William Shakespeare’s
The Tragedy of
Romeo and Juliet
The English Renaissance
• Shakespeare wrote all of his plays during the
English Renaissance.
• The Renaissance movement began in 14th century
Italy, and gradually moved north and west to
England.
• During the Renaissance there was increased
interest in science, commerce, philosophy, and
the arts.
• During the Renaissance there was a strong
emphasis on “the individual and on freedom of
choice” (983).
The Elizabethan Era
• Shakespeare began his career during the reign of
Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603).
• This time period is referred to as the Elizabethan
era.
• Elizabeth was the daughter of Henry VIII and
Anne Boleyn.
• During her reign England enjoyed unprecedented
prosperity and prestige.
• Elizabeth I was a strong supporter of the arts, and
attended some of Shakespeare’s plays.
“Two households, both alike in
dignity….
In fair Verona, where we lay our
scene…”
• Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy in
the 14th century.
• In the play, as it would have been in 14th
century Italy, Verona is ruled by a
hereditary ruler known as a prince or duke.
• In Romeo and Juliet, Verona is ruled by
Prince Escalus.
“From ancient grudge break to new
mutiny.
Where civil blood makes civil hands
unclean.”
• In the play the two families, the Montagues
and the Capulets, are feuding.
• This feud between the Montagues and
Capulets has spilled into the streets of
Verona and has begun to disrupt the peace.
Lord Montague
The Montagues
Romeo
Benvolio
Mercutio
The Capulets
Juliet
Tybalt
“From forth the fatal loins of these two
foes,
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their
life.” • During the time period
of the play, most
marriages were
arranged by families
for economic or social
gain.
• While “romantic love”
was acknowledged, it
was not considered
necessary for a good
marriage.
The Key Players
• Romeo: Tragic hero of the play. A Montague, he
falls in love with the young Juliet.
• Juliet: A Capulet, she falls in love with Romeo
and believes marriage should be about love.
• Nurse: Has cared for Juliet since her infancy. She
is a mother figure and only wants Juliet happy.
Very talkative.
• Prince Escalus: The Prince of Verona, he wants
to end the feud between the Montagues and
Capulets.
The Key Players
• Friar Laurence: A Franciscan priest who is
friend to both Romeo and Juliet.
• Mercutio: A kinsman of the Prince and friend of
Romeo.
• Tybalt: Nephew of Lady Capulet and Juliet’s
cousin.
• Lord and Lady Capulet: Juliet’s parents.
Enemies, for unexplained reasons, to the
Montagues.
The Key Players
• Lord Montague: Romeo’s father and the head of
the Montague family. He is an old man, but still
continues the feud between the families.
• Benvolio: Romeo’s cousin,he is reluctant to fight
the Capulets and tries to keep the peace.
• Paris: Also a kinsman of the Prince, he wishes to
marry Juliet and presses Lord Capulet into giving
him permission.
Literary Terms
• Tragedy: A drama that ends in a catastrophe-most
often death-for the main character.
• Comedy: Shakespeare’s comedies are much more
light-hearted and always end in a marriage.
• Comic Relief: a humorous scene, incident, or
character that relieves the overall emotional
intensity.
• Allusion: A brief reference, in a work, to another
work of literature or to history. Shakespeare often
used allusions to ancient Greek and Roman
mythology or the Bible.
Literary Terms
• Foil: A character whose personality or attitudes
are in sharp contrast to those of another character
in the same work.
• Soliloquy: A speech that a character gives when
he or she is alone on stage to let the audience
know what the character is thinking.
• Aside: A character’s remark, either to the
audience or another character, that others on stage
are not supposed to hear.
• Pun: A joke that comes from a play on words that
make use of a word’s multiple meanings.
– EX: Bakers trade recipes on a knead-to-know basis.
Literary Terms
• Metaphor: A comparison between two
unlike things without using the words “like”
or “as”.
• Personification: When human qualities are
given to an object, animal, or idea.
• Foreshadowing: A writer’s use of hints or
clues to indicate what will happen later in
the plot.
Poetic Devices
• Blank Verse: Shakespeare wrote his plays
in blank verse, which is a form of poetry
that uses unrhymed lines of iambic
pentameter.
• Iambic Pentameter: Lines that have five
unstressed syllables, each followed by a
stressed syllable.
• Sonnet: A lyric poem of 14 lines.
Shakespearean sonnets follow the rhyme
scheme abab cdcd efef gg.
• Couplet: A pair of rhymed lines.
The Montagues Pictures Works
Cited
"Lord Montague." Family Duty. Web. 1 Feb 2010.
<www.beyondbooks.com/sha91/5i.asp?pf=on>.
"Romeo." Leonardo DiCaprio Photos. Web. 1 Feb 2010.
<leonardodicapriophotos.wordpress.com/.../>.
"Romeo Zefferli." Lisa's History Room. Web. 1 Feb 2010.
<lisawallerrogers.wordpress.com/.../>.
"Benvolio." RJ Pictures. Web. 1 Feb 2010.
<skyview.vansd.org/bquestad/rjpictures.html>.
"Benvolio Zeffereli." Much Madness is Divinest Sense . Web. 1 Feb 2010.
<www.danahuff.net/?p=208>.
“Mercutio Zeffereli." Much Madness is Divinest Sense . Web. 1 Feb 2010.
<www.danahuff.net/?p=208>.
“Mercutio.” Romeo and Juliet: What’s Going On? Web. 2 Feb 2010.
www.beyondbooks.com/sha91/5d.asp
The Capulets Pictures Works
Cited
"Juliet." The Best of 1996. Web. 1 Feb 2010. <www.the-reelmccoy.com/.../yearinreview.html>.
Juliet Zeffereli ." Olivia Hussey-MovieActors.com. Web. 1
Feb 2010
<www.movieactors.com/actors/oliviahussey.htm>.
“Romeo and Juliet Kissing.” Kata-Kata Adalah JiWaKu.
Web. 2 Feb 2010. yohanapangaribuan.wordpress.com/.../
“Romeo and Juliet Poster.” Mrs. Hall’s English Classes.
Web. 2 Feb 2010. sites.google.com/.../about-mrshall/english-9-1