INTRODUCTION

Romeo and Juliet

A QUICK RUN-DOWN

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o+and+juliet

BACKGROUND

Play was written around 1595 and was very

popular in its time
The play is a tragedy (Old mate Wills plays
were divided into 3 genres; tragedies, histories
and comedies)
The circumstances of the play would have
appeared very different to the people of the
time because attitudes towards marriage,
courtship, honour, fate etc were radically
different from our present attitudes.

TRAGEDY DEFINED

A tragedy is a form of play in which a

happy and successful character suffers an
untimely death after a series of disasters.

Titanic

Into the
Wild

WHATS THE DEAL?

The story is, of course, about a pair of star-crossed lovers. Two

teenagers pursue their love for each other despite the fact that
their families have been at odds with each other for decades. The
story combines sword fighting, disguise, misunderstanding, tragedy,
humour, and some of the most romantic language found in
literature all in the name of true love

So who is who?

THE MONTAGUES

Romeo son to Montague.

Benvolio nephew to Montague & friend to Romeo.
Balthasar servant & friend to Romeo.
Mercutio friend to Romeo.
Lady Montague wife to Lord Montague.
Montague Romeos father and head of the family.
Friar Lawrence a local priest, friend of Romeo.

THE CAPULETS

Paris a young nobleman.

Juliet daughter to Capulet.
Capulet Juliets father and head of the family.
Lady Capulet wife to Lord Capulet.
Nurse servant & Nurse to Juliet.
Tybalt nephew to the Capulets

KEY THEMES

1.
2.
3.
4.

The nature of love

Individual versus society
The inevitability of Fate
Youth Versus Age

LANGUAGE

Shakespeares language is one of the elements that

makes his work so magical.
The play is full of metaphors
Shakespeare also uses poetic form and punning to help
his characterisation.
Characters with status and intelligence speak in verse,
while characters from the lower classes speak only in
prose. This creates a contrast between them.
Romeo and Juliet share a sonnet, the traditional form
used for love poetry, when they first speak to each other.
This highlights the shared attraction and genuine nature
of the love that is growing.
Dont stress- we will go into this deeper throughout the
unit!

BASICALLY.

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