Group Work on Shakespeares Romeo & Juliet by Class 4EU

Group A
In what town/s does the action take place in Romeo and Juliet? How many
days does it last? Who are the main protagonists? What happens in the scene of
the Masque Ball and the Balcony Scene?
What are the main themes in Romeo and Juliet?
What is the dramatic technique used by Shakespeare?
What type of language is used?
Who says these lines? Explain their meaning.
Whats in a name?
That which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet.
Who says these lines? Explain their meaning.
Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye/ than twenty of their swords.
My life were better ended by their hate / Than death prorogud, wanting of thy love.

Romeo and Juliets story is set in Verona. Here the protagonists families, the
Montagues and the Capulets, live and collide in feuds. After Romeo is banned
from Verona, some scenes are set in Mantua. The events cover a time span of
only 3 days, even if in a previous version they lasted 9 months.
The main protagonists are Juliet, who is the Capulets daughter, and Romeo,
who is the Montagues son. Since their families have always been enemies, the
two young lovers are not allowed to have contacts. Whats more, they even
ignore the existence of each other until they meet at the Masque Ball.
Romeo had not been invited to the Ball, but he decides to go to the Montagues
palace to see a girl who he likes: Rosaline. At the ball - however - he sees Juliet
Capulet and it is love at first sight. Fortunately, the ball is a Masque so that
Romeo can hide his identity, by wearing a mask. So nobody recognizes him,
neither Juliet when he approaches her and they start to speak. From his words,
we can understand that Romeo is a passionate, young man. Although he had
gone to the ball to see another girl, he soon falls for another. However, he is
also obviously influenced by the medieval tradition of courtly love, because he
sees Juliet like a divine creature superior to him and often calls her an angel and
a saint. When they first meet and speak, nothing special happens. Shakespeare
does not provide details, also because the scene is played by the actors on
stage. When the two protagonists hands first touch, it is through the actors
speech that the audience can understand what powerful emotions both of them
are feeling. After that, Romeo asks for a kiss and Juliet consents.
This is probably the first kiss ever for Juliet, but of the two it is her who seems
more in control of her feelings, as her comment reveals: You kiss by the book.
After the Ball, both protagonists are so excited that they cannot sleep. Juliet
comes out on her balcony, not knowing that Romeo has secretely entered her
garden and is waiting in the dark. While she is actually speaking to the moon in
the middle of the night, she expresses her feelings of love for him. She is
thinking about her beloved Romeo and the impossibility for them to share their
love. Her speech shows how she cannot accept their destiny because of the
absurd struggle between their families. She goes so far as to ask Romeo to deny
his name and take all herself for it. At that point Romeo, who had been listening
to her speech, comes out. Juliet is scared until she recognizes Romeos voice.
Romeo declares his love for her with very passionate, powerful and heartfelt
words.
There are various themes in Romeo and Juliet. Obviously, the most important
one is love and its power: especially in the sonnets that the two protagonists
say at the Ball and in the Balcony scene this emotion is violent, ecstatic and
exceeds everything, even family contrasts, the death of the protagonists, the
prejudices of Romeo's friends, etc.
The second main theme is love as a cause of death or violence. This topic is
connected to human passion, another important feature of the poem. Love as
powerful feeling that can lead to violence is noticeable in the last part of the
story, in which Juliet kills herself because she has found out that Romeo is
dead . This tragic ending is the highest, most powerful expression of love. This
feeling has been totally destructive for the couple. In fact, only through death
they will preserve their love forever.
Another important theme is the individual against society. The society and
the public are great entities in the story. Families and friends play an important
role, because some oppose while others support the union of Romeo and Juliet.
Who is against their love, obstacles them. Here is the conflict between

individual and society: the private desire of one against the rules of institutions
and community.
The last theme of the poem is the inevitability of fate. Destiny is something we
cannot run away from and so is for Romeo and Juliet. As fate made them meet,
when Romeo went to the ball to see another woman, so fate will cause Romeo
not to receive the Friars letter on time. Fate is omnipresent in the whole story,
in fact it both makes them fall in love and die.
The dramatical techniques used by Shakespeare in his poem are the lack of
knowledge and the reflection upon language. The first one derives from the bad
communication between Romeo and Juliet. For example Romeo didnt know that
Juliet was only apparently dead so he commited suicide. The second one is
strongly present in Juliet: she's realistic and talks in a way that is very personal.
The language she uses when analyzing the essence and symbol in a name is
very detailed.
Another way to express tragedy on the stage is the triangle of dialogues, used
during the plays. There were both dialogues between two or more actors and
also dialogues of one of them to the audience, to anticipate events of the story
or explain their point of view.
The poems present in the play are written using the iambic verse, with regular
rhythms. In these lines we can still recognize Shakespeares immature style,
actually the rhymes are common, often used in couplets. The language is
clever, heartfelt and produces powerful love imagery in the readers mind. It
well expresses the heart feelings and the romantic passions of the protagonists.
Their lines are full of metaphors to increase the spectator/readers involvement
and create a full immersion in the love theme. In fact, the words that
Shakespeare used evoke the perception of love through different senses (the
smell of a rose, the light of a star, the softness of the lips and so on).
Lines 6 and 7 belong to Juliets speech. In this part of the play, Juliet is revealing
her feelings to the moon, thinking about how nonsense was being enemies for a
name. Actually, in her opinion a name has no importance. It is not a part of the
body and it does not affect the soul. When she says: Whats in a name? That
which we call a rose/ By any other name would smell as sweet. She means that
everything would be the same even if it had another name. For instance, the
rose would not lose its smell if we call it in another way. In the same way,
Romeo would be the same man she loves even if he had another name. This
reflection above the meaning of the names is absolutely important, because it
fights with the medieval opinion. In that era, in fact, social and economic
conditions were based on the names and the families reputation. Asking Romeo
to deny his name means asking him to refuse all his properties, wealth and
living conditions. However, when she says the name could not change his
essence, it means that she would love him even if he werent a noble man.
Lines 71-78 contain the most emotional of Romeos words: Alack, there lies more
peril in thine eye/ than twenty of their swords. .. My life were better ended by their hate / Than
death prorogud, wanting of thy love. Romeo is in Juliets garden and she warns him of

the danger he is running: if her family finds him there, they could kill him.
Romeo at that point says he would rather be killed in that moment than
continue his life without her. He says that if she loves him, he will overcome
everything, even her familys objection. For Romeo the only real risk is that she
doesnt love him. In this scene we can understand how Romeo is madly in love
with Juliet. He is ready to risk his life for her love. Romeo may seem nave,
because he had gone to Juliets house knowing what risk he was running but he
had simply followed his heart and his passion.

Group B
Focus on Romeo:
What does he mainly express in his soliloquy in the Balcony Scene? (his
love for Juliet, his admiration for her beauty, his desire to hold her in his arms,
other?)
How does he find out that Juliet loves him?
What gives him the courage to speak out?
What evidence does he give of his all-consuming love for Juliet?
In Romeos speech many words and phrases can be associated with the
following themes:
-

Love

Life

Light

Beauty

Death

Purity

Can you give some examples? Which theme do you think is predominant?
What inferences can you draw about Romeos personality from his words
and behaviours? You may use these adjectives or provide your own. What kind of
person is he? Give reasons for your choices.
shy
bold
tender
rational proud
sad
undecided

courageous
sentimental

prudent
passionate impulsive
lovesick
nave

In the Balcony scene Romeo associates Juliet with sunlight and the light emanating from
angels so it is obvious for the readers that he admires her beauty also because he
compares Juliet's eyes to bright stars.
Romeo makes use of some powerful metaphors to describe his all-consuming love for
Juliet. He first compares her to the rising sun to the east, of which the moon is envious.
Later to an angel. Romeo is ready to be new baptized, that is he is ready to change his
name and would prefer to die instead of living without Juliet's love.
In Romeo's speech there are various themes, the predominant is true love which is
expressed in terms of passion and in a very sensuous language.
He admires the beauty of her eyes and compares them to stars, which having some
business to do, asked Juliet to replace them in the sky. Juliet is compared to the sun
because she is shining and her eyes are compared to two of the fairest stars in all the
heaven. This shows that Romeo sees her as an angelic figure

After Romeos initial soliloquy, believing she is alone on her balcony, Juliet starts to talk
about her passionate love for him.
Romeo overhears her and he finds out that she returns his feelings.
Her soliloquy gives him the courage to speak out.
Romeo gives great importance to love. For this reason, he can be considered a sentimental
young boy. It is also clear that he is lovesick for Juliet, especially considering the way in
which he passionately expresses his love for the girl.
Romeo looks also very impulsive and passionate. Although he is aware that Juliet is a
Capulet and that he should accordingly hate her as an enemy, he cannot simply resist his
attraction to her. He not only continues to praise Juliets beauty, but he also looks up to her
as a sort of saint, an angelic figure to admire. His words are very tender and delicate, so
that we can understand that he is very respectful and sensitive.
From this scene, we can understand that Romeo is bold and courageous because he goes
to Juliet's house at his life risk. He in fact enters the Capulets' garden to see Juliet and he
risks his life to do so. Therefore, Romeo appears to the readers as a very determined and
strong-willed person, who is ready to overcome all obstacles in order to be reloved by
Juliet.
However, he is also impetuous and shows his tragical flaw when he kills Tybald.
Romeo is impulsive and makes a big mistake which will result in the final catastrophe.
He is too impetuous because he does not stop to think and he kills himself.

Group C
Focus on Juliet in the Balcony Scene:

What does Juliet wish for at the beginning of her speech?

What is her reaction when Romeo speaks out?
What does she fear?
What inferences can you draw about Juliets personality from her words and
behaviours? You may use these adjectives or provide your own. What kind of girl
does she appear to be? Give reasons for your choices.
selfconscious
simple
concerned courageous
self-confident
rational
detached

innocent
flirtatious
sincere
determined
impulsive
sensuous
tender
spontaneous

Tragical characters have typical characteristics. Look at the list of

characteristics and identify the ones that are appropriate to describe first Romeo
and then Juliet. Why are they tragical characters?
A tragic hero/heroine

a)
is of social ranch (a nobleman, king,
queen, warrior, prince, princess, etc.)
b)
lives a doomed life. His/her destiny
draws him/her inevitably to disaster.
c)
is a simple, flat character or type,
representing good or evil, for example.
d)
is psychologically complex. His/her
personality is multi-faceted and develops in the course of the play.
e)
has a weakness or shortcoming in
his/her personality or commits an error of judgement chich precipitates
hes/her fate. It is often referred to as the tragic flaw.
f)

moves from a state of misery to a

state of happiness.
g)
uses a heightened language which
suits his/her intensity of feeling, wit, intellect.
h)
uses monologue or soliloquy to
reveal his/her feelings and thoughts and their complexity.
Juliet Capulet is the main protagonist of the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William
Shakespeare. Juliet is the only daughter of the Capulets. The Capulets are a rich merchant
family who live in Verona. Romeos family, the Montagues, are their enemies. Juliet is close
to her 14th birthday. She is main female character in the tragedy by Shakespeare and also
one of the most famous and beloved of his repertoire. Juliet has been raised by a nanny,
who she considers her confidant and caretaker. The protagonist, despite impulsiveness,
proves to be an intelligent character in the play.
Juliet is a sensitive girl, very passionate and a dreamer. Although very young, she is very
intelligent. She is the daughter of a noble family but she appears simple and naive. Her
only sin is the fact that she falls in love with Romeo Montague, the son of her familys
enemies. Their love story will become very complicated, but they will struggle for it and will
come to the point of getting secretly married even without their families consent.
In the famous balcony scene Juliet is in her room balcony. In her soliloquy to the moon, she
reflects on her love for Romeo and what really separates them: its only their names that
actually impedes their love. Her greatest wish is to be together with her beloved, though
one of the two should give up their name and family. When Juliet realizes that someone is
in her garden and has heard her words, she is at first very frightened and annoyed by this
stranger who has overheard her. However, when she realizes that this man is Romeo, she
is both happy and scared because she knows that if someone saw him there, he could be
killed. At the end of the scene she reveals Romeo that her love for him is not as frivolous as
that of a girl but true love.
Juliet is one of the most beloved characters invented by Shakespeare. Despite the natural
impulsiveness of her young age, she is wise and intelligent. She is also a reflexive girl.
Romeo is a young boy in love. He seems bold and irresponsible, because he passionately
loves Juliet. His main fault is that he is too impulsive and impatient. He often does not stop
and think before acting, like for example when he kills Tybald to avenge Mercutio or when
he leaves Mantua to see Juliet for the last time. Despite these faults, Romeo is a sensitive
boy and an idealist. Both Juliet and Romeo are animated by their love, which makes them
forget reason and good sense. Romeo and Juliet are two young people in love of each
other. Although both of them are quite impulsive, Juliet is however wiser and more rational
than Romeo, who seems to disdain all danger and risks his life just to see her. Both are
young and beautiful and they love each other intensely.

Group D
Focus on the typical structure of a tragedy:
What features can you find in in Romeo and Juliet? Substantiate.
1) Introduction: the play begins
positively with the characters in a condition of harmony, although the
audience may be warned of the impeding catastrophe.
2) Development: the play develops positively with an increase
in the happiness/harmony of the characters.
3) Climax: this marks the highest and happiest moment for the
characters.
4) Crisis: this closely follows the climax and is the moment
when the characters good fortune is reversed from happiness to misery.
5) Decline: the reversal of good fortune continues and worsens
and/or becomes more complicated.
6) Catastrophe: the final moment when all hope of recovery
disintegrates. It often involves the isolation and death of the protagonist(s).
Romeo & Juliet is a tragedy. Which event is
-

the happiest point in the two lovers story?

the turning point in the two lovers fortunes?

the lowest point in the story?

Chance & misfortune play an important role in the plot. Say which of the
following events can be described as unfortunate events because they are the
result of fate and occur regardless of the characters wishes?
-

Romeo is infatuated with Rosaline

- Romeo falls in love with the daughter of a family which is

hostile to his own.
-

Friar Laurence consents to marry the two lovers.

Paris is in love with Juliet.

Paris asks Juliets hand just after she has married Romeo.

The Friar helps Juliet avoid marriage with Paris.

The Friars messenger does not reach Romeo.

Can you find any more unfortunate events in the plot?

The audience participates emotionally in the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet.

What does the audience know that the characters do not know? Does being in a
privileged position add to or alleviate tension, do you think?
Is Romeo and Juliet a realistic drama? Could it happen in real life? Why or
why not?

1) In Romeo and Juliet we can find features of the typical structure of a

tragedy.
1.
INTRODUCTION: The chorus speaks out a prologue,
telling the audience where the tragedy is set and who the
characters are. This tragedy is set in Verona, where two families,
the Montagues and the Capulets, are trapped in a violent feud.
The most important female character is Juliet, the Capulets
daughter, whereas the most important male character is Romeo,
Montagues son.
2.
DEVELOPMENT: In the first act the most important
event is the ball, during which Count Paris tries to persuade Juliet
to marry him. In this act the audience meets Juliets parents and
her nurse. Meanwhile Romeo, convinced by his friends, goes to
the ball where he meets Juliet. They talk and they kiss.
3.
CLIMAX : In the second act Romeo goes to the
Capulets orchard and hides among bushes under Juliets balcony.
He first overhears Juliets confession of love and says to Juliet
that he is in love with her. She answers that she loves him too.
Later they get secretly married thanks to Friar Laurences help.
4.
CRISIS : In the third act Tybalt wants to challenges
Romeo in duel. He refuses but Mercutio does not. While Romeo is
trying to stop them, Tybalt hurts Mercutio with his sword and
Mercutio dies. Romeo, to avenge his friend, kills Tybalt.
5.
DECLINE: The Prince of Verona banishes Romeo. Juliet
is informed about what has happened and she asks her nurse to
go to Friar Laurences house to plan a date for Romeo and Juliets
wedding. They spend a night together but in the morning Romeo
escapes to Mantua. When Juliets gets to know that Count Paris
has planned a date for their wedding, she goes to Friars Laurence
asking for help. He gives her a potion that will make her seem
dead.
6.
CATASTROPHE: Romeo gets to know from Balthasar (his
menial) that Juliet is dead. He goes to Verona to see Juliet for the
last time. When he arrives at the Capulets crypt, he says
goodbye to Juliet and then takes a deadly poison. When Juliet
wakes up from her sleep, she sees Romeo and Count Paris dead
and she kills herself with Romeos dagger.

2) The happiest point in the two lovers story?

There are two main points in the story of Romeo and Juliet in
which they are happy. One is certainly during the balcony scene,
when the two lovers declare their mutual love. The second one is

their marriage, which represents the full realization of their great

love.
There are two turning points in the two lovers fortunes in the
tragedy:
- the first is when Romeo kills Juliets cousin Tybald , because the
latter has killed Romeos best friend Mercutio .
- the second is when Juliets father tells her that she will have to
marry Paris.
The lowest point in the story?
- The lowest point in the story is when the two lovers must say
goodbye and separate, because Romeo is banned from Verona
after the killing of Tybald.

3) Fate has an important role in Romeo and Juliets story. In the story
there are many unfortunate events in which fate and destiny are in
foreground. Not only is this important, but also bad choices involve that
the two lovers cant stay together. For example, when Romeo does not
wait for Juliet to awake from her apparent death or when he escapes from
Verona alone. This love story is not a simple story, because it has many
obstacles to overcome. It is because of an ill-fate that Romeo falls in love
with Juliet. Romeo and Juliet are from different families: he is a Montague
and she is a Capulet. The two families are rivals and will never accept
their love. Another trick by destiny is when Friar Laurence tries to help
Juliet to avoid marriage with Paris. He gives her a drug that will make her
appear like dead. However, the letter that he writes to Romeo to explain
his plan arrives in Mantua too late, so that Romeo ignores the truth and
kills himself. Reality and illusion are another powerful image in the play.
In the end, the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet will put an end to the
fight between their families and will help restore peace in Verona.

4) The audience participated emotionally in the tragedy, also because

they were aware of some details which the actors ignored. One
example is the last scene of the tragedy, in which Juliet takes a drug
which Friar Lawrence has given to her in order to pretend that is dead.
When Romeo sees her in the Capulets crypt, he does not know that
she is simply sleeping. The audience on the contrary knows the truth
and would like to stop Romeo from taking the poison but they cannot.
This increases suspense and the audiences involvement in the story.
5) In our opinion, Romeo and Juliet is a realistic drama. It is the story of
an impossible love between two teenagers that could happen in real
life also today. Loving someone passionately can make people do wrong
things like killing oneself.

EXPLAIN BETTER! PERSONAL RESPONSE HERE IS TOO

SUPERFICIAL!!!

Group E

Focus on Sonnet 18: Shall I Compare Thee to a Summers Day2:

Read the beginning of the sonnet: what characteristics can a summer day
and a loved person have in common?
You have studied the structure both of the Petrachan and the Elisabethan
sonnet. Write the rhyming scheme of Sonnet XVIII and describe its characteristics.
What is the theme of this sonnet and how is it developed throughout the
sonnet?
What is the effect of starting the sonnet with a question?
Consider the language. It is highly figurative and varied. Find examples of
personification, metaphor, commercial vocabulary. What effect does all this
produce?
The argumentative structure of the poem revolves around a single idea
which appears in the opening question. Can the poets lover and a summers day be
compared? How does the poet develop this initial question and to what conclusion
does he come? You may use this scheme:

The poet gives and answer to the initial question at line two: his lover is
________________ than a ________________. He develops his answer focusing on
the characteristics of a summer day, which is
__________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________

The last quatrain explores the contrast between the lover and the summer day. The
lover and his beauty will
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
The final couplet ties up the theme of the sonnet. Write it down here in your own words.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
1)The characteristics that a summer day and a beloved person have in common are:

-that the friend doesn't hurt like the hot sun; THESE ARE CONTRASTS!!!
-that he doesn't fade like the summer;
-that her beauty doesn't end like the summer because the beauty is written;
-that sometimes she shines like the eye of Heaven.

2) In this poem, Shakespeare did not use the Petrarchan sonnet, but the
Shakespearean sonnet. It is divided into three quatrains and a couplet. He used
decasyllables, i.e 10 syllable iambs alternating an unstressed syllable followed by a
stressed one. The rhyme scheme is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG.
In the first quatrain there is a rhetorical question, whose answer is given in the final
couplet.
Like in the famous Sonnet XVIII, Shakespeare uses the quatrains to present a theme
and he draws a conclusion in the final couplet. The turning point is usually introduced by
words like and, if,so like in the ninth line when the poet said: but thy eternal summer
Shall not fade

3)The theme in the sonnet Shall I compare thee is time, beauty and the search for
immortality. Shakespeare wants to express that everything changes and that every
beauty is destined to end.
Although he initially compares the young boy to a summer day, later he says that his
friend is far more beautiful, eternal and tempered than a summer day because he will

not change neither is subject to natural courses or fate. The summer that Shakespeare
is speaking about is man's youth and so the best time of the life, which in the case of
this young boy will be eternal thanks to the poets lines dedicated to him. It is art
actually which makes beauty become immortal.

4) The sonnet focuses on the awareness of the transience of beauty.

The poet opens the sonnet asking himself if it is possible to compare his
beloved to a summer's day. After his analysis, he comes to the conclusion
that they cannot be compared! He develops his answer focusing on the
characteristics of a summer day: rough winds sometimes alternate with
extreme hot days, followed by the inevitable decline of autumn and winter.
The poet writes that every fair from fair sometimes declines. This
inevitable destiny will however not touch his beloved, because his poetry will
give him life as long as men can breathe or eyes can see, as long lives this
and this gives life to thee.
So although all natural beauty is destined to disappear and die, HE will
survive death and live on despite time.

5)We can find two personifications in this sonnet: the first is in line 3 and
the second in line 11. There are also three metaphors, that there are in lines
5, 9 and 12.

7)The poet gives an answer to the initial question at line two: his lover is more lovely
and temperate than a summer's day.
He develops his answer focusing on the characteristics of a summer day, which is
sometimes too hot or sometimes shaken by cold winds.
-The last quatrain explores the contrast between the lover and the summer day. The
lover and his beauty will never die because of the poets art, which will make it
immortal. His eternal summer will never fade, will not lose possession of his beauty, nor
death can boast of having it because his friend will grow over time in eternal lines.
-The final couplet ties up the theme of the sonnet. Write it down here in your own
words: Through poetry the young mans beauty will never be forgotten. In the final
couplet there is the answer to the whole sonnet.