Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 1 (1hr 45mins) Section A: 50 minute response
Section A: 50 minute response – Extract to whole
Plot:
Prologue: Refers to an ill-fated couple with its use of the word
“star-crossed”. It does not merely set the scene of Romeo and
Juliet, it also tells the audience exactly what is going to happen.
Act One: In Italy, two noble families (the Montagues and Capulets)
are feuding yet again. Romeo is in love with Rosaline, who rejects
his love. As a result, he is depressed. To cure Romeo of his
lovesickness, Benvolio persuades him to attend a masked ball at
the Capulets, where he might see prettier girls and therefore forget
about Rosaline. Romeo meets Juliet and they instantly fall in love
with one another. Tybalt hears Romeo’s voice at the ball and is
furious that a Montague has dared to attend.
Act Two: Romeo stands beneath Juliet’s balcony. He sees Juliet
leaning over the railing, hears her calling out his name and wishes
that he wasn’t a Montague. He reveals his presence and they
resolve, after a passionate exchange, to be married secretly.
Act Three: Romeo returns from his recent marriage to Juliet and
encounters Tybalt, who challenges Romeo to a duel. Unbeknownst
to all present, Tybalt is now Romeo’s kinsman by marriage so
Romeo refuses. Mercutio is livid with Romeo’s refusal and fights
with Tybalt who underhandedly kills Mercutio. Furious by the
death of his friend, Romeo kills Tybalt and takes shelter in the
Friar’s cell. The Prince exiles Romeo for his part in the fray.
Act Four: In despair, Juliet seeks Friar Lawrence’s advice. He gives
her a sleeping potion, which for a time will cause her to appear
dead. Thus, on the day of her supposed marriage to Paris, she will
be carried to the family vault. By the time she awakens, Romeo will
be summoned to the vault and take her away to Mantua.
Act Five: The Friar’s letter fails to reach Romeo. When he hears of
Juliet’s death, Romeo procures a deadly poison from an apothecary
and secretly returns to Verona to say his last farewell to his
deceased wife and die by her side. When Juliet awakens from her
deep sleep, she realises Romeo’s error and kills herself with his
dagger. The Capulets and Montague decide to reconcile as a result
of the deaths of their children.
Assessment Objectives:
AO1 (40%) - Make an informed personal response using a critical
style. Use textual references, including quotations, to support and
illustrate interpretations.
AO2 (40%) - Analyse the language, form and structure used by a
writer to create meanings and effects, using relevant subject
terminology where appropriate.
AO3 (20%) - Show understanding of the relationships between
texts & the contexts in which they were written.
AO4 (4 marks) - Use a range of vocabulary and sentence structures
for clarity, purpose and effect, with accurate spelling and
punctuation
Significant characters: Themes in the play:
Romeo A young Montague. Not interested in violence, only love. Themes are important ideas which run through the play. You will
He’s passionate and sensitive yet also impulsive. He can come across them many times. They connect together the story,
be immature but his idealism and passion make him an the characters and the different acts and sections in the play.
empathetic character.
Juliet A young Capulet. Naïve and sheltered at the beginning, CONFLICT: A key driving force in the play  violence & hate
develops into a strong character. She is courageous and and it occurs between a range of  death,
determined, passionate, loyal, brave and tragic. characters: between warring households;  secrecy
within families; within friendship groups;  family
Friar Friend to both Romeo and Juliet. Father figure and jolly
Lawrence man. Kind, civic-minded, a proponent of moderation. and between members of the  youth vs age
communities. This conflict results in  individual vs
Also expert with potions and herbs.
violence. Violence opens the play and also society/religion
concludes it with the deaths of the two  order vs chaos
Nurse Like a mother to Juliet / confidante. Often says
inappropriate things. Her view of love is earthy and lovers. Note that the motif of light vs dark  appearance vs
is also linked to many of these themes. reality
sexual, whereas Juliet is idealistic and intense.
Lord Patriarch. Juliet’s father. Prudent and caring but can fly LOVE: The love Romeo and Juliet share is  conflict
Capulet into rage if respect is lacking. Loves Juliet but social status beautiful, passionate, exhilarating,  courtly love
means he commands respect and obedience from all. transformative and they are willing to give  marriage
Mercutio Romeo’s close friend. Witty, bawdy, cynical and a hot- everything for it. But it is also chaotic and  sex
headed character. Kinsman to the Prince, loyal, proud destructive, bringing death to friends,  youth
and loved by his peers. family and to themselves. It is worth  fate
Benvolio Romeo’s cousin. Tries to keep the peace and keep noting that the motif of light vs dark is
Romeo’s mind off of Rosaline. Makes genuine effort to also linked to many of these themes.
diffuse the violence and offers a listening ear to Romeo.
Prince Leader of Verona, concerned with keeping order between FATE: No matter how much they love each  love
the warring families. Holds political power and is other or what plans they make, their  authority
frustrated by social unrest and defiance of the struggles against fate only help fulfil it. But  conflict
Montagues and Capulets. defeating or escaping fate is not the point.  death and grief
Tybalt Juliet’s cousin. Obsessed by family honour; quick to draw No one escapes fate. It is Romeo and  masculinity
his sword. A proud man who cannot lose face. Hates Juliet's determination to struggle against  religion
Montagues. Vain, aggressive and violent. fate in order to be together, whether in  family
life or death that shows the fiery passion  tragedy
of their love and which makes that love
eternal.
Minor characters: Stretch yourself:
Lady Capulet  Whilst analysing an extract, quickly refer out to other parts of the play.
Peter  Watch different performances of key scenes to provide you with ‘ammunition’ when
Gregory discussing form.
Lord Montague  Listen to an audio version – abridged and unabridged.
Balthasar  Consider different critical perspectives.
Sampson  Appreciate audiences then and now (values, ideas, etc).
Abram  Learn about Aristotelian tragedy.
Lady Montague  According to Aristotle, "the structure of the best tragedy should not be simple but complex
and one that represents incidents arousing fear and pity—for that is peculiar to this form of
Revise these characters by linking art. Revise: fatal flaw, hamartia, catharsis, tragic hero, protagonist, antagonist, comic relief,
them to the main characters. external and internal conflict and poetic justice.
 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare AQA GCSE English Literature Paper 1 (1hr 45mins) Section A: 50 minute response – Extract to whole
Shakespeare’s Literary techniques / Methods (AO2) Themes Understanding AO2 Context AO3
Foreshadowing Alliteration Love Language: the writer’s choice of Duelling and the concept of honour: Maintaining the honour of your
Asides Blank verse Fate words and their effect. family name was hugely important at the time. If you were challenged
Stage directions Iambic pentameter Authority to a duel and you refused, you would be deemed a coward, thus
Timing Imagery Conflict Structure: how the plot is damaging your honour and the status of your family. Most Elizabethan
Stichomythia Oxymoron Death and Grief ordered and put together. The gentlemen carried swords in public and many did fight in the streets.
Pathetic fallacy Personification Parent/Child relationship organisation of the narrative, Courtly Love & cures for lovesickness: common in medieval literature
Exits Poetic verse Youth and Age how it begins develops and where a knight was consumed with passion for an unattainable
noblewoman; Romeo fits this perfectly. Elizabethan doctors saw
Entrances Prose Women ends.
unrequited love or desire as a disease, a type of melancholy sometimes
Dramatic Irony Pun Hypocrisy and Prejudice
called lovesickness. They tried various cures and sometimes sent
Soliloquy Sonnet Power and Ambition Form: the text type that the patients to church to confess to a priest. They believed that if
Rhyming couplets Masculinity writer uses and what it shows lovesickness was left untreated, it could lead to madness.
Metaphor about the writer's intentions, Role of women in a patriarchal society: Elizabethan England was a
Simile characters or key themes. society controlled by men. Women were seen as the weaker sex and
Hyperbole were expected to be meek and mild, and most importantly, obedient to
Plot summary: their fathers and later their husbands.
Prologue Introduction to the tragedy 3.2 Juliet forgives Romeo. Arranged marriages: Marriages amongst the wealthy were arranged by
1.1 Montagues and Capulets fight. 3.3 Friar Lawrence advises Romeo. parents in order to match or improve social standing. However, in
Romeo is love-sick. practice, parents did try to choose someone their child liked and was
1.2 Romeo reluctantly agrees to go to the Capulet party. 3.4 Capulet promises Juliet to Paris. happy to marry. Secret marriages such as that between the young
1.3 Her mother urges Juliet to marry Count Paris. 3.5 Romeo and Juliet sleep together. Romeo and Juliet would have been both illegal and shocking.
Juliet refuses to marry Paris. The Italian setting of the play: The play is set in Italy, which was known
1.4 Mercutio urges Romeo not to give in to the misery of love. 4.1 Friar Lawrence’s potion plan for Juliet. for its warring states. It is also a Catholic country; religion was extremely
1.5 Romeo and Juliet fall in love at the party. 4.2 Juliet ‘gives in’ to her parents. important and marriage vows were seen as sacred – once made, they
2.1 Romeo escapes his friends. 4.3 Juliet takes the potion. could not be broken.
2.2 Romeo and Juliet exchange love vows on her balcony. 4.4 Preparations for the wedding. Social context: Patriarchal society, women and their role in society.
2.3 Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet. 4.5 Juliet found ‘dead’. Historical context: Reigning monarch was Elizabeth I.
2.4 Romeo arranges to marry Juliet. 5.1 Romeo hears of Juliet’s ‘death’. Cultural context: Includes religion, beliefs and superstitions.
2.5 Nurse reports back to Juliet. 5.2 Friar Lawrence hears that his message didn’t get through. Shakespeare’s theatre, the conventions and experience of being at The
2.6 The secret wedding. 5.3 Romeo and Juliet kill themselves. Globe
3.1 Mercutio and Tybalt killed in street fight. Romeo banished.
Important quotations:
- “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!” - “I will make a desperate tender / Of my child’s love. I think she will be - “How now wife, / have you delivered to her our decree?”
- “I have no joy in this contract tonight / It is too sudden, too rash, too ill- ruled / In all aspects by me.” - “Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. / Do as thou wilt, for I have
advised” ‘ - “Methinks I see you now you look so low / As one dead in the bottom of done with thee.”
- “Come death and welcome, Juliet wills it so.” a tomb.” “The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love.”
- “Art thou gone so, love lord, ay husband, friend?” - “Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on / The dashing rocks thy sea- - “Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love / Why then, O
- “Banishment? Be merciful, say Death” sick weary bark.” brawling love, O loving hate.”
- “Let two more summers wither in their pride / Ere we may think her - “More light and light, more dark and dark our woes.” - “Behold this night / Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light.”
ripe to be a bride.” - “And you be mine, I’ll give you to my friend; / And you be not, hang, - “He that hath the steerage of my course / Direct my sail
- “For this alliance may so happy prove / To turn your households’ beg, starve, die in the streets.” - “This intrusion shall / Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt’rest gall.”
rancour to pure love.” - “Come weep with me, past hope, past cure, past help.” - “Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon.”
- “The love–devouring Death do what he dare, / It is enough I may but - “I will do it without fear or doubt, / To live an unstained wife to my - “Within the infant rind of this weak flower / Poison hath residence, and
call her mine.” sweet love.” medicine power.”
- “Away to heaven, respective lenity, / And fire-eyed fury be my conduct - “My dismal scene I needs must act alone.” - “Thou detestable maw, thou womb of death, / Gorged with the dearest
now.” - “O mischief, thou art swift / To enter in the thoughts of desperate morsel of the earth.”
- “O woe! O woeful, woeful day! / Most lamentable day, most woeful men.” - “A greater power than we can contradict / Hath thwarted our intents.”
day.” - “See what a scourge is laid upon your hate, / That heaven finds a - “A plague on both your houses!”
- “Your looks are pale and wild, and do import / Some misadventure.” means to kill your joys with love.” - “O I am Fortune’s Fool!”