“Romeo and Juliet”

A Tragedy byWilliam Shakespeare

“Romeo and Juliet”

A Tragedy byWilliam Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

• Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

• He was baptized on April 26, 1564, died April 23, 1616.• He is considered “the bard” of Avon.• He wrote 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative

poems and other poems.• When he was 18 years old, he married Anne Hathaway.• He had three children: Susanna and twins Hamnet and

Judith.

Shakespeare Continued….

• Before becoming a playwright, Shakespeare was a successful actor.

• Few records of his private life survive. This is Shakespeare’s family home.

Shakespeare Continued

• Shakespeare’s works are still read today because they contain insights about the human condition.

• “Romeo and Juliet” is one of the early plays written by Shakespeare. It was written in 1594 or 1595.

• Shakespeare drew most of his plots from European stories that had been translated into English. “Romeo and Juliet” was probably based on an Italian romance.

The Setting

• The setting seems to be around 1200 or 1300 in Verona, Italy.

• Rival noble houses (think opposite rival groups like in The Outsiders) existed within that time frame and their actions disturbed the peace.

• In the play, two noble houses will get into major conflict. It is important to remember that only five days go by from the opening street fight to the death of Romeo and Juliet.

The Two Noble Houses: The Capulets and the Montagues

• The Capulets:• Lord Capulet (Head of a household).• Lady Capulet (His wife)• Juliet is his daughter (Juliet Capulet)• Tybalt is the nephew.• Nurse (Juliet’s nurse and attendant)

The Montagues

• The Montagues:• Lord Montague (Head of the household)• Lady Montague (His wife)• Romeo is the son (Romeo Montague).• Benvolio is the nephew• Mercutio is a friend of Romeo

Other Important Characters

• Friar Laurence (a priest)• Escalus (Prince of Verona)• Paris (A nobleman)

• Samson and Gregory – Servants of Capulet• Balthasar – Servant of Montague

Before we begin, let’s brainstorm:

• What makes a good relationship?

• What is infatuation?

Prologue

• The prologue makes the audience aware of the nature of the play. From the prologue, we learn:

• There are differences between the Capulets and Montagues (two important families of Verona). The two children from these houses will become innocent victims of the conflict between the families. They will fall in love, marry secretly and kill themselves in order to be together for eternity. The story of their ill-fated, death-marked love presents us the theme of the play.

Some things we need to know..

• What is a sonnet?The sonnet was created in fifteenth century Italy.

In the 1590’s a sonnet craze swept through Elizabethan England. Shakespeare wrote over 150 sonnets. A Shakespearean sonnet is usually 14 lines of verse written in iambic pentameter with a rhyming scheme that goes like this:ABABCDCDEFEFGG

Let’s get things straight before we begin…

• Who is involved?• When does the storyline take place?• Where does the story unfold?• What is the central conflict?