Romeo and Juliet

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

Born April 26th, 1564 in Stratford-on-Avon, England

Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613

Wrote 38 plays 154 sonnets 2 poems

Part 1: Elizabethan Stage

Elizabethan Stage

London was the center for theater

Attracted the rich and the poor to watch

Globe Theatre 3 story wooden structure with an open air courtyard in the center

The groundlings, or the pit, refers to the poorer audience members.

Poor would pay one penny (which was almost an entire day's wage) to stand in front of the stage.

Held 3,000 people

**THIS PART NOT IN NOTES: Audience cheered, booed, and threw rotten vegetables

Had no curtains, no lighting, and little scenery

Sound effects let the audience know where a scene took place

NO Women

In Shakespeare’s day, no women belonged to acting companies

Boys played female roles

Juliet was played by a boy!

Internal structure of Elizabethan theaters

Tiring house

gallery

The “pit” & groundlings

stage

“heaven”

The Globe

Part 2: Characteristics of Shakespearean Tragedy

A tragedy is a drama that ends in a catastrophe-most often death- for the main characters

Shakespearean tragedies:Comic elements that counter the seriousness

of the plot

Characters

Tragic hero is the protagonist, or main character, who is usually the “good guy”

Usually falls or dies because of a character flaw or a cruel twist of fate

Often has a high rank or status

Antagonist

Antagonist works against the protagonist

Can be a character, a group of characters, or something non human like society or nature

Foil

Foil is a character whose personality and attitude contrast with another character

Example: a shy character can make a talkative character seem even chattier

Dramatic Elements

SoliloquySpeech given by a character alone on

stageLets the audience know what the

character is thinking or feeling

Aside

A character’s remark, either to the audience or to another character that others on stage do not hear

Reveals the character’s private thoughts

Dramatic Irony

Dramatic irony is when the audience knows more than the character and helps build suspense. Example

Horror movies!

Comic Relief

A funny scene or speech intended to lighten the mood

Part 3: Language

AllusionsReference to something that the

audience should knowBiblical Greek Mythology

Pun

Puns are jokes that result from mulitple word meanings or rhyming sounds.

Example: Our social studies teacher says that her

globe means the world to her.

Part 4: Elizabethan Period

Queen Elizabeth’s reign lasted from 1558-1603

Shakespeare contributed more words, phrases, and expressions to the English than any other writer

Assassination Bump Lonely “For goodness sake” “Laughingstock”

Part 4: Romeo and Juliet

Lack of Personal and Public Hygiene

Neither rich nor poor bathed very often

Common to have bad breath, rotting teeth, constant stomach disorders, and scabs or sores

SchoolsWere expensive, so most

students were upper class boys.

Only girls were from the very high aristocracy

School Day: 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Six days a week!

PollutionCity ditches were

used as toiletsButchers threw dead

carcasses in the street

Garbage was thrown in river

Mass graves for the poor

DeathAverage life expectancy = 40

years1/5 of children died before

the age of 10—too many hazards in their life

Entertainment Would be considered

brutal by today’s standards:

1. Bear baiting2. Cockfighting 3. Public executions

Part 5: Romeo and Juliet Setting

Romeo and Juliet takes places during the 14th century (1300’s) in Verona, Italy.

Two Families

The Montagues

The Capulets