Dramatic Elementsin Shakespeare’s

Romeo and Juliet

CHARACTERthe people or animals in short stories, novels, or play

• Protagonist: the central/main character

• Antagonist: the protagonist’s opponent

Who does all of the action surround? Who or what causes their conflict?

Round Characters• Characters who have many

personality traits, like real people.

–Round characters allow readers to relate to the characters and believe the story’s events

•Examples: Romeo, Juliet

Flat Characters

• One-dimensional characters, embody a single personality trait

–Shakespeare often uses them to provide comic relief (even in a tragedy) or develop the plot/conflict

• Examples: Prince, Peter

Round vs. Flat Characters

• Round characters

– usually major characters

– the reader knows so much about these characters that they can seem real

• Flat characters

– usually minor characters

– the reader knows very little about

these characters

Dramatic Foil

•A character whose purpose is to show off another character through contrast

–Example: Benvolio & Tybalt

Foil Characters• Contrasts with a major character

• Highlights important qualities of the main character's personality by being nearly the opposite

• Sometimes has some important traits in common with the other character (similar or parallel situations or relationships, but handles them differently)

Monologue

• Long speech made by one character while other characters are on stage

• Long speech made by one character ALONE on stage (no other characters involved)

Soliloquy

PURPOSE: to allow readers/audience access to character’s inner thoughts and feelings.

Monologue

–Example: the Prince of Verona commanding the Capulets & Montagues to cease feuding

Act I, Scene i, Lines 77-99 (page 811)

Soliloquy

–Example: Juliet waiting for Nurse to return with word of her marriage to Romeo

Act II, Scene iv, Lines 1-17 (page 854)

What is Irony?

Irony is about expectations.

Irony is the opposite of what is expected.

3 kinds of irony:

–Verbal

–Dramatic

–Situational (events are opposite)

Dramatic Irony

When the reader understands more about the events of a story than a character.

A contradiction between what a character thinks and what the reader/audience knows to be true

You know something that a character doesn’t.

Examples:

After the party, Benvolio and Mercutio wonder if Romeo went home with Rosaline. We (the audience) know he was talking with Juliet.

Verbal Irony

A character says one thing but means the opposite

Words used to suggest the opposite of what is meant, there is some sort of double meaning

Also called sarcasm or being sarcastic.

Examples:The Prologue says “both households alike in dignity,”

but they don’t act dignified. Instead, they are the opposite: aggressive, competitive, violent, etc.