...Friar Laurence, proposes a dangerous plan to Juliet. Friar expresses his disapproval of the wedding plans, telling Paris that he does not know Juliet well enough to get married to her. Once alone, Juliet and the Friar talk about what can be done to save Juliet from the fate of becoming the wife of two men. He has a potion that will make her look dead when she drinks it, and it will keep her the lifeless state for forty-two hours. Juliet excitedly approves of the plan and then she goes home to drink the potion. Capulet and his Lady are busy making wedding arrangements.They are indeed planning a big event - Capulet orders 'twenty cunning cooks'.Juliet comes into the main hall to talk with her father. He is cheerful and his inner being are further...
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...A TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE SIGNET CLASSIC EDITION OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO AND JULIET By ARTHEA J.S. REED, PH.D. S E R I E S W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., E D I T O R S : UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A Teacher’s Guide to the Signet Classic Edition of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet 2 INTRODUCTION William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is an excellent introduction to Shakespearean drama; teenagers can relate to its plot, characters, and themes. The play’s action is easily understood, the character’s motives are clear, and many of the themes are as current today as they were in Shakespeare’s time. Therefore, it can be read on a variety of levels, allowing all students to enjoy it. Less able readers can experience the swash-buckling action and investigate the themes of parent-child conflict, sexuality, friendship, and suicide. Because of the play’s accessibility to teenagers, able readers can view the play from a more literary perspective, examining the themes of hostility ad its effect on the innocent, the use of deception and its consequences, and the effects of faulty decision making. They can study how the characters function within the drama and how Shakespeare uses language to develop plot, characters, and themes. The most able students can develop skills involved in literary criticism by delving into the play’s comic and tragic elements and its classically...
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...burden do I sink” - William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet page 36. In the well known play, Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, two young lovers want to be together, but there are many unfortunate affairs keeping them apart. The play follows two young people in love and the events that eventually lead to their demise. While many people contributed to the death of the lovers, the ones who are ultimately to blame for Romeo and Juliet’s untimely death are themselves, Mercutio, and Friar Laurence. Two people who could ultimately be considered guilty for Romeo and Juliet’s death, is themselves. Romeo and Juliet didn’t even attempt to talk to their parents about their love for one another, in hopes they might...
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...Hate is an overwhelming emotion that is an integral portion of society; expressed greatly in media such as literature. This emotion is additionally vital in a play written by William Shakespeare. A famous poet during the Elizabethan era, one of William Shakespeare’s plays entitled, Romeo and Juliet demonstrated the impact hatred has on the people it surrounds. Romeo and Juliet is a play set in Verona, Italy in which two people, infatuated with each other, venture to extreme lengths to complete their desires in opposition to the venom held between their families, conclusively leading to their demise. This feeling of detest blinds entities from morality and influences them to commit regrettable mistakes, much present in modern society through...
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...Post-modernism in Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet: a comparison of two creative works from two different periods. In 1996, Baz Luhrmann directed “Romeo + Juliet”, a modern twist on the famous tragedy play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare in 1597, in which the main characters Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet where portrayed by Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. While some praise the strange interpretation of the old tale, there are also those who condemn the rendition as destructive and disrespectful to the great work of Shakespeare. There will always be two sides to every story and this study will take that into consideration as well as comparing the two different yet similar works to see how post modernism has played a role in Luhrmann’s version of Romeo and Juliet. Postmodernism has been given many definitions. Some say it’s simply the outlook that the generation of late twenty first century has on life which entails the mistrust and dismissal of theories that existed before such as religion, ethics and law. According to these youths, the difference between right and wrong or what the meaning of life is based solely on that individual’s perspective. In film, the idea of postmodernism is somewhat similar as it’s an artist medium in which to undermine social norms and present one’s individual belief. The difference lies in that postmodernism in film concerns bringing in many aspects of popular culture to produce something...
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...Romeo and Juliet was a romantic but also a tragic play written by William Shakespeare in 1595 and later published in 1597.The plot of Romeo and Juliet is that two lovers of long rivaling family history tragically die and reunite their rivaling families.There were three different movies made in 1968, 1996, and 2014 to illustrate the similarities and differences of the reader’s vision and Shakespeare’s. The 1968 movie of Romeo and Juliet was shot In the Italian city of Verona with the same perspective, wardrobe, and weaponry(swords) of the time that Shakespeare had written the original play. Although the script was the same in the 1996 movie the clothing and weaponry(guns) was completely different than the original but fit with the setting that was in California. The 2014 version of Shakespeare’s play was also a play but it was the most modernized out of the two. This Broadway play shot in NYC with chains, along with swords as weapons. The wardrobe consisted of the wearing of leather jackets and motorcycles as transportation. Even with the three different interpretations of Romeo and Juliet there are things that all of them had in common.The first thing that they have in common is the language. The...
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...It could be argued that Romeo and Juliet is the most popular of William Shakespeare’s thirty-seven plays. In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare uses many different approaches to keep the whole audience interested. These assist in creating his ability to attract a wide audience and are a great contributor to Shakespeare’s success. Shakespeare uses foils to highlight various attributes of characters. Two foils in Romeo and Juliet are the Nurse and Lady Capulet, Juliet’s mother. The foils highlight certain traits of each other. Shakespeare uses the contrast between the Nurse and Lady Capulet to emphasize the difference between their relationships with Juliet, but it emphasizes other differences too. One significant difference between Juliet’s caregiver...
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...the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied In: English and Literature Explore the Different Attitudes to Love Are Presented by the Characters in Romeo and Juliet and the Speakers in the Sonnets You Have Studied Explore the different attitudes to love are presented by the characters in Romeo and Juliet and the speakers in the sonnets you have studied. Love is presented through the use of characters, themes, linguistic, structural and contextual references. That pieces are ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare, ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare again, ‘Sonnet 43’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘Sonnet 130’ by Shakespeare and also ‘Sonnet 18’ again by Shakespeare. They were all written in the time that was considered the Elizabethan Era. A religious theme is set in both Romeo and Juliet and sonnet 43 to convey the attitudes to love. In Romeo and Juliet the theme of religion is used to express their love between each other and suggesting it is similar to religion can impose that it is a life-long commitment and will always be there even if they lose faith. At that time their attitude towards religion was very strong and it was their integral, which links to the love between Romeo and Juliet that now they have found it fully they will be part of each other’s’ lives for eternity. In Act 2, scene 2 Romeo states that Juliet’s eyes were “Two of the fairest stars in all of heaven” this is conveying that Juliet is angelic. Angels...
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...In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, Juliet, Friar Lawrence, and Romeo ostensibly are to blame for the deaths of both Romeo and Juliet. All three come into this context more than other character’s because they started everything from the beginning. Without Romeo and Juliet falling in love so quickly and then wanting to get married so early, none of the conflict would have happened. The Friar, on the other half, was middling with this idea and did not think to put an end to it. Juliet, Friar Lawrence and Romeo all are selfish and caused the deaths of Romeo and Juliet because Juliet had ended up trying everything just because she did not want to leave her lavish lifestyle, Friar Lawrence had only married the two in order to reconcile the...
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...Emma Breitenstein Miss Raub 9 Honors English 16 May 2014 The Utter Infatuation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Over time, writing has become exceedingly prominent, and throughout generations it has tremendously improved, leaving behind some of the best literature pieces in history. Since writing began, many great authors, playwrights, and poets have emerged, contributing to the literary society and producing countless works of literature, some that are still read today. A few notable composers that left behind numerous classics include Charles Dickens, Edgar Allen Poe, and William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare is considered to be the greatest playwright of all time due to his many great plays and his vast contribution to the English language. Some of his works include Hamlet, Othello, and the infamous Romeo and Juliet. Wrote in 1597, the tragic comedy tells the story of young Romeo and Juliet, who find themselves “in love at first sight”. Unfortunately for them, their love story goes awry when they learn their parents are mortal conflict between their parents, which ultimately caused their demise. Woven throughout the plot, many examples become present that show that the star-crossed lovers are not in love. It becomes clear Romeo and Juliet are merely infatuated with each other. The ill-fated couple focus only on each other’s physical appearances and are severely impulsive throughout the tragic story. “The play then impresses upon us the intensity of youthful love, at...
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...William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love play that tells the tale of two star crossed lovers. It has been the cause of much controversy over who can be held to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, however the fault cannot be placed on one individual, rather, multiple protagonists. Ultimately, Friar Lawrence, the Nurse and Romeo and Juliet themselves can be blamed for their demise. Friar Lawrence's lack of responsibility and foresight contributed significantly to the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Being the individual to marry them, and devise ill fated plans, he was imprudent because he did not predict that such a situation would have tragic results. His inability to communicate between all involved severely impacted the...
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...ROMEO AND JULIET Verona city in Italy is where the upsetting story of the unlucky love affair was set. Romeo a Montague and Juliet a Capulet are 'a pair of star crossed lovers who took their lives in an attempt to bury their parents strife'. The Montague's and the Capulet 'both alike in dignity,' were engaged in an ancient feud, which sadly nothing but the death of their children could stop. Romeo and Juliet two adaptations. Franco Zeffirelli [1968] Original version Baz Luhrmann [1996] Hollywood version Luhrmann chose Leonardo Di Caprio to play Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet. * The updated Luhrmann picture best captures the essence of Shakespeare for the present-day viewer. Through the ingenious use of modernisation and location, while preserving Shakespearean language, the spirit of Shakespeare emerges to captivate a large audience. * Luhrmann modernises "Romeo and Juliet," through constant alterations of the props, which entice the audience into genuinely feeling the spirit of Shakespeare. * First, the movie starts with a prologue masked as news broadcast on television. This sets the scene of the play by illustrating the violence occurring between the two wealthy families, the Montagues and the Capulets. * In Luhrmann's film, the actors, instead of carrying swords with them, hide guns in their shirts and wield them expertly. * The death of Romeo and Juliet is (as always) blamed on the post office, for not delivering the letter properly...
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...This is the case in William Shakespeare’s drama The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet are met with countless opposition, from feuding families to failed plans, and it seems they are doomed by fate. What began as an innocent romance between two young lovers slowly turns towards a bitter ending and both of their deaths’. Although Fate and Friar Lawrence are partially to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, because the families cause the initial conflict, they deserve the most blame for the deaths of the star crossed lovers, Romeo...
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...Shakespeare’s portrayal of actions and their consequences “Sooner or later everyone sits down to a banquet of consequences.” -Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson, a novelist and poet, explains that everyone commits regrettable actions and eventually always have to face the consequences that comes along with it. This belief is portrayed in William Shakespeare’s work, Romeo and Juliet, a tragic play that presents two youths, Juliet Capulet and Romeo Montague, that met and fell in love at first sight. However, they are forced to keep their relationship a secret for their families, the Capulets and Montagues are bitter enemies. Because of this secrecy, misunderstandings arise and reckless decisions, along with their irreversible consequences, are...
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...Themes of Love and Hate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet 1 Themes of Love and Hate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a play about two young lovers, whose love was destined for destruction from the beginning because of the hatred between the two families, Montagues and Capulets. Therefore, the themes of love and hate are very important in the play as the plot is driven by these two themes. Shakespeare brings out the love between the two rivals through Romeo and Juliet and their relationships with the Friar and the Nurse. I want to argue that in the play, the themes of love and hate are closely linked. To show this, I have selected some of the most important scenes in the play, which illustrate the idea that love and hate are closely bound together. The first example is the chorus, which is found at the beginning of the play, in the prologue. It is a short summary of what the play is about. The chorus is in the form of a sonnet and sonnets were often associated with love in the time of Shakespeare. However, the words of the chorus seem to emphasize the idea of hate although there are some words about love. “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” (Prologue, 3-4) These two lines are about the feud between the families. It shows that it is a feud, which has been brewing for many years. By repeating the words civil, Shakespeare is stressing the fact that they are all civilians...
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