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The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Notes name:_______________________________________period:____Will the real Shakespeare please stand up?Some scholars have suggested Shakespeare, who had little formal __________________, could not have written such powerful and creative plays.However, nobody in Shakespeare’s day thought to question his authorship. Apparently, he was just a genius!The reconstructed stage of the GlobeTheaters had no lighting, so performances took place during the __________________.There were few special effects or props; Shakespeare used detailed verbal __________________ to paint a picture of his scenes.Actors and ActressesIn Shakespeare’s time, it was considered immoral for a __________________to appear onstage. So the female roles in Shakespeare’s plays were performed by young __________________.ContextThe time period in which Shakespeare lived—__________________ England, named for the queen—influenced the content of his plays as well as the way in which they were__________________.Elizabethans believed the earth was __________________.The Four HumorsIn Elizabethan times, people believed that a person’s mental, physical, and emotional state were determined by the balance of the four “humors” in the body: __________________, __________________, __________________ and __________________. They believed the humors gave off vapors that affected the brain, so whatever humor dominated would determine your __________________ type.MarriageIn Shakespeare’s day, marriages were generally __________________ set up by the __________________. When Juliet’s parents arrange a marriage for her, it seems strange to us; Shakespeare’s audience would have thought it was completely __________________.TragedyShakespeare’s tragedies also follow a pattern that would have made sense to his audience.Elizabethans believed that people’s decisions and mistakes always had __________________, and that people sometimes had to pay a high price for their __________________.In Shakespeare’s tragedies, the main characters make decisions that __________________ the proper order of their world and so affect them and everyone around them. The situation is resolved only when others learn lessons from the main characters’ __________________.Keep in Mind:Don’t be alarmed by the old-fashioned language: this is really a play about people who are a ______ ____________ __________________, and the difficult words, when you look at them carefully, express __________________ anyone can understand.And remember, the play is POETRY: it’s not supposed to be written exactly the way people __________________. The __________________ is part of what makes it beautiful and powerful—and worth reading.Reading the PlayShakespeare’s plays were meant to be __________________—they were some of the most popular entertainment of their time. So when we read the play, the point is to try and imagine it happening onstage!Two things to know:Sometimes a character will give a long speech all by herself, revealing her secret thoughts to the audience: this is called a __________________.Sometimes a character will just make a brief comment to the audience that the other characters don’t hear; this is called an __________________.SettingThe events of the play take place during the summer in __________________ and __________________, two cities in northern Italy, in the 1300’s.MarriageIn Romeo and Juliet, parents are the biggest obstacle to the couple’s marriage.During the Renaissance, young people need permission from their parents or guardians to be married.Parents commonly arranged marriages for their children, especially in the upper-class.Arranged marriages usually required the bride’s __________________ t.Girls could legally get married at age __________________, but they were usually __________________when they married.AgeMarried at 15??? Yes. Life ________________ during this time period wasn’t very long- if you were in your 40s, was like you were ______ today. So being married at 15 is like being marred at _____.MarriageAs far as who could married who: The _____________ Church was still prominent in this time period so only a ___________ could marry a ________________. But there were plenty of _______________ and non-heterosexual couples during this time period. It was rumored that Shakespeare had a _____________lover along with his wife Anne.Age and MarriageOftentimes young girls were married to older _______________ men. Because of the lack of _____________ and healthcare, women often died during childbirth. Wealthy men needed a wife to produce a heir who would take over their ___________ when they died.Influence of AstrologyRomeo and Juliet are described as “a pair of __________________ __________________lovers” in the play’s __________________, or introduction.This suggests that their tragic downfall was influenced by the position of the stars and planets at their birth.Belief in astrology was widespread during Elizabethan England.Physicians often studied their patients’ __________________ before deciding on a diagnosis or treatment.Tips for UnderstandingThe tragic plot of Shakespeare’s?Romeo and Juliet?(1595-96) was by no means original.It was based on a famous __________________ which appeared in many different versions in 15th- and 16th-century Europe.Arthur Brooke’s 3,020 line poem,?The Tragicall Historye of Romeus and Iuliet(1562), is the first English translation of that tale, and it served as a key __________________ for Shakespeare.Set in the ‘fruitfull hilles’ of Verona, Brooke’s poem describes the ‘deadly’ __________________between two wealthy, noble families – Capelet and Montagew. Against this backdrop of ‘blacke hate’, he tells the ‘unhappy’ tale of a beautiful youth, Romeus Capelet, whose heart is entrapped by the wise and graceful Juliet Montagew (pp. 1v–2r).Romeus continuedBrook’s version__________________likes to use sonnetsUses poem to for a cautionary __________________- he warns us that if we give in to ‘lust’, and neglect the advice of our parents, we will hasten to an ‘unhappye deathe’Story takes place over _____________-months.Brooke’s Juliet is scarcely 16Shakespeares__________________Likes to use sonnetsShakespeare uses play to talk about __________________ and __________________Whole story takes place in _______ daysJuliet is not yet 14Adds more details about Tybalt, Paris, Mercutio and the Nurse to add more action and comedy.So Who’s Who Here?Shakespeare’s plays can have LOTS of characters. Let’s try to get them straight in our minds…First of all, all of the characters in Romeo and Juliet are arranged around a central conflict between two rival families: the __________________ and the __________________.3362325247650The Montagues25431758255039497001778005445218177800114300082550269557682550The Capulets5168993196850098107517780002362200196850037402431968500The Peacemakers:The Prince of Verona: This ruler tries to __________________ between the feuding families. He is pretty tired of all the bloodshed caused by their “ancient grudge.”Friar__________________:This religious leader is respected as a holy man by both sides, and would like to see them reconciled. As a friar, he’s interested not only in religion, but also in medicinal herbs—which becomes important later.And finally…One other “character”: The ChorusThe Chorus is not a part of the __________________, but a speaker who comes onstage to make __________________ on the action. The Chorus is kind of like a __________________in contemporary life—as far as the characters know, the chorus doesn’t exist, but he helps explain things to us. Romeo and JulietRomeo was a very young man (around 21)Juliet was a 12-year-old girlThey fall in love at __________________ __________________Caught up in an idealized, almost unreal, passionate loveIn-love with __________________/ Star-crossed loversShakespeare presents Romeo and Juliet as “star-crossed lovers” Doomed to disaster by fate FateThroughout this play, keep in mind this idea of fateAre we destined to a determined path, or do we choose to write our own __________________?Shakespeare presents us this question and provides some evidence of his side More VocabPrologueEstablishes the s__________________ Introduces main__________________Explains __________________ Introduces character’s main conflict Spoken by the __________________TragedyA play in which the main character suffers a __________________ In most tragedies, the main characters are in some ways responsible for their downfall ................
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