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English Stage 5 Year 10
Study of Shakespeare 1: Romeo and Juliet
1.
Sydney Distance Education High School
Acknowledgments
Sydney Distance Education High School gratefully acknowledges the following owners of copyright material.
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Copied Under Part VB, F Migan,
http://photobucket.com/image/romeo%20and%20juliet/helent30/romeo-andjuliet.jpg?0=42, accessed
17th March 2010.
Copied Under Part VB, F Migan, http://www.curriculumsupport.education.nsw.gov.au, accessed 17th
March 2010.
Copied Under Part VB, F Migan, http://www.photobucket.com/images/romeo%20and %20
juliet/?page=2, accessed 17th March 2010
Copied Under Part VB, F Migan, http://www.lisawallerrogers.wordpress.com/.../, accessed 17th March
2010.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPlpphT7n9
Copied Under Part VB, F Migan, http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/love-heart-notreligious_2html, accessed 17th March 2010
References to the text of “Romeo and Juliet” are taken from Oxford School Shakespeare, “Romeo and
Juliet” by William Shakespeare, edited by Roma Gill, 2008 edition.
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© Sydney Distance Education High School, Department of Education and Communities, NSW, 2015
Romeo and Juliet Week 1
Sydney Distance Education High School
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Contents
Outcomes
4
Glossary
5
Shakespeare
6
Tragedy:
7
The Prologue
8
The English Language: Early Modern English
9
Themes in Romeo and Juliet: Love, Fate and Hate
12
Symbolism in the Play
14
Blank Verse and Prose
14
Language Activities
16
Reading Activity
17
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Outcomes
By completing this unit, students are working towards achieving the following outcomes.
A student:
•
EN5-1A responds to and composes increasingly sophisticated and sustained texts for understanding,
interpretation, critical analysis, imaginative expression and pleasure
•
EN5-3B selects and uses language forms, features and structures of texts appropriate to a range of
purposes, audiences and contexts, describing and explaining their effects on meaning
•
EN5-4B effectively transfers knowledge, skills and understanding of language concepts into new and
different contexts
•
EN5-5C thinks imaginatively, creatively, interpretively and critically about information and increasingly
complex ideas and arguments to respond to and compose texts in a range of contexts
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Glossary
Activity 1: Use an online or physical dictionary to define these terms.
The source I have used is: _______________________________________
revenge:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
tragedy:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
character flaw:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
fate:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
supernatural:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
prologue:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
feud:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
duty:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
symbolism:
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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Shakespeare
Many people are pretty spooked by Shakespeare - so who was he and
what’s the big deal anyway?
2
Well, he wrote nearly 40 plays in the 1500-1600s in England. However,
his work is still relevant today because the ideas (called ‘themes’) in his
plays are about human nature – and that, despite time, never really changes.
Let’s take a look at some themes:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
People will always fall in love
People will always fall out of love
Boyfriends and girlfriends will always have a fight (or two...)
Some people will always be jealous of others
Some will try - and will, get revenge on those they dislike
There will always be wars - and murders
There will always be parents who ‘just don’t understand’ their children - or
who don’t want to!
How many themes can you count here? ____________________
....sounds like the evening news, right?
3
So that’s why he’s still so popular four hundred years after his death!
‘Romeo and Juliet’ was written in the early part of his career. It’s about two
teenagers falling in love at first sight, but their families are engaged in a long
standing feud. After a lot of complications, they end up dying - all in the space of a
week.
As our main characters end up dying, we call this type of play a tragedy.
Unfortunately, as the hero in this story and to stop the families' feud,
Romeo must die along with Juliet.
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Tragedy:
In a Shakespearean play, the word ‘tragedy’ is used very differently from the way
it is used in everyday life, where it refers to a sad or dreadful event or disaster. We see examples
in the news all the time, of events that are described as being tragedies. 4.
Consider 3 recent events that you have read or heard about in the news that have been described
as ‘tragedies’. Examples of ‘tragedies’ are the Bali Bombings in October 2002 and the earthquake
in Haiti in January 2010.
Activity 2: Write down three examples of recent events that you consider tragedies.
a. ______________________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________________________________
The difference with a Shakespearean tragedy is that the play has the following characteristics:
We can see many
good qualities in
the main
character. We like
and respect them.
The main
character is of high
social status in the
communitythey're rich,
famous and/or
powerful
We, the
audience feel a
sense of pity or
loss at their
death.
The main
character(s)
always dies
The main
character(s) has a
flaw in their
personality that
leads to their
death
Elements
of
Tragedy
A lot of innocent
people die too
Fate, gods or
supernatural
forces may be
involved in
bringing about
their demise
Activity 3: After reading the chart above, write THREE things you have learnt about the main
character in a tragedy.
a. ______________________________________________________________________________
b. ______________________________________________________________________________
c. ______________________________________________________________________________
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Activity 4: a. Listen to and read the Prologue below.
b. Can you understand what the audience is being told here?
____________ Yes / No
The Prologue
Chorus
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
Whose misadventur’d piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which but their children’s end nought could remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, or toil shall strive to mend.
5
10
14
Let’s find out why this form of our own language seems so foreign
to today’s readers.
Activity 5: Listen to a discussion about Early Modern English and a version of the
Prologue using this original pronunciation.
a. What does O P stand for? _________________________________________________________
b. Which period of time is mentioned? ________________________________________________
c. Which three pieces of evidence indicate Early Modern English pronunciation?
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
d. Explain the meaning of ‘two hours’ traffic of our stage;'.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
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The English Language: Early Modern English
This language is English, although it is certainly different to Modern English. It is
a form of English spoken in the day of Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth 1, and
is known as Elizabethan or Early Modern English.
Today we speak Modern English which has evolved over hundreds of years and
been influenced by many other neighbouring languages.
Most recent periods of English language development:
• Middle English in the late 15th century
• Early Modern English - early 17th century to mid-17th century
• Modern English during the mid to late 17th century
- roughly 1470 to 1600
- roughly 1600 to 1650
- roughly 1650 to 1699.
In the late 16th and early 17th century, during the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603) and later
James I (1603–25), a London-centred culture, that was both courtly and popular, produced great
poetry and drama. Shakespeare's plays were written during this era, between 1590 and 1612.
Activity 6: In which period of English language development was Shakespeare writing?
______________________________________________________________________________
Glossary: Look up the meaning of these Early Modern English words used in the Prologue.
grudge
______________________________________________________________________
misadventur’d ____________________________________________________________________
loins
______________________________________________________________________
strife
______________________________________________________________________
nought
_______________________________________________________________________
strive
_______________________________________________________________________
Next, let’s have a go at interpreting the prologue!
Activity 7: Read these lines and then answer the following questions:
Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
a. What is meant by an ‘ancient grudge’?
________________________________________________________________________________
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b. What does the line, ‘Two households, both alike in dignity,’ indicate about the social standing of
these two families? _________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________
c. Explain the effect of the ‘grudge’ on these two families at this time, ‘Where civil blood makes civil
hands unclean.’. ____________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
d. What is meant by ‘From forth the fatal loins of these two foes’? ___________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
e. Explain ‘A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;’._____________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
f. What is the effect of their deaths on their families’ feud, seen in the lines, ‘Doth with their death
bury their parent’s strife.’? ___________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
g. What are we going to see during the two hours of the play, as indicated in the lines below?
'The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,/ And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
Which but their children’s end nought could remove, /Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;'
________________________________________________________________________________
h. What is asked of the audience in the lines below?
'The which if you with patient ears attend, /What here shall miss, or toil shall strive to mend.'
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
i. What do you think the following expressions might mean in the context of the play?
'Star-crossed lovers': ______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
'Death-marked love': _______________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
j. Underline any words in the Prologue that have to do with love and circle the words that refer to
fighting. (Use two different colour highlighters to colour code).
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k. Are there more words about love or fighting? _________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
l. Does this change your initial idea about the play’s content? Explain how.
________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
The Prologue is written in the form of poetry called a Sonnet.
A Sonnet is a fourteen-line poem. Each line has ten syllables.
The sonnet is divided into three sections by the use of rhyme.
•
The first eight lines rhyme: AB AB CD CD
•
The next four lines rhyme: EF EF
•
The last two lines, called a ‘rhyming couplet’, rhyme: GG
Activity 8: It is time to use this knowledge to write a Modern English version of the Prologue.
Early Modern English – Prologue
Modern English – Prologue
Note our modern English pronunciation is different
to that of Early Modern English
Your lines do NOT need to rhyme.
Two households, both alike in dignity,
A
Two equally rich and important families
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
B
______________________________________
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
A
______________________________________
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
B
______________________________________
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
C
______________________________________
A pair of star-cross’d lovers take their life;
D
Whose misadventur’d piteous overthrows
C
Doth with their death bury their parent’s strife.
D
The fearful passage of their death-mark’d love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,
E
F
______________________________________
Which but their children’s end nought could
remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
E
______________________________________
F
______________________________________
The which if you with patient ears attend,
G
______________________________________
What here shall miss, or toil shall strive to mend.
G
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
______________________________________
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Themes in Romeo and Juliet: Love, Fate and Hate
In the play, “Romeo and Juliet”, there are a number of ideas that we are
meant to focus upon. Let’s look at some and test your skill in Early
Modern English too.
Love and Hate: Love and hate are powerful emotions that are examined throughout “Romeo
and Juliet.” In the popular love poetry of Shakespeare's time, the focus is always on the sufferings
of the male lover. The lady is beautiful, and her beauty strikes a man through the eyes, into the
heart, making him fall in love. He suffers and tries to tell the lady of his suffering, so she may pity
him and return his love. However, when Romeo meets Juliet, all of this is cast aside.
The hate between the Montague and Capulet families is the seed that sows the destruction of the
two lovers. Love is an emotion that captures Romeo and Juliet. Once they fall in love, they embark
on a whirlwind journey which leads to their tragic end.
Activity 9: In the first scene of the play, Romeo is in love with Rosalind and has not yet met
Juliet. (1.1.162)
Benvolio asks Romeo what's wrong and Romeo says he is, ' Out of her favor, where I am in love.'.
a. What is meant by this line? ________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Benvolio knows that Romeo is always in love and sympathizes, saying, 'Alas, that love, so gentle in
his view, / Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!'. (1.1.163-164)
b. What is he saying about love in the words, ‘tyrannous and rough’?
________________________________________________________________________________
Romeo replies, 'Alas, that Love, whose view is muffled still, / Should, without eyes, see pathways
to his will!'. (1.1.165-166) Here Romeo is thinking of love as Cupid who makes people fall in love.
c. What is the meaning of the words: ‘whose view is muffled still, / Should, without eyes,’?
________________________________________________________________________________
Fate:
In the Prologue, ‘a pair of star-crossed lovers’ are introduced, so fate
is a key element of the play from the beginning. The theme of fate runs
throughout the play: the feud between the families; the plague that holds up
Friar John and stops him from delivering the message to Romeo, and finally, the
timing in the tomb, where Romeo drinks the poison and dies before Juliet wakes to find him there.
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Activity 10: Some lines relating to fate.
a. Romeo says, ‘I fear too early, for my mind misgives / Some consequence yet
hanging in the stars'. (1.4. 106-107)
Explain Romeo’s suspicions regarding his future as expressed in these lines.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
b. Juliet says, ‘Methinks I see thee now, thou art so low / As one dead in the bottom of a tomb.’.
(3. 5.55-6) Explain Juliet’s fears.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
c. Romeo says, 'Is it e’en so? Then I defy you stars!'. (5.1.24)
Explain Romeo’s reaction to being controlled by fate.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Duty:
The theme of duty is one of great significance. Most characters belong to either the
Montague or Capulet household so this theme is closely tied in with the story. The idea presented
is that one has a duty to follow the beliefs and values of your family even though you do not
believe in them. Romeo and Juliet's obedience and duty to their family was a barrier to their love.
Therefore, duty provides the play with a complication and so is considered an important theme.
Juliet is required to listen to her father and marry Paris although she is in love with Romeo. Juliet
appears to be obedient and loyal to her family.
d. What is meant by, ‘Romeo and Juliet's obedience and duty to their family was a barrier to their
love.'? __________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
Duty can be destructive to friendship too! Tybalt feels it is his duty to continue the “ancient
grudge” between the two families. Mercutio feels a duty to save Romeo’s reputation out of his
loyalty to him.
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Symbolism in the Play
As you read the play, you will find contrasts throughout the script. These
opposites are particularly found in the language through images of:
day and night / black and white / light and darkness.
(metaphors and similes)
Light and Darkness: The contrast between darkness and light is vital in the play. The use of
light suggests the passing of the days in which the events take place. The light and dark suggest
the building of tension between the opposing forces in the play. In Act 2, scene 2 (the balcony
scene), Romeo compares Juliet to the sun and talks of the “envious moon” (line 46).
e. When Romeo first sees Juliet, he talks of light, 'Oh she doth teach the torches to burn bright!'.
(1.5.43) Explain what Romeo means in these lines.
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________
SPEAK THE SPEECH, I PRAY YOU!
The really important characters in Shakespeare’s plays speak in blank verse. So what is Blank
Verse?
Blank Verse is a form of poetry. It has five beats per line which is known as iambic pentameter.
If you say the words out loud, you should hear ten syllables (sounds). A good example is:
X /
X /
X
/ X
/
X
/
* where / signifies a strong or stressed syllable
Shall / I com /- pare thee/ to a /sum- mer’s /day?
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
(= 10 syllables)
10
You will notice that there are ten sounds exactly in this line. Shakespeare’s really important
characters speak in Blank Verse so there is a rhythm to what they say. Also, because it is harder
to create, other characters admire them for their wit!
Blank Verse and Prose
In the play, Romeo and Juliet speak in Blank Verse.
In contrast, everyday characters speak in prose. Prose is ordinary speech that does not have a
particular rhythm. When important characters let their emotions control them, they begin to use
prose.
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In the play, Juliet’s nurse often speaks in prose.
Activity 11: a. Read the quotes below and decide whether they use blank verse or prose.
1. “From Love’s weak childish bow she lives uncharm’d.” _________________________
2. “Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?”
_________________________
3. “How silver-sweet sound lovers’ tongues by night.”
_________________________
4. “You shall have none ill, sir, for I’ll try if they
can lick their fingers.”
________________________
b. Below is a list of Shakespearean terms and their modern-day equivalents.
Complete the final column with Modern English equivalents:
Shakespeare’s Term Modern Equivalent
Shakespeare’s Term
thou
you
art
thine
your
doth
thee
you
hark
shalt
shall
nay
‘tis
It is
hast
yonder
beyond
tarry
thy
your
o’er
alack
alas
hie
Modern Equivalent
hurry
Activity 12: Using the table above, change this sentence from formal English to Shakespearean
or Early Modern English.
a. Listen! You shall not go tonight.
____________________________________________________________________________
b. Now write your own everyday (‘colloquial’) English sentence below:
_______________________________________________________________________
Slang is the lowest type of everyday language. For example, ‘awesome’ and ‘dude’.
It can include deliberately misspelt words like ‘c’mon’.
c. Write your own ‘slang’ sentence below. (Don’t be afraid to use rap!)
_______________________________________________________________________________ _
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d. Now convert your slang sentence into Shakespearean English. (I dare thee!)
_______________________________________________________________________________ _
Language Activities
Activity 13: Match up the following terms:
1 h 2 ___ 3 ___ 4 ___ 5 ___ 6 ___ 7 ___ 8 ___ 9 ___ 10 ___ 11 ___ 12 ___ 13 ___ 14 ___
Term
Modern Meaning
1
sith
a. soon
2
ay
b. enemy
3
pleaseth
c. ruin
4
anon
d. Gossip/prattle
5
coz
e. implore
6
foe
f. fight
7
knavery
g. would
8
plight
9
prate
1
h. since
i.
frightened
10 beseech
j.
Well-mannered or cultivated
11 wouldst
k. trick
12 gentle
l.
13 afeard
m. yes
14 fray
n. Please it/ does it please you?
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Cousin/friend
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Food for Thought!
Here are some tid-bits of info that you didn’t know about Shakespeare:
•
•
•
•
He died on his 52nd birthday.
He married an older woman.
He left his wife and kids to follow his dream, working as an actor/ writer in London.
Hundreds of words we still use today were invented by Shakespeare.
Activity 14: A quiz on the life of William Shakespeare.
Reading Activity
Activity 15: You will now begin to read the play of Romeo and Juliet.
You need to read Act 1, scenes 1-5 BEFORE starting the next Title Page.
Some of the words will look strange but don’t freak
out!
4.
You Can Do It!
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