2. Facts One of Shakespeare’s most popular and most performed plays
Based on an Italian tale translated into verse
Expanded the plot and added characters
Loosely based on the Greek myth “Pyramus and Thisbe”
Written between

3. Setting
Time: Renaissance (14th or 15th century)
Place: Verona, Italy

4. House of Montague Montague is the patriarch of the house of Montague.
Lady Montague is the matriarch of the house of Montague.
Romeo is the son of Montague, the play's male protagonist.
Benvolio is Romeo's cousin and best friend.
Abram and Balthasar are servants of the Montague household.

5. House of Capulet Capulet is the patriarch of the house of Capulet.
Lady Capulet is the matriarch of the house of Capulet.
Juliet is the 13-year-old daughter of Capulet, the play's female protagonist.
Tybalt is a cousin of Juliet, the nephew of Lady Capulet.
The Nurse is Juliet's personal attendant and confidante.
Rosaline is Lord Capulet's niece, Romeo's love in the beginning of the story.
Peter, Sampson, and Gregory are servants of the Capulet household.

6. Ruling House of Verona Prince Escalus is the ruling Prince of Verona.
Count Paris is a kinsman of Escalus who wishes to marry Juliet.
Mercutio is another kinsman of Escalus, a friend of Romeo.

7. Others Friar Laurence is a Franciscan friar and Romeo's confidant.
Friar John is sent to deliver Friar Laurence's letter to Romeo.
An Apothecary who reluctantly sells Romeo poison.
A Chorus reads a prologue to each of the first two acts.

8. Themes Young love: language and courtship
Fate and chance: Are the events caused by fate or the characters’ actions?
Duality: light and dark, black and white, loyalty to family or loyalty to love
Time: 103 references throughout the play
The individual versus society

9. William Shakespeare 1564: Born in Stratford-upon-Avon
Learned Latin and studied Greek and Roman Classical literature as a child.
His plays were highly influenced by these texts.
1590s: Began acting professionally and writing plays in London.
1599: The Globe Theatre was constructed, in which many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed.
1616: Died in Stratford-upon-Avon.

11. Tragedy
“Tragedy is, then, an enactment of a deed that is important and complete, and of a certain magnitude, by means of language enriched with ornaments, each used separately in the different parts of the play: it is enacted, not merely recited, and through pity and fear it effects relief (catharsis) to such and similar emotions.” Aristotle, Poetics, VI 1449b 2-3

12. enactment
deed that is important
complete
of a certain magnitude
language enriched with ornaments
recited
through pity and fear it effects relief (catharsis) to such and similar emotions

13. Elements of a Tragedy Five acts Three unities:
action: a play should have one main action that it follows, with no or few subplots.
place: the action in a play should take place in only one setting.
time: the action in a play should take place over no more than 24 hours.
Main characters of noble rank
Several of the main characters along with the tragic hero die by the end, and order is finally restored.
No scenes of horror onstage

14. Shakespeare’s Innovations
General disregard for the established “rules” of tragedy, like the unities
Switching between comedy and tragedy
Expansion of minor characters
Use of subplots to embellish the story
Use of different types of poetry for different characters
New words and phrases

15. Tragic hero The protagonist of a tragedy.
The audience feels pity or sympathy towards him.
Shows hubris—pride or arrogance, the presumption that one’s mind alone can distinguish good and evil.
Has a tragic flaw—error in judgment.
Experiences a reversal of fortune.
Experiences a recognition of the error.

16. Examples Oedipus in Sophocles' Oedipus the King (429 BC).
Brutus in William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (1599).
Hamlet in Shakespeare's Hamlet (1601).
Lear in Shakespeare's King Lear (c ).
Macbeth in Shakespeare's Macbeth (c ).
Othello in Shakespeare's Othello (1604).
Batman/Bruce Wayne from the DC Universe (1939).
Spider-Man/Peter Parker from the Marvel Universe (1962).
Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader in George Lucas' Star Wars ( ).
William Wallace in Mel Gibson's Braveheart (1995).
Walt Kowalski in Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino (2008).
Harvey Dent in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight (2008).
Maximus in Ridley Scott's Gladiator (2000 film)

17. A laughing stock (The Merry Wives of Windsor)
A sorry sight (Macbeth)
As dead as a doornail (Henry VI)
Eaten out of house and home (Henry V, Part 2)
Fair play (The Tempest)
I will wear my heart upon my sleeve (Othello)
In a pickle (The Tempest)
In stitches (Twelfth Night)
In the twinkling of an eye (The Merchant Of Venice)
Mum's the word (Henry VI, Part 2)
Neither here nor there (Othello)
Send him packing (Henry IV)
Set your teeth on edge (Henry IV)
There's method in my madness (Hamlet)
Too much of a good thing (As You Like It)
Vanish into thin air (Othello
A dish fit for the gods (Julius Caesar)
It was Greek to me (Julius Caesar)
Itching palm (Julius Caesar) Lean and hungry look (Julius Caesar) Lie low (Much Ado about Nothing) Live long day (Julius Caesar)

18. Shakespeare’s Language
Iamb: an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable.
I do not like green eggs and ham.
I do not like them, Sam-I-am.
I do not like them in a box.
I do not like them with a fox.
I will not eat them here or there.
I will not eat them anywhere.

19. Blank verse: lines of iambic pentameter that do not rhyme
Iambic pentameter: a line of verse with five “feet”: five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables in a row.
Blank verse: lines of iambic pentameter that do not rhyme
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

20. Antiquated word forms
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

21. Reversed word order
…her eye in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night.

22. Figurative language
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, Who is already sick and pale with grief That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars As daylight doth a lamp…

23. Poetic Terms Petrarchan sonnet Shakespearean sonnet
Epithalamion: a poem written specifically for the bride on the way to her marital chamber
Rhapsody: a short work of epic poetry
Elegy: a poem of serious reflection, typically a lament for the dead

24. Acts I-II
Iambic pentameter: a line of verse with five “feet”: five pairs of unstressed and stressed syllables in a row.
Soliloquy: a long speech by a character alone onstage who reveals his thoughts and emotions to the audience.
Aside: dialogue intended for the audience or specific characters that is not heard by the other characters onstage.
Verbal irony: what is said is the opposite of what is meant.

25. Act III
Dramatic irony: The audience's or reader's knowledge of events or individuals surpasses that of the characters.
Monologue: a speech by one character given to other characters and/or the audience

26. Acts IV-V
Internal conflict (self vs. self): a struggle within a character between two opposing thoughts or possible courses of action
External conflict: a struggle between a character and an outside force
Between characters (self vs. others)
Between groups (self vs. society)
Between a character and nature or the supernatural (self vs. nature)

27. Tragedy: Tragedy arouses fear and pity in the audience and also may convey a sense of the nobility of the human spirit, even in the midst of suffering.
Tragic hero: The tragic hero is involved in a struggle that ends in disaster. This tragic hero is always a person of high rank who inevitably comes to ruin.
Tragic flaw: an error in judgment made by the tragic hero that ultimately leads to his downfall
Character foil: a character who contrasts with the hero in order to highlight qualities of the hero

28. Essay ideas
In mid-century, writer Charles Gildon and philosopher Lord Kames argued that the play was a failure in that it did not follow the classical rules of drama: the tragedy must occur because of some character flaw, not an accident of fate.
Compare and contrast the characters of Romeo and Juliet. How do they develop throughout the play? What makes them fall in love with one another?
Romeo and Juliet may be the most famous pair of lovers in Western literature, but, seriously: is their love real, or is it just infatuation? Are they just melodramatic teenagers, or are they a model of romantic love? What proof does the play provide that their love is "real love," not just infatuation?
What would have happened to Romeo and Juliet if they hadn't died? Is their relationship sustainable over time? Do they have anything to offer each other once the initial burst of passion calmed down? Would Romeo move on from Juliet as quickly as he moved on from Rosaline?