s t i c and honest language .

At the end of the p lay, the fu l l extent of the changes in Romeo’s

char acter can be seen . In Act 5 , scene 3 the confrontat ion that takes

p lace a longs ide the body of the dead Ju l ie t demonstr ate just how much

Romeo has been tr ans formed by h i s love for her. . The words spoken by

Romeo seem ver y d i f ferent to Par i s ’ over formal language . On a more

interest ing leve l , whi le Par i s ar r ives wi th ‘ sweet f lower s ’ to ‘ s t rew’ on

Ju l ie t ’s ‘br ida l bed ’ , Romeo ar r ives wi th ‘mattock ’ and ‘wrench ing i ron ’ , in

order to tear the cr ypt open . Whereas Par i s accepts Ju l ie t ’s death and

responds to i t in a convent iona l manner, Romeo i s wi l l ing to defy soc ia l


7

norms and even death i t se l f in order to be wi th her.

For her par t , Ju l ie t i s a l so t r ans formed by her love for Romeo.

Before the re lat ionsh ip blossoms , she i s an obedient and dut i fu l daughter,

who accepts the path in l i fe that her fa ther has mapped out for her. The

prospect of a re la t ionsh ip wi th Par i s , in her eyes , i s jus t i f ied because her

parents des i re i t :

I ’ l l look to l i ke , i f look ing move ,

But no more deep wi l l I endar t mine eye

Than your consent g ives

Strength to make i t f ly.

However, any such thoughts of obedience are swept as ide by the love she

fee l s for Romeo. Her re la t ionsh ip wi th Romeo mar ks the beg inn ing of a

newfound sense of independence . Jus t as he was wi l l ing to defy soc ia l

convent ions at her gr aves ide , she too i s wi l l ing to break the normal r u les

of soc iety. When she hear s that her fa ther has ar r anged her mar r iage to

Par i s , she abandons her sense of f i l i a l duty and breaks wi th the soc ia l

mores of the day. Refus ing to obey h im, she vows that her fa ther ‘ sha l l

not make (her) a wi l l fu l br ide .’

In the end , both Romeo and Ju l ie t are t r ans formed utter ly by the

complex nature of the fee l ings that they have for one another. Romeo

matures and d ies under stand ing the t r ue nature of what i t i s to be in

love . For her par t , Ju l ie t ga ins a sense of independence that would have

been unheard of in her t ime .


8

(b) In my opin ion , Tyba l t has a remar kable in f luence on the cour se of

Romeo and Ju l ie t ’s re la t ionsh ip. A l though Tyba l t must be regarded as a

one-d imens iona l char acter, he acts as an impor tant cata lys t in the

deve lopment of Romeo and Ju l ie t ’s re la t ionsh ip. He per son i f ies the feud

between the Montagues and Capulet ’s . He i s essent ia l ly a v i l l a inous

char acter that thr ives on conf l i c t and confrontat ion . He cares noth ing for

the judgment of Pr ince Esca lus and dur ing h i s f ina l appear ance in the

p lay, h i s r ash and over-v io lent nature leads to h i s death . Dr iven by gr ie f ,

honour and loya l ty to h i s dead f r iend , Romeo sees h imse l f as be ing

obl iged to avenge Mercut io ’s murder. Tyba l t ’s death has a d i sastrous a f fect

on both Romeo and Ju l ie t . As promised , Pr ince Esca lus ban ishes Romeo.

Tyba l t ’s impetuos i ty has provoked a ser ies of events that u l t imate ly lead

to the deaths of Romeo and Ju l ie t . In th i s respect , he has a dr amat ic

in f luence on the fa te of the p lay ’s protagonis ts .

2008


9

1. Many dr amas feature char acter s that are e i ther winner s or loser s .

Choose a char acter f rom a p lay that you have s tud ied who fa l l s in to one

of these categor ies

(a) Descr ibe how your chosen char acter i s e i ther a winner or a loser.

(10)

(b) Choose another char acter who has a re la t ionsh ip wi th your chosen

char acter, and expla in the impor tance of th i s re la t ionsh ip.

Suppor t your answer wi th re ference to your s tud ied text . (20)

OR

2 . Imag ine you are prepar ing a progr amme for a c lass product ion of a

p lay you have s tud ied . The product ion team, of which you are a par t , has

asked you to contr ibute to the progr amme .

(a) Wr i te char acter profi les for two char acter s who have a s ign i f i cant

ro les in the p lay. (15)

See Romeo and Ju l ie t sample answer.

(b) Wr i te an introduct ion to the p lay focus ing espec ia l ly on i t s

theme(s) . (15)


10

To keep the progr amme to an appropr iate length you wi l l need to wr i te

approx imate ly 200 words for task (a) and approx imate ly 200 words for

task (b) .

Two househo lds , both a l ike in d ign i t y, In fa i r Verona , where we lay our scene , From anc ient grudge break to new mut iny, Where c i v i l b lood makes c i v i l hands unc lean . From for th the fata l lo ins o f these two foes A pa i r o f s tar -c ross 'd lover s take the i r l i fe ;

A perenn ia l s tap le of secondar y school Eng l i sh cour ses , Romeo and

Ju l ie t was wr i t ten by Shakespeare at a re la t ive ly ear ly juncture in h i s

career, most probably in 1594 or 1595. The product ion that you are

about to see ton ight remains fa i th fu l to Shakespeare ’s or ig ina l . To many

of you , Shakespeare ’s language may appear int imidat ing , however, when

acted , i t revea ls the exc i tement , the depth and the imag inat ive scope of

what the char acter s say. Th is p lay i s a wor k of gen ius . I t i s the t r ag ic

s tor y of ‘ s tar -c rossed ’ young lover s whose t r agedy has meaning for a l l

people of a l l ages . At the t ime of i t s compos i t ion , Romeo and Ju l ie t

fe a tu red seve r a l r ad i c a l depa r tu re s f rom long s t and ing thea t r i c a l

convent ions . Our product ion of Romeo and Ju l ie t reta ins these innovat ive

depar tures because we fee l they re in force and embel l i sh the p lay ’s

pr inc ipa l themes . These inc lude ; the ant i thes i s between love and hate , the

use of l i ght and dar k , the t reatment of t ime (as not on ly a theme , but as

the s t r uctur a l e lement of the p lay) and the prominent s tatus accorded to

fate . Our product ion of the p lay has d i f fered f rom Shakespeare ’s or ig ina l

in one ver y impor tant respect . Whi le we have at tempted to remain t r ue

to the or ig ina l text , we have a l so dec ided to incorporate modern aud io-

v i sua l techn iques into our per formance , in par t icu lar in the express ion of

dreams . At var ious t imes dur ing the product ion you wi l l hear and see

aud io-v i sua l representat ions of the dreams , omens and forebodings that


11

foreshadow the p lay ’s t r ag i c conc lus ion . We hope you en joy th i s

product ion .

20071. Name a p lay you have s tud ied and state what you th ink i s i t s main

idea and/or message .

Exp la in how th i s main idea and/or message i s communicated in the p lay.

The p lay that I have s tud ied i s Romeo and Ju l ie t by Wi l l i am

Shakespeare . In my opin ion , the main message of th i s p lay i s the

t r ans format ive power of love .

The p lay presents us wi th a ver y unusua l set t ing for love to

f lour i sh . At the beg inn ing of the p lay, we are to ld of the ‘anc ient grudge ’

that ex is ts between the two fami l ies , the Montague ’s and the Capulet ’s .

Th is enmity threatens to er upt any minute into ‘new mut iny ’ . Yet , out of

th i s d i scord and b i t terness a re la t ionsh ip that has become synonymous

wi th the word love i t se l f , i s born . As a resu l t o f the love that they fee l


12

for one another, Romeo and Ju l ie t are t r ans formed. However, not on ly

are they changed , but the soc iety in which they l i ve wi l l be forever

a l tered by the depth of the love they fee l for one another.

In the beg inn ing of the p lay, Romeo i s por tr ayed as immature ,

moody and melancholy. What he perce ives as h i s love for Rosa l ine i s not

returned by her. I t qu ick ly becomes a torment ing s ickness to h im. The

reader i s made to rea l i se that th i s in fact i s not rea l love . Benvol io

echoes our fee l ings when he points out that love should not be ‘ so

ty rannous and rough in proof ’ . However, Romeo’s encounter wi th Ju l ie t

changes h im in the profoundest poss ible way. When we f i r s t meet Romeo,

he i s se l f -consc ious , immature and does not under stand the meaning of

t r ue love . His love for Rosa l ine revea ls a l l o f these aspects of h i s

char acter. At th i s po int in the p lay, h i s under stand ing of love i s

inte l lectua l and lack ing in emot iona l depth . In fact , the language he

speaks , mir ror s th i s lack of rea l fee l ing . I t i s se l f -consc ious , ornate and i s

punctuated by hyperbole , par adox and oxymoron.

Love i s a smoke made wi th a fume of s ighs

Be ing purg ’d , a f i re spark l ing in lover s eyes

[…] A madness most d i sc reet

A chok ing ga l l and a preser v ing sweet

However, Romeo’s encounter wi th Ju l ie t changes h im fundamenta l ly. He

becomes consumed by h i s love for her as a per son and not just wi th the

idea of love i t se l f . He no longer confuses the metaphys ica l aspects of

love wi th rea l i ty of lov ing another human be ing .

Amen, amen! but come what sorrow can ,


13

I t cannot counter va i l the exchange of joy

That one shor t minute g i ves me in her s ight :

At th i s po int in the p lay, h i s language swi tches f rom rhymed iambic

pentameter to unrhymed blank ver se . In other words , the ornate ar t i f i c ia l

hyperbole of h i s ear l ier days i s rep laced by rea l i s t i c and honest language .

For her par t , Ju l ie t i s a l so t r ans formed by her love for Romeo. Before the

re lat ionsh ip blossoms , she i s an obedient and dut i fu l daughter, who

accepts the path in l i fe that her parents have mapped out for her. The

prospect of a re la t ionsh ip wi th Par i s , i s in her eyes just i f ied because her

parents des i re i t .

I ' l l l ook to l ike , i f look ing l ik ing move :

But no more deep wi l l I endar t mine eye

Than your consent g i ves s t rength to make i t f l y.

However, any such thoughts of obedience are swept as ide by the love

that she fee l s for Romeo. Her re la t ionsh ip wi th Romeo mar ks the

beg inn ing of a new found sense of independence . Jus t as Romeo was

wi l l ing to defy soc ia l convent ions at her gr ave s ide , she too i s wi l l ing to

break the normal r u les of soc iety. When she hear s that her fa ther has

ar r anged the mar r iage to Par i s , she abandons her sense of f i l i a l duty and

breaks wi th the soc ia l mores of the day. Refus ing to obey h im, she vows

that her fa ther ‘sha l l not make [her] a joy fu l br ide ’ .

In the end , both Romeo and Ju l ie t are t r ans formed utter ly by the

complex nature of the fee l ings they have for one another. In my opin ion ,

the t r ans format ive power of love l ies at the hear t o f th i s p lay. Whi le the

deaths of Romeo and Ju l ie t are inev i table and tr ag ic , they do un i te the

fami l ies and br ing peace to Verona . Th is i s a remar kable p lay in which


14

love f ina l ly over comes hatred . In the end , the lover s ’ deaths a l low them

to tr anscend the unhappy rea l i ty of the i r b i r ths .

OR

2 . You have been asked to recommend a p lay for s tudents s tudy ing for

the Jun ior Cer t i f i cate .

Would you recommend the p lay you have s tud ied for th i s examinat ion?

Give reasons based on c lose re ference to your chosen text .

I would wholehear ted ly recommend the p lay Romeo and Ju l ie t by

Wi l l i am Shakespeare to Jun ior Cer t i f i cate s tudents . In par t icu lar, I would

recommend that s tudents s tudy ing the p lay should watch Baz Luhrmann’s

dazz l ing and unconvent iona l adaptat ion of Shakespeare ’s c lass ic love

s tor y.

Romeo and Ju l ie t i s unusua l amongst Shakespearean tr aged ies in

that i t has two centr a l protagonis ts , a hero in and a hero. However, r ather

than d iv id ing the sympathy of the aud ience , the two protagonis ts , in my

v iew, make the p lay more interest ing , espec ia l ly for a young aud ience .

These “star-crossed lover s” are fasc inat ing . They hold our at tent ion and

the manner in which the i r t r agedy unfo lds before our eyes i s the s tu f f o f

pure dr ama. One of the most interest ing aspects of the p lay for any

young aud ience , i s to be found in the t r ans format ion that occur s in the

centr a l char acter s . When we f i r s t meet Romeo he i s a melanchol ic youth .

I t i s s ign i f i cant that he i s not invo lved in the opening f ight and that he

has chosen to remain apar t f rom the rest o f h i s extended fami ly. His long


15

speech , f i l led as i t i s wi th hyperbole and ar t i f i c ia l express ions of love ,

demonstr ates c lear ly that he does not under stand the meaning of t r ue

love . Al l o f th i s changes when he meets Ju l ie t . In Baz Luhrmann’s f i lm,

Leonardo d i Capr io and C la re Danes por t r ay Romeo and Ju l i e t .

Luhrmann moves the set t ing of the s tor y f rom is E l i zabethan or ig ins to

the futur i s t ic urban backdrop of Verona Beach . In one of the most

memorable scenes in any movie that I ’ ve seen , Romeo encounter s Ju l ie t

at the Capulet Ba l l . Luhrmann br i l l i ant ly captures the way in which Ju l ie t

dr aws at tent ion to the pover ty of Romeo’s express ion . The mus ic i s

exh i lar at ing and h igh l ights the way in which Ju l ie t matches Romeo in wi t

and inte l l i gence . With “K iss ing You” by Dess ’ree , the couple embrace and

the onscreen chemistr y between d i Capr io and Danes does just ice to the

pass ionate intens i ty of Shakespeare ’s or ig ina l . As Romeo fa l l s in love wi th

Ju l ie t he changes . Her ins i s tence on an open and honest express ions of

love , t r ans forms h im complete ly. His language swi tches f rom rhymed

iambic pentameter to unrhymed blank ver se . In other words , the ornate

and ar t i f i c ia l hyperbole of h i s ear l ier days i s rep laced by rea l i s t i c and

honest language . Ju l ie t a l so changes . The depth of the fee l ings that she

has for Romeo are such that she i s t r ans formed f rom an obedient and

respect fu l young g i r l to an independent ly minded young woman.

Any young aud ience wi l l undoubted ly be interested in the centr a l

protagonis ts . However, the p lay manages to hold our at tent ion in sever a l

other ways . I t i s act ion-packed f rom beg inn ing to end . In the opening

scene , the ser vants of the Montague and Capulet fami l ies quar re l in the

s t reets of Verona . The enmity between the two fami l ies forms the

backdrop to Romeo and Ju l ie t ’s romance . I t adds ur gency to the unfo ld ing

dr ama and h ints at the inev i tab i l i ty o f the p lay ’s t r ag ic outcome . The f ina l

scene of the p lay i s the s tu f f o f pure dr ama. As Romeo prepares to

cha l lenge a l l the soc ia l norms of h i s day and defy death i t se l f he comes

into conf l i c t wi th Par i s . The set t ing of th i s conf l i c t in a gr aveyard


16

a longs ide Ju l ie t ’s corpse holds our at tent ion to the end of the p lay.

Luh r mann moder n i se s the f i n a l s cene by i n t roduc ing he l i cop te r s ,

search l ights and guns . In my v iew, th i s contemporar y rete l l ing of the

wo r l d ’ s m o s t t r a g i c l ove a f f a i r e m p h a s i z e s t h e t i m e l e s s n e s s o f

Shakespeare ’s or ig ina l . Th is i s a p lay that I would wholehear ted ly

recommend to any young aud ience .

2006 1 . Cons ider a char acter f rom a p lay you have s tud ied . Choose a

s ign i f i cant t ime of e i ther good luck or bad luck which th i s char acter

exper iences .

(a) Br ie f ly descr ibe th i s exper ience of good luck or bad luck .

(b) Discuss how the char acter dea ls wi th i t in the p lay.

OR

2 . “P lays teach us lessons about l i fe .”


17

Choose any p lay you have s tud ied and expla in how i t has made you

aware of any one fo l lowing :

Love or Death or Conf l i c t or Harmony.

Exp la in your answer by re ference to your chosen p lay.

Quest ion Two.

The p lay that I have s tud ied i s “Romeo and Ju l ie t” . Th is p lay taught

me a great dea l about death . Death i s never far away in the d iv ided

wor ld o f Verona . Se t to the backdrop o f a des t r uc t i ve and a l l

encompass ing feud , the p lay examines death in interest ing and thought

provok ing ways . The o lder char acter s brood about death , they te l l i s that

“death ’s the end of a l l” and that we are “born to d ie” . Young l i ves are cut

shor t in an abr upt and tr ag ic manner. The p lay ’s language re in forces the

theme of death through the extens ive use of metaphor and imager y.

Shakespeare speaks of “death marked” , “unt ime ly deathbed” , “deathbed” ,

“detes tab le death” , and “present death” . In fact , a t var ious points in the

p lay, Shakespeare per son i f ies death . Death i s seen var ious ly, shutt ing up

the door s of l i fe , eat ing the l i v ing , and f ight ing on the batt le f ie lds . In one

of the most memorable depict ions of death in the p lay, Shakespeare

v iews i t as be ing Ju l ie t ’s br idegroom. Here Ju l ie t ’s mother v iews death as

be ing her “son in law” :

death i s my he i r,

My daughter he had wedded

One of the most interest ing aspects of Shakespeare ’s t reatment of

the theme of death in th i s p lay, i s the manner in which he suggests that

death and fa i th are l inked . In the pro logue , the Chor us suggests that


18

there i s an inev i tab i l i ty to the t r agedy of these “star crossed lover s” .

Then , in act 5 , scene i i i , as Romeo looks h i s las t on Ju l ie t , he te l l s us that

he intends to :

set up [h i s ] ever las t ing res t

And shake the yoke of inausp ic ious s tar s

The p lay i s fu l l o f chance encounter s and “misadventured p i teous

over throws” that lead to the eventua l deaths of the two protagonis ts . For

example , the acc identa l meet ing of Peter (who car r ies the Capulet ’s

inv i ta t ion l i s t ) wi th Benvol io and Romeo. The death of Mercut io i s

another seeming ly r andom event that causes us to quest ion the ro le of

chance in the deaths of so many char acter s .

The way in which Shakespeare examines the feud between

the Montague and the Capulets a l so casts an interest ing l i ght on the

theme of death . As the two fami l ies s t r ugg le for power, the i r “anc ient

grudge” breaks “ to new mut iny” . A r ig id and unth ink ing acceptance of the

code of honour, prompts the men of the p lay to defend the i r fami ly name

in a v io lent and bloody fash ion . Tyba l t fee l s that “ the honour o f [h i s ] k in”

has been insu l ted by Romeo’s presence at the Capulet feast . For h i s par t ,

Romeo a l so embr a ce s t he cu l t u r e o f r e venge t h a t gove r n s t he

re la t ionsh ip between Verona ’s two r iva l fact ions .

However for me , the most fasc inat ing aspect of

Shakespeare ’s t reatment of the theme of death i s the way in which he

suggests that Romeo and Ju l ie t may have d ied f rom an excess of love . As

a resu l t o f the intens i ty of the love they fee l for one another, Romeo

and Ju l ie t be l ieve that death i s the on ly poss ible ending to the i r s tor y :

‘Wel l , Ju l ie t , I w i l l l i e w i th thee to -n ight ’

Here , Romeo’s expresses the not ion of love and death . The pass ion and

the burn ing des i re that these two fee l for one another leads to a “ love

devour ing death” and the awfu l t r agedy of the f ina l scene . In the end ,


19

Shakespeare at tempts to cast the deaths of Romeo and Ju l ie t in a

pos i t i ve l i gh t . The v io len t feud tha t caused the i r dea th s i s a l so

par adoxica l ly ended by the i r pass ing .

20051. Se lect a p lay you have s tud ied and choose f rom i t a scene where

conf l i c t occur s .

(a) Out l ine what happens in th i s scene . (10)

(b) What are the under ly ing causes of the conf l i c t in th i s scene?

Suppor t your answer by re ference to the p lay as a whole . (20)

OR

2 . Choose your favour i te char acter f rom a p lay you have s tud ied .

(a) Why do you f ind th i s char acter interest ing? Suppor t your answer by

re ference to the text . (10)


20

(b) Discuss the re la t ionsh ip between your chosen char acter and ONE

other char acter in the p lay. Refer to the text in suppor t of your answer.

(20)

2004

1 . Name a p lay you have s tud ied in which one char acter rebe ls aga inst

another. With which char acter d id you have more sympathy? Give

reasons for your answer mak ing re ference to the p lay.

OR

2 . Name a p lay you have s tud ied .

Choose a scene f rom th i s p lay you found e i ther happy or sad .

Descr ibe how the p laywr ight conveys th i s happiness or sadness .

2003© Cian Hogan 2010 20

21

1. Choose a re la t ionsh ip f rom a p lay you have s tud ied .

(a) Out l ine how th i s re la t ionsh ip deve lops throughout the p lay.

(15)

(b) Which of the char acter s in the re la t ionsh ip made the most impact

on you?

G i v e r e a s o n s f o r y o u r a n s w e r m a k i n g r e f e r e n c e t o t h e p l a y.

(15)

OR

2. Se lect a p lay you have s tud ied .

(a) What d id you learn about the wor ld the char acter s of the p lay l i ved

in ? Suppor t your answer by re ference to the p lay. (20)

(b) Did you l i ke or d i s l i ke th i s wor ld? Give reasons for your answer

mak ing re ference to the p lay. (10)

The p lay that I have s tud ied i s Romeo and Ju l ie t by Wi l l i am Shakespeare .

In the cour se of the p lay, we learn a great dea l about the wor ld in which

the char acter s l i ved . Desp i te the fact that the char acter s of Romeo and

Ju l ie t are synonymous wi th love , the wor ld in which they l i ve i s a host i le

and uncar ing p lace .

The internec ine v io lence that threatens to er upt at any moment

br ings a great dea l o f t r agedy to the Capulets and the Montagues . In Act

1 Scene 1 Shakespeare dr amat i ses the feud by depict ing a s t reet bat t le

that invo lves the ser vants and fami ly member s a l i ke . Th is atmosphere of

tense host i l i ty i s emphas i sed once aga in in Act 3 Scene 1 . Benvol io ' s


22

attempts to keep Mercut io f rom quar re l ing wi th Tyba l t or h i s k insmen

prove fut i le . The extent of the hatred between both fami l ies i s made

br uta l ly c lear by Mercut ios ' death . As he p lagues both houses wi th h i s

cur se the aud ience i s made aware that there i s no hope for the people

of Verona and that they remain t r apped in a cyc le of hatred that i s a l l

encompass ing . Ul t imate ly, th i s v io lent wor ld c loses in on the two ' s tar

cross 'd lover s ' . Fo l lowing the death of Tyba l t , Lady Capulet wishes Romeo

dead . In many respects she becomes symbol ic of the hatred and soc ia l

d iv i s ion that char acter i ses l i fe in Verona .

Another interest ing aspect of l i fe in Verona i s the manner in which

Ju l ie t i s den ied the oppor tun i ty to d i rect the cour se of her own l i fe . Lord

Capulet fu l ly expects that h i s daughter wi l l do as she i s to ld :

'An you be mine , I ' l l g ive you to my f r iend ,

An you be not , hang , beg , s tar ve , d ie in the s t reets

For by sou l , I ' l l ne 'er acknowledge thee . '

From the vantage point of the 20th Centur y i t i s d i f f i cu l t to imag ine that

a young g i r l would have so l i t t le choice of her own dest iny. Ju l ie t ' s

mother i s surpr i s ing ly unsympathet ic to her daughter s ' p l ight ;

'Do as thou wi l t , for I have done with thee . '

Such lack of choice i s normal in the wor ld of Romeo and Ju l ie t . Th is i s

emphas i sed by the nur se ’s react ion to Ju l ie t ' s pred icament . In her

op in ion , i t i s best that Ju l ie t 'mar r y wi th the county ' . She v iews h im as a

gent leman and be l ieves that 'Romeo's a d i sh c lout to h im' . The s i tuat ion

in which Ju l ie t f inds her se l f revea l s a d i s turb ing aspect to E l i zabethan

soc iety. Ever y s ing le char acter that should care for Ju l ie t i s wi l l ing to


23

sacr i f i ce her in order to ser ve the i r own hypocr i t i ca l ends . As a resu l t ,

Ju l ie t sees no way out of her d i lemma except death .

' I f a l l e l se fa i l myse l f have power to d ie . '

(b) Whi le the wor ld in which Romeo and Ju l ie t i s an ut ter ly fasc inat ing

one , i t d id not appea l to me . I t s v io lence , hypocr i sy and s t i f l ing lack of

ind iv idua l i ty r un contr ar y to modern sens ib i l i t ies . I t must be sa id that the

wor ld in which Romeo and Ju l ie t l i ve i s a t r ag ic one . In the end , the

lover s pay the u l t imate pr ice for l i v ing in th i s wor ld . The i r pass ion ,

innocence and profound love for one another are not s t rong enough to

overcome the v io lent hatred that resu l t s in the i r deaths .

20021. Se lect a p lay you have s tud ied .

• Give an account of a dr amat ic scene or par t o f the p lay.

• How was the dr ama created?

Base your answer on the text s tud ied . I f you wish you may a l so

make re ference to a theatre per formance or a f i lm ver s ion you have seen

of the p lay.

OR


24

2. P lays dea l wi th many interest ing themes .

• Se lect a p lay you have s tud ied .

• Out l ine a theme in i t you found interest ing .

• Would you cons ider the theme to be re levant to your own l i fe and/or

to the wor ld around you? Exp la in your answer wi th re ference to the

p lay.

20011. From a p lay s tud ied by you choose E ITHER the funn iest OR the most

t r ag ic scene . Give a br ie f summar y of the scene and expla in what made

i t e i ther ver y funny or ver y t r ag ic .

OR

2 . From a p lay you have s tud ied choose two char acter s in conf l i c t wi th

each other.

Name and br ie f ly descr ibe each char acter.

What would you say were the va lues/pr inc ip les that were impor tant to

each char acter ?


Romeo & Juliet Sample Answers

Documents

Transcript of Romeo & Juliet Sample Answers