The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet The Tragedy

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare, perhaps the most famous playwright in English history, wrote 36 plays. Together they include, explore and dramatize some of the greatest ideas and themes that we as humans face. All's Well That Ends Well Antony and Cleopatra As You Like It The Comedy of Errors Coriolanus Cymbeline Hamlet Henry IV, Part 1 Henry IV, Part 2 Henry VI, Part 1 Henry VI, Part 2 Henry VI, Part 3 Henry VIII, or All is True Julius Caesar King John King Lear Love's Labour's Lost Macbeth Measure for Measure The Merchant of Venice The Merry Wives of Windsor A Midsummer Night's Dream Much Ado About Nothing Othello: the Moor of Venice Pericles, Prince of Tyre Richard III Romeo and Juliet The Taming of the Shrew The Tempest Timon of Athens Titus Andronicus Troilus and Cressida Twelfth Night The Two Gentlemen of Verona The Winter's Tale

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Broadly speaking, all his plays fit into three basic categories – Tragedy History Comedy They all have their own distinctive features and styles and are very different from one another.

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Tragedies tend to follow the same format and have similar endings. The Greek Tragedies Shakespeare continues the tradition of the Greek Tragedies: A main protagonist, who is good and worthy, faces a problem that needs to be overcome. They attempt to solve this in the best way they can, but have a fatal flaw (or ‘hamartia’) in their basic personality. It is often excessive pride or self-confidence (or ‘hubris’). Because of this flaw, everything falls apart and pretty much everyone dies in a tragic ending.

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Tragedy Terminology Hamartia: A flaw in the protagonist’s personality that leads to their downfall. Hubris: Excessive pride or self-confidence.

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Tragedy Why do you think tragedies were so popular?

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet Tragedy Catharsis: The pleasure in experiencing sadness and pity, so that we can rid ourselves of it. (i. e. the desire to have a good cry)

Othello – a play about a military Captain called Othello who suspects his wife Desdemona of cheating. By the end: Othello dies Desdemona dies Roderigo (their friend) dies Emilia (their servant) dies Brabantio (Desdemona’s father) dies Cassio (Othello’s lieutenant) is severely injured and left for dead Macbeth– a play about a General who wants to become King. By the end: Macbeth dies Lady Macbeth commits suicide Banquo (his best friend) is murdered by Macbeth Macdonwald (another General) is killed. Duncan (the King) is murdered. Macduff’s whole family gets brutally murdered. Hamlet – a play about a young prince who suspects his uncle of murdering his father. By the end: Ophelia (Hamlet’s lover) is dead (kills herself) Polonius (Ophelia’s dad) is dead (killed by Hamlet accidentally) Queen Gertrude (Hamlet’s mum) is dead (poison) Claudius (Hamlet’s uncle) is dead (stabbed and poisoned by Hamlet) Laertes (Ophelia’s brother) is dead (Hamlet kills him) And of course… Hamlet is dead (Laertes kills him)

Death Predictions Some Major Characters: Romeo Juliet Mercutio (Romeo’s bestie) Tybalt (Juliet’s cousin) Paris (he wants to marry Juliet) Benvolio (Romeo’s cousin) Lady Montague (Romeo’s mum) 1. Can you guess who is the first to die? 2. Can you guess who survives? (hint: it’s only one of them)

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet The Prologue Each pair/three take two lines and translates them into modern English. Now take your two lines and create a tableau that represents those lines. Fill out the grid about the prologue.

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet The Prologue Dramatic Irony: When the audience knows something is going to happen, but the characters do not.