Romeo & Juliet

REMEDIAL (Act 5 & Revision)

Agenda
Revision
Themes in Romeo & Juliet
Characters in Romeo & Juliet

Themes in R&J
There are many themes in Romeo & Juliet
Listed below are a few of them
1. Love vs Hate
2. Fate
3. Individual vs Society
4. Violence
5. Light vs Dark

Love vs Hate
Love is obviously one of the primary themes in
the play
But there are many variations of love within it
Romantic Love (mature vs immature)
Brotherly Love (friendship)
Religious Love (religious piety)
Familial Love (family)

Which characters display this love?

Fate

Romeo: Oh I am fortunes fool! (Act 3, Sc 1)

What does this quote mean?
Fate plays a large part in R&J
The coincidences and accidents which by
themselves are not tragic but combined
together lead to the great tragedy

Fate
Provide some examples of those incidences
and circumstances which lead to the great
tragedy at the end of the play
Love between two feuding households
Romeos banishment
Plague quarantine
Letter not sent to Romeo
Wedding date brought forward
Romeo misses on clues
Juliet wakes too late

Individual vs Society
What does this mean?
Romeo & Juliet defy societal convention by
marrying who they love instead of a partner
chosen by their parents
Individuals vs society
Are they selfish?
What do their actions lead to?

Violence
Violence is a continually recurring theme
within the play
Physical violence (fights, deaths)
Familial violence (father forcing daughter to marry
who he chooses)
Mental violence (sorrow, tragedy)
Violence even against the audience?
Forcing them to come to terms with the nature of
violence and death

Light vs Dark
Inversion of light and dark
It is in the dark where Romeo and Juliet can
meet
What does this show about their relationship?
Light is where violence and death takes place
(Tybalt, Mercutio, Romeo)
Romeo and Juliet constantly referred to as
figures of light and dark

Characters
Montagues
Lord & Lady Montague
Romeo
Benvolio

Capulets
Lord & Lady Capulet
Juliet
Tybalt

Other Characters
Paris
Mercutio
Nurse

Prince Escalus
Friar Lawrence

What traits and events are each of these

characters involved in?

The End