As promised, a Miss Fowler poem (bit dodgy with the rhyming this one!) where I try and clumsily retell the plot through poetry - try and do a better one yourselves!
I warn you, this one is a long one...
Miss Fowler's Romeo and Juliet poem
Some fun Romeo and Juliet raps to remind you of the plot:
How to answer the Romeo and Juliet question: My tip would be to label the two bullet points on the question a) and b)
eg Sample question:
To what extent does Shakespeare present Lord Capulet as a loving father. Consider how Capulet is presented:
- in this extract?
- in the play as a whole?
The question is worth 30 marks in total but this is divided into 15 marks for each part so you MUST ensure you spend about 25 mins on analysing, annotating and writing about the extract + 20 mins writing about the play as a whole.
AIM for the following
Part a) PELEW x 3
Part b) PEA EW x 3 *DON'T EXPLICITLY DISCUSS LANGUAGE FOR THIS PART*
POINT
- Makes a strong statement (topic sentence) - answer qu.
EVIDENCE
- 'Quote' that is powerful and supports POINT
ANALYSIS OF THEME
- Give your analysis/ interpretation/ inference
- Discuss how your quote proves your point from your topic sentence.
Make a structural comment (where it comes in
the play/ relevance to plot eg pivotal point/climax/denouement)
EFFECT
ON THE AUDIENCE
- What does the audience feel/ think/ imagine/ relate to the question?
WRITER'S
INTENTION (LINKED TO CONTEXT but a tip:
Context
should be embedded throughout, in P and A too)
NB If you get a theme question for the whole play, aim to write 3 paragraphs about how different characters highlight the theme. If you get a character question, aim to write 3 paragraphs about how that character is presented at the start, middle and end of the play.
Some extra thoughts:
- Don't forget that Romeo and Juliet is set over 4 days so the sense of urgency and 'lightning' fast love is emphasised by Shakespeare through this use of time.
- Settings are important - Verona itself as a city with the Prince as the authority who cannot seem to stop the long feud between two important families; the exterior / interior settings; the balcony scene where Juliet is elevated above Romeo; the two fight scenes; the taking of the potion (Juliet) and the taking of the poison (Romeo) and the tomb.
- There is so much FORESHADOWING in this play that it's ridiculous! Shakespeare uses a Greek tragedy style chorus for the prologue that precipitates all the violence and death and blames fate. Romeo's sudden and over zealous love for Rosaline precipitates his sudden 'love at first sight' for Juliet that is his downfall / harmartia. Also, the persistent references to death even at happy, loving times shows that death will ultimately prevail (which is why Death is personified so many times). Antithesis (opposites) abide in this play - Love and Hate, Night and Day, Montague and Capulet....this reminds us that everything is not going to be as it seems.
- Friar Lawrence is the character who seems to understand the problems with loving too passionately and too soon ('these violent delights have violent ends') YET he also facilitates their marriage so could he be blamed? He also comes up with the inventive yet risky plans that end with Juliet and Romeo dead.
- Juliet as a character can be seen to be the most DYNAMIC (changing) character in the play because she goes from a submissive girl to an independent woman over the course of four days, taking her own destiny into her hands (potion drinking and the mortal sin of committing suicide). She goes from obedient, dutiful daughter who wants to please her parents, to a rebellious teenager who lies even to her most trusted confidante, the nurse. However, please don't write Romeo off completely. He is not a static character - although it could be argued that he does have a history of falling in love with girls too quickly and based solely on their beauty! I would argue that he DOES change - from a typical, Petrarchan lover (talks in oxymorons, follows the formal rules of courtly love) to someone who treats Juliet as an equal partner. Remember, on his first meeting with her, he refers to her as a bird and a saint to be worshipped but this changes - later on, they BOTH refer to one another using bird imagery. At one point, Juliet says she wishes she were a hawker in charge of him. She also talks about selling herself to Romeo but also buying him as if he were a 'mansion'. The way they reflect each other's words and both make important decisions shows an equality that Romeo did not feel for Rosaline.
Revision Booklet Romeo and Juliet FOW
Elizabethan Context- Sheet
Extracts if you fancy having a go at annotating some extracts and answering questions on them
(questions for each extract given to you in class but available on request!)
Also see the following websites for some useful revision:
Spark Notes
Romeo and Juliet with modern translation next to text
GCSE Bitesize
Revision of play GCSE and A Level
This website includes A Level notes so might help you push up to those higher levels!
You could also buy this with your pocket money-
Don't forget the Dramatic Terminology that will help elevate your answers:
- Dramatic irony- when the audience knows something that the characters do not eg Romeo and Juliet have got married in secret
- Soliloquy / Monologue - one character speaking to themselves / audience (insight / personal / true)
- Dynamic character- Changes throughout the course of the play (eg Juliet)
- Static character- Remains consistent through play eg Tybalt
- Foil character- The opposite of a character to draw attention to their characteristics eg Benvolio painted as peaceful to highlight Tybalt's choler
- Pivotal point- A turning point in the play
- Climax- A significant event in play eg Tybalt's death, R&J's suicides
- Denouement- The ending of the play
Some key scenes - if you're still with me -
Plot Synopsis
Meeting...holy palmers kiss...you kiss by the book, Romeo...
Death scene - Arguably Juliet is stronger as she stabs herself ("Oh happy dagger / This is thy sheath") whereas Romeo takes poison. A teenager girl determinedly committing suicide would be more shocking to the audience too as her gender was stereotyped as weaker and emotional. This unity in death also creates a staging that reminds the audience that this is a TRAGEDY.
If you are hungry for more Leonardo di Caprio then please come and borrow the DVD off me.
That's all, people! :)
Any questions - email me!
rfowler@greenford.ealing.sch.uk
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