Class Notes Literary Terms Allusion A reference another

Class Notes

Literary Terms • Allusion – A reference another literary work, person, place, or event that the average reader may be unfamiliar with. • Aside – When a character speaks his or her thoughts aloud and is heard by the audience, but not by other characters • Blank Verse – Unrhymed poetry written in iambic pentameter

Literary Terms • Comic Relief – A humorous scene or speech that is included in drama • Foil – A character who contrasts another character • Foreshadowing – When a writer uses hints or clues to indicate events or situations that will occur later in the plot

• Irony Literary Terms – The contrast between appearance and reality. Reality is opposite of what it seems • Paradox – A statement that seems to contradict itself but is actually true • Pun – A joke that comes from a play on words. Words can have multiple meanings • Soliloquy – A speech in which a character speaks thoughts out loud.

The Prologue • Expresses the hatred separating the Montagues' and Capulets • Use of Foreshadowing/Metaphor – “A Pair of star-crossed lovers take their life”

Act I, Scene 1 • Setting - Verona in Italy

Act I, Scene 1 The Capulets (Juliet’s side) Samson Gregory Tybalt- Nephew of Lady Capulet The Montagues (Romeo’s side) Abram- Servant to Montague Benvolio- Nephew of Montague, friend to Romeo

Act I, Scene 4 • Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, others about to make an appearance at the feast. • Romeo and Benvolio, Montague kin are not invited. – Enter wearing masks

Act I, Scene 4 • Benvolio wants to have fun • Mercutio tries to talk Romeo into a better mood. • Romeo replies that he can't borrow Cupid's wings because he has been so badly wounded by Cupid's arrow.

Act I, Scene 4 - Mercutio • Uses several puns, dirty jokes, and vivid descriptions. • "sink in it, should you burden love -- / Too great oppression for a tender thing" (1. 4. 24). – means that if Romeo is going to blame ("burden") love for his state of mind, he will only sink further into love. – also means that if he gets what he wants (sex) he will sink into the woman and be a burden to her. • Thinks Romeo is too serious • Love-sickness is caused by a lack of sex.

Act I, Scene 4 - Mercutio • Romeo doesn’t believe that he can win the game of love and doesn’t want to play. • Mercutio tells Romeo to shut up about being "done" and to quit being a donothing. – Says that if Romeo is "done, " he's Dun the horse (name of a log that people pulled out of mud during a Christmas game. ) • Mercutio says that love is “bullcrap, ” and that Romeo is stuck in it up to the ears.

Act I, Scene 4 - Romeo’s Speech • Foreshadowing • chain of events ("consequence") • chain of events does terminate the duration ("expire the term") of Romeo's life with premature ("untimely") death. • Despite his premonitions, Romeo goes to Capulet's house. • Says that he is doing so because he is entrusting his fate to "He, that hath the steerage of my course. " (God)

Act I, Scene 5 - Romeo and Juliet Meet • The servant's bustle picks up the pace of the play. • Everything is speeding up. • Capulet welcomes everyone – speaks to Romeo's company when he says, "Welcome, gentlemen! ladies that have their toes / Unplagued with corns will walk a bout with you" (1. 5. 16 -17). – Making sure that these strangers in masks feel welcome.

Act I, Scene 5 - Romeo and Juliet Meet • Romeo sees Juliet and falls in love with her instantly. • Tybalt recognizes Romeo’s voice and sends for his rapier to kill him. • Capulet insists on Tybalt’s obedience, reminding him of Romeo’s good character.

Act I, Scene 5 - Romeo and Juliet Meet • Romeo and Juliet continue their exchanges and they kiss – interrupted by the Nurse, (sends Juliet to find her mother. ) • Romeo realizes the grave consequences of their love. • Juliet discovers from the Nurse that Romeo is a Montague.

Act II, Prologue – Quatrian (first four lines) has a sarcastic tone – Chorus foreshadows death • “desire death in his deathbead lie. ” • “…love groaned for and would die. ” – Romeo is willing to die for beauty

Act II, Scene I • Begins with a soliloquy from Romeo • Soliloquy - A speech revealing a character’s thoughts, actions, and/or emotions that are only heard by the audience and not by the other characters.

Act II, Scene 1 • Romeo enters and speaks of his love for Juliet. He jumps over a Capulet wall, hoping to see her. • Mercutio mocks Romeo's feelings for Rosaline. • Benvolio suggests that they leave and go look for him.

Act II, Scene II • The Capulet orchard • Romeo watches Juliet and starts to speak with her. • They proclaim their love for each other here. • Romeo and Juliet quickly agree to marry the next day at nine o'clock. • The Nurse calls for Juliet and she has to go. They say goodbye to each other for the night and exit.

Act II, Scene II - Juliet • Willing to denounce her family name to be with him: – "O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo? / Deny thy father and refuse thy name; / Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I'll no longer be a Capulet. “

Act II, Scene II - Names • The lovers go into a long discourse about names and how they are nothing more than words. • The fact that she is a Capulet by name and he is a Montague by name should not affect their love for each other like it does. – "'Tis but thy name that is my enemy. Thou art thyself, thou not a Montague. What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part Belonging to a man. O, be some other name! What's in a name? That which we call a rose By any other word would smell as sweet. " Act 2, Scene 2, lines 38 -44

Act II, Scene 3 – Friar Lawrence • Friar Laurence – uses a plant metaphor to comment on how -- in both plants and people -- everything has some good, and every good can be abused and turned to evil – meditating on the struggle between good and evil in nature and man – Criticizes Romeo for jumping from Rosaline to Juliet – Agrees to perform the ceremony – thinks that the marriage may end the hatred between the Capulets and Montagues.

Act II, Scene 4 • Tone of this scene is humorous as everyone jokes around • Benvolio – says that Tybalt has sent a challenge to Romeo • Mercutio – switches from making fun of Tybalt to making fun of Romeo. – Romeo and Mercutio exchange a series of puns

Act II, Scene 4 • The Nurse (enters with Peter) – Becomes the target of more jokes – complains about Mercutio – receives from Romeo the information about time and place of the wedding – chatters on about how sweet Juliet is.

Act II, Scene 5 • Plot is fast-paced. • Scene 5 is about anticipation, not information. • Juliet impatiently awaits the return of the Nurse with news from Romeo • The Nurse teases Juliet by finding all kinds of ways to not deliver the joyful news • Finally tells her that she is to go Friar Laurence's cell to be married to Romeo.

Act II, Scene 6 • Just before the wedding, Friar Laurence advises Romeo to love moderately. • Romeo and Juliet tell each other how much they love one another. • Friar Laurence leads them off to be married.

Act III, Scene 1 • The climax of the play • Benvolio tries to persuade Mercutio that it's best to stay out of the way of the Capulets and a quarrel • Mercutio jokingly claims that Benvolio is as much of a quarreler as anyone. • Tybalt, looking for Romeo, is challenged to a fight by Mercutio • Tybalt challenges Romeo to fight. Romeo refuses • Mercutio steps forward and fights Tybalt.

Act III, Scene 1 • As Romeo is trying to stop the fight, Tybalt gives Mercutio a wound, then runs away. Mercutio dies. • Romeo is ashamed of himself for letting Mercutio do the fighting • Romeo kills Tybalt and leaves the scene. • Benvolio tells the Prince what happened. • Lady Capulet wants Romeo's life, • The Prince exiles Romeo.