english

romeo and juliet

Characters
Need to know
♡ Romeo ♡ Nurse
♡ Characters ♡ Juliet ♡ Capulet
♡ Big Ideas/Themes ♡ Tybalt ♡ Lady Capulet
♡ Key moments/scenes ♡ Friar Laurence ♡ Montague
♡ Quotes ♡ Mercutio ♡ Lady Montague
♡ Drama/performance ♡ Benvolio ♡ Prince
techniques
♡ Paris ♡ Rosaline

Romeo

lovesick
Romeo is presented as a sullen teenager in the opening scenes. He is suffering from unrequited love.
Montague notes how Romeo has isolated himself and “locks fair daylight out” in his room
Romeo later explains his lovesickness for Rosaline and his demeanour continues as he and his friends
make their way to Capulet's masked ball
He complains that he is in no mood for a party and is sinking under “love's heavy burden”
However, once he sets eyes on Juliet, Romeo's attitude changes dramatically
He realises the hollowness of his feelings for Rosaline as he falls truly in love with Juliet: “Did my
heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! / For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night

melodramatic
Romeo uses very poetic language, particularly when discussing love, to express his strong emotions
When describing his misery when Rosaline doesn't return his love, he uses powerful imagery of
being tortured in prison: “Shut up in prison, kept without my food, / Whipped and tormented”
He uses similar miserable and melodramatic language on his way to Capulet's masked ball to describe
the distress that unrequited love is causing him: “I am too sore with his shaft / To soar with his light
feathers;... Under love's heavy burden do I sink”
Romeo's melodrama is shown again after he learns of his banishment from Verona as he lies
“weeping and blubbering” on the floor and exaggerates the severity of the punishment, comparing his
exile to death: “Then ‘banished' / Is death mis-termed”
His emotionally-charged state underscores all he does throughout the play
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deeply in love with juliet

Romeo becomes much more positive in his outlook upon seeing Juliet. He is stunned by Juliet's beauty
and uses poetic language to testify to this new love: “Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!”
Romeo again mar vels at Juliet's beauty in the Balcony Scene: “The brightness of her cheek would
shame those stars / As daylight doth a lamp"
His love for Juliet lifts his whole mood, and he is encouraged to try to make peace with his enemies.
Romeo tries to avoid fighting Tybalt, endures his insults, and tries to avoid confrontation: “I do
protest, I never injured thee, / But love thee better than thou canst devise, / Till thou shalt know the
reason of my love”

passionate and impetuous

Romeo is characterised by his impetuous nature
He rushes into things without taking time to pause and reflect on the
potential consequences of his actions
Romeo doesn't hesitate to risk his life by climbing into Capulet's orchard
and declaring his love for his enemy's daughter
He hastily arranges his marriage to Juliet. Friar Laurence warns Romeo that his violent passion may
lead to disaster: “These violent delights have violent ends”
Romeo's passionate nature is revealed again when he fights Tybalt, embracing his anger: “...fire-eyed
fury be my conduct now!”. In a rage, he murders Tybalt. This indicates how Romeo's passion overrides his
reason and drives him to disaster
The consequence of his rash behaviour are revealed in the final scene.When he finds out that Juliet is
dead, without pause or time for reflection, he rushes out to buy poison and takes his own life.
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Theme

love
A fascinating exploration of what love means
Romeo shows the pain of unrequited love
Friar Laurence presents love as a way of creating peace and harmony in society
Mercutio and The Nurse focus on physical aspects of love
The Capulets present love and marriage as a way of obtaining social advancement
Romeo and Juliet offer a vision of impassioned, young love

unrequited love
The relationship bet ween Romeo and Rosaline at the beginning of the play demonstrated unrequited
love
Romeo really loved Rosaline but she did not return his love

love and social harmony

When Romeo and Juliet secretly got married, they went to Friar Laurence to seek help
Friar Laurence accepted this marriage, hoping to stop the families from feuding
Friar Laurence sought social harmony through the marriage of the offspring of t wo feuding families

physical love
The Nurse and Mercutio speak about love in physical terms as opposed to emotional
love as a means of social advancement
The Capulets mainly fell in love as a means of social advancement
They wanted Juliet to marry the well off Paris to advance themselves socially and to stay
wealthy and powerful

young love
Romeo and Juliet’s relationship; they are only teenagers yet they feel ready to be married
They care not for their feuding families, they simply desire to be together
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Theme

fate

Romeo and Juliet experience bad luck throughout the play

Circumstances beyond their control create a situation that allows disaster to happen
These circumstances include their feuding families
Poor timing contributes to their misfortune; Capulet insists on an early
wedding, resulting in urgency and drama that ruins the plans of Romeo and Juliet
Similarly, Romeo swallows the apothecary poison moments before the effects of Juliet’s potion wear
off

Key Quotes

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun
I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall Now seeming sweet convert to bitterest gall.
My only love sprung from my only hate!
These violent delights have violent ends
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'e r saw true beauty till this night
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.
What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as
sweet.
A plague a'both your houses!
This day's black fate on more days doth depend.
Thus but begins the woe others must end.
A greater power than we can contradict Hath thwarted our intents.
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Key Scenes

The balcony scene (Act 2, Scene 2)

Romeo stands below Juliet’s balcony, marveling at her beauty. Not knowing he’s there, Juliet
speaks, wondering why Romeo must be a Montague, and she a Capulet. She thinks a name is
simply a word, and it would be easy for Romeo to take a new name, and therefore not be
forbidden to her. Romeo reveals himself, agreeing to forsake the name Romeo if he can have her
love. Juliet warns him that, as a Montague, he’ll be killed if he’s spotted with her, but Romeo
doesn’t care. After much discussion, the t wo swear their love for each other and agree to be
married

Fight bet ween Romeo and Tybalt (Act 3, Scene 1)

Tybalt, still looking to punish Romeo for his appearance at the Capulets’ party, runs into Mercutio
and Benvolio. He provokes Mercutio into a duel, while Benvolio tries to stop the fighting. Romeo
enters, and Tybalt calls him a villain. Romeo, having just married Juliet (who is Tybalt’s cousin),
swears he’s not, but Tybalt challenges him to draw. Mercutio draws first, then Tybalt, and they
eventually fall to fighting. Romeo tries to break it up, but Tybalt reaches under Romeo’s arm and
fatally stabs Mercutio, who curses the Montagues and the Capulets for their continuing feud. A
grieving Romeo fights Tybalt and kills him. Knowing that he’ll face death if he stays in Verona,
Romeo flees. The Prince, the Capulets, and the Montagues arrive. Benvolio explains what happened,
and Lady Capulet calls for Romeo’s death. The Montagues argue their son was merely defending
himself against an instigating Tybalt. The Prince strikes a compromise, saying that he’ll spare
Romeo’s life, but that he must leave Verona forever.

Tragic ending (Act 5, Scene 3)

A mourning Paris visits Juliet’s tomb. Romeo arrives, and the t wo begin a duel outside the vault,
which ends in Paris’s death. When Romeo enters the tomb, he sees Juliet in a corpse-like state and
launches into a long, sad speech, kisses her, and drinks his poison. Friar Lawrence enters, just a
moment too late, and sees Romeo’s corpse lying beside not-dead Juliet. She wakes up, and Friar
Lawrence attempts to convince her to flee the scene. But she won’t leave Romeo. She grabs the vial
of poison, but there’s none left. Instead, she reaches for her dagger and then stabs herself. She
dies by Romeo’s side. Not long after, the Prince, the Montagues, the Capulets, and several others
arrive, horrified to see what has become of Romeo and Juliet. The Friar tells them the whole story.
The Prince points out to the Montagues and the Capulets that this tragedy stemmed from their
feud, and the t wo families agree to end their ancient grudge.
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Drama/ Performance

how a story is told in a drama

A play tells its story in a tangible (easy to see and experience) way .
The characters and the story comes to life on the stage as we see the setting, costumes and facial
expressions.
Furthermore, we hear the dialogue bet ween the characters and stage directions which moves the
plot for ward.
set, props and costumes
Set
The set design of a play is important. This is often dictated by the playwright’s stage instructions.
However, most directors/producers feel free to choose their own set design too.
The set refers to the immovable background of the play. It gives an indication of where and when
the play is set.
Props
Are moveable objects that the actors use in
order to help them tell the story.
Example: The weapons used in Romeo and Juliet for the fighting scenes.
Costumes
How the director decides to dress his actors plays a
huge role in how the play is received by the audience.
Shakespeare’s characters are often dressed in modern clothes in order to bring a modern feel to a
story that is over 400 years old.
On the other hand, many directors like to dress their actors in clothes from the 16th Century to
give the play a more authentic feel.
Stage Directions
These are the instructions that the playwright gives for the movement of actors on the stage.
They are an important indication of what the playwright’s overall vision was for how the play
should be acted on-stage
Lighting
Lighting and special light effects are very important. They can help create a particular
atmosphere on stage, or draw the audience’s attention to a particular aspect of the action.
For example, dark candle-lit lighting can be used to create tension, or a romantic atmosphere
Lightening effects can light up the stage to create tension and serve as a warning of dark times
ahead for the characters
Sound Effects
There are many instances when sound effects
are seriously important in a play.
For example; To create the sound of thunder for a storm scene, a gunshot, a door closing loudly at a
time of tension, footsteps being heard approaching off-stage to announce the arrival of a character.
These all add to the overall atmosphere of the play for the audience.