Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare: A Brief Biography Born in April 1564 at Stratford-on-Avon John Shakespeare (father) tanner, glover, dealer in grain town official (alderman, and later mayor) Mary (mother) daughter of Robert Arden, a prosperous gentleman-farmer.

Shakespeare: A Brief Biography Married Anne Hathaway in 1582 Three children born: Susanna, Judith, and Hamnet By 1590, he was an actor and playwright Leader of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men and the King’s Men died April 23, 1616

Shakespeare: A Brief Biography He was buried in Stratford; the inscription on his tombstone reads. . .

Shakespeare: A Brief Biography “Good Friend, for Jesus’ sake, forbear To dig the dust enclosed here; Blest be the man that spares these stones And curst be he that moves my bones.”

Best Known For… 37 plays, including Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Midsummer Night’s Dream, and of course, Romeo and Juliet The exact year in which William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet is unknown, but it is definitely one of his earlier works, and one of only two tragedies written in the period from 1590 to 1595 155 poems, all written in the same style, known as The Shakespearean Sonnet

The Shakespearean Sonnet 14 lines Rhyme Scheme: abab cdcd efef gg Iambic pentameter The last two lines are a rhyming couplet Shakespeare’s plays are also written in couplets and iambic pentameter, except for when the servants or comical characters speak. There are even sonnets in his plays.

All the World’s a Stage… Shakespeare wrote hundreds of poems, but he is best known for his plays. The playwright develops a story through dialogue, monologues, and staging. The director helps actors perform the play the way it was intended.

The Globe Theater

The Globe Theater He wrote his plays to be performed in the Globe Theater. It was built in 1599 and burned down 14 years later in 1613. It was an 8 sided building with a central yard.

The Globe Theater Spectators’ price of admissions was one penny - to stand in yard around stage (these were called the groundlings) two pennies - to sit in 2nd and 3rd floor galleries three pennies - to sit in the first floor galleries

The Globe Theater Stage 1/3 of yard was filled with 6ft high platform no curtain no artificial lighting back wall had at least two doors balcony was used for hilltops, walls of cities, or second story scenes. trapdoors were used to raise or lower actors and props.

The Globe Theater Take a tour of the new Globe Theater. . . . Shakespeare's Globe Theatre

Romeo and Juliet The plot was based on a fourteenth-century Italian short story, or novella, written by Matteo Bandello, that included elements of history, tradition, romance, and fable. Both the short story and the play bear many similarities to the myth of Pyramus and Thisbe from ancient Greece

Review of Important Literary Terms Plot (exposition, rising action – including internal and external conflict, climax, falling action, resolution) Characterization (round, flat, dynamic, static, protagonist, antagonist) Foreshadowing Epithet Irony (situational, dramatic, verbal) Figurative language (including hyperbole, simile, metaphor, personification, etc) Imagery

New Terms We Need to Know: Foil~ a secondary character who has enough in common to serve as a contrast to point out traits of a primary character Example: Who would be Atticus’s foil? Pun~A play on two words similar in sound but different in meaning. Example: I work as a baker because I knead dough. See punoftheday.com Oxymoron~ term formed by joining words that seem to contradict one another Example: deafening silence, bittersweet

Extended Metaphor~ metaphor extended throughout a stanza or an entire poem, usually by using multiple comparisons between the unlike objects or ideas (also called conceit) Couplet~ Two lines -the second line immediately following the first- of the same metrical length that end in a rhyme Enjambment~ running over from one line to the next without a pause / punctuation break Shakespearean Sonnet~ 14 line poem with an ABABCDCDEFEFGG rhyme scheme Iambic Pentameter~ see later handout Blank Verse~ see later handout

Aside~a short passage spoken by one character to the audience while the other actors on stage pretend their characters cannot hear the speaker's words. Tragedy~ a narrative about serious and important actions that ends unhappily (usually w/ the deaths of the main characters). Soliloquy~ a speech that a character gives to himself – no other characters are onstage Dialogue~ lines spoken between characters Monologue~ a speech that a character gives alone – but others may be onstage Stage Directions~ parts of the script written by the playwright as unspoken directions for the characters

CHARACTERS The Montagues The Capulets Lord Montague Lord Capulet Lady Montague lady Capulet Benvolio, nephew Juliet, daughter Romeo, son Tybalt, nephew Servants Nurse (Juliet’s nanny) Servants The Others: Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend Escalus, Prince of Verona Paris, count of Verona Friar Lawrence, spiritual leader of Verona Friar John, friend of Friar Lawrence Apothecary

Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is as much about hate as love Although Romeo and Juliet is considered one of the world’s greatest love stories, it can be argued that the love story is only a vehicle for the resolution of the story about hate, that is, the feud between the two families.

Themes in Romeo and Juliet Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work. Unit Essential Question: How can literature explore universal themes of love and loss?

Themes in Romeo and Juliet 1. The Forcefulness of Love and Attraction Focus on romantic love Nature of infatuation vs. lasting love Love is blind (for better and worse) Love as overpowering force Family Friends Can lead to violence

Themes in Romeo and Juliet 2. The Individual Versus Society Romeo and Juliet against. . . Family Law Religion Honor

Themes in Romeo and Juliet 3. The Inevitability of Fate Straight path or series of crossroads? “Star-crossed Lovers” Feud Series of Unfortunate Events Bad Timing

Themes in Romeo and Juliet 3. The Generation Gap ~ Parents just don’t understand ~ Youth is pure

Prologue CHORUS: In the beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes place, a long-standing hatred between two families erupts into new violence, and citizens stain their hands with the blood of their fellow citizens. Two unlucky children of these enemy families become lovers and commit suicide. Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their parents' feud. For the next two hours, we will watch the story of their doomed love and their parents' anger, which nothing but the children's deaths could stop. If you listen to us patiently, we'll make up for everything we've left out in this prologue onstage.