Romeo and Juliet

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Class Notes
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Literary Terms

• Allusion
• A reference another literary work, person, place,
  or event that the average reader may be
  unfamiliar with.
• Aside
• When a character speaks his or her thoughts aloud
  and is heard by the audience, but not by other
  characters
• Blank Verse
• Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter

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Literary Terms

• Comic Relief
• A humorous scene or speech that is included in
  drama
• Foil
• A character who contrasts another character
• Foreshadowing
• When a writer uses hints or clues to indicate
  events or situations that will occur later in the
  plot

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Literary Terms

• Irony
• The contrast between appearance and reality.
  Reality is opposite of what it seems
• Paradox
• A statement that seems to contradict itself but
  is actually true
• Pun
• A joke that comes from a play on words. Words can
  have multiple meanings
• Soliloquy
• A speech in which a character speaks thoughts out
  loud.

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The Prologue

• Expresses the hatred separating the Montagues'
  and Capulets
• Use of Foreshadowing/Metaphor
• A Pair of star-crossed lovers take their life

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Act I, Scene 1

• Setting - Verona in Italy

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Act I, Scene 1
The Capulets (Juliets side) The Montagues (Romeos side)
Samson
Gregory Abram- Servant to Montague
Tybalt- Nephew of Lady Capulet Benvolio- Nephew of Montague, friend to Romeo

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Act I, Scene 4

• Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, others about to make
  an appearance at the feast.
• Romeo and Benvolio, Montague kin are not invited.
  
• Enter wearing masks

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Act I, Scene 4

• Benvolio wants to have fun
• Mercutio tries to talk Romeo into a better mood.
• Romeo replies that he can't borrow Cupid's wings
  because he has been so badly wounded by Cupid's
  arrow.

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Act I, Scene 4- Mercutio

• Uses several puns, dirty jokes, and vivid
  descriptions.
• "sink in it, should you burden love -- / Too
  great oppression for a tender thing" (1.4.24).
• means that if Romeo is going to blame ("burden")
  love for his state of mind, he will only sink
  further into love.
• also means that if he gets what he wants (sex) he
  will sink into the woman and be a burden to her.
• Thinks Romeo is too serious
• Love-sickness is caused by a lack of sex.

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Act I, Scene 4- Mercutio

• Romeo doesnt believe that he can win the game of
  love and doesnt want to play.
• Mercutio tells Romeo to shut up about being
  "done" and to quit being a do-nothing.
• Says that if Romeo is "done," he's Dun the horse
  (name of a log that people pulled out of mud
  during a Christmas game.)
• Mercutio says that love is bullcrap, and that
  Romeo is stuck in it up to the ears.

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Act I, Scene 4- Romeos Speech

• Foreshadowing
• chain of events ("consequence")
• chain of events does terminate the duration
  ("expire the term") of Romeo's life with
  premature ("untimely") death.
• Despite his premonitions, Romeo goes to Capulet's
  house.
• Says that he is doing so because he is entrusting
  his fate to "He, that hath the steerage of my
  course." (God)

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Act I, Scene 5- Romeo and Juliet Meet

• The servant's bustle picks up the pace of the
  play.
• Everything is speeding up.
• Capulet welcomes everyone
• speaks to Romeo's company when he says, "Welcome,
  gentlemen! ladies that have their toes /
  Unplagued with corns will walk a bout with you"
  (1.5.16-17).
• Making sure that these strangers in masks feel
  welcome.

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Act I, Scene 5- Romeo and Juliet Meet

• Romeo sees Juliet and falls in love with her
  instantly.
• Tybalt recognizes Romeos voice and sends for his
  rapier to kill him.
• Capulet insists on Tybalts obedience, reminding
  him of Romeos good character.

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Act I, Scene 5- Romeo and Juliet Meet

• Romeo and Juliet continue their exchanges and
  they kiss
• interrupted by the Nurse, (sends Juliet to find
  her mother.)
• Romeo realizes the grave consequences of their
  love.
• Juliet discovers from the Nurse that Romeo is a
  Montague.

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Act II, Prologue

• Quatrian (first four lines) has a sarcastic tone
• Chorus foreshadows death
• desire death in his deathbead lie.
• love groaned for and would die.
• Romeo is willing to die for beauty

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Act II, Scene I

• Begins with a soliloquy from Romeo
• Soliloquy - A speech revealing a characters
  thoughts, actions, and/or emotions that are only
  heard by the audience and not by the other
  characters.

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Act II, Scene 1

• Romeo enters and speaks of his love for Juliet.
  He jumps over a Capulet wall, hoping to see her.
• Mercutio mocks Romeo's feelings for Rosaline.
• Benvolio suggests that they leave and go look for
  him.

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Act II, Scene II

• The Capulet orchard
• Romeo watches Juliet and starts to speak with
  her.
• They proclaim their love for each other here.
• Romeo and Juliet quickly agree to marry the next
  day at nine o'clock.
• The Nurse calls for Juliet and she has to go.
  They say goodbye to each other for the night and
  exit.

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Act II, Scene II - Juliet

• Willing to denounce her family name to be with
  him
• "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.

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Act II, Scene II - Names

• The lovers go into a long discourse about names
  and how they are nothing more than words.
• The fact that she is a Capulet by name and he is
  a Montague by name should not affect their love
  for each other like it does.
• "'Tis but thy name that is my enemy.Thou art
  thyself, thou not a Montague. What's Montague?
  It is nor hand, nor foot,Nor arm, nor face, nor
  any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some
  other name! What's in a name? That which we call
  a rose By any other word would smell as sweet."
  Act 2, Scene 2, lines 38-44

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Act II, Scene 3 Friar Lawrence

• Friar Laurence
• uses a plant metaphor to comment on how -- in
  both plants and people -- everything has some
  good, and every good can be abused and turned to
  evil 
• meditating on the struggle between good and evil
  in nature and man
• Criticizes Romeo for jumping from Rosaline to
  Juliet
• Agrees to perform the ceremony
• thinks that the marriage may end the hatred
  between the Capulets and Montagues.

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Act II, Scene 4

• Tone of this scene is humorous as everyone jokes
  around
• Benvolio
• says that Tybalt has sent a challenge to Romeo
• Mercutio
• switches from making fun of Tybalt to making fun
  of Romeo.
• Romeo and Mercutio exchange a series of puns

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Act II, Scene 4

• The Nurse (enters with Peter)
• Becomes the target of more jokes
• complains about Mercutio
• receives from Romeo the information about time
  and place of the wedding
• chatters on about how sweet Juliet is.

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Act II, Scene 5

• Plot is fast-paced.
• Scene 5 is about anticipation, not information.
• Juliet impatiently awaits the return of the Nurse
  with news from Romeo 
• The Nurse teases Juliet by finding all kinds of
  ways to not deliver the joyful news
• Finally tells her that she is to go Friar
  Laurence's cell to be married to Romeo.

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Act II, Scene 6

• Just before the wedding, Friar Laurence advises
  Romeo to love moderately. 
• Romeo and Juliet tell each other how much they
  love one another.
• Friar Laurence leads them off to be married.

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Act III, Scene 1

• The climax of the play
• Benvolio tries to persuade Mercutio that it's
  best to stay out of the way of the Capulets and a
  quarrel
• Mercutio jokingly claims that Benvolio is as much
  of a quarreler as anyone.
• Tybalt, looking for Romeo, is challenged to a
  fight by Mercutio
• Tybalt challenges Romeo to fight. Romeo refuses
• Mercutio steps forward and fights Tybalt.

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Act III, Scene 1

• As Romeo is trying to stop the fight, Tybalt
  gives Mercutio a wound, then runs away. Mercutio
  dies.
• Romeo is ashamed of himself for letting Mercutio
  do the fighting
• Romeo kills Tybalt and leaves the scene.
• Benvolio tells the Prince what happened.
• Lady Capulet wants Romeo's life,
• The Prince exiles Romeo.

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