1. William Shakespeare

2.  Based on narrative poem written by Arthur Brooke: The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Juliet Young man and fourteen-year-old girl fall in love at first sight Had to die because they married unwisely and against wishes of parents  Differs from Shakespeare’s play; he says that fate has doomed them to disaster, leaves it up to the stars; “star-crossed lovers”

3.  Verona– city in Italy  Two families whose feud has lasted for generations

4.  Juliet: daughter to Capulet, takes the lead in the romance, lyrical use of language, has premonitions but does not act on  them, isolated, only one in the play to guess the outcome  Tybalt: Juliet’s cousin, foil to Romeo, passionate, prideful, easily provoked, high-spirited, hot-blooded, fiery nature,  inflexible, single set of absolutes  Nurse: Juliet’s nurse, stereotypical, arrogant, garrulous, ignorant, bawdy, uncultivated, old and infirm, fickle, wants the“best for Juliet” (translated: wants Juliet married to anyone), looks at love as “animal lust”, comic  Capulet: Juliet’s father, impatient, loves Juliet but is misguided in his love, querulous, inflexible, old, looks at love as a good match

5.  Romeo: son of Montague, isolated, passionate, idealistic, naive, has premonitions but does not act on them, helpless  Mercutio: kinsman to Prince and friend of Romeo, witty, honorable, intelligent, loves word play, amiable, could be voice of reason but underestimates Romeo’s passion, his death makes the tragedy inevitable  Benvolio: Montague nephew, friend of Romeo, peacemaker Other important characters  Paris: a count, betrothed to Juliet  Friar Laurence: Romeo’s counselor, loved and respected, attempts to do what is “right”

6.  Pun  Foreshadowing  Dialogue  Monologue  Soliloquy  Aside  Rhetoric  Blank verse  Iambic pentameter  Couplets

7.  Conflict Exposition (Act 1) Rising action (Act II) Crisis, turning point (Act III) Falling action (Act IV) Climax/Resolution (Act V)  Tragedy Tragic hero Tragic flaw  Comedy

8. A tragic hero is of noble birth, meaning that he is royalty. AND/OR A tragic hero has a noble disposition, meaning that he is a good person (better than most people) at some point in the play. A tragic hero suffers a reversal of fortune, meaning that he has everything at one point in the play and then loses it. A tragic hero recognizes the consequences of his actions. A tragic hero has a tragic flaw, a defect in his character (i.e. hubris), that leads to his downfall. The audience watches the actions of the tragic hero and is moved to pity and fear.