Introduction to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Genre of Play

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy.

A tragedy is a five act drama that centers around a tragic hero.

A tragic hero is someone of high status who, because of a weakness of character, brings about his or her downfall.

Meter and Poetic Form

Romeo and Juliet is written in blank verse.

Blank verse is unrhymed lines of iambic pentameter.

Iambic pentameter is a meter that consists of 5 heartbeats per line.

Rhyme Scheme

This doesn’t mean that there are no rhymes in Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare often uses rhyming couplets to emphasize important lines.

There are also several sonnets in the play. A sonnet consists of the rhyme scheme ABAB/CDCD/EFEF/GG

Acts and Scenes

All tragedies have 5 acts.

Each act contains a number of scenes. The number of scenes depends on the action covered during the act.

Each scene depicts a different scenario.

Setting

Even though Shakespeare was from England, most of his plays do not take place there.

This play takes place in Verona, Italy, some time during the 1300’s.

For all intents and purposes, it’s the middle ages.

Characters

There aren’t that many characters in this play of which to keep track.

There are the two families (whose members we will look at momentarily).

Other than the two families, there are 4 other important characters.

The Montagues (Romeo’s Fam)

Romeo’s family consists of:

The Lord and Lady Montague (his parents)

Romeo (obviously)

Romeo’s cousin and bestie (Benvolio)

Lord and Lady Montague

These two aren’t in the play very much.

They are pretty chill when it comes to their son.

At the beginning of the play, they are just worried because he seems depressed.

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Benvolio (Romeo’s cuz)

Benvolio looks out for Romeo.

He is one of Romeo’s two best friends.

His most important characteristic is that he is a peace maker. He does not like conflict or fighting.

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And then there’s Romeo

Romeo is a lover.

He is a true romantic.

He is a kind and courteous young man, and he is well-liked in Verona.

He is 17 years old, and at the beginning of the play, he is in love with a different girl named Rosaline.

The Capulets (Juliet’s Fam)

We have Lord and Lady Capulet.

They are in the play a lot, and they seem to cause a lot of trouble (especially Lady Capulet).

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Why they’re so annoyingFrom the very beginning, Lord and

Lady Capulet want their daughter to marry a wealthy nobleman named Paris.

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Paris

He’s a nice enough guy, but Juliet doesn’t even know him.

She’s only 13, and she has never had a boyfriend before.

Lord Capulet wants to wait two years before they marry, but Lady Capulet’s in a rush.

She tells Juliet that she was already married and with child by the time she was 13.

She is VERY strong-willed and expects to get her way.

Juliet seems a little scared of her.

The Nurse

Since Juliet was a baby, she has basically been raised by the nurse.

The nurse even breast-fed her!

She is Juliet’s one true confidante.

The Nurse (cont’d)

She helps Romeo and Juliet get together.

She is really funny and a little risque.

Lady Capulet sometimes gets embarrassed by her lack of sophistication.

Tybalt

Tybalt is Juliet’s cousin (Lady Montague’s nephew).

He is a foil to Benvolio in that he is always ready to fight.

He is conceited and self-righteous.

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and then there’s Juliet

Young Juliet is young but wise.

Although she has never had a boyfriend before, she is cautious.

Throughout the play, she is more level-headed than Rome0.

Mercutio

Mercutio is Romeo’s other best friend, but he is not a Montague.

In fact, he is cousin to the prince.

Mercutio (cont’d)

He is the other funny character in the play.

He is very charismatic, sarcastic, and creative.

He is also a little bit of an instigator.

Friar LaurenceFriar Laurence is a religious man who has been advising Romeo since he was young.

He is a good man, but he is not above lying if it’s for a good cause.

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Friar Laurence (cont’d)

He is the one that helps Romeo and Juliet get married.

Unlike most holy men, he is very knowledgable about herbs and plants.

Prince Escalus

The last character is the prince.

He is not in the play much at all.

Once in the beginning, once in the middle, and once at the end.

Quick Review :Montagues

Lord and Lady Montague

Romeo

Benvolio

Capulets

Lord and Lady Capulet

Juliet

Nurse

Tybalt

Others

Mercutio (Romeo’s bud)

Paris (the rich guy Juliet’s parents want her to marry)

Friar Laurence (who helps Romeo and Juliet)

Prince Escalus (who is the prince of Verona and the law maker).

Act 1Act 1 is important because it introduces most of the characters and sets up the conflict.

It is during this Act that Romeo and Juliet first meet at a party.

Upon meeting, they do not know each other’s identities.

At the end of the act, they discover that they are “enemies”. (Juliet says, “My only love sprung from my only hate.” )