PRINCE OF SHADOWS. A novel of Romeo and Juliet by Rachel Caine Author of the Morganville Vampires series

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1 A Discussion Guide for PRINCE OF SHADOWS A novel of Romeo and Juliet by Rachel Caine Author of the Morganville Vampires series Penguin Group (USA) 375 Hudson Street New York, NY Prince of Shadows Discussion Guide 1

2 A thrilling retelling of the star- crossed tale of Romeo and Juliet, from the New York Times bestselling author of the Morganville Vampires series. Obsession is a curse. Love is a choice. In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and if they survive marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born. Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent- bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona. A note from the author: So, why did I write this book? To put it simply, I had an idea that just wouldn t go away. There were pieces of Romeo and Juliet that seemed to raise more questions than were answered, and that intrigued me as a storyteller. I was also immersed in historical research, and happened to have a discussion with a Renaissance scholar about the life of Isabella de Medici, a woman who has always fascinated me. While she lived many years before Shakespeare s star- crossed lovers, her story explained a lot to me about the ruthless nature of family and society in that period. I began thinking a lot about how to explain the sudden and dramatic shift of Romeo and Juliet s story, against all possible odds and their own already established characters and natures; their instant, obsessive love could be seen as the ultimate in true passion, but it could equally be seen as something a great deal more sinister. And, of course, Shakespeare was all about the sinister. Ghosts, witches, curses, bloody vengeance. All standard fare from the Bard. I began to play with alternative points of view and look at the story from different angles, and somewhere along the line I found that Benvolio really connected for me a boy completely at the mercy of his society and his family, with no real prospects for his own freedom. He had hidden depths, secrets, and a startling inner life. Once I had Benvolio, and realized that he was also one of Mercutio s best friends, I knew I had to look at Mercutio as a prime mover of this story as well in a different way, and for different reasons. I ll be honest with you: rewriting Shakespeare is a pretty crazy thing to do. I wasn t really thinking of how difficult it might be; I just saw a cool story I wanted to attempt. I did my best to make it feel Shakespearean but still be relevant and understandable to us today. Thank you for taking a deeper look at Prince of Shadows, and I hope you enjoy a new look at a classic story. Rachel Caine Prince of Shadows Discussion Guide 2

3 Discussion Guide for Students/Groups See following pages for Teacher/Leader guidelines Prince of Shadows is told from the point of view of Benvolio, Romeo Montague s cousin. What is his place in the family? What s expected of him? Benvolio carries out a secret life as the Prince of Shadows, Verona s greatest and most elusive thief. What do you think drives him to steal? Does he really need the money? Life in Verona for all of the girls Rosaline, Veronica, and Juliet is strictly controlled. How do each of them react to that? What methods do they use to try to take command of their own destinies? Mercutio s secret love affair, and the death of his lover, lead directly to the ultimate destruction of Romeo and Juliet. How does Tomasso s murder change him? How might things have ended differently? The curse that Mercutio places on his enemies backfires against his friends as well something he didn t foresee, but he didn t really try to prevent, either. What simple steps could Mercutio have taken to prevent the chain reaction that leads to Romeo and Juliet s deaths? Benvolio sees that Romeo and Juliet are heading for disaster, but can t stop what happens. How could he have acted differently? How could Romeo or Juliet have avoided their fates? At the end of Prince of Shadows, do you see Romeo and Juliet differently than when you read the original play? If so, how? Prince of Shadows Discussion Guide 3

4 Discussion Guide for Teachers/Discussion Leaders Prince of Shadows is told from the point of view of Benvolio, Romeo Montague s cousin. What is his place in the family? What s expected of him? Benvolio is the extra boy a cousin, not the heir. His position in Veronese society is to be whatever his family needs him to be, and most especially to fight or die on behalf of his cousin and uncle. He is especially at the mercy of his Grandmother who rules all of them with an iron hand. nvolio carries out a secret life as the Prince of Shadows, Verona s greatest and most elusive thief. What do you think drives him to steal? Does he really need the money? Benvolio uses his skills as a sneak thief to exact private revenge for wrongs done to his family and friends, and probably as a way to exert control over his own life because his family owns him, body and soul. In the play, Benvolio is shown as the responsible boy, the one who pleads for others to cease fighting or avoid the fight. Yet Mercutio specifically calls him out for having a wicked temper. Can this be reconciled? Are there real-world examples? Life in Verona for all of the girls Rosaline, Veronica, and Juliet is strictly controlled. How do each of them react to that? What methods do they use to try to take command of their own destinies? All the girls have their areas of rebellion and strategies to live their own lives. Rosaline was indulged by her father (who is now dead) and was taught to read for pleasure and study (something not common to women of that time), as well as hunting and other typically male activities. While she is destined for the convent, she tries to arrange for a religious house where she will be allowed to continue her studies. She also surprises Benvolio by sneaking out of her house in the guise of a boy, and demonstrating the ability to do more athletic things than are typical for a girl. Veronica seeks to control her destiny through social means establishing herself as a force in Verona to be feared by using her husband-to-be s wealth and influence, and surviving him as a widow. She has taken after the example of Grandmother Montague, a fearsome and ruthless political figure. Juliet, the youngest, is the most agreeable to her family s wishes, and seems content with her original match to Count Paris. She seems to have little ambition beyond pleasing her family, Prince of Shadows Discussion Guide 4

5 until she meets Romeo. In a way, she is also taking control of her destiny, though it does not end well. Mercutio s secret love affair, and the death of his lover, lead directly to the ultimate destruction of Romeo and Juliet. How does Tomasso s murder change him? How might things have ended differently? Mercutio s meetings with Tomasso occur off stage, but being gay was illegal in Verona at the time, and sometimes punishable by death, imprisonment or exile. In a way, it echoes the socially unacceptable attraction between Romeo and Juliet and their desire to be together. This is a chance to explore socially unacceptable relationships in more depth if you wish it can also be related to West Side Story and other similar themes. The curse that Mercutio places on his enemies backfires against his friends as well something he didn t foresee, but he didn t really try to prevent, either. What simple steps could Mercutio have taken to prevent the chain reaction that leads to Romeo and Juliet s deaths? The most obvious would be that Mercutio could have refused to seek revenge, but in Verona, revenge is not just acceptable, but almost required, for young men of his class. Next, he could have spoken to his friends to try to verify what he d been told, and found out that Veronica had lied when she implicated Rosaline which would have allowed him to take his revenge in a different way. This is a good chance to discuss consequences what actions in our own lives have backfired? What current news stories can be paralleled in this way? What other Shakespeare plays? Benvolio, from his perspective, sees that Romeo and Juliet are heading for disaster, and tries to stop them, but is too late. How could he have acted differently? How could Romeo or Juliet have avoided their fates? Benvolio s options were limited, but he could have gone to his uncle and arranged for a meeting between the two houses to discuss what was happening. He could have sought help from others but, as many teens believe, he thought it was best he handle it himself rather than involving authority. Would the involvement of the heads of Montague and Capulet, and possibly Prince Escalus, have prevented the tragedy? Prince of Shadows Discussion Guide 5

6 At the end of Prince of Shadows, do you see Romeo and Juliet differently than when you read the original play? If so, how? In the original play, Romeo and Juliet were the directors of their own fates they chose to go against their families wishes and risk everything for love (a gamble that ultimately cost them their lives). In Prince of Shadows, they were affected at least to some degree by the curse laid by Mercutio and the witch, but to what extent? Benvolio and Rosaline were also forced together by the curse, but managed to fight their own attraction and come out alive and together. Could Romeo and Juliet have done the same, and if so, how? Do the readers see Romeo and Juliet as something that could be interpreted differently than just a simple story of true love gone wrong? Prince of Shadows Discussion Guide 6

7 About Rachel Caine Rachel is the New York Times, USA Today and #1 internationally bestselling author of more than forty novels, including the popular Morganville Vampire young adult series. Prince of Shadows is her first stand-alone young adult novel. To request her for an event, signing, school or library visit, please her directly at She does not charge speaking fees for schools or libraries as a matter of policy. Prince of Shadows Discussion Guide 7