Elements of Literature
Ms. Boberek
Romeo and Juliet
Exam Review Packet
The test will consist of multiple choice questions, short answer questions, quote analysis, and one
essay question. I recommend you review all class work packets as I will use those to create the exam.
You will also be required to accurately paraphrase a portion of the play into your own words.
Important vocabulary:
 Motif
 Dichotomy
 Paradox
 Petrarchan Love/ unrequited love
 Simile
 Metaphor
 Imagery
 Suspense
 Bawdy humor
 Puns
 Iambic Pentameter
 Blank Verse
 Prose
 Oxymoron
 Foreshadowing
 Characterization
 Foil
 Subtext
Know biographical information on William Shakespeare as presented in class in groups.
Refer to pages 594-601 in your text.
You must be able to characterize different characters using the 5 methods of characterization.
Based on their characterizations, you need to be able to infer why certain characters take
particular action in certain situations.
There will be a section of Quote Analysis on the test.
For this portion, you will be required to identify the speaker of the quote, the context, and the
significance of that particular passage to the overall themes from Romeo and Juliet.
There will be short essay questions.
When you respond to these questions, remember that even though it is not a formal essay, you
need to include introductory/concluding sentences, textual support, extension of those examples
and then your own conclusions or inferences on the topics at hand.
For the essay question, make sure you establish a specific, clear thesis statement and the rest of
your essay is organized according to the argument you present in your thesis. . I will provide the
text needed so that you are able to include quotations, but be sure to also use paraphrases and
summaries in your essay.
Elements of Literature
Ms. Boberek
Act I
THEMES: Familial Love; Social Expectations of Love; Rebellion; Dichotomy and
Paradox.
 The first scene of Romeo and Juliet is a brilliant example of how information can
be conveyed through theatrical activity. Look at each segment within the first
scene (Gregory-Sampson and the Montague servants; Benvolio-Tybalt; and the
Prince’s warning). How do these episodes clarify the forces at work in this
story?
 Foreshadowing is the use of events, dialogue, and imagery that vaguely or
strongly predict later plot events. What events, dialogue, or imagery in this scene
might predict a tragedy to come later?
 Scene IV does not seem to advance the story. The friends could just as well have
shown up at the party without this scene. It does have one distinct function,
however, and that is to introduce us to Mercutio, who will plays important part in
the story later. Characterize Mercutio, based on what he has says and does.
 Mercuito is used as a foil to Romeo. The word foil in drama means that a
character or scene is set up as a contrast to another character or scene. This
contrast makes the particular qualities of each character (or scene) stand out
vividly. In what specific ways is Mercutio a foil to Romeo?
 Refer to Reading Group Packet for further information.
Act II
THEMES: Love and Marriage; Identity; Rebellion; Motifs: Light and Darkness,
Nature.
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Track the following motifs in Scene 2: interior/exterior spaces, looking/sight, and
nature.
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Do you see a motif of time: haste v. slowness anywhere in Scene 2?
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Refer to Reading Group Packet for further information.
Re-read the “balcony scene,”
o Identify similes and metaphors and think critically about their meaning.
o Is there any subtext not expressed by Romeo and Juliet in this scene, or
do they expose all of the deepest feelings in their hearts? What do you
learn about Romeo’s and Juliet’s identities in this scene?
Act III
THEMES: Rebellion; Love; Identity.
 What responsibilities do married couples have to each other? What sacrifices are
appropriate? What sacrifices are too extreme in a marriage? Consider Romeo
and Juliet’s circumstances when thinking about these questions.
 In Act 3, Scene 5, Juliet rebels against her father’s wishes by refusing to marry
Paris. How is this refusal a rebellion not only against his power, but also against
the structure and norms of Elizabethan society? Why would Juliet take such a
risk?
Elements of Literature
Ms. Boberek
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How can Juliet both hate and love Romeo after he kills Tybalt?
How does this newly formed bond change Romeo and Juliet? Does each of the
young lovers think differently about their future now?
MOTIFS: Looking and Sight
o Romeo, Mercutio, Juliet, and Lord Capulet all have experiences in this act
in which they realize that things or people are not as they appeared.
Consider the moments in act 3 when these characters see a person or a
situation in a different light. What brings about his altered vision?
o Consider a time when you began to “see” a person close to you differently.
What prompted that change in “vision”?
Refer to Reading Group Packet for further information.
THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT THE ACT:
 Why does Romeo kill Tybalt? What does this say about his character?
 What is the turning point of the play? What actions does the killing from
Act III set in motion? How might these actions lead to the deaths of
Romeo and Juliet?
 Does Juliet mourn for Tybalt’s death or Romeo’s banishment? Both?
 What is your opinion of the Nurse’s action/dialogue in this act? How
might her actions affect Fate? Justify your answer.
 Where is the theme of dichotomy and paradox most evident in Act 3?
Act IV
THEMES: Rebellions; Love and Marriage; Time: Haste versus Slowness.
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In this act of falling action, Shakespeare creates and maintains suspense but also
provides comic scenes. Ask yourself if the scenes are jarring and intrusive,
slapstick thrown into a serious play, or consonant with the plot that deepen a
reader’s/viewer’s response to the coming tragedy.
Think carefully about Juliet’s relations with each of the other character: Paris, the
Friar, the Nurse, and Lord and Lady Capulet.
Also consider how Romeo remains a forceful presence in this act, even though he
does not appear.
Refer to Reading Group Packet for further information.
Act V
THEMES: Rebellion; LOVE and MARRIAGE; Time: haste vs. slowness; Dichotomy
and Paradox.
1. Do parents know what is best for their children more so than the children
themselves?
2. Do young people feel emotions more deeply than older people? Explain.
3. Do people who are deeply in love act irrationally?
4. Does rage lead to tragedy?
5. Do sins of one generation affect the next?
6. Is hate a more powerful emotion than love?
Elements of Literature
Ms. Boberek
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Consider the dramatic and situational irony of this scene.
There have been many references to the workings of Fate in the play. In your
opinion, what caused the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet? Do you believe it was due
to fate, or to human errors?
Select lines in Act V that represent the denouement. What is resolved, clarified,
untied and discovered? What are the outcomes and results?
How are Lady and Lord Capulet and Lady and Lord Montague responsible for the
teenagers’ deaths, if at all?
Dichotomy and Paradox. The lovers’ suicides put an end to the feud. How does
good come from this tragedy?
Refer to Reading Group Packet for further information.
The play as a whole:
Evaluate how Romeo can be considered a Petrarchan lover, and how his
love/marriage with Juliet is not Petrarchan love.
What might Shakespeare be saying about human nature?
How can plot/story information be conveyed through theatrical activity?
What led to Romeo’s and Juliet’s deaths?
o The strength of their love?
o The feud between their families?
o Choices they make? Actions they participate in? Actions they neglect to
participate in?
o Choices other characters make? Actions of other characters? Inaction of
other characters?
Elizabethan attitudes towards women, families, behavior and how this affects the
characters and the story.
Consider how Romeo and Juliet’s love can be considered both romantic and
dangerous.
Motif: TIME/ haste versus slowness. Over what stretch of time does the play
take place? How does this affect the nature of the events and the decisions made?
How does this speed affect us as readers/viewers?
Is death the ultimate sacrifice for love? Discuss this idea versus the notion that
suicide is an extremely selfish act.
Consider the concept of Fate and its role in the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.