Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare Pre-reading 1. Vocabulary: Match word and definition. Words that may come in handy. Match the words in the left column with the explanations in the right column, and write the word over the definition. imagery soliloquy blank verse tragic flaw scene personification stage assonance antithesis metaphor alliteration a comparison using like or as verse in which the sense runs from one line to the next; lines which are not end-stopped. the repetition of vowel sounds language that produces pictures in the imaginations of people reading or listening unrhymed verse written in iambic pentameter difference between the situation as known to the audience and as supposed by some or all the characters of the play two lines of verse of equal length that rhyme one after the other verbal exchange between two or more characters on the stage a ten syllable line of verse with five stresses: di dum, di dum, di dum, di dum, di dum a monologue spoken by a character who is alone on the stage. It reveals his/her inner thoughts and motives and so discloses what the character is really like. a metrical unit of two syllables, the first unstressed, the second stressed Gyldendal, 2012 1
dramatic irony rhyming couplet euphemism simile iambic pentameter dialogue iamb run-on lines aside the placing together of opposing words or ideas in order to show a contrast a comparison that suggests two dissimilar things are actually the same treating something as a human being; giving things human feelings and attributes the repetition of consonants, usually at the beginning of words a fatal flaw in the hero s character a part of an act in a play a brief remark by a character, usually to the audience, unheard by other characters the use of mild indirect words instead of more accurate and direct words i.e. pass away instead of die platform or area in a theatre on which the plays are performed to an audience Gyldendal, 2012 2
3. Prologue task: Complete the sonnet. Use all the words in the box below to complete this sonnet read more about sonnets under Literary terms. Please note that some of the words are explained underneath. mend scene overthrows attend love strife unclean stage foes remove life mutiny rage Two households, both alike in dignity In fair Verona where we lay our Gloser dignity honour and social rank mutiny quarrel civil blood, civil hands the hands of civilians, / fellow-citizens from forth the fatal loins ud af disse skæbnesvangre lænde (født af) starcrossed under the unfriendly influence of stars overthrows downfalls (noun) doth 3. person singularis af do, selvom overthrows er flertal. Almindeligt brugt på Shakespeares tid fearful passage terrible course death-marked love love which is bound to die/be destroyed which but their which nothing but their death could two hours' traffic two hours activity, goings-on mend remedy From ancient grudge break to new Where civil blood makes civil hands From forth the fatal loins of these two A pair of star-crossed lovers take their Whose misadventured piteous Doth with their death bury their parents' The fearful passage of their death-marked And the continuance of their parents' Which, but their children's end, nought could Is now the two hours' traffic of our The which, if you with patient ears What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to Gyldendal, 2012 3
While-reading ACT 1, SCENE 5 2. Define the following words. Word Definition profane holy shrine sin pilgrims wrong (vb) devotion palmers faith despair purged trespass 9. Romeo and Juliet s true feelings: statements. Agree/disagree task. Discuss in pairs or groups of four whether you agree or disagree with the following statements, and support your decisions with evidence from the text. a) Romeo uses this imagery to show that his love is pure. b) Romeo uses this imagery because he wants to appear holy. c) Romeo is genuinely in love. d) Juliet has immediately fallen in love with Romeo. e) Juliet is shocked by Romeo s direct approach. f) Juliet knows that the man she is talking to is a Montague. g) The atmosphere in this passage is threatening. h) Romeo is the more active of the two here. Gyldendal, 2012 4
While-reading The Balcony Scene, ACT II, SCENE 1 COMPREHENSION AND ANALYSIS 5. Characterize Romeo and Juliet respectively. Use some of the words from the box and add one or two if you need them. shy - open - assertive - infatuated - happy - worried - melancholy - distant - cheerful - passionate - clever - practical - wordy - ambivalent - sincere - romantic - sentimental - realistic - angry - obstinate - ambiguous - direct - indirect - stubborn - honest - tragic - pure strong weak Romeo Juliet Gyldendal, 2012 5
Post-reading LEARNING CHECK No study aids. 1. Vocabulary: drama terminology KLIP STUDENT A Take turns explaining the words on your lists by referring to the text. Make sure you end up having two complete lists. STUDENT B Take turns explaining the words on your list by referring to the text. Make sure you end up having two complete lists. 1. soliloquy 1. 2. 2. blank verse 3. tragic flaw 3. 4. 4. scene 5. stage 5. 6. 6. assonance 7. metaphor 7. 8. 8. iamb Gyldendal, 2012 6
9. personification 9. 10. 10. euphemism 11. dramatic irony 11. 12. 12. rhyming couplet 13. run-on lines 13. 14. 14. simile 15. imagery 15. 16. 16. antithesis 17. aside 17. 18. 18. iambic pentameter 19. dialogue 19. 20. alliteration Gyldendal, 2012 7
2. Reporting Work in pairs: Imagine that you are a guest at a party that Capulet is having. Describe to your friend how you experienced the meeting between a strange young man and Capulet's daughter. You may use (some of) this vocabulary. shy - palms- lift - fold - infatuated - beauty - attraction - embrace - hold - approach - timid - passion - desire - compassion - dangerous - pleasure advance - chance WIDER CONTEXTS 1. 21 st century version: poster Design the poster for the 21 st century version of Romeo and Juliet. Choose a short quotation from what you have read and build your poster around this. 2. 21 st century version: role play Role play in pairs: Write the 21 st century version of Romeo and Juliet s first meeting OR the balcony scene (600 words). How would young people of today communicate these sentiments? Practise your micro plays and discuss the major differences between the original version and your own. 3. 21 st century version: written assignment: film script. You have read a very brief extract of Shakespeare s play and may have seen any number of films or excerpts from films e.g. on YouTube. In your version, what is the setting time, environment, class, gender, culture? From what perspective would you view the feud? Work out your film script for either the first meeting between Romeo and Juliet or the balcony scene. Gyldendal, 2012 8
4. Other works of art: the film Shakespeare in Love Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman produced a film script for Shakespeare in Love (Madden, 1998). The story in the film is the alleged history behind Shakespeare s writing of Romeo and Juliet. It combines historical fact with fiction, excerpts from Romeo and Juliet and other works by Renaissance artists. a. Chapter 15 in the film (from 49:10) Compare the clip from Shakespeare in Love with the equivalent passages in Romeo and Juliet: Act II, sc.1, ll. 1-100. What is the effect of this intertextualization? b. Chapter 17 in the film (from 58:05) Can a play show us the very truth and nature of love? Queen Elizabeth I and Viola discuss the extent to which a play can paint a true picture of love. The Queen maintains it cannot, Viola that it can. At the end of the film, Shakespeare s play has made the Queen change her mind. How realistic and convincing do you find Romeo and Juliet? 5. Other works of arts: the film Shakespeare in Love. Written assignment: analysis of the film. a. Make an analysis of Shakespeare in Love based on the Hollywood model, see p. 322. b. Discuss at least one of the following questions. 1. Does the world need a film like Shakespeare in Love? 2. In what way does Shakespeare in Love enhance our understanding of Romeo and Juliet or Shakespeare s work in general? 3. Should Romeo and Juliet be interpreted as a text alone, i.e. without reference to films containing performances of the play or about the play? 6. Other works of art: the film Shakespeare in Love. Written assignment: comparison of two reviews Find two reviews of the film on the internet: one from The Guardian/The Observer/The Independent or some other British broadsheet newspaper and the other from an online film review. Compare the two in terms of opinion, style and complexity of argument. Gyldendal, 2012 9