William Shakespeare

Year 8 Revision Guide

Name:

Class and teacher:

The Exam
1. You will have 45 minutes to complete your task. You should spend 10 minutes reading and
annotating the extract and planning; 30 minutes writing your essay; and 5 minutes checking over
your writing.

2. You will be given an extract from the play. It will be a scene you have studied from the beginning
of the play.

3. You will need to analyse the specified scene in as much detail as you can.

4. Your question will be focused on one character from the play but you can embed as much
thematic knowledge into your response as you can.

5. You should practise planning and writing an essay using the practise exam question in this
booklet.

Revision Techniques
If we look back to the origins of the word, revision means to see again and, if done well, it can help us
feel more confident and well prepared. Below are some suggestions to help you:

• Mind maps of the play including: characters, themes, context

• Quizzes from the knowledge organisers- ask other students questions, get them to ask you and
ask and parents/ carers to quiz you!
• Post it notes with key points from the Knowledge Organiser such as characters, themes and
context
• Summary notes and essay plans for each theme- select ones you feel least confident with first!
• Key words that can act as triggers for other key areas- look at any overlaps and cross references.
This will ensure you develop your ideas confidently.
• Use your exercise books and teacher feedback
• Make some revision cards for themes and characters. TIF: Colour code themes and characters so
you can easily identify any overlaps.
• Look through the booklet and annotations of model answers and, most importantly, HOW they
have answered the questions using the mark scheme.
 CONTEXT

Context is:
→ The things that influenced Shakespeare when he wrote the play.
→ The thoughts, beliefs, customs and behaviour of Shakespeare’s contemporary (of
his time) audience.

Social context:

• Patriarchal society
• Women and their role in society
• Social hierarchy: the way society was organised in the late 16th Century: privileged rich,
servants and large households.
• Social status: important / powerful families and their behaviour towards other families

Historical context:

• Shakespeare’s life and success as a playwright

• the reigning monarch: Elizabeth I
• major historical events

Cultural context:

• the ideas, customs and behaviour of people in the Shakespearean era

• includes religion, beliefs and superstitions and the Italian connection - Catholicism
• Shakespeare’s theatre, the conventions and experience of being at The Globe.

A good way to help you look for and understand the context of this play is to ask yourself:
Does it connect to any of the following images that were popular and widely recognised in the
16th Century?

❖ Religion: God, faith, belief and the Church.

❖ Cosmic imagery: the sun, moon, stars and their connection with fate and destiny.
❖ Nautical imagery: all things relating to the sea which was considered an exciting but also
dangerous place.
❖ Nature: birds, animals, the countryside, flowers and all things relating to the four
seasons and the natural world.
❖ Light and dark imagery: things associated with the colour black = evil / the devil /
wickedness / ugliness / witchcraft / hell / etc. Things associated with the colour white =
virginity / purity / kindness / angels / heaven / beauty / gentleness / etc.

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 Plot summary

PLOT

The Chorus gives an overview of the key events and themes in the play. We learn
Prologue

of a long-standing hatred between two families in the Italian city of Verona, and
this feud affects the whole community.

Capulet’s servants, Sampson and Gregory, pick a fight with Montague’s servants.
Benvolio tries to stop the fight and encourages Tybalt to do the same, but he
refuses and the violence escalates. The Prince arrives and threatens death for
the next person to fight in public. Meanwhile, Romeo is broken-hearted over
Rosaline so Benvolio encourages him to go to the Capulets’ masked ball. Romeo
falls in love with Juliet at first sight and they kiss. Only then do they learn of each
Act 1

other’s’ identities.
Romeo scales the wall of the Capulet orchard and watches Juliet on her balcony.
She wishes he was not a Montague. He signals his presence, they talk and
declare their love for one another, and make plans to marry. Friar Laurence
warns Romeo not to rush but agrees to help because he thinks the marriage will
Act 2

end the feuding.

Benvolio and Mercutio cross Tybalt, who is looking to duel Romeo because of his
attendance at the Capulet ball. Newly-married Romeo refuses to get involved
and Mercutio is drawn into the fight instead and is killed. Romeo, blinded by
fury, then kills Tybalt. He hides in the Friar’s cell as Escales decides to banish
him. He is distraught but he and Juliet spend the night together. Meanwhile,
Capulet brings the wedding between Juliet and Paris forward and when told,
Act 3

Juliet refuses to obey and Capulet threatens to disown her.

Juliet seeks the Friar’s help. He gives her a sleeping potion which will give the
impression she is dead, and says he will write to Romeo and let him know. Juliet
returns home and makes peace with her parents before taking the potion. When
the Nurse cannot wake her the next morning, they fear she is dead and take her
Act 4

to the family tomb.

The Friar’s letter does not reach Romeo so when Balthazar, his servant, reports
of Juliet’s death, Romeo buys poison. Arriving at the tomb, he fights and kills
Paris. He says goodbye to Juliet, drinks the poison and dies. Juliet wakes, realises
what Romeo has done and stabs herself with his dagger. Following the Friar’s
explanation of events to Escales, the Capulets and Montagues decide to
Act 5

reconcile.

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 Key Scenes

Page Act and Scene Description

4 Act 1: Prologue An introduction to the key themes and ideas

5-6 Act 1 Scene 1 Introduction to the Montague and Capulet conflict

7 Act 1 Scene 1 The Prince’s speech

8-9 Act 1 Scene 2 Paris and Capulet discuss a possible marriage to Juliet

10-11 Act 1 Scene 3 Juliet, Lady Capulet and Nurse discuss Juliet’s marriage to Paris

12 Act 1 Scene 5 Romeo first sees Juliet at the Capulet ball

14-15 Act 2 Scene 2 The Balcony Scene

16-18 Act 2 Scene 4 Romeo and Tybalt – Toxic Masculinity

19-20 Act 2 Scene 5 Nurse and Juliet – a frank discussion of love

21 Act 2 Scene 6 Friar Laurence and Juliet

22-24 Act 3 Scene 1 The Mercutio and Tybalt fight scene – Masculinity and violence

25-26 Act 3 Scene 5 The arranged marriage

27-28 Act 4 Scene 3 Juliet as an autonomous female character

29-30 Act 4 Scene 5 The Capulets think Juliet is dead

31-32 Act 5 Scene 1 Romeo’s reaction to Juliet’s death

33-34 Act 5 Scene 3 The Great Tragedy

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 THE CHARACTERS
Romeo is a member of the house of Montague. He falls in love with Juliet who is the daughter
of his family’s enemy, the house of Capulet. Romeo eventually takes his own life when he
believes that Juliet is dead. However, her "death" was merely a ruse in order for her not to
marry Paris and instead be with Romeo.
Juliet is a member of the house of Capulet. She falls in love with Romeo who is the son of her
family’s enemy, the house of Montague. She fakes her own death to be with Romeo, but
Romeo never learns of the plan. She awakens to find Romeo dead beside her. She stabs herself
with a knife and dies rather than live without Romeo.
Mercutio is kin to the Prince of Verona and a friend to Romeo. Mercutio is killed by Tybalt
when Romeo tries to stop the two from fighting.
Paris is a young count and kin to the Prince. He wants to marry Juliet.
Tybalt is the nephew of Capulet and a cousin to Juliet. He is headstrong and despises the
Montagues. He kills Mercutio, and Tybalt is later killed by Romeo who avenges Mercutio’s
death.
Benvolio is a friend to Romeo. He always tries to play the role of peacemaker by trying to stop
the fighting between the Montagues and Capulets. He also tries to help Romeo while he is
depressed over the loss of his former love, Rosaline.
The Nurse is Juliet’s friend and nursemaid. She raised Juliet, as was usually the custom in
wealthy families of the time period. The nurse also helps Juliet and Romeo meet with each
other. She always does what she thinks is best for Juliet.
Friar Lawrence marries Romeo and Juliet with the hope that the marriage will stop the feuding
between both of their houses. When Romeo kills Tybalt, he tries to help the two stay together
by coming up with the plan for Juliet to fake her death. However, he does not get word to
Romeo in time, and the two lovers end up committing suicide.
Lord Montague is the leader of the house of Montague and Romeo’s father.
Lady Montague is the wife of Montague.
Lord Capulet is the leader of the house of Capulet and Juliet’s father.
Lady Capulet is the wife of Capulet.
Balthasar is Romeo’s servant. He tells Romeo that Juliet has died.
Escalus, Prince of Verona who tries to keep peace between the houses Montague and
Capulet. He banishes Romeo from Verona for the death of Tybalt.
Peter is the nurse’s servant.
Sampson is one of the servants to Capulet. He and Gregory start a fight at the beginning of the
play with Abram, a Montague.
Gregory is one of the servants to Capulet. He and Gregory start a fight at the beginning of the
play with Abram, a Montague.
Abram is one of the servants to Montague who gets into a fight with Sampson and Abram.

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 Key Themes

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 Golden Concepts and Theory

The play is an exploration of the human

condition of love and conflict – it explores man’s
hubris (pride) and how this ultimately becomes
man’s fatal flaw. In Romeo and Juliet this is
demonstrated through the conflict between the
Montagues and Capulet and the love between
Romeo and Juliet

Gender Roles – Vulnerability of the male

characters’ masculinity and their need to defend
their honour. De Beauvoir's Feminist reading of
the play explores toxic masculinity and the effect
on the male and female characters in the play.

Celestial Imagery – “Two of the fairest stars in

all the heaven, Having some business, do
entreat her eyes To twinkle in their spheres”

– imagery of darkness/light and heaven or the

stars – shows Romeo is transfixed by Juliet’s
beauty and willing to reject the Capulet and
Montague conflict to marry her.

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 Quote Analysis Practice

1. Explode the following quotes about Romeo to practice your analysis skills.
2. Try to write a line of argument in the WHAT box, using the GOLDEN concepts to help you.
3. Write a sentence about Shakespeare’s intent in the WHY box.
4. Choose quotations for Juliet and practice a Juliet character response.

WHAT HOW WHY

Romeo allows “It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Shakespeare to explore Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;”
the human condition of
love. When he first sees
Juliet at the Capulet ball
he is in awe of her beauty.

Romeo rejects toxic “Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!
masculine traits to allow For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”
Shakespeare to
demonstrate …

“It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.”

It is my lady, O, it is my love! O, that she

knew she were!

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 WHAT HOW WHY
Shakespeare uses celestial “Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
imagery to heighten… Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres”

“The brightness of her cheek would shame

those stars, As daylight doth a lamp”

“Her eyes in heaven Would through the airy

region stream so bright That birds would sing
and think it were not night”

Write one of your ideas into a WHAT, HOW, WHY paragraph using the space below:

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Use the following extracts to practice your extract analysis skills.

ROMEO
He jests at scars that never felt a wound.

JULIET appears above at a window

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:
Be not her maid, since she is envious;
Her vestal livery is but sick and green
And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.
It is my lady, O, it is my love!
O, that she knew she were!
She speaks yet she says nothing: what of that?
Her eye discourses; I will answer it.
I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks:
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars,
As daylight doth a lamp; her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night.
See, how she leans her cheek upon her hand!
O, that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!

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CAPULET
And too soon marr'd are those so early made.
The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she,
She is the hopeful lady of my earth:
But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
My will to her consent is but a part;
An she agree, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.
This night I hold an old accustom'd feast,
Whereto I have invited many a guest,
Such as I love; and you, among the store,
One more, most welcome, makes my number more.
At my poor house look to behold this night
Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light:
Such comfort as do lusty young men feel
When well-apparell'd April on the heel
Of limping winter treads, even such delight
Among fresh female buds shall you this night
Inherit at my house; hear all, all see,
And like her most whose merit most shall be:
Which on more view, of many mine being one
May stand in number, though in reckoning none,
Come, go with me.

JULIET
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name which is no part of thee
Take all myself.

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WHAT HOW WHY

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