| Juliet | Starts innocent and naive and obedient becomes independent – forced to mature too quickly Madam I am here what is your willSonnet at first meeting – linked to start and end – romantic Religious lexisSemantic fields of the body Good pilgrim you do wrong your hand too muchIndependent – solliliquiy – ill no libger be a CapuletA rose by any kther. Ame would smell as sweetMature – contrasting light imagery – juliet is the sunToo like the lightnibg Suggests marriageForced to marry Paris – my fingers itchBrave – o happy daggerStructurally happens only a few days after meeting romeo – faster than poem – criticism of haste |
| Romeo | Used as a criticism of acting on impulse Loved Rosaline – courtly lover – love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs – overly poetic – thy love did read by roteFalls in love with Juliet – sonnet – religious lexis – semantic fields of the body – my lips two blushing pilgrims ready standImmature – light imagery – too like the lightning – Juliet is the sun Passionate – fire eyed fury be my conduct now – o I am fortunes fool – failure to take responsibility Thy drugs are quick Structure of play – faster than poem – criticism of impulse/ haste – off he’d waited they would have both lived |
| Friar | Represents religion – Father figure to Romeo but fails to follow his own adviceExpert in plants and herbs – plant which poison hath residence and medicine powerThy love did read by rote and could not spellAllianceTurn your households rancour to pure love wisely and slow they stumble that run fast I dare no longer stay – coward |
| Nurse | Comical character often due to her lower class background and bawdy sexual view of love – very close to Juliet but betrays her leaving Juliet with non oneIGNORANT?Thou were the prettiest babe I e’er nursed Go girl seek happy nights to happy days- sexual view of loveComical – thou willt fall backward- repeated three timesProtective – worries that Romeo is leading her into a fools paradiseBetrays Juliet – Romeos a dishclout to him – most wicked fiend – leaves Juliet physically aloneMost upset by Juliets death – o woeful, woeful, woeful day |
| Tybalt | Used as a criticism of honourAggressive Talk of peace – I hate the word as I hate hellLoyal Now by the stock and honour of my kin to strike him dead I hold it not a sinQuick tempered / arrogantFetch me my rapier boySlyKing of cats |
| Fate | Continual conflict between cause of tragedy bring fate or the result of impulsive decision makingStructure – prologue – sonnet – at start middle and end – events set in stone can’t change – heightens suspense audience know what’s coming – but speed of play is much faster than the poem Romeus and Juliet – criticism of impulse Language in prologue – from forth the fatal loins of these two foes – parents or lust?? Star crossed lovers seems romantic to us not to elizabethans Dramatic ironyMy grave is like to be my wedding bed – die if he’s married but she dies because she marries himO I am fortunes foolFire eyed fury be my conduct now – inability to take responsibilityForeshadowing – methinks I see their now thou art so low as one dead in the bottom of a tomb Structure – scenes next to each other of good and evil |
| Mercutio | Provides comedic relief but also has a more volatile sideComedic – ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave manVolatile – name links to mercurial – quick to change – queen man speech – fairies to soldiers cutting foreign throatsSexual view of love – prick love for pricking – contrasts to Romeo Loyal o calm dishonourable vile submissionCurses houses – a plague o both your houses – turning point |
| Honour | Shakespeare criticising how honour is pointless and ultimately leads to downfallDo you bite your thumb at us sir? – deep rooted – servants fightingTybalt – now by the stock and honour of my kin to strike him dead I hold it not a sinCapulet – guest honour – you’ll make a mutiny among my guestsVery common – fetch me my rapier boy O calm dishonourable vile submission A place o both your housesCapulet – hang thee young baggageMy fingers itch |
| Conflict | Shown as a result of characters need to defend their honour – used by Shakespeare to criticise he pointlessness of the feud and honourHonour is the cause of conflict – all characters obsessed with honour. Feel the need to defend themselves over tiny insults – o calm dishonourable vile submission By the stock and honour of my kin – tybalt and mercutio die because of this Capulet and Juliet – disobedient wretch – capulet a social honour caused conflict between him and Juliet – patriarchal society and gcob Conflict causes r and j to take risks – balcony scene – ill no longer be a capulet – repeated exits and entrances heightens suspenseThe threat of conflict increases during the play – stars with a street brawl ends with double suicide – o happy dagger – death is the only escape Conflict is normal – fetch me my rapier boy – continual affects all |
| The feud | The feud causes suffering and conflict as a result of honour – used by Shakespeare to criticise honourPeople led by honour – need to defend family – now by the stock and honour of my kin – easily insulted – mercutio and tybalt end up deadRome and Juliet have to take risks – balcony scene – ill no longer be a capulet – entrances and exits – heightens suspenseConflict within family due to feud – marriage to Paris – my fingers itch hang thee young baggage – capulet defending social honourIncreasing threat of the feud – begins as a street brawl ends – with double suicide – o happy dagger – death only escapeFeud is spreading – a place o both your houses – killing others |
Romeo and Juliet
August 26, 2019