Romeo and Juliet

1. Romeo and Juliet

2. All about Will • Born in 1564 to John & Mary Arden • Studied classical literature in Greek and Latin in grammar school • At 18, married Anne Hathaway(8 years his senior) • Had 3 children: Susana and twins Judith and Hamnet • 1587-1592-established in London as an actor/playwright

3. More about Will… • In 1592, he moved to London, leaving his family behind while he pursued a career as an actor and playwright • First work: Comedy of Errors • Died April 23, 1616

4. Died at 53 and wealthy Buried at Holy Trinity Church Good friend for Jesus sake for beare, To digg the dust enclosed heare: Blest be ye man ty spares these stones, And curst be he ty moves my bones Translated Good friend for Jesus sake forbear, To dig the dust enclosed here: Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he who moves my bones Shakespeare’s Death

5. Lord Chamberlain’s Men • Became partner in a theater company know as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men • Became popular in London in 1599 • Built their own playhouse, The Globe Theater

6. His Works Tragedies Romeo and Juliet Julius Caesar Romances The Tempest Histories The Life of Henry the Fifth Comedies A Midsummer Night’s Dream Much Ado About Nothing Also wrote 154 sonnets

7. Elizabethan vs. Modern Theater • Considered somewhat a vulgar and rowdy place • Actors sometimes arrested as vagabonds • Theaters sometimes shut down because of the content of the plays • Located on the outskirts of town; routinely shut down because of plague

8. Performances • Theaters used little scenery and few props • Audience had to imagine the setting according to how the characters described it • All actors were men and boys; improper for women to act in plays

9. Audience • Included people from all statuses: laboring people from the lower class, middle-class merchants, members of Parliament, and lords and ladies • Pickpockets mingled among the wild and noisy groundlings • Noble people sat on cushioned seats in the first-tier balcony • Plays were written for everyone: “from the most able, to him that can but spell”

10. Will’s Language • He actually introduced an estimated 3,000 new words into the English language: Bedazzle critical hurry Silliness obscene lonely Eyeball alligator puking Phrases he created *It’s Greek to me *Fair play *All that glitters is not gold *Break the ice *Too much of a good thing

11. Types of Characters • Tragic hero: a main character that has a tragic flaw (an error in judgment or defect in character that leads to downfall) • Foil: a character who contrasts with a central character in order to highlight each other’s strengths, and more usually weaknesses • Comic Relief: humorous character to break up the seriousness and emotional intensity

12. Types of Logues… • Dialogue-conversation between two or more people • Monologue-long speech made by one character • Soliloquy-speech delivered by a character alone on stage that reveals the characters thoughts and feelings • Aside-statement made by a character in a play that is meant to be heard by the audience only

13. Romeo and Juliet • Written between 1591-1595 • Based on Arthur Brooke’s The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet

14. Things to look for while reading • Puns • Allusions • Metaphor • Personification • Oxymoron • Paradox • Foreshadowing

15. Puns • A pun is a humorous play on words Mercutio-”Nay gentle Romeo, we must have your dance.” Romeo-”Not I, believe me. You have dancing shoes/ With nimble soles; I have a soul of lead…”

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

17. 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.”

18. Personification • Personification occurs when an inanimate object or concept is given the qualities of a person or animal. Juliet-”For though 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.”

19. Oxymorons • An oxymoron describes when two juxtaposed words have opposing or very diverse meanings. Juliet-”Beautiful tyrant! Fiend angelical!”

20. Paradoxes • A paradox is a statement or situation with seemingly contradictory or incompatible components. Juliet-”O serpent heart, hid with a flowering face!”

21. 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.”

22. Themes • Light and dark • Time • Fate

23. Light and Dark • Look for references to light and dark: • References to “light” words, such as “torches,” “the sun,” and adjectives that describe light(bright) • References to “dark” words, such as “night” and “gloom”

24. Time • Look for references to time: • References to “time” words, such as “hours” • References to the passage of time, especially if it seems “rushed”

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

26. The Montagues • Romeo • Montague • Lady Montague • Benvolio • Balthasar Lady Montague Lord Montague Baltthasar Romeo

27. The Capulets • Juliet • Capulet • Lady Capulet • Tybalt • Nurse Juliet Lady Capulet Nurse Lord Capulet Tybalt

28. The Others Mercutio • Mercutio • Friar Lawrence • Paris • Prince Paris Prince Friar Lawrence

29. The Setting • Verona and Mantua, Italy