Lesson Title: How to Read The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Act 1 Scenes 1-3

Elements of Literature pp. 781-784 and 785-804

Created by Mrs. Ariana Tivis and Mrs. Emmett for English 9

Objectives

• Evaluate the plot's structure and development, and also the way in which conflicts are resolved.

• Read Shakespeare’s poetry

Romeo and Juliet

• You were assigned to read Act 1, Scene 1

• How did you do? Were you able to get a general grasp of what is taking place in the story?

1. Exposition

The exposition establishes the setting, introduces some of the main characters, explains background, and introduces the characters’ main conflict.

2. Rising Action

The rising action consists of a series of complications. These occur as the main characters take action to resolve their problems.

3. Crisis or Turning Point

The crisis, or turning point, is the moment when a choice made by the main characters determines the direction of the action: upward to a happy ending, which would be a comedy, or downward to tragedy. The turning point is the dramatic and tense moment when the forces of conflict come together. Look for the turning point in Act III.

4. Falling Action

The falling action presents events that result from the action taken at the turning point. These events usually lock the characters deeper and deeper into disaster; with each event we see characters falling straight into tragedy.

5. Climax and Resolution

The final and greatest climax occurs at the end of the play--usually, in tragedy, with the deaths of the main characters. In the resolution (or denouement) all the loose parts of the plot are tied up. The play is over.

Journal: Love“Kids these days! They think that love conquers all, that

nothing matters except how they feel about each other. They have no sense of responsibility to their families, no respect for tradition, no regard for those who are older and wiser. They don’t know the problems they’re going to have that all the love in the world won’t solve for them.”

What do you think of this complaint?

Have you heard older people say some of these things?

Do you agree or disagree? Why?

Love

• How is love usually portrayed in books and television?

• Do you think this is realistic or completely unrealistic? Why?

Romeo and Juliet

• In Brooke’s version of the story there was a moral that would have been considered normal back then. Romeo and Juliet had to die because they broke the law, married unwisely, and against their parents’ wishes.

• Shakespeare takes a different approach. He presents the couple as “star-crossed lovers,” doomed to disaster by fate.

Although in the prologue Shakespeare says that Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed, he does not make them mere victims of fate. Romeo and Juliet make decisions that lead to their disaster. More important, other characters have a hand in the play’s tragic ending.

Destiny….?

• What do you believe:

Do we control our own destiny?

Do thinks happen randomly as the result of fate?

The Cast of Characters

• The MontaguesLord Montague

Lady Montague

Romeo, son of Montague

Benvolio, nephew of Montague and friend of Romeo

Balthasar, servant of Romeo

Abram, servant of Montague

• The CapuletsLord CapuletLady CapuletJuliet, daughter of CapuletTybalt, nephew of Lady CapuletNurse to JulietPeter, servant to the NurseSampson, servant of CapuletGregory, servant of CapuletAn Old Man of the Capulet family

• The OthersPrince Escalus, ruler of VeronaMercutio, a relative of the Prince and friend of

RomeoFriar Laurence, a Franciscan priestFriar John, another Franciscan priestCount Paris, a young nobleman, a relative of the

PrinceAn OfficerCitizens of VeronaRelatives of both familiesMaskersGuardsWatchmenAttendants

Reading Shakespeare• Remember the rules of reading poetry apply to

this play also. Don’t automatically stop reading at the end of a line.

Keep reading until you get to punctuation!!!•You are going to be distracted and caught on the archaic language. It can make the reading awkward and difficult. Try to focus instead on meaning of passage as a whole and catching the gist of the rest of the words in the passage, the majority of which you will understand with no problem. Don’t Quit!!!!

The Scene:

• Verona and Mantua, cities in northern Italy

Act 1: PrologueThis Act begins with a Prologue: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 hangs unclean.From forth the fatal loins of these two foesA pair of star-crossed lovers take their life;Whose misadventured piteous overthrowsDo with their death bury their parents; strife.The fearful passage of their death-marked love,And the continuance of their parents’ rage,Which, but their children’s end, naught 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.

Act 1: Prologue• This prologue is actually a sonnet.• Take a minute and flip to the “Handbook of Literary

Terms” in the back of your Elements of Literature book and look for “sonnet”.

• What information about the family and situation does this prologue give you?

• Pg. 1030

A sonnet has fourteen lines, usually written in rhymed iambic pentameter. The Shakespearean sonnet has three quatrains, followed by a couplet. The most common rhyme scheme for a Shakespearean sonnet is abab cdcd efef gg.

• Here are some of the things you may have picked out:

1. It’s set in Verona.2. An old grudge between

families has been rekindled.3. There has been killing during

this feud.4. The children of the feuding

families are going to die.5. When the children die, the

grudge will die.

Act 1: Scene 1

• Parts/Characters:

Gregory:Sampson:Abram:Benvolio:Tybalt:Capulet:Lady Capulet:Montague:Lady Montague:Prince:Romeo:

• Scene 1.

• Verona. A public place.          Enter SAMPSON and GREGORY, of the house of Capulet, with              swords and bucklers (shields).

•  •          Sampson. Gregory, on my word, we’ll not carry coals.°

         Gregory. No, for then we should be colliers.°         Sampson. I mean, and° we be in choler,° we’ll draw.°         Gregory. Ay, while you live, draw your neck out of collar.°5

•        Sampson. I strike quickly, being moved.•          Gregory. But thou art not quickly moved to strike.•          Sampson. A dog of the house of Montague moves me.•          Gregory. To move is to stir, and to be valiant is to stand.

             Therefore, if thou art moved, thou run’st away.• 10     Sampson. A dog of that house shall move me to stand. I •              will take the wall° of any man or maid of Montague’s.

         Gregory. That shows thee a weak slave; for the weakest goes

             to the wall.°

• Sampson.  ’Tis true; and therefore women, being the 15         weaker vessels, are ever thrust to the wall. Therefore I              will push Montague’s men from the wall and thrust his              maids to the wall.

•          Gregory. The quarrel is between our masters and us their             men.

• 20     Sampson. ’Tis all one. I will show myself a tyrant. When I              have fought with the men, I will be civil with the              maids—I will cut off their heads.

•          Gregory. The heads of the maids?•          Sampson. Ay, the heads of the maids or their maidenheads.

25         Take it in what sense thou wilt.•          Gregory. They must take it in sense that feel it.•          Sampson. Me they shall feel while I am able to stand; and

             ’tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh.•          Gregory. ’Tis well thou art not fish; if thou hadst, thou • 30         hadst been Poor John.° Draw thy tool!° Here comes two

             of the house of Montagues.• Sampson. My naked weapon is out. Quarrel! I will back thee.

• Gregory. How? Turn thy back and run?        •  Sampson. Fear me not.º  35     • Gregory. No, marry. I fear thee!•          Sampson. Let us take the law of our sides;º let them

begin.         • Gregory. I will frown as I pass by, and let them take it as 

             they list.•          Sampson. Nay, as they dare. I will bite my thumbº at them, 

40         which is disgrace to them if they bear it.      •    Abram. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?•          Sampson. I do bite my thumb, sir.•          Abram. Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?•          Sampson (aside to GREGORY). Is the law of our side if I say

45         ay?•          Gregory (aside to SAMPSON). No.•          Sampson. No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir; but I 

             bite my thumb, sir.•          Gregory. Do you quarrel, sir?

• 50     Abram. Quarrel, sir? No, sir.

• Sampson. But if you do, sir, I am for you. I serve as good a              man as you.

•          Abram. No better.•          Sampson. Well, sir.•         [Enter BENVOLIO.] • 55     Gregory. Say “better.” Here comes one of my master’s•              kinsmen.•          Sampson. Yes, better, sir.•          Abram. You lie.•          Sampson. Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy

60         swashingº blow.        [They fight.] •          Benvolio. •              Part, fools! 

             Put up your swords. You know not what you do.•         [Enter TYBALT.] •  Tybalt. •              What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?º

             Turn thee, Benvolio; look upon thy death.      •    Benvolio. • 65         I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword, 

             Or manage it to part these men with me.

•  Tybalt. •              What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word•              As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee. 

             Have at thee, coward!•          [They fight.] •          [Enter an OFFICER, and three or four CITIZENS with clubs, 

             bills, and partisans, or spears.] • 70     Officer. Clubs, bills, and partisans! Strike! Beat them down!•              Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues!•          [Enter old CAPULET, in his gown, and his wife, LADY

             CAPULET.] •          Capulet. •              What noise is this? Give me my long sword, ho!•          Lady Capulet. •              A crutch, a crutch! Why call you for a sword?•         Capulet. •              My sword, I say! Old Montague is come

75         And flourishes his blade in spite of° me.• [Enter old MONTAGUE and his wife, LADY MONTAGUE.] •          Montague. •              Thou villain Capulet!—Hold me not; let me go.•          Lady Montague. •              Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe.•          [Enter PRINCE ESCALUS, with his TRAIN.]

• Prince. •              Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, 

             Profaners of this neighbor-stainèd steel— 80         Will they not hear? What, ho! You men, you beasts,              That quench the fire of your pernicious rage              With purple fountains issuing from your veins!              On pain of torture, from those bloody hands              Throw your mistempered° weapons to the ground 85         And hear the sentence of your movèd prince.  

• Three civil brawls, bred of an airy° word              By thee, old Capulet, and Montague,              Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets              And made Verona’s ancient citizens 90         Cast by their grave beseeming° ornaments              To wield old partisans, in hands as old,              Cankered°  with peace, to part your cankered° hate.              If ever you disturb our streets again,              Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace. 95         For this time all the rest depart away.              You, Capulet, shall go along with me;              And, Montague, come you this afternoon,              To know our farther pleasure in this case,              To old Freetown, our common judgment place. 100       Once more, on pain of death, all men depart.

• [Exeunt all but MONTAGUE, LADY MONTAGUE, and BENVOLIO.] •  •          Montague.

              Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?°              Speak, nephew, were you by when it began?         

• Benvolio.              Here were the servants of your adversary               And yours, close fighting ere I did approach. 105        I drew to part them. In the instant came               The fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepared,               Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears,               He swung about his head and cut the winds,               Who, nothing hurt withal, hissed him in scorn. 110        While we were interchanging thrusts and blows,               Came more and more, and fought on part and part,°              Till the prince came, who parted either part.         

• Lady Montague.               O, where is Romeo? Saw you him today?               Right glad I am he was not at this fray.

• Benvolio.• 115        Madam, an hour before the worshiped sun

             Peered forth the golden window of the East,              A troubled mind drave me to walk abroad;              Where, underneath the grove of sycamore              That westward rooteth from this city side, 120        So early walking did I see your son.              Towards him I made, but he was ware° of me              And stole into the covert of the wood.              I, measuring his affections by my own,              Which then most sought where most might not be found,°125        Being one too many by my weary self,              Pursued my humor° not pursuing his,              And gladly shunned who gladly fled from me.         

• Montague.•              Many a morning hath he there been seen,

             With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew, 130        Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs;              But all so soon as the all-cheering sun              Should in the farthest East begin to draw              The shady curtains from Aurora’s° bed,              Away from light steals home my heavy° son 135        And private in his chamber pens himself,              Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out,              And makes himself an artificial night.              Black and portentous must this humor prove              Unless good counsel may the cause remove.

•  Benvolio.• 140        My noble uncle, do you know the cause?•          Montague.•              I neither know it nor can learn of him.•          Benvolio.•              Have you importuned° him by any means?       •   Montague.•              Both by myself and many other friends;

             But he, his own affections’ counselor, 145        Is to himself—I will not say how true—              But to himself so secret and so close,              So far from sounding° and discovery,              As is the bud bit with an envious° worm              Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air 150        Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.              Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow,              We would as willingly give cure as know. 

•  [Enter ROMEO.] •          Benvolio.•              See, where he comes. So please you step aside;

             I’ll know his grievance, or be much denied.•          Montague.• 155        I would thou wert so happy° by the stay

             To hear true shrift.° Come, madam, let’s away.                                 [Exeunt MONTAGUE and LADY MONTAGUE.]

•          Benvolio.•               Good morrow, cousin.•          Romeo.                          Is the day so young?•          Benvolio.•              But new struck nine.•          Romeo.                          Ay me! Sad hours seem long.•              Was that my father that went hence so fast?•          Benvolio. • 160        It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours?•          Romeo. •              Not having that which having makes them short.•          Benvolio. In love?•          Romeo. Out—•          Benvolio. Of love?•          Romeo.• 165        Out of her favor where I am in love.

•  Benvolio. •              Alas that love, so gentle in his view,°              •  Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!°         •   Romeo.•              Alas that love, whose view is muffled still,°

             Should without eyes see pathways to his will! 170        Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here?             Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.              Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love.°             Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate,              O anything, of nothing first created! 175        O heavy lightness, serious vanity,              Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,              Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,              Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!             This love feel I, that feel no love in this.              Dost thou not laugh?

• Benvolio.                          No, coz,° I rather weep.•          Romeo.•              Good heart, at what?•          Benvolio.                          At thy good heart’s oppression.•          Romeo. •              Why, such is love’s transgression.

             Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,              Which thou wilt propagate,° to have it prest°185        With more of thine. This love that thou hast shown              Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.              Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs;              Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes;              Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears. 190        What is it else? A madness most discreet,°             A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.

•              Farewell, my coz.•          Benvolio.             Soft!° I will go along.•              And if you leave me so, you do me wrong.•          Romeo. •              Tut! I have lost myself; I am not here;

195        This is not Romeo, he’s some other where.

•   Benvolio.•              Tell me in sadness,° who is that you love?     •     Romeo.•              What, shall I groan and tell thee?•          Benvolio.                                   Groan? Why, no;

             But sadly tell me who.•          Romeo.•              Bid a sick man in sadness make his will.

200        Ah, word ill urged to one that is so ill!              In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.

•          Benvolio.•              I aimed so near when I supposed you loved.•          Romeo. •              A right good markman. And she’s fair I love.•          Benvolio.•              A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.

• Romeo.• 205         Well, in that hit you miss. She’ll not be hit

             With Cupid’s arrow. She hath Dian’s wit,°             And, in strong proof° of chastity well armed,              From Love’s weak childish bow she lives uncharmed.              She will not stay° the siege of loving terms, 210        Nor bide th’ encounter of assailing eyes,              Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold.°             O, she is rich in beauty; only poor              That, when she dies, with beauty dies her store.°  

•          Benvolio.•              Then she hath sworn that she will still° live chaste?•          Romeo.• 215        She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste;

             For beauty, starved with her severity,              Cuts beauty off from all posterity.              She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair,              To merit bliss° by making me despair. 220        She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow              Do I live dead that live to tell it now.

• Benvolio.•              Be ruled by me; forget to think of her.•          Romeo.•              O, teach me how I should forget to think!•          Benvolio.•              By giving liberty unto thine eyes.

             Examine other beauties. 225   Romeo.                                    ’Tis the way              To call hers, exquisite, in question° more.              These happy masks° that kiss fair ladies’ brows,              Being black, put us in mind they hide the fair.              He that is strucken blind cannot forget 230        The precious treasure of his eyesight lost.              Show me a mistress that is passing fair:              What doth her beauty serve but as a note              Where I may read who passed that passing fair?             Farewell. Thou canst not teach me to forget.

•          Benvolio.• 235        I’ll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.°

                                                                                  [Exeunt.]

Act 1: Scene 1• Verona. A public place.Sampson and Gregory are servants of

the house of Montague. They are walking down the street joking with each other about what they would do to the Montagues if given the chance (kill the men, take the women and abuse and kill them too).

As they are talking, they see some Montagues coming up the street. Gregory tells Sampson to get his sword. Sampson tells Gregory to pick a fight with them and he will back him up.

• Sampson makes a rude gesture, biting his thumb, then takes it back because if the law gets involved he would be at fault. The servants of the families get into a fight over who has the better employer. Benvolio (Montague) comes along and tells them to stop fighting. Tybalt (Capulet) enters and gets into a fight with Benvolio.

• Officers enter and start beating and trying to separate both families. Even the heads of both families try to get involved when they come upon the scene, but their wives wouldn’t let them.

• At this point the Prince enters to stop the fighting. He complains that this is the third time they’ve started a fight over some stupid comment. He tells them if they don’t stop he’s going to ___________?

• The Prince says that he will have them all killed if they don’t stop causing such disturbances.

• Everyone leaves except for the Montagues. They begin a conversation about __________ and his recent behavior.

• Romeo has been seen moping around a lot lately, looking as if he has been crying and staying shut up in his room alone. Romeo enters and Benvolio tries to get him to talk about why he is so depressed lately.

• What does Romeo tell Benvolio?

• Read lines 185-190. How does Romeo describe love?

• Ben tries to find out exactly who Romeo is in love with, but he won’t tell. He only says that she has promised to never marry anyone. He also describe how beautiful she is.

Act 1: Scene 2• A street• Old Capulet (head of the family) is talking to

Prince Paris about keeping the peace with the Montagues or facing the consequences. Paris is talking about marrying Capulet’s daughter.

• What reasons does Capulet give for not wanting his daughter to get married yet?

• Capulet tells Paris that she is too young and special to him. He is in fact going to let her have her choice of men to marry. It she chooses Paris then fine.

• Do you think Capulet actually cares about his daughter or is he just trying to use her to improve his status in society?

• Meanwhile, Benvolio is still trying to cheer up Romeo. Romeo has told him that his love’s name is Rosaline. A servant, approaches them to invite them to a gathering at the Capulets’. (As long as they aren’t Montagues or friends with them).

• Benvolio and Romeo intend to go. It will give him a chance to see Rosaline.

Act 1: Scene 3• A room in Capulet’s house• Lady Capulet calls for her

daughter. She wants to have a talk with her. She starts to send the nurse away then changes her mind. She feels that Juliet is now of an age to consider marriage and want to know how she feels about it.

• How old is Juliet?• What does she tell her mother

about getting married?

Romeo and Juliet- Act I Scene 3

• Lady Capulet tells her that girls even younger than her are already married and have children. She tells her that Prince Paris wants to marry her and that he will be at dinner tonight. She tries to point out what a catch he would be.

• Juliet agrees to look, but that’s it.

Discussion Board• As you read the play,

write down any questions you may have. There will be a thread open in discussion board for your to post your question. While you are there, feel free to help another student by answering someone else’s question before you leave.

Works Cited• “Portrait Prinz Carl von Preußen (1801-1883).” Commonswikimedia.org. 31 Dec.

2007. 1 July 2009. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Prinz_Carl_von_Preu%C3%9Fen.JPG

• “Romeo and Juliet. Act I Scene 3.” Commonswikimedia.org. 2 Nov. 2008. 1 July 2009. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scene_3.jpg