Hello lovely year 11 at both St Joseph’s and Mountbatten.
You are probably feeling anxious about tomorrow. Don’t. You are ready; you are prepared. If however you have a question that is bothering you – act now! Email me or write a comment on this blog with your question.
If there is anything you would like me to do a quick blog on let me know.
Get a good night’s sleep tonight and don’t fret. You will be brilliant.
Mrs P/ Scoffs! x
A playlist with videos analysing Juliet, Friar Lawrence, Lord Capulet and Romeo.
Enjoy!
Mrs P x
A)How does Shakespeare present Juliet’s father in Act 3 scene 5?
Shakespeare presents Juliet’s father in a negative light; he is seen as controlling and aggressive in Act 3 Scene 5.
In the 1500s a family’s reputation and status was important and Capulet shows this attitude by arranging the marriage between his daughter Juliet and Paris. He sees this as a way of enhancing his family’s status in Verona by using his daughter like a pawn to marry the rich and powerful Paris. Shakespeare says that Capulet asks his wife “Have you delivered to her our decree.” Shakespeare uses the word ‘decree’ here to show the dictatorial and ruling nature of Capulet. Juliet is his property to make decisions about as he sees fit. This clearly engages the audience to dislike Capulet and feel sympathy for Juliet as she is the victim of her father’s controlling and scheming nature.
However, when Juliet refuses to marry Paris he quickly turns to anger and shows his aggressive side. Shakespeare makes Capulet use a wide range of exclamation marks and questions marks that he fires at Juliet which further demonstrates his aggressive and angry nature, such as “How now, How now, chop-logic! What is this?” Shakespeare also gets Capulet to fire a nasty range of insults at Juliet to show his displeasure at her refusal, such as “tallow-face, minion, unworthy, carrion, baggage.” Shakespeare uses these terms to show how little Capulet thinks of his daughter and clearly shows he believes that Capulet is in the wrong and that the audience should feel sympathy for Juliet and how she is unfairly treated by her own father.
B) Do you think the adults in the play are good role models to the younger generation? Refer closely to different parts of the play in your answer.
Shakespeare tends to present the adults in the play as poor role models. The fathers of the families, Capulet and Montague have allowed their pettiness and ‘ancient grudge’ poison the futures of their children through the deaths of Tybalt, Mercutio, Paris and Romeo and Juliet. They do not show any contrition for their feud until after the death of these 5 individuals. However, Capulet does tell Tybalt to ‘endure’ the presence of Romeo at the party in Act 1 Scene 5 when the young Capulet wants to cause a scene, which could suggest he knows when to show restraint in certain situations.
The Friar can be seen as good adult role model in the play. When Romeo falls in love with he sees a possible repairing of the relationship between the two families and to “turn your households’ rancour to pure love”. Even though he agrees to a secret marriage his overall aim is to bring about peace and restoration which shows he has a strong moral core in everything he does. Furthermore, he instructs Romeo and Juliet at the wedding service to “love moderately” which suggest Shakespeare’s attitudes that young lovers should work towards a more mature relationship and look beyond the first flush of love towards a relationship of stability. Friar Lawrence also criticises Romeo after he has killed Tybalt when he says “hold thy desperate hand, art thou a man?” which suggests that Romeo should have been more mature and turned away rather than kill Tybalt, showing that the Friar is keen to show Romeo how to act maturely. Shakespeare raises the question of adults taking responsibility for their own actions and shows the Friar do this towards the end of the play when he is desperately trying to contact Romeo. He says “If aught in this, miscarried by my fault: let my old life be sacrificed.” Which demonstrates his willingness to suffer the consequences of losing his own life if his plan causes the death of others. This clearly shows the audience a high level of maturity and responsibility that Romeo doesn’t display at the end of the play.
How does Shakespeare present the relationship between Juliet and her parents?
Shakespeare presents the relationship between Juliet and her parents in many different ways. Firstly, the relationship between her father and herself displays many similarities through their headstrong personalities. The relationship with her mother is very different, Lady Capulet is quite subservient, but also vain and selfish like a husband, whereas Juliet is more principled and moral and will challenge them both. Shakespeare presents the relationships as complex and dynamic that raises issues of gender inequality that reflects the context of when the play was written.
The personalities of Lord Capulet and Juliet share many similarities. Capulet shows a sensitive and principled side to his character when he first talks to Paris of the proposed marriage to Juliet does seem to show some care for his daughter and her viewpoints about the marriage when he says, “my will to her consent is but a part” which suggests that he will accept whoever she chooses to marry rather than marry who he decides. However, this sensitive attitude soon changes in Act 3 Scene 5 when Juliet refuses to marry Paris; Capulet’s domineering personality comes to the fore. He uses lots of aggressive language and punctuation to display his anger. For example, “I will drag you the honour hurdle thither!” which suggests a violent and aggressive action to ensure that she will marry Paris. He also uses very negative language such as “green sickness, carrion, baggage,” which shows that he sees Juliet is almost like a lifeless corpse but also a piece of meat that can be bought or sold which links very clearly to his intention to make her marry Paris like a business transaction.
Juliet shows similar characteristics to her father in her strong will and her unwillingness not to yield anyone else’s will but her own. In Act 3 Scene 5, when Capulet tells her of the proposed marriage to Paris, he accuses her of not being proud of what he’s done for her. She replies that she is “not proud” but “thankful” which suggests that she is respectful of her father for trying to arrange the marriage but she clearly says “proud can I never be of what I hate” which strongly displays a negative attitude towards the match with Paris. This again shows her strong will that she will not do as her father says, but does it in a respectful way. When he rages against her in his aggressive way she uses the pleading term “beseech” to get him to listen to her. Again this shows her respectful attitude but also her willingness to stand firm in her beliefs. Shakespeare presents the similarities between the two characters that Capulet domineering attitude will which leads Juliet to make the very wilful decision to commit suicide as it was the only way out of her predicament. Shakespeare could be suggesting that because of the patriarchal domination of Capulet’s towards his daughter he transfers those qualities to Juliet, but when she shows those qualities he reacts angrily. Also, Shakespeare could be suggesting that the aggressive patriarchal male dominated society of the late 1500s leads to the alienation of young females through Juliet and eventually with tragic consequences of her death.
The relationship between mother and daughter is very different. The mother does show a similar obsession with status and social standing like her husband, but Lady Capulet does not show a strong will. In Act 1 Scene 3, she talks to Juliet that “you shall share all that he possess” when she refers to Juliet possibly marrying Paris. This shows her materialistic and selfish attitude towards ownership and that the marriage is all about money and social standing. Conversely, when Juliet pleads with her mother to help her after Capulet’s rage in Act 3 Scene 5, Lady Capulet just says “I have done with thee” which shows that she is abandoning her motherly duties to protect her daughter from the domination of her father which leaves Juliet no option but to seek a way out which eventually reached her suicide. Shakespeare could be implying here that women’s lack of power made it difficult for mothers to protect their daughters from the authoritarian actions of the father. He could be suggesting some sympathy for lady Capulet for the audience.
Finally, when we examine the effect of Juliet’s death on both the parents we see two very distinct and different responses. After her death Capulet realises his folly in the feud with the Montague’s. When he takes Montague’s hand he says that this is his “daughter’s jointure” where he believes that his daughter’s death has joined him together in peace with his mortal enemy. This shows that he has a realisation of what the grudge has done to his own daughter and to himself and seeks to make amends. He agrees to put up a statue of Romeo when he says “as rich shall Romeo’s by his lady lie poor sacrifices of our enmity” as he realises that the “enmity” of the feud has led to the sacrifice of his own daughter and also Montague son. This shows that he takes responsibility for the death of his own daughter and also the death of Montague’s son, as Montague does the other way round. However, Lady Capulet has a less flattering response. When she sees Juliet lying dead she can only say her death is “as a bell warms my old age to a sepulchre” which shows that Juliet reminds of her own impending death which could suggest that she is still self-centred and only focused on her own future rather than the loss of her daughter. Shakespeare could be accused of a rather negative viewpoint of women here as he presents her as shallow and self-centred, whereas Capulet is the character who seems contrite and able to be redeemable.
Overall, Shakespeare presents Juliet as similar to her father. They are both headstrong and possibly impulsive as his anger in Act 3 Scene 5 is very similar to her impulsive decision to commit suicide at the end of the play. Nonetheless, Juliet does teach him to forgive and make up with Montague. On the other hand, her mother is shown as weak, vain and self-centred and can only think of her own death when she sees her daughter’s dead body. Shakespeare presents Lady Capulet as a static character who does not change through the course of the tragedy. Whereas, Capulet, the, male is shown as a dynamic character who changes through the death of his daughter. So Shakespeare could be suggesting that men have the possibility of changing and reconciliation and self-awareness but yet women do not through the character of Lady Capulet. Yet, he does show Juliet as a strong willed female character who is young and impulsive but yet morally principled. Nevertheless, her recklessness in committing suicide could suggest an immaturity and a negative view of women. Although Capulet is shown as domineering character he does change after the tragic events, whereas both Lady Capulet and Juliet either don’t change or are destroyed by events which may suggest that their characters are weaker than men. This could show a rather misogynistic viewpoint from Shakespeare as he is a man in a world where women were not seen as strong characters. This is an interesting point as at the time Elizabeth I was ruling the country and is considered as a strong female figure, but yet Shakespeare could be inferring that women are weak in the play. Shakespeare does explore the complex dynamics between father and daughter and mother and daughter in a time when men dominated the lives of women and many fathers did decide who the children would marry. Shakespeare could be protesting against this social situation showing how the domination of parents could lead to the destruction of their children, not necessarily physically but emotionally. Shakespeare does show some hope and positivity through the healing of the feud between the families through the death of both the children. This could suggest that children can still redeem their parents no matter how bad or evil they may be, implying that parents are too blinded to see their faults only their children can see.
| AO1 – Critical/imaginative response to the question; select and evaluate quotations and textual detail to support interpretations | AO2 – Explain how language techniques, structural devices contribute to writer’s ideas/attitudes, themes and settings | ||
| Band | Mark | Specific Descriptors | |
| 6 | 34-40 marks
‘confident’ ‘assured’ |
· Assured response which is clearly critical and imaginative and linked to the question
· I confidently evaluate the play and how the audience is engaged · I present a sustained and developed appreciation of Shakespeare’s ideas and attitudes · Convincing interpretations of the deeper meanings with confident use of quotations and textual detail from the text to support · I clearly analyse the language techniques and structural devices · I select relevant quotations and textual detail to support my points |
|
| 5 | 27-33 marks
‘considered’ ‘thoughtful’ |
· Considered and thoughtful response which is critical and imaginative and linked to the question
· I evaluate the play and how the audience is engaged · I thoughtfully consider Shakespeare’s ideas and attitudes · Considered interpretations using thoughtful quotations and textual detail to support points · Thoughtful consideration of language techniques and structural devices with textual support |
|
| 4 | 20-26 marks
‘clear consistent’’ |
· Consistent response which is critical or imaginative and linked to the question
· Clear evaluation of the play and how the audience is engaged · Consistent understanding of Shakespeare’s ideas with relevant quotations · Clear interpretations using selected quotations and textual detail to support points · Consistent understanding language techniques and structural devices with relevant supporting detail |
|
| 3 | 13-19 marks
‘explained’ |
· Explained response linked to the question
· Explained response to Shakespeare ideas/attitudes · Explained interpretations using relevant quotations and textual detail · explained understanding of language techniques and structural devices supported by quotations and textual detail |
|
| 2 | 7-12 marks
‘some’ |
· Some response linked to the question
· Some knowledge of Shakespeare’s ideas supported with a range of quotations and textual detail · some knowledge of obvious language techniques and structural devices supported by some relevant quotations and textual detail |
|
| 1 | 1-6 marks
‘limited’ |
· limited response to the question
· limited knowledge of Shakespeare’s ideas with a limited range of textual detail and maybe some quotations · limited knowledge of obvious language techniques and structural devices |
|
| 0 | 0 marks | · Nothing worthy of credit | |
Grade Boundaries out of 40 (based on 2015 grade boundaries)
| C | D | E | F | G |
| 17 | 13 | 9 | 5 | 1 |
You will need to be prepared to answer a question on the following areas of Romeo and Juliet:
| Setting | Where the play is set and particular scenes and their significance to the themes, character, audience response and writer’s viewpoint |
| Characters | The main people in the play, key quotes and key actions and what those actions signify or mean for the whole story |
| Themes | The big ideas and issues of the play, such as love and violence, how they represent Shakespeare’s ideas/attitudes, how they are presented and how they engage the audience |
| Structure and Form and Narrative | The structure of the story and how this engages the audience through rising tension and dramatic irony |
| Language | The use of poetic language techniques such as metaphors, personification and other techniques to make the language interesting, engaging and thoughtful for the audience |
| Audience Response | Discuss how Shakespeare engages the audience in the story, language, characters and themes of the play and what emotions he generates in the audience to keep them intrigued into how the play will end |
| Writer’s Viewpoint | What is Shakespeare trying to say about life in the 1600s and also issues of gender, class and families
What is Shakespeare’s views on issues of love and family politics |
| Wider Context | How does the play link to the world of 1600s and also how it links to today’s society and issues of forbidden love and family ties and politics |
You will get a question that will focus on one of the following, or there could be a combination, or a wild card that might come up. You need to be prepared.
| Foundation Questions | Higher Questions |
| These will be split into a) and b)
a) Will focus on a key character / theme / scene / passage / audience engagement in a particular focal point b) Will get you to look at that key character / theme / scene / passage / audience throughout the whole play |
You will get a choice of 2 questions that will focus on key character / theme / scene / passage / audience engagement
You will choose one question and write you essay style response. The Romeo and Juliet questions are usually questions 8 and 9 on the exam paper. |
| Answer Part (a) and Part (b)
Part (a) How does Shakespeare present the Nurse as a comic character in Act 1 Scene 3?
and then
Part (b) What do you learn about the Nurse’s character and role in the play as a whole? (40 marks) |
8. ‘Mercutio’s main purpose in the play is comic. He offers the audience light relief from the tragedy of the play.’
How do you respond to this view of Mercutio? How does Shakespeare shape your response by the methods he uses?
9. How are ideas about honour presented in Romeo and Juliet?
|
Essay Planning – Foundation 1 Exemplar
When planning essays for Romeo and Juliet you need to focus on the question type first:
| Character | Theme | Audience Engagement | Key Scene | Extract based | Structure |
Then look at question a) and b) and see the difference. Plan separate responses to a) and b)
| Question
a) |
‘The ending of Romeo and Juliet is completely negative: nothing good comes from all the deaths in the play.’ What do you think of this view of the play? | Key quotes |
| Key characters / themes / scenes | Act 5.iii – the ending – character – Romeo and Juliet
Death and love Audience feel sad at the end |
|
| Essay Section | Ideas | Key quotes |
| Intro | On the one hand I agree, because ……
However, there is an alternative that the deaths are a positive ending to the play because …. |
|
| First | Firstly, many could agree with the view that the ending is negative and that nothing good comes from the suicide of the Romeo and Juliet…for example | “For never was story of more woe”
“all are punish’d” |
| Second | However, on the other hand, we can say that the ending does offer a positive future, as the | “I will raise her statue in pure gold”
“as rich shall by Romeo’s by his lady lie” |
| Conclusion | So, overall I would have to say the ending has more negatives than positive, as the destruction of the love of Romeo and Juliet does not outweigh the end of the feud between the families. | |
| Question
b) |
‘How does Shakespeare make the deaths of Romeo and Juliet dramatic and exciting for the audience? | |
| Key characters / themes / scenes | Act 5.iii – the ending – characters – Romeo and Juliet
Audience excitement – dramatic |
|
| Essay section | Ideas | Key Quotes / textual detail |
| Intro | The ending is exciting and dramatic because…. we have the ending of where the fate of Romeo and Juliet hangs in the balance and the audience have all the knowledge, but are not sure if it will turn out a happy ending or sad. | |
| First | Firstly, the excitement for the audience comes from
· Are Romeo and Juliet going to get away? · The audience know of the fake death of Juliet but Romeo does not – dramatic irony |
“thou art not conquer’d” we think she might wake up in time |
| Second | The audience will also find the ending dramatic as it finally revealed that Romeo and Juliet are not to live happily ever after……
· Romeo’s death is tragic and sweet as he believes Juliet is dead · Juliet’s death is more dramatic and violent with the plunging of the “happy dagger” |
“thus with a kiss I die” – Romeo dies in a passionate kiss
“O Happy dagger” |
| Conclusion | In summary, the ending gives audience a clear level of excitement through the use of dramatic irony, but also the dramatic nature of the lovers’ death also engages the audience. | |
| Analytical Connectives
You can use these connectives to help improve the vocabulary of your answer:
|
| Act 1 Scene 1
Fight between Montagues and Capulets; Romeo in love with Rosaline |
Act 1 Scene 2
Paris wants to marry Juliet
|
Act 1 Scene 3
Lady Capulet tells Juliet / Nurse about Paris proposal
|
Act 1 Scene 4
Benvolio / Mercutio get Romeo to join in masquerade
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Act 1 Scene 5
Romeo meets Juliet and they fall in love Tybalt wants to fight Romeo, but is stopped
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|
| Act 2 Scene 1
Romeo hides from friends; they joke about his love for Rosaline
|
Act 2 Scene 2
Romeo and Juliet arrange for the Nurse to be their go-between |
Act 2 Scene 3
Friar Lawrence agrees to marry R and J |
Act 2 Scene 4
Ben / Merc joke about Tybalt’s challenge; The Nurse sees Romeo |
Act 2 Scene 5
The Nurse tells Juliet about the marriage |
Act 2 Scene 6
R and J get married
|
| Act 3 Scene 1
Romeo refuses to fight with Tybalt, Merc is killed by Tybalt; Romeo kills Tybalt and is banished |
Act 3 Scene 2
Juliet eagerly awaits Romeo, but Nurse tells her of Tybalt’s death |
Act 3 Scene 3
Friar Lawrence tries to console Romeo and sort out a solution |
Act 3 Scene 4
Juliet’s father makes plan for Paris to marry Juliet |
Act 3 Scene 5
Romeo and Juliet spend the night together; Romeo leaves; Lady Capulet brings news of Juliet’s marriage to Paris
|
|
| Act 4 Scene 1
Friar Lawrence cooks up a plan to sort it out |
Act 4 Scene 2
Capulets prepare for wedding; Juliet says she will obey her father |
Act 4 Scene 3
Juliet takes the drug to pretend to be dead |
Act 4 Scene 4
The wedding day; Juliet is found “dead” |
Act 4 Scene 5
Juliet cannot be woken; the whole family go into mourning
|
|
| Act 5 Scene 1
In Mantua, Romeo finds out about Juliet’s’ “death” but doesn’t know the truth |
Act 5 Scene 2
Friar Lawrence learns that Romeo did not get the letter about the plan |
Act 5 Scene 3
Romeo kills Paris in the tomb, kills himself, Juliet wakes and kills herself; the families end their feud and make peace |
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Below is an example of a play structure table. You can use this to help guide you in your own choices.
| Act | Key Event | How does this scene / event engage the audience? |
| 1 |
1.v – when Romeo meets Juliet |
This creates tension as they come from feuding families |
| 2 |
2.vi – R and J get married |
Audience will feel happy because two people have put aside the family feud to marry
Creates tension because of the feud – anticipation = they are excited about the possible conflict that will happen |
| 3 |
3.i – Romeo is banished |
Feel upset as the lovers have been separated
Romeo was provoked by Tybalt to kill him But, they may see as Romeo is to blame |
| 4 |
4.vi – Juliet is found “dead” |
The audience can feel positive as they the plan to fake Juliet’s death may well help the young lovers escape, but the Chorus at the beginning of the play does predict they will take their lives, so the audience will be intrigued to see how it will all go wrong |
| 5 | 5.iii the suicides
|
Audience feel sad at the deaths of the lovers |
Task: Use the quote bank below to pick out key quotes for your character cards. When you have done, you can choose more and add more from the play.
| Romeo | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.i | “O brawling love, O loving hate.” | About the feud between the Montagues and Capulets |
| 1.iv | “I dreamt a dream tonight.” | before he meets Juliet at the party |
| 2.ii | “Two of the fairest stars in heaven” | When he first sees Juliet |
| 3.i | “I have to love thee” | To Tybalt when he challenges Romeo to a fight, Romeo backs down |
| 3.i | “This day’s black fate” | When Mercutio is killed by Tybalt |
| 3.iii | “I must be gone and live…or stay and die.” | When he is with Juliet for the last time before he is banished to Mantua |
| 5.iii | “Death…thou desperate pilot” | When is preparing to kill himself when he thinks Juliet is dead |
| 5.iii | “Thus with a kiss I die.” | Romeo’s life ends with an act of love, kissing the lips of the woman he loves |
| More Romeo Quotes
Thus with a kiss I die. (5.3.121), Romeo O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright. It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear. (1.5.43-45), Romeo |
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun. 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; her eye in heaven Would through the airy region stream so bright That birds would sing and think it were not night. |
| Juliet | |||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis | |
| 1.iii | “I’ll look to like, if looking liking move.” | When her parents are pressuring her to think about getting married, she shows she is strong willed as she will only look if she likes someone | |
| 1.v | “my grave is like to be my wedding bed.” | When she meets Romeo for the first time at the party | |
| 2.ii | “tis but thy name that is my enemy.” | This is when she meets Romeo after the party, she is focusing on the fact his name is her enemy, not him | |
| 2.ii | “I should kill thee with much cherishing” | This when she sends him on his way to get Friar Lawrence to marry them…she is joking she loves him so much it could kill him…how right she is! | |
| 3.ii | “I have bought the mansion of love, but not yet possessed it.” | This is after they have married, but she has not slept with Romeo yet – this shows her strong love, but also her impatience | |
| 3.ii | “beautiful tyrant, fiend angelical” | This is after he finds out Romeo has killed her cousin, Tybalt, she shows her anger with Romeo, but also mixed with her love | |
| 3.v | “O think’st thou shall ever meet again” | She says this as Romeo leaves for Mantua and banishment – the tragic truth is, they won’t see each other alive again, until their death in their arms | |
| 3.v | “no man like he doth grieve my heart.” | She says this to herself after Romeo leaves, she keeps these feelings to herself, the loss and sadness of Romeo’s banishment | |
| 3.v | “Thankful, that you have, Proud can I never be of what I hate.” | Juliet refuses to marry Paris, even though her parents are for it – this shows her strong will and disobedience | |
| 5.iii | “O happy dagger!” | Juliet’s final words are a mixture of the positive word happy and the negative object of the dagger, that signifies death | |
| More Juliet Quotes
Give me my Romeo, and, when he shall die, Take him and cut him out in little stars, And he will make the face of heaven so fine That all the world will be in love with night, And pay no worship to the garish sun. (3.2.21-5), Juliet This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. (2.2.127-8), Juliet
|
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. (2.ii) |
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Character Quotes The Nurse
| The Nurse – a funny and comedic character who uses crude and rude humour to help relieve the tension, she also helps the young lovers in their secret marriage, but then tells Juliet to forget Romeo after his banishment | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.iii | “thou wilt fall backward” | This suggests the crude and sexual innuendo of her character, as she suggest Juliet will soon be having sex with a husband |
| 1.iii | “might live to see you married” | She is keen Juliet gets married |
| 2.iv | “What saucy merchant is this?” | To Mercutio when he is being rude and using innuendo – interesting how she does it a lot, but challenges people when they do it to her |
| 3.ii | “there’s no trust in men…no honesty…all perjured” | The Nurse shows she is cynical and does not trust all men and tries to make Juliet agree with her |
Character Quotes Mercutio
| Mercutio – a charismatic and funny character who uses humour and wit to provide comic relief for the play, but his death signals the darker end of the play | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.iv | “If love be rough with you, be rough with love.” | Does not believe in true love, he believes in being aggressive and getting what you want |
| 2.i | “o that she were an open-arse than a pop’rin pear” | Using sexual innuendo to make Romeo feel embarrassed |
| 2.iv | “He fights as you sing prick-song” | He is mocking Romeo’s infatuation with Rosaline whilst mocking Tybalt’s fighting technique – he is saying whilst Tybalt fights, Romeo sits and mopes about Rosaline |
| 3.i | “A plague a’both your houses” | Mercutio curses both the Montagues and Capulets for his death and the destruction they cause |
| Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech about the fairy that brings dreams to sleeping humans
O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you. . .. She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes In shape no bigger than an agate stone On the forefinger of an alderman, Drawn with a team of little atomi Athwart men’s noses as they lie asleep.
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Character Quotes – Friar Lawrence
| Friar Lawrence – a priest who is seeking to remedy the feud of the families and tries to guide the young lovers and help them, but his plans are ultimately doomed | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 2.iii | “To turn your households’ rancour to pure love” | He is suggesting that the marriage between Romeo and Juliet can fix the feud between the families |
| 2.vi | “love moderately” | Friar suggests that we love within reasons and sensibly |
| 3.iii | “hold thy desperate hand, art thou a man?” | He is angry at Romeo’s aggressive attitude in the killing of Tybalt |
| 5.iii | “If aught in this, miscarried by my fault: let my old life be sacrificed.” | He regrets trying to help Romeo and Juliet escape by pretending to be dead and wishing his life be wiped out because of his mistake |
Character Quotes Tybalt
| Tybalt – an aggressive and violent youth who is a hothead and always wanting to fight for the glory of the Capulet family | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.i | “Peace…I hate the word.” | Tybalt hates peace and harmony and gentleness of life, he prefers wars, anger and aggression |
| 1.v | “such a villain is a guest: I’ll not endure him.” | Tybalt says this when he sees Romeo at the party and is spoiling for a fight – his uncle stops him |
| 3.i | “Thou art a villain.” | To Romeo when he challenges him to a duel |
The Prologue at the beginning of the play forecasting the end of the play
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. . .
Character Quotes Lord Capulet
| Lord Capulet – an arrogant and selfish man who is seeking to raise his social standing through the marriage of his daughter to Paris | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.ii | “my will to her consent is but a part” Capulet to Paris | Capulet says he will accept whoever she chooses to marriage |
| 3.v | “I will drag you thee on a hurdle thither” | Capulet says he will force Juliet to marry Paris – he will drag her to the church |
| 3.v | “Out, you green sickness carrion! Out, you baggage” | Capulet says that Juliet is a like a lifeless corpse – this hints at Juliet’s fake death and real death |
| 5.iii | “As rich shall Romeo’s by his lady lie, poor sacrifices of our enmity” | Capulet agrees his hatred has caused the deaths of Romeo and Juliet |
Session 2 – Character Quotes Lady Capulet
| Lady Capulet – a vain and selfish woman who is subservient to her husband’s thirst for social status and standing | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.iii | “you shall share all that he possess” | Lady Capulet says that Juliet will share in all that Paris owns – mainly his money |
| 3.v | “Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee!” | Lady Capulet washes her hands of Juliet – she is not supporting her against her father – she abandons her motherly responsibility to protect her child because sh will not do as she is told– Juliet is alone |
Character Quotes The Prince
| The Prince – The moral compass of the play – he sees what damage the feud will do and tries to control it | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.i | “rebellious subjects, enemies to peace” | He hates protesters and people who do not follow the rules |
| 1.i | “quench the fire of your pernicious rage” | He likens the hate to fire and malicious anger = linked to hell |
| 1.i | “your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace” | He says that someone will pay with their lives = this foreshadows the deaths of R & J, Mercutio and Paris Lady Montague and Tybalt |
| 5.iii | “all are punished” | Everyone suffers in the play |
Character Quotes Lord and Lady Montague
| Lord Montague – Romeo’s father, who is a hot head like his son, but eventually comes to make peace with Capulet
Lady Capulet tries to be the voice of calm and stop her husband getting involved in the opening fight, she eventually dies of a broken heart after Romeo’s banishment |
||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.i | “Thou villain Capulet – hold me not, let me go” | Montague is keen to fight Capulet after the fight in the town |
| 1.i | “Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.” | Lady Montague tells her husband to not fight |
| 5.iii | “I can give thee more, I will raise her statue in pure gold “ | Montague promises to build a statue to Juliet to honour her for her father Capulet |
Character Quotes Benvolio
| Benvolio – Romeo’s cousin and another character who tries to keep the peace and avoid conflict | ||
| Act/Scene | Key Quote | Analysis |
| 1.i | “Part, fools. Put up your swords, you know what you do.” | It shows him as a peaceful character who wants things to be stable |
| 3.i | “If we meet we shall not scape a brawl” | He is describing how those who fight are “fools” and he is trying to keep to peace – fighting is foolish = violence isn’t the answer |
| 3.i | “gentle breath, calm look, knees humbly bow’d” | He describes Romeo in a similar way to himself using positive and soft adjectives such as gentle, calm, and the adverb of humbly |
The themes in Romeo and Juliet are key ideas and issues that Shakespeare is putting forward for the audience to mull over and think about.
Task: below are a list of the key themes in Romeo and Juliet. Write in the key scenes / events and the key character that link to those themes and write a few notes on what Shakespeare might be suggesting about the theme.
| Theme | Key Scenes / events | Key Characters | What is Shakespeare suggesting? |
| Love | Act 1 Scene 5
Act 2 Scene 6
Act 5 scene 3 |
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Suicide |
Impulsive = too easy to fall in love – capricious
Married = two become one = committed Cannot live without their love |
| Death Violence | Act 1 Scene 1
Act 3 scene 1
Act 5 Scene 3 |
Fight with the M & C
Mercutio is killed by Tybalt and Tybalt killed by Romeo
Romeo kills Paris, then himself and J kills herself |
Hate each other = aggression is at the surface
Mercutio dies to protect Romeo = shows a sacrifice, but Romeo’s revenge is impetuous and wrong
The cost of love is death of others and also of the self…. |
| Men and Women | Act 1 Scene 1
Act 1 Scene 3
Act 3 Scene 5 |
Romeo and Rosaline
Lady Capulet and the nurse talk to Juliet of marrying Paris
Lord Capulet forces Juliet to marry Paris |
Romeo is lovesick and cannot cope without Rosaline’s love
Adults expect their daughters to want to marry, but Juliet is resistant
Capulet threatens Juliet with being made into a whore if she does not marry Paris – her mother does not support Juliet, shows their power of men and fathers over wives and daughters |
| Fate | Act 1 Scene 1
Act 1 Scene 5 |
Prologue says “Two star crossed lovers will take their lives”
Juliet says “My grave will be my wedding bed” |
R and J’s death is signalled right at the start of the play
Juliet sees her own death as part of her marriage before it happens |
| Honour | Act 1 Scene 1
Act 3 Scene 5 |
Benvolio, Sampson and Gregory and Tybalt
Capulet and Juliet |
Mocking people leads top upset
Father is more interested in family honour than what his daughter |
| Individual against society | Act 3 Scene 5 – the forced marriage
Act 5 Scene 3 – the suicide |
Romeo and Juliet go up against the social rules about love and marriage and eventually come up as losers | That society crushes the power of the individual
Or that the loss of individuality can overcome social power |
Notes for Theme Cards
Use the notes to below to help you revise the main themes that might come in the exam. You will need to know the key character, quotes, events that link to the themes.
Themes
Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
| Theme | Analysis |
| Love | Love is presented in many different forms
· Love as a powerful healer of problems – the love between Romeo and Juliet helps heal the rift between the families, but at the cost of their lives · Love as irresponsible – Shakespeare shows love as irresponsible as Romeo and Juliet’s actions lead to a lot of conflict and violence – such as the fight between Mercutio, Tybalt and the death of Tybalt and Mercutio, also Romeo kills Paris, the death of Lady Montague who dies after Romeo’s banishment · Love of self– people’s love of themselves is also shown, through the character of Tybalt and Capulet, their love of their status and self leads to the destruction of Mercutio and also Juliet respectively by their aggressive and somewhat violent actions towards people who they feel threaten their self-love · Erotic Love – the lustful love of the flesh and pleasure of sex – this is hinted at a lot in the play and Romeo and Juliet consummate their marriage the night before Romeo heads into exile; the Nurse also makes reference to sexual innuendo and sex, as well as Mercutio · Filial love – the love of a parent for a son / daughter is in the play, but not always as straightforward, for example the enforced arranged marriage for Juliet to Paris can be seen as completely against the filial love of a parents for a child, as Juliet does not want to marry Paris, but the parents do try and work out what they think is best for Juliet, as Paris is rich and she will have a comfortable life · Platonic Love – this is love that is considered friendly – these relationships can be seen with Friar Lawrence and Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio and Romeo, it is interesting that Tybalt does not seem to have a platonic relationship and is seen as the most aggressive and violent, whereas, Benvolio, Romeo and to some extent Mercutio are shown as more temperate and calmer individuals |
| Death | · Death as a negative event – the deaths of Mercutio, Tybalt, Lady Montague all bring about negative impacts, with Mercutio’s murder leading Romeo to kill
· Death as a positive event – the deaths on the play that seem have a positive effect are those of Romeo and Juliet – their death brings the end to the family feud and also a chance of peace |
| Theme | Analysis |
| Violence | · Violence used for revenge – violence dominates the first part of the play with the opening scene showing the feud between the families; then the death of Mercutio and Tybalt in Act 3; the death of Paris is also another act of violence – these acts who about violence is used to satisfy the character selfish needs to be considered powerful and for revenge
· Violence as a positive force – it could be seen that Mercutio’s intervention between Romeo and Tybalt was a positive action to stop an unfair battle between them |
| Men and Women | · Men as authority – are always shown in positions of power and authority, Capulet, Montague, Tybalt, Friar Lawrence and the Prince
· Men as troublemakers – all the problems in the play seem to stem from men; Tybalt’s hatred of the Montagues; Romeo’s impulsiveness in killing Tybalt and Paris · Women in a lower status – the female characters are all show to be beneath men in power and status; Lady Capulet supports Capulet in the forced marriage to Paris and not Juliet; The Nurse also seems to support the Paris marriage even knowing that Juliet is married to Romeo; Lady Montague dies as she cannot live with the banishment of Romeo · Women as strong characters – Juliet does show some strength and independence of mind in the play, as she tries to avoid marrying Paris and also helps forge the play to escape her marriage |
| Fate | · The inevitability of Fate – the plot of the play constantly refers to the all the actions being planned out by fate – from the Prologue which tells the ending of the whole paly at the beginning, to Romeo and Juliet’s references to what they see in the stars; the debate that arises is about how much are we in control of our lives and how much do we believe in another force organising our lives |
| Honour | · Honour dominates a lot of the actions of the character – all Tybalt’s actions are governed by honour for the family of Capulet; the marriage between Paris and Juliet is all about Capulet’s family honour to have his only daughter have a good marriage to a powerful and rich man of Verona; Mercutio fights Tybalt, because Romeo does not bow to the honour of accepting a duel; Romeo then kills Tybalt to restore the honour of Mercutio |
| The individual versus society | · Individuals defeated by Society – the play shows the powerful and destructive nature of social class, as the forced marriage, the social power of the family feud that restricts Romeo and Juliet’s love, so they have to get married secret; Romeo and Juliet’s death seems to show that power of society will crush the needs and wants of the individuals
· Society defeated by individuals – it could be seen that Romeo and Juliet do actually defeat the social restrictions, as their death ends the social feud and bring about peace in the city – however, it will always cost the individual their lives to defeat society – this can be linked to the death of Jesus Christ who have to die to defeat death and the Devil, but only through death could victory be won |
Language Motifs
Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to develop and inform the text’s major themes.
| Language Motif | Analysis |
| Light and Darkness | The play uses the interplay between light and dark a lot to help develop the conflict. Romeo compares Juliet to light – such as she “teaches the torches to burn bright.” (I.v) She is also compared to the sun and the stars.
Romeo is compared to the light such ‘little stars’ which suggest he illuminates the darkness of night. AT the end the light motif is highlighted by Romeo when he says “more light and light;’ more dark and dark our woes” which foreshadows their impending doom. |
| Night | Night time is another important motif. They meet in the night at the party. They exchange their love in the night time dark of the orchard and Juliet’s Balcony. They act bolder and more confident during the night. They are able to be who they want to be during the night hours. The night offers the privacy and freedom to be liberated from the oppressive society they live in during the day. |
| Opposing Points of View | Shakespeare uses characters to highlight opposing vies to help heighten the underlying sense of conflict that dominates the play. Mercutio sees Romeo’s love as blindness. Mercutio shows Tybalt’s devotion to honour as blind and immature. It seems Mercutio is a mouthpiece of Shakespeare to show the irresponsibility of blind love and blind loyalty to others.
Shakespeare then present the view points of the servants and working class as simpler and in complete opposition to the dramatic events of the main noble characters. The Nurse talks simply of the tragedy of her dead child and husband, the servant Peter, cannot read, the Apothecary is so poor he cannot refuse the offer of Romeo’s money to but the poison. Their viewpoints are simpler, but still all the more tragic. |
Shakespeare uses language and symbols to help enrich the subtext of the play and enable the audience to make language links between characters and themes and abstract language symbols he uses in the play. Some symbols are more than just physical elements; they link to the higher ideas in the play.
| Language Symbol | Analysis |
| Poison | · Poison is key to the tragic events of the play.
· Juliet takes a fake poison to fake her own death. · This leads to Romeo mistaking her death as real and then taking a real poison and killing himself. · It is also a symbol as the poison between the two families through the feud affects and seeps into the lives of others inside and outside the family. |
| Thumb-biting | · This immature and puerile gesture clearly suggests the foolishness and stupidity of the feud between the families that a major riot can be started by such a meaningless gesture.
· Sampson is too afraid to make a direct insult so he uses the less direct thumb-biting, then tries to deny it, which shows his timidity and juvenile personality. |
| Queen Mab | · Shakespeare uses the Queen Mab speech through Mercutio to show how dreams and fantasies can have a corrupting influence over people.
· Her dreams seem to enhance people’s weaknesses, such as greed, lust or violence, which links to the other characters of the play: · Romeo and Juliet’s love could be based on their youthful lust; · The corruption of Tybalt’s through his obsession with violence; · the greed of Capulet in arranging the marriage between Juliet and Paris for his own social and financial gain. · Overall, Mercutio presents Queen Mab and her dreams and fantasies that she gives to people while they sleep as also nonsensical and absurd, which hints that Shakespeare wants to show how the human search for dreams is folly and foolishness. |
Hi guys
Unseen Poetry Revision Session
Please find below some revision resources for you for the weekend.
Good luck
Mrs P
Hi guys
The unseen poetry PowerPoint is below.
I will finish updating the character and themes stuff and post that later.
Mrs P x
Unseen Poetry Revision Session
Dear all
This is Toby’s part A answer for an unseen poetry question. It is fantastically focused and offers multiple interpretations.
AQA Lit Certificate – unseen poetry part a response – Invasion – Choman Hardi
Thanks
Mrs P
Have a look at the questions below: What could you answer? What do you need to go away and investigate further?
Harper Lee
Harper Lee, youngest of three children, was born in 1926 and brought up in Monroeville in the Deep American South. Her father was a lawyer. Her mother had a mental illness.
Harper Lee grew up in the same town as the writer Truman Capote. They played as children in their tree house and talked about books. She was a bit of a tomboy and he was more sensitive and effeminate. Both authors drew on this friendship in their works e.g. the character of Dill in To Kill a Mockingbird.
After attending local schools at Monroeville, Harper Lee was educated at the State University of Alabama, where she studied law. This experience, as well as her father being a lawyer, enabled her to develop an extensive knowledge of legal vocabulary – very much evident in the novel.
She never completed her degree and went to work in New York (jobs were easier to come by in the North) as an airline reservations clerk, trying to finance herself as a writer, a lifelong ambition.
She eventually gave up this job to write full-time and in 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird was published. It was an immediate bestseller and has won her many awards. It remains highly successful, which is why you are studying it today.
We may never really know precisely how the novelist’s personal experience helped her to write the novel, as Harper Lee refuses all interviews. She spends most of her time living back in Monroeville where she was brought up. By doing this, as Peter Lennon claimed in The Guardian on 3 October 1995, she is essentially ‘protected by the community she so sensitively put in the dock’. In this way she mirrors her character, Atticus Finch, who says, ‘we’re fighting our friends. But remember this, no matter how bitter things get, they’re still our friends and this is still our home’ (pp. 84-5, Chapter 9).
Context and Setting
To Kill a Mockingbird is set in a small town in Alabama in the Southern States of America. Although Maycomb is a fictitious town, based on Harper Lee’s home town Monroeville, real places like Montgomery are referred to in the novel. In order to understand how the atmosphere of the time affected both Harper Lee and the creation of her characters, it is necessary to consider the context and belief systems of both the time in which it was written (late 1950s) and the era in which it is set (1933-5).
Although the novel is set seventy years after the Civil War (1861-65), attitudes and resentments and memories of violence were still prominent.
The years between 1933-5 were relatively peaceful, though it was a time of severe economic depression.
At the time Harper Lee was writing To Kill a Mockingbird (the late 1950s) the social climate would have been uppermost in her thought.
Maycomb is a microcosm of American society in the 1930s. It is only concerned with its own problems (of poverty and unemployment) but it is on the eve of major change, both from within and from outside its world. Its geographical position and historical background have shaped its inhabitants – we will see this as we focus on the characters and neighbourhoods of the Maycomb setting. The novel is about one man, Atticus Finch, trying to jolt his society out of this isolationist mentality and towards recognising that Blacks are humans, who deserve the same rights as Whites.
Miss Scoffham's English Blog for Amazing Students 