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 was born in:

A: London

B: France

C: Verona

D: Stratford-on-Avon

Review

How many children did Shakespeare have?

A: 1

B: 2

C: 3

D: 4

E: 5

Review

Shakespeare’s father was an important Politician.

A: True

B: False

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

The Globe has no roof over most of it.

A: True

B: False

Review

You can see the original Globe theatre in London today!

A: True

B: False

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”

Where’s the comedy?

Two renowned comic characters in Romeo and Juliet are:

Mercutio

The nurse

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

Prose is made up of verse (poetry) that has iambic pentameter.

A: True

B: False

Review

The upper class characters in the play will be more likely to speak in:

A: Blank Verse

B: Prose

Setting of Romeo and Juliet:

Verona, Italy

Mantua

13th – 14th Century

Rich and Elegant

Romeo: Our Tragic Hero

Romeo Montague16 years old

Only child

In love with Rosaline

Impulsive

Eventually Exiled

Juliet: The Beautifully Tragic Heroine

Juliet Capulet13 years old

Only child

Innocent

Independent

Other Characters

Mercutio (Montague)Tybalt (Capulet)Nurse (Juliet’s Nurse)ParisFriar LawrenceMontague and Lady MontagueCapulet and Lady Capulet

Minor Characters

Escalus, Prince of Verona

Samson & Gregory

Benvolio

Friar John

Balthasar

Abraham

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

What were Juliet and Romeo’s ages?A: 13 and 16

B: 16 and 19

C: 13 and 25

D: 15 and 18

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

Symbols

THUMB-BITING

-Flicking the thumbnail (insult)

-Foolishness of feud between families

Mood

Love between Romeo & Juliet = Happy

Verona = Ugly, harsh, cruel b/c of feud

End of Romeo

& Juliet = Tragedy

Whew!

Now we’re ready to read!!

Any Questions??