Today’s standard-
*Analyze works of literature for what is suggested about the historical period in which they were written.
Objective- Gather information to better understand Shakespeare and his work Romeo & Juliet.

Family
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Born around April 23, 1564 in Stratford–on–Avon
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3 rd of 8 children
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Family was well off
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Most quoted, other than the Bible

The Dirt !
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Married Anne Hathaway at 18 - she was 26!
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Three children
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Absentee father

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No running water or electricity
Poverty

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Bathing considered dangerous
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Childhood diseases
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Children often died young
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Small Pox & Bubonic Plague killed thousands

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No running water
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Chamber Pots
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Open Sewers
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Crowded

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Clothes
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One set used all year long, rarely washed
Underclothing slept in, rarely changed
Clothes handed down from rich to poor

The Theater
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First public theater
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Demolished in
1599

The Globe
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Penny admission
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Hard to believe? Think about admission to the movie theater in the ‘ 50s

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All men
Female parts played by young boys
No actual kissing or hugging on stage

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2000-3000 people from all walks of life
Rich audience sat in covered galleries around stage
Most stood in the pit around platform stage –
“ groundlings ”

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Poor audience member
Stood around stage in
“ the pit ”
Threw rotten vegetables at bad performances

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Ends in the death of one or more of the main characters
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Most of
Shakespeare’s tragedies involved historical individuals or events.

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Most tragic heroes are partly to blame for their own fates and end up dying as a result.
All of Shakespeare’s tragedies have a tragic hero.

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All of Shakespeare’s tragedies have a tragic hero.
Often makes more than one bad judgment
Usually recognizes his mistakes
We feel sympathy for him.
The hero is often a man of high rank, such as a king or prince.
Will die

The play’s title is written in italics
The scene is in small Roman numerals
, II. i. 35
The act is written in capital Roman numerals
The line number is written as a normal number

In Shakespeare’s time . . .
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There were no dictionaries.
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There were no spelling rules.
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Shakespeare created over 2,000 words.
Wordplay, bawdy jokes, and lofty language appealed to Elizabethan audiences.

Hint eyeball majestic laughable generous gloomy fashionable undress

When family differences stand between two people, it can be destructive because_______________.

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Understand globe theater
Summarize and paraphrase complex text
Analyze characters (protagonist/antagonist, flat/round, static/dynamic, stock)
Analyze conflicts (internal/external),
Analyze stage directions, dialogue and dramatic speeches (monologue, soliloquy, aside)
Analyze theme

 This play is a tragedy-it traces the downfall of the main character, often called the tragic hero.
 Tragic hero-admired character, but has a major flaw that causes his downfall.

 Called a “five act play”
 Act 1-Introduction
 Act 2- Rising Action
 Act 3-Climax
 Act 4-Falling Action
 Act 5- Resolution

Romeo and Juliet: Background
The Elizabethan audience expected a drama to unfold in five predictable segments.
Rising action
• Act II
• Act I
Introduction
• Act III
Crisis, or turning point
• Act IV
Falling action
• Act V
Climactic moment, resolution

 The Globe- most famous theater in the history of English stage, for many more of
Shakespeare’s plays were performed there.
 It was a round theater with a central stage open to the sky.

 Summarize-briefly stating the idea of a text in a few sentences.
 Paraphrase-summarize a text LINE by LINE.

 Dynamic-a character changes and grows
 Static- a character remains the same
 Flat-one dimensional; has only one or two qualities
 Round-multi-dimensional; has many qualities
 Stock character-a stereotypical character
(villian, mean librarian, etc.)

 Remember a character can be flat and static.
Most flat, static characters are also stereotypical, or stock characters.
 A character can be dynamic and round at the same time.

 Internal- man vs. self (Example: Should I cheat?)
 External- man vs. man

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Dialogue= conversation between characters.
Prose dialogue is written in quotation marks.
 In drama, it generally follows the name of the speaker- seen below
 BENVOLIO. My noble uncle, do you know the cause?
 MONTAGUE. I neither know.

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Notes in a play that describe how the work should be performed, or stagedsuch as scenes, lighting, sound effects and character actions.
Usually set in italics and are sometimes set off in brackets or parentheses.
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Example:
Scene iii. Friar Lawrence’s cell [Enter FRIAR
LAWRENCE alone, with a basket.]

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Sally: Good Morning, teacher.
Teacher: Good Morning, Sally.
Sally: What do you want us to do this morning?
Teacher: I want you to get out your homework.
Sally: Great.

Same skit with stage directions included.
Sally: (loudly) Good Morning, teacher.
Teacher: (acting irritated) Good Morning,
Sally.
Sally: (laughs rudely) What do you want us to do this morning?
Teacher: (sternly) I want you to get out your homework.
Sally: (sarcastically) Great.

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Sally: (cheerfully) Good Morning, teacher.
Teacher: (smiles) Good Morning, Sally.
Sally: (sweetly) What do you want us to do this morning?
Teacher: (energetically) I want you to get out your homework.
Sally: (excitedly) Great.

 Monologue- a long, uninterrupted speech delivered to other characters on stage.
 Soliloquy- (solo) a speech in which a character, alone on stage, reveals private thoughts that the audience is allowed to overhear.
 Aside-a brief remark a character makes to the audience rather than to the other characters.

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Now use your guided notes paper- AGAIN.

Romeo and Juliet: Introduction
Verona, Italy
Feud between Capulets and Montagues
The Montagues and the
Capulets hate each other.

Romeo and Juliet: Introduction
Is there such a thing as love at first sight?
Romeo Montague sneaks into a Capulet party.
He and Juliet Capulet can ’ t take their eyes off each other.
That ’ s before the well known romantic exchange on her balcony.

Romeo and Juliet: Introduction
Neither family is pleased with their interest in each other.
But the couple has a friend in the local priest— if only Friar Laurence can coax the families toward peace.

Romeo and Juliet: Introduction
But meanwhile, the feud between the families is getting worse and even leads to revenge and death.

Romeo and Juliet: Background
• In Romeo and Juliet a prologue in sonnet
(type of poem) form summarizes the play for the audience
Prologue- introduction before the first act.
• Most lines in the play, like the lines of a sonnet, are in
iambic pentameter—ten syllables of a steady unaccented/accented pattern.
•Creates a beat/rhythm when read.

Romeo and Juliet question
During the 1300s in Verona, Italy— in the setting for Romeo and Juliet—it was customary for a father to arrange a suitable marriage for his daughter.

Prologue activity
Do 1-5 thoroughly for homework.

Choose the correct description for the following words in parenthesis:
(Reciting)
(whistling)
(at the gate)
A They establish the setting and foreshadow upcoming conflict.
B They contribute to the characterization and relationship between the actors.
C They indicate how the lines should be spoken and describe offstage activity.
D They describe what the stage looks like and how the actors should speak and move.

What would be gained if the drama were performed instead of read?
A The emotions of the characters would be more apparent.
B The characters would be more essential to the plot.
C The plot would come to a conclusion more quickly.
D The foreshadowing would be more effective.

Literature book page 808
Sampson:
Gregory:
Abram:
Benvolio:
Tybalt:
Officer:
Capulet:
Lady Capulet:
Montague:
Lady Montague:
Prince:
Romeo:
Juliet:
ACT I
Nurse:
Mercutio:
Servingman 1:
Servingman 2:
Servingman 3:

Romeo and Juliet Exit ticket
Who is fighting in the beginning of
Act I?
What does Aside mean?
Are you confused about the play?
Write your question here on your paper.