Who Said It?
"A plague o' both your houses!" (Act III Sc. I)
Mercutio
What city does the play take place in? What city does Romeo run away to?
Takes place in Verona
Romeo runs to Mantua
After seeing Juliet, Romeo completely forgets about his 'love' for Rosaline. What does this reveal about Romeo?
Romeo's love is not genuine, its more like an infatuation.
Where does the term 'Box Office' come from?
When people came to see a play they would give their money to an etcher. The etcher would put the money in a small box and have to constantly rush back and forth from the box office where the full boxes were deposited to where people were coming in.
What is a soliloquy?
A speech delivered while the speaker is alone.
"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. . . . "
Prologue/Chorus
How many deaths are in R&J?
6 deaths: Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, Romeo, Juliet, Lady Capulet
True or False: In the beginning of the play Lord Capulet doesn't want Juliet to marry Count Paris because he respects her decision, but in the end he vows to disown her if she doesn't.
False: Lord Capulet has no regards for Juliet's feelings, he only wants her to obey him.
How many plays did Shakespeare write?
37 plays total
What is a prologue? What does the Prologue reveal to the audience in R&J?
Prologue: opening part
The Prologue reveals that R&J will be in the middle of a family feud and these "star-crossed" lovers will die.
"O Is it even so? then I defy you, stars" (Act 5 Sc I)
Romeo
What is the gist of the Friar's plans?
To end the family feud between the Montagues and the Capulets.
True or False: The nurse encourages Juliet to stick with Romeo even after her marriage with Paris is set.
False: She instead encourages Juliet to forget Romeo and marry Paris.
What/who were "groundlings"?
The dumb, uneducated people who sat directly in front of the stage and always drooled during plays.
What is Dramatic Irony? Give an example from R&J.
When the audience knows something the characters don't. Answers for examples may vary.
"Young men's love then lies/Not truly in the hearts, but in their eyes" (Act II)
Friar Laurence
Who is the "Prince of Cats"?
Tybalt
Tybalt’s death causes Lord Capulet to do what?
Set up the marriage between Juliet and Count Paris.
Why didn't Shakespeare ever write for Queen Elizabeth?
The majority of his audience were uneducated, regular people.
What is the meaning of "star-crossed lovers"
Lovers whose fate is doomed to fail.
"O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you. . . .
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate stone
On the forefinger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomi
Athwart men’s noses as they lie asleep." (Act I Sc. IV)
Mercutio
What does the Nurse advise Juliet to do after Romeo is exiled?
Forget Romeo and marry Count Paris.
Explain the following quote and how it applies to R&J: "Nothing that breaks through the barriers of ordinary experience can remain in the world of ordinary experience".
Moments of joy/grief don't last because they are too great to be ordinary experience therefore they dont remain.
Love in R&J is fleeting because its not ordinary and their its not appropriate considering surrounding environment
Why is it more appropriate to say 'break a leg' to a stage performer?
When the groundlings especially enjoyed plays they would drool so much that some actors slipped and broke their legs.
What is Unrequited Love? Example?
Loving someone that doesn't love you back?
Romeo loved Rosaline yet she felt nothing for him.