Insight Text Guide Victoria Bladen Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare
Copyright Insight Publications 2010 First published in 2010, reprinted 2011 by Insight Publications Pty Ltd ABN 57 005 102 983 89 Wellington Street St Kilda VIC 3182 Australia Tel: +61 3 9523 0044 Fax: +61 3 9523 2044 Email: books@insightpublications.com.au www.insightpublications.com.au Copying for educational purposes The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10% of this book, whichever is the greater, to be copied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. For details of the CAL licence for educational institutions contact: Copyright Agency Limited Level 19, 157 Liverpool Street Sydney NSW 2000 Tel: +61 2 9394 7600 Fax: +61 2 9394 7601 Email: info@copyright.com.au Copying for other purposes Except as permitted under the Act (for example, any fair dealing for the purposes of study, research, criticism or review) no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior written permission. All inquiries should be made to the publisher at the address above. National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry: Bladen, Victoria. William Shakespeare s Romeo and Juliet / by Victoria Bladen. 9781921411656 (pbk.) Insight text guide. For secondary school age. Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616. Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616--Criticism and interpretation. 822.33 Printed in Australia by Ligare
c o n t e n t s Character map iv Overview 1 About the author 1 Synopsis 2 Character summaries 4 Background & context 5 Genre, structure & language 8 Scene-by-scene analysis 13 Characters & relationships 35 Themes, ideas & values 41 Different interpretations 49 Questions & answers 54 Sample answer 63 References & reading 66
iv Insight Text Guide CHARACTER MAP Conflict between Montague Married Son Lady Montague Lady Capulet Married Daughter Capulet Friar Lawrence Paternal figure to Romeo Nurse Servant to the Capulets Conducts marriage Assists Romeo Son of Montague Loves Juliet Daughter of Capulet Friends Cousins Kills Cousins Betrothed Benvolio A Montague Fight Tybalt A Capulet Mercutio Kinsman to the Prince Kills Kinsmen Paris Kinsman to the Prince Banishes Escales Prince of Verona Kinsmen Kills
1 OVERVIEW William Shakespeare (1564 1616) is one of the most renowned literary figures from the English literary Renaissance (also referred to as the early modern period ). His dramatic and poetic work, written during an intensely productive period from the late-sixteenth to the early-seventeenth century, has proved capable of enduring well beyond his own time and place. Translated into many languages, adapted for film, ballet, opera and graphic novels, Shakespeare s work has evolved into a cultural phenomenon, meaningful and compelling to audiences of different periods and cultures. Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare s most well known plays. This guide is designed to help you navigate your way through the play, organise your thinking and help you to write intelligently and competently about the play in your essays and exams. Remember that Romeo and Juliet is a play, created to be experienced as a performance on stage, even though it is often first experienced as a written text or as a film. If you are able to see the play performed you will gain a deeper understanding of its shape, the characters, how the dramatic action unfolds and the effect of Shakespeare s language. Film adaptations will also help you to understand the play, particularly if you are able to view different versions. About the author So who was Shakespeare? He was born in 1564, when Elizabeth I was on the throne, and died in 1616 when James I was king. Born in Stratfordupon-Avon, in Warwickshire, William was the son of John Shakespeare, a glove-maker, and his wife Mary, a gentleman s daughter. He received an education from the King s New School, a grammar school in Stratford, but never attended university. As a young man he fell in love with Anne Hathaway, and they were married in 1582 after Anne became pregnant; the child, Susanna, was born six months after the wedding. In 1585, twins were born, Hamnet and Judith; Hamnet died when he was a child. The marriage seems to have broken down subsequently and when Shakespeare died he left to Anne only his second-best bed.
2 In the late 1580s, Shakespeare moved to London and began his career as a playwright. He joined a theatre company called The Lord Chamberlain s Men (also briefly known as Lord Hunsdon s Men), under the patronage of the Lord Chamberlain. The ensemble produced plays that were performed at a venue called the Theatre. He acted, wrote plays and shared in the profits of the theatre company. When the lease over the land on which the Theatre was built expired in 1597, and a dispute with the landlord arose, Shakespeare and his colleagues dismantled the wooden building, took it across the river and reassembled it at Bankside, south of the Thames. This theatre became the Globe, which opened in 1599. In London today, a close replica of the Globe now stands, near the original site, in which Shakespeare s plays are performed all year round. When James I came to the throne in 1603, he became the patron of the theatre company of which Shakespeare was part owner; the company was therefore renamed the King s Men. The king recognised the huge potential of the theatre to reach many people; the theatre can perhaps be thought of as the early seventeenth-century equivalent of television in this regard. James wanted his reign to be associated with that power, despite the fact that there is strong criticism of authority figures throughout Shakespeare s work. Synopsis Romeo and Juliet is a play about love in the midst of war. It is set in Verona, Italy. The town is wracked by civic violence, the result of a bitter and long-standing feud between two families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Everyone fights, from the heads of the families, Montague and Capulet, down to the servants of the respective families. Against this backdrop of civil strife, something miraculous happens: two young people fall in love. There is only one problem one is a Montague, a dreamy young man named Romeo, and the other a Capulet, beautiful thirteen-year old Juliet. Thus the scene is set for a tense, dramatic and life-threatening courtship.
3 The play begins with a street brawl between the two factions, setting the hostile scene. The Prince tries to restore order by threatening punishment of death to the next person who starts a fight. Romeo, initially in love with Rosaline, is persuaded by his companions to attend the Capulet ball where he falls in love with Juliet, and Rosaline is quickly forgotten. The entranced couple, however, has no sooner met than the two lovers are devastated by the discovery that they belong to opposing families. The second act sees Romeo evading his companions to sneak into the Capulet orchard where he comes to Juliet s balcony, the setting of one of the most famous scenes in the play. The pair declare their love for each other in poetic and passionate terms. Each is prepared to defy family loyalties to be with the other. The next day Romeo visits Friar Lawrence to arrange their marriage; the friar has concerns but agrees, thinking it will heal the civil feud. Meanwhile Romeo s friends Benvolio and Mercutio are looking for him. Mercutio is annoyed that Romeo gave them the slip the night before and a bawdy conversation follows. Mercutio is scornful of Romeo s love but happy that Romeo is back with the boys. Juliet s Nurse speaks to Romeo then returns to Juliet to tell her of the secret wedding plan. The act ends with the marriage taking place at Friar Lawrence s cell. The third act begins with a fatal street fight. Romeo tries to keep the peace between his feisty friend Mercutio and their enemy Tybalt, who is furious at Romeo for intruding on the Capulet ball. Tybalt fatally stabs Mercutio, and Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge. The Prince exiles Romeo and the young lovers are distraught, both threatening suicide to Friar Lawrence. They are able to have one night together before Romeo leaves for Mantua. Meanwhile, Juliet s parents have decided she is to marry Paris, kinsman to the Prince. Juliet refuses and her father threatens to disown her. In the fourth act, Friar Lawrence proposes a risky plan. He will give Juliet a sleeping potion so she will seem dead to her family. He will then send a message to Romeo to meet Juliet at the tomb so they can escape to Mantua and be together. Juliet takes the potion and is found dead on the morning of her planned wedding to Paris. Her mourning family and Paris lay her in the tomb.
4 In the final act of the tragedy Romeo, in Mantua, is told Juliet is dead. He doesn t receive Friar Lawrence s message; the messenger is detained due to a quarantine to impede the spread of the Plague. Romeo resolves to commit suicide and lie next to Juliet. At the tomb, Paris is laying flowers when Romeo arrives. A fight ensues and Romeo kills Paris before entering the tomb and taking poison. Juliet wakes a moment too late and Friar Lawrence, who also arrives too late, tries unsuccessfully to persuade her to leave. Juliet stabs herself and the Prince and the families arrive to survey the tragic scene. The Prince admonishes the feuding patriarchs who finally agree to end the dispute. Character summaries Chorus: a character or characters that present the prologue (the introductory overview of the drama which comes before the main dramatic action begins) and a summary at the end of Act 1; both speeches are in sonnet form. Escalus: the Prince of Verona; has the unenviable task of trying to maintain the peace between the warring Montagues and Capulets. Paris: a young nobleman, kinsman to Escalus; wishes to marry Juliet and is given Capulet s permission. Montague: head of the Montague household; Romeo s father; an enemy to Capulet. Lady Montague: the wife of Montague; dies of grief when her son Romeo is sent into exile. Capulet: head of the Capulet household; Juliet s father; an enemy to Montague. Lady Capulet: the wife of Capulet; a cold and distant mother to Juliet. Romeo: son of Montague; falls in love with Juliet. Juliet: daughter of Capulet; falls in love with Romeo. Mercutio: kinsman to Escalus and a friend of Romeo; volatile, bawdy and streetwise. Benvolio: nephew to Montague, Romeo s cousin and friend; benevolent and moderate.
5 Cousin Capulet: kinsman to Capulet. Tybalt: a fiery Capulet, nephew to Lady Capulet, and Juliet s cousin. Friar Lawrence: a Franciscan friar; tries to help Romeo and Juliet by marrying them in secret and later providing a sleeping potion for Juliet. Friar John: another Franciscan. Servants: attendants who prepare for the Capulet ball and the proposed wedding between Juliet and Paris. Balthasar: Romeo s servant. Abram: servant to Montague. Sampson, Gregory and the Clown: Capulet servants. Nurse: Juliet s nurse; a maternal figure to Juliet. Peter: servant to Juliet s Nurse. Page: servant to Paris. Apothecary: chemist; sells the deadly poison to Romeo. Three Musicians: group engaged for the Capulet ball and for the wedding (that doesn t take place) between Juliet and Paris. BACKGROUND & CONTEXT The play s setting Renaissance Italy Italy was only unified as a country comparatively late in its history. In Shakespeare s day, and in the period in which Romeo and Juliet is set, there was no such entity as Italy. Instead, cities and towns were their own states. These were generally ruled over by a dominant family, such as the Medici family in Florence. One exception was the republic of Venice where the ruling body was elected. The powerful Catholic Church was based in Rome and had alliances with some of the city-states, but not others. Struggles between rival families for control of these city-states were common, so the conflict-driven world of the play that Shakespeare imagines is a highly plausible setting. Although the play is set in strife-torn Verona, the central theme of two people from conflicting social groups falling in love is one that we can
6 imagine occurring in many other settings. One of the more contemporary stories that Romeo and Juliet inspired was the musical West Side Story. Set in New York in the 1950s, the lovers, Tony and Maria, come from rival street gangs, the Sharks and the Jets. Shakespeare s historical context Families In Shakespeare s time, there were severe limits and constraints on a person s social behaviour. Families had significant, if not complete, control over whom a young person could marry. Family connections, religion and financial factors were strong influencing factors. For the nobility, politics played an important role; the monarch was required to sanction all marriages as all connections could affect the political landscape. There was also less personal privacy: young people had limited opportunities to be alone and courtship would generally have taken place subject to the control of families. When Juliet is forced by her father to marry Paris, this excessive control he has over her reflects the very real social power that fathers wielded within families. Women, and particularly girls, were seen as potentially unruly and more susceptible to their emotions and bodily desires than men. Fathers were expected to control their daughters (and wives) and for a daughter to go against the wishes of her father would have been rare, resulting in serious social repercussions. Nature In Shakespeare s time nature was imagined as God s Second Book (the first book being the Bible), and a rich source of knowledge. This idea lies behind Friar Lawrence s moralising when he is collecting plants in the garden. Chain of Being A common medieval and Renaissance idea was that everything in the universe was subject to a hierarchy that went, in descending order: God, angels, humans, animals, plants, rocks. It was thought that reason, and