Romeo and Juliet - Review Sheet

Key Scenes to Review

Prologue

· gives a concise summary of the play

Act I

scene i - opening fight scene with the servants; sets the context for the family feud

scene v – Romeo and Juliet meet at the Capulet ball; their “star-crossed” love begins.

Act II

scene ii - the famous balcony scene; beautiful language; Romeo proposes to Juliet.

scene v – Friar Laurence marries Romeo and Juliet secretly (only the Nurse knows.)

Act III

scene i - the climax of the play; Tybalt kills Mercutio; Romeo kills Tybalt; Romeo is banished to Mantua.

scene v – Juliet refuses to marry Paris; her mother and nurse abandon her; Capulet threatens to harm or disown her.

Act IV

scene iv – Juliet takes the potion to make her seem dead; her fears foreshadow the inevitable tragic ending.

scene v – Juliet is found “dead” by the Nurse; her father changes the wedding feast to Juliet’s funeral.

Act V

scenes i –ii Romeo hears that Juliet is “dead”; obtains a deadly poison from a poor apothecary to commit suicide; never receives Friar Laurence’s letter due to the Black Plague.

scene iii – the tragic conclusion; Romeo goes to the Capulet vault to die with Juliet, also killing Paris; Juliet awakes to see Romeo dead and stabs herself; Friar Laurence tells the story to the Prince and all its citizens; Capulet and Montague finally agree to end their feud.

N.B. The following link gives an excellent summary of the entire play:

http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/romeo_and_juliet/summary/romeo_and_juliet_summary.htm

Questions to Ponder for the Essay

· What is the role of fate in determining the outcome of the play? Remember: Romeo and Juliet are called “star-crossed lovers”.

· What factors (e.g. accident, personal choice, other characters) contribute to Romeo and Juliet’s deaths?

· In your opinion, who (or what) is most responsible for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet?

· How much of this play is about love and how much is it about hate?

· Describe the relationships between parents and children in this play.

· Analyze the following characters: Romeo, Juliet, the Nurse, Friar Laurence, and any other character you feel is important to the play.

Miscellaneous Notes

· Don’t forget to review your historical notes on the Middle Ages.

· What is the time span of the play?

· What is the setting (time and place) of the play?

· Make sure you can correctly spell the names of the characters.

· A soliloquy is when the character is speaking aloud their private thoughts to the audience; we can assume they are telling the truth.

· Dramatic irony is when the audience knows something one or more characters in the play don’t know (e.g. we know that Romeo and Juliet are married while their families and Paris do not.)