Romeo and Juliet
Readings and Resources
p. 1
Resource Link: http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/
Act 1 Scene 1
Language: Bawdy (sexual) language and talk of violence capture the audience’s attention.
Reading #2 Fight Scene
Read lines 17-52; 54-63
Key concepts: shows the audience how serious the feud has become in Verona, its affecting everyone—harmony is disrupted.
Reading #3 Prince’s reaction to the brawl
Read lines 79-81; 86-90
Key concepts: This is the third fight-- the prince is very annoyed and threatens execution for those who break the peace again. The
speech emphasizes the depth of hatred between the feuding families.
Background information: Scene switches to the Montague family discussing Romeo’s depressed attitude. Romeo’s friend
Benvolio noticed that Romeo avoided him early one morning.
Language: Personification lines 108-110 description of the sunrise.
Act 1 Scene 1
Background information: Benvolio promises Romeo’s parents that he will find out the source of Romeo’s depression. They
eventually meet and Benvolio finds out that Romeo is in love with a girl (Rosaline) who is not interested in him.
Act 1 Scene 2
Paris discusses marriage with Lord Capulet
Background information: The scene shifts to the Capulet home where Paris asks Lord Capulet for Juliet hand in marriage.
Reading #5
Capulet’s reaction to the marriage proposal
Read lines 8-10; lines 15-21
Key concepts: Shows Lord Capulet’s love for his daughter—he’s very protective. He also feels Juliet should have a say in who she marries—this
is unusual because wealth family tended to go with arranged marriages for their daughters.
Background Information: Lord Capulet suggests that Paris meet with Juliet at a masquerade party he is hosting later that evening. By
coincidence, Benvolio and Romeo find out about the party when they are asked by an illiterate Capulet servant to help read the guest list. The
two boys find out that Rosaline is invited to the party and the boys decide to crash it.
Read Lines: 86-98 Romeo and Benvolio decide to attend the Capulet feast
Act 1 Scene 3
Juliet and her mother discuss marriage
Background information: The scene changes back to the Capulet house where Lady Capulet, the Nurse and Juliet discuss Paris’ marriage
proposal.
Purpose: Shows the cold relationship between Juliet and her mother Lady Capulet, introduces the nurse who has a stronger relationship with
Juliet—the nurse likes crude sexual humour. In this scene, Juliet seems young and innocent—she hasn’t really thought of marriage.
Bawdy Language: Line 2 we find out when the nurse lost her virginity and throughout this scene we get a sense of the Nurse’s crude humour
and overall lack of class.
Read: Lines 2; 8-19; 21-35; 39-47;50-51;56-60
Figurative Language: Conceit (extended metaphor) Lines 84-91
Romeo and Juliet
Act 1 Scene 4
Readings and Resources
p.2
On the way to the Capulet masquerade party
Background Information: Romeo, Benvolio, and Mercutio decide to crash the Capulet party. Everyone is in a good mood except
for Romeo. He’s a little spooked about attending the party, but decides to attend anyway
Reading #6
Romeo’s premonition before the party
Act 1 Scene 5
Read Lines: 112-118
The Capulet Party
Background information: Lord Capulet enjoys hosting parties and everyone seems to be having a good time except Tybalt. He
recognizes Romeo and is insulted by his crashing the Capulet party. Lord Capulet tells him that Romeo is known to be a good
guy and he orders Tybalt to leave Romeo alone. Tybalt is very upset and he vows revenge—the feud is still on. Meanwhile
Romeo sees Juliet at the party and immediately forgets Rosaline. Romeo and Juliet fall in love and as the party ends they each
discover the other’s identity.
Reading #7 Romeo’s first reaction to Juliet’s beauty
Read Lines: 40-52
Reading #8 Romeo and Juliet realize there is a problem associated with their love.
Read Lines: 123-124 (Romeo) and 142-150 (Juliet)
Act 2 Scene 1
Background Information: Romeo dumps his friends and climbs into the Capulet orchard. He hears Mercutio and Benvolio
discussing Romeo’s temporary infatuation with Rosaline. Love for Mercutio is a kind of temporary mental illness or sickness. At
this point, Romeo’s friends still don’t know about Juliet. They grow tired of searching for Romeo and decide to go home.
Purpose: The scene provides the audience with comic relief after the two lovers express their intense lover for each other and
the challenges posed by the Capulet and Montague feud.
Language: Bawdy Language and Sexual Innuendo (Mercutio’s coarse attitude toward love)
Act 2 Scene 2
The Balcony Scene
Background information: Romeo sees Juliet on her balcony and he overhears Juliet talking about her feelings for him. He
eventually decides to talk to her and in a short time they exchange vows of love. Juliet then states that if Romeo’s intentions
are serious then he must make wedding arrangements. She will send a messenger to discuss this with him the next day. Romeo
agrees and leaves to find Friar Laurence in his garden.
Reading # 9 Romeo recognizes Juliet on the balcony
Read Lines: 1-25 (Romeo)
Purpose: To describe Juliet’s beauty and to convey his feelings for her.
Language: Light Imagery, Metaphor, Personification
Reading #10 Read Lines: 35-64 (Juliet and Romeo)
Purpose: Juliet and Romeo both realize that the ongoing feud will be a source of conflict. They both feel that their love for each
other can overcome their family’s hatred.
Language: Metaphor, Personification, Imagery