R & J Prologue
This 14-line poetic form is used for the Prologue.
What is a sonnet?
Romeo famously compares Juliet to this celestial object.
What is the sun?
Odysseus has been away from home for this many years when the story begins (including the war).
What is 20 years?
When Shakespeare writes "From forth the fatal loins of these two foes," the repetition of the "f" sound is alliteration. What mood or feeling does this harsh sound create for the audience?
What is a tense, serious, or threatening mood?
Lennie accidentally kills the puppy and Curley’s wife because he cannot control his own physical strength. This literary device, where an author drops clues early on about a major tragic event that happens later, is called what?
What is foreshadowing?
The Prologue takes place in this "fair" Italian city.
What is Verona?
Juliet asks Romeo to "refuse" this—the very thing that makes him an enemy.
What is his name/Montague?
We first see Odysseus on the island of Ogygia, held captive by this nymph.
Who is Calypso?
In poetry, stanza breaks matter. The Romeo and Juliet Prologue is 14 lines long, divided into three 4-line stanzas and one final 2-line stanza. What is the specific literary term for a 4-line stanza?
What is a quatrain?
Candy’s ancient, blind sheepdog is shot because he is no longer useful on the ranch. This event directly mirrors and symbolizes the eventual fate of which human character?
Who is Lennie?
This term describes Romeo and Juliet's doomed fate as dictated by the planets.
What is star-crossed?
Juliet utters this famous line while thinking she is alone: "O Romeo, Romeo! ______ ______ ______ ______?"
What is "wherefore art thou Romeo?
When we first meet him, the "great" Odysseus is doing this on the beach.
What is crying/weeping?
When Romeo says, "Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon," he is giving the moon the human emotion of jealousy. What poetic device is this?
What is personification?
George and Lennie’s dream of owning a small piece of land and "living off the fatta the lan'" represents a larger, universal cultural concept that was deeply challenged during the Great Depression. What is this concept?
What is the American Dream
The "two hours' traffic of our stage" refers to this specific thing.
What is the length of the play?
Juliet says "parting is such sweet ____."
What is sorrow?
Odysseus’s home kingdom, where his wife and son are waiting.
What is Ithaca?
This is the specific rhythm Shakespeare uses (da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM, da-DUM)
What is iambic pentameter?
When Lennie is panicking, he often repeats the phrase, "George, you ain't gonna let me tend no rabbits!" This specific detail is a recurring motif that represents Lennie's version of ultimate happiness, but it also serves as a warning sign to the reader. What is this literary device called?
What is a motif?
The "civil blood" mentioned in the Prologue refers to the feud between these two families.
Who are the Montagues and Capulets?
During this scene, Juliet is the first to suggest this serious commitment.
What is marriage?
This goddess is Odysseus’s primary divine protector and advocate on Mt. Olympus.
Who is Athena?
Look at this line from the Prologue: "Whose misadventured piteous overthrows / Do with their death bury their parents' strife." According to these lines, what is the only thing that will finally stop the families from fighting?
What is the death of their children / Romeo and Juliet?
Crooks, the stable buck, is isolated in a separate bunkhouse room because of his race, while Curley's wife is isolated because she is the only woman on the ranch. What major theme of the novella do these two characters best represent?
What is loneliness / isolation / discrimination?