Background Info
Where was Shakespeare born?
Stratford-Upon-Avon, England
"O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore Art Thou Romeo?"
Prologue
In a play, a prologue is a speech that is delivered to the audience before the main action begins on the stage.
Act 1 Summary
Servants start fight, Prince breaks up fight, Lord Capulet and Paris discuss the marriage, Romeo and Benvolio discuss unrequited love, Romeo and Juliet meet at the Capulet party
What is Sonnet 18 about?
Love, immortalizing the lover in the poem
What is the name of Shakespeare's theater?
The Globe Theater
"A Plague O' Both Your Houses"
Mercutio, After Act III fight scene, Dying
Dramatic Irony
When the audience knows something that the characters do not creating suspense or humor
Act II Summary
Romeo's friend look for him, Romeo and Juliet declare their love for each other, The Nurse and Juliet talk, Romeo and Friar Lawrence talk, Romeo and Juliet get married
How many lines?
14
What is the name for the spectators that stood in the front?
The Groundlings
"I hate the word as I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee"
Tybalt, Act I fight scene
Soliloquy
A soliloquy is a speech in a play where a character speaks their thoughts aloud, usually while alone on stage, to reveal their inner feelings, motivations, or plans to the audience.
Act III Summary
Big fight scene (Mercutio and Tybalt die), Romeo gets banished and he says goodbyes to Juliet, Juliet gets into a fight with her parents about marrying Paris
Rhyme scheme
ABAB CDCD EFEF GG
What are the features of Shakespeare's Theater?
Open to the sky, round, multi-level, pit
"If you ever disturb our streets again your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace."
Dramatic Foil
A character who contrasts with another, usually the protagonist, to highlight their specific qualities and traits.
Act IV Summary
Friar Lawrence devises sleeping potion plan, Lord Capulet, family, and staff prepare for the wedding, Wedding is moved up, Juliet takes the sleeping potion, They find Juliet "dead"
What is a couplet?
Two rhyming lines of poetry
What were the main types of plays that Shakespeare wrote?
Comedies, tragedies, and histories
"Wisely and slow, they stumble that run fast"
Friar Lawrence, Act II Romeo asks the Friar to marry him and Juliet
Iambic Pentameter
A line of verse with five metrical feet, each consisting of one unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable, creating a ten-syllable pattern like "da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM
Act V Summary
Romeo buys poison from the apothecary, Friar John explains why he couldn't deliver the letter, Romeo and Paris fight (Paris dies), Romeo sees Juliet and takes poison, Juliet wakes up and kills herself with Romeo's dagger, Friar Lawrence explains to everyone what happened, Families make up and agree to make statues of Romeo and Juliet
What is a quatrain?
Four lines of poetry, especially having alternate rhymes