Shakespearean Drama Notes Comedy and Tragedy Act III

Shakespearean Drama Notes Comedy and Tragedy Act I-II: Comedy Act III-V: Tragedy

Summary Romeo and Juliet is a story about two teenagers who fall in love but are forbidden to see each other by their parents. They meet one night at a party (Romeo is actually there to check out another girl, Rosaline) and quickly fall in love. Unfortunately, Juliet’s parents already have a husband picked out for her. So, the two decide to get married and enlist the help of Juliet’s nurse to act as a messenger between the two and Friar Laurence who agrees to marry them. However, plans go awry after Romeo is banished from Verona and doesn’t get filled in on the plans that Juliet has for them to live happily ever after…

The Feud Romeo’s family, the Montagues, have a long standing feud with Juliet’s family, the Capulets. While the audience never learns about the source of the ancient quarrel, we do learn that it has recently grown stronger.

Setting The story is set in the late 1500’s mostly in the town of Verona, Italy. However, there a few acts set in Mantua, Italy a smaller town just a few miles away.

Verona Today, Verona has an incredible amount of graffiti, which is legal, provided that you are writing about your love for someone.

Comedy or Tragedy? • Romeo and Juliet is considered to be a comedy AND tragedy. • What if…. . – Ladder 49, The Titanic, Blood Diamond, Million Dollar Baby Were in the same movie as… – Frozen

Shakespearean Comedy

Shakespearean Comedy: Checklist • Light-hearted tone and style • Disputes between characters, often within a family • A struggle of young lovers to overcome difficulty, often presented by elders

Shakespearean Comedy: Checklist – – Marriages between the unmarried characters A clever servant Separation and a reunion A happy ending

Comedies vs. Tragedies Comedy: emphasis on SITUATIONS Tragedy: emphasis on CHARACTERS • Funny situations numbs the audience's connection to the characters • The audience’s connection to the characters trumps their situation – Characters experience misfortune or die, and the audiences still laughs – Characters die, we cry.

Shakespearean Tragedy

Shakespearean Tragedy: Characters • Tragic Hero • Antagonist • Foil

Shakespearean Tragedy: Characters (1/3) • Tragic Hero: – Protagonist (central character) – The audience relates to him – High rank or status in society – Shows strength while facing his fate – Fails or dies because of: • Character flaw • Twist of fate

Shakespearean Tragedy: Characters (2/3) • Antagonist – Force working against the protagonist – Can be: • One character • Group • Something non human (nature, society…)

Shakespearean Tragedy: Characters (3/3) • Foil: – A character whose personality and attitude sharply contrast with those of another – Highlights both characters traits • Example: A quiet character can make a talkative character seem even louder

Shakespearean Tragedy: Dramatic Conventions • • Soliloquy Aside Dramatic Irony Comic Relief

Speech given by character alone on stage Soliloquy Lets audience know what character is thinking Helps audience connect, sympathize or empathize with character 2/2/2022 17

Aside Character’s remark to audience or another character that others on stage do not hear Reveals private thoughts 2/2/2022 18

Suspense Keeps the reader interested Moves the plot forward Edge-of-your-seat device 2/2/2022 19

Dramatic Irony Audience knows more than the characters Ex: audience knows about R&J’s demise before they do Helps build suspense 2/2/2022 20

Pause An incident introduced just before the climax to mislead the audience 2/2/2022 21

Contrast Paints bright oppositions for the sake of emphasis and clarity, arousing deep emotions 2/2/2022 22

Poetic Justice The hero is rewarded and the villain is punished Also the title of an old movie starring 2 pac Before he died, of course. At least I think so. 2/2/2022 23

Comic Relief Serious Face Laugh: Hahahahaha Serious Face A humorous scene lightens an intense mood Heightens seriousness by adding contrast 2/2/2022 24