Romeo and Juliet

Romeo son of Montague and Lady Montague
Juliet daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet
Friar Lawrence a Franciscan friar, friend of both Romeo and Juliet
Nurse Juliet’s nurse
Mercutio a kinsman to the prince, and Romeo’s close friend; outspoken
Tybalt juliet’s cousin of the mother’s side; trouble maker
Capulet father of Juliet
Lady Capulet mother of Juliet
Montague father of Romeo
Lady Montague mother of Romeo; dies of grief when Romeo is banished
Paris kinsman of the Prince, suitor of Juliet
Benvolio Montague’s nephew, Romeo’s thoughtful cousin
Rosaline the woman Romeo was in love with before he met Juliet; made Romeo depressed because she was a nun
Peter Capulet’s servant who invites guests and escorts the Nurse to meet Romeo
Apothecary sold poison to Romeo
Balthasar Romeo’s faithful servant who tells him that Juliet is dead, Balthasar is unaware of the Friar’s plan
Friar John the friar who was supposed to deliver the message to Romeo about the plan but was not able to
parallelism similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses
Parallelism example #1 Montague1 child (boy- Romeo)1 cousin (Benvolio – peace maker)Capulet1 child (girl- Juliet)1 cousin (Tybalt – troublemaker)
Parallelism example #2 Romeo describes Juliet as “light in darkness” and “white dove among black crows.” Her eyes were described as stars. Juliet would be better than the moon. (celestial body)juliet describes Romeo as “daylight in the night”, “white snow on a ravens wing”, and “cut him into little stars. Romeo would be better than the sun. (celestial body)
Parallelism example #3 Romeo is dramatic and to solve problems speaks of suicide.Juliet is also this way and speaks of suicide.
foreshadowing the use of hints and clues to suggest what will happen later in a plot
premonition forewarning or foreboding of a future event
Foreshadowing (3 examples) -when in front of Capulet’s house before romeo goes into the party he says, “my mind senses some terrible misfortune, that will begin with these revels and end with my death”-after the party, Juliet says, “if he is married my grave is like to be my wedding bed”-before Juliet drinks the potion she says, “farewell, god knows when we shall meet again” after her mother and Nurse leave her room
Premonition (3 examples) -when Tybalt runs into Benvolio and Mercutio and says,”I would like to have a word with one of you”-when the wrong messenger comes and tells Romeo the news of Juliet’s death-when Paris runs into Juliet at the Friar’s cell
Light and darkness examples -“oh she teaches the torches to burn bright. she hangs in the dark night like a jewel in an ethiopian’s ear. Beauty too costly for use, too precious for Earth. A snowy dove surrounded by a flock of crows.”-“look my love, at the jealous streaks of light that pierce the eastern clouds. Night’s candles have burned out, and day is coming. I must go to live, or else stay here and die” “that light is not daylight, i know it. it’s a meteor sent by the sun to light your way to Mantua.”-the only one i love from the one i hate. i saw him to early, and knew him to late. a monstrous love this is, to make me love a hated enemy.”
Major themes The Forcefulness of LoveRomeo and Juliet is the most famous love story in the English literary tradition. Love is naturally the play’s dominant and most important theme. The play focuses on romantic love, specifically the intense passion that springs up at first sight between Romeo and Juliet. In Romeo and Juliet, love is a violent, ecstatic, overpowering force that supersedes all other values, loyalties, and emotions. In the course of the play, the young lovers are driven to defy their entire social world: families (“Deny thy father and refuse thy name,” Juliet asks, “Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, / And I’ll no longer be a Capulet”); friends (Romeo abandons Mercutio and Benvolio after the feast in order to go to Juliet’s garden); and ruler (Romeo returns to Verona for Juliet’s sake after being exiled by the Prince on pain of death in 2.1.76-78). Love is the overriding theme of the play, but a reader should always remember that Shakespeare is uninterested in portraying a prettied-up, dainty version of the emotion, the kind that bad poets write about, and whose bad poetry Romeo reads while pining for Rosaline. Love in Romeo and Juliet is a brutal, powerful emotion that captures individuals and catapults them against their world, and, at times, against themselves.
August 28, 2019