HTYAE
Romeo and Juliet Study Guide
Welcome!
Dear Teacher,
We are thrilled you are bringing your students to the Hawaii Theatre Student Matinee production
of Shakespeare’s beloved tragedy Romeo and Juliet, featuring the talented members of this
year’s Hawaii Theatre Young Actors Ensemble. Please feel free to share this Study Guide with
other teachers.
It will be helpful to cover some of the content before the performance, specifically the synopsis,
the characters, and the concept of this particular production. Some content is more appropriate
for classroom discussion after you and your students have experienced our Romeo and Juliet
firsthand.
However you choose to use it, our intention with this Study Guide is to help you and your
students get as much as possible from your upcoming adventure at the Hawaii Theatre.
Eden Lee Murray
Education Director
The Hawaii Theatre Center
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Romeo and Juliet, by Sir Frank Dicksee, (date unknown)
Table of Contents:
Welcome! ……………………………………………………………………………………….1
Table of Contents……………………………………………………………………………….2
About the Hawaii Theatre…………………………………………………………………..…4
HTC Education Program Theatre Classes…………………………………….…………...…6
Preparing for Your Hawaii Theatre Adventure…………………...…………..……………..7
Pre-Show Classroom Prep
Notes from the Director……….…………………………………………………………9
Key Facts………………………………………………………………………………..10
Historical Context for the Story……………………………………………...………….12
Who’s Who in Romeo and Juliet: Meet the Characters……..………………………....13
What Happens in Romeo and Juliet? Plot Overview………….......................................16
Themes, Motifs and Symbols in Romeo and Juliet……………………………………..19
Analysis of Famous Quotes from Romeo and Juliet……………….………………...…25
Pre-show Discussion Questions…………………………………………………………27
Some Context for the Plays:
About William Shakespeare…………………...………..………………………………28
Shakespeare’s Theatre…………...…….………………………………………………..31
Shakespeare’s Audience………………………..…...……………………………...……34
How to Listen to Shakespeare…………..….…………………………………………....35
Playing Shakespeare………………..………………….…………………………….…..36
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Shakespearean Insults…………………………..………………………………………..41
Meet Our Players………………..…………………………………………………………….43
The Production Team……………….………………………………………………………...44
Afterglow: Reinforcing the Experience--Post-show Classroom Discussion & Activities
Questions for Discussion
6th – 8th Grade…………………………………………………………………………..45
9th – 12th Grade…………………………………………………………………………46
Writing Activities……………………………………………………………………..47
Visual Arts Activities………………………………………………………………….48
Student Evaluation……………………………………………………………………….……49
Teacher Evaluation………………………………………………………………………..…. 50
Credits……………………………………………………………………………………..…. 51
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Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
About the Hawaii Theatre:
Entertaining and Educating Hawaii’s Audiences
The Hawaii Theatre Center is dedicated to providing a broad range of entertainment, cultural
and educational experiences to benefit the people and visitors of Hawaii in a facility of
recognized excellence. It is our mission to provide arts education to Hawaii’s youth, promote
the revitalization of downtown Honolulu and stimulate nightlife while enhancing the overall
quality of life in Honolulu.
Coined the Pride of the Pacific
The historic Hawaii Theatre is owned and operated by the Hawaii Theatre Center, a 501(c)3
nonprofit organization and hosts over 100,000 guests annually. Built in 1922 by Consolidated
Amusements of Honolulu, Hawaii Theatre was established as a venue for theatre, popular
entertainment and film. In the mid-1930s, the theatre became a predominately popular grand
movie palace and remained such until the advent of television in the 1950s.
As television grew popular, Hawaii Theatre slowly debilitated as a movie palace and
Consolidated Amusements announced the theatre closing in 1984. Pending its disposition, the
building was nurtured by the Aloha Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, ATOS.
ATOS interest was anchored by the continued residence of the Robert Morton Unified
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Orchestra Theatre Organ ¬– one of two theatres Consolidated had brought to the islands in
1922.
Protecting the Future of Hawaii Theatre
In 1984, citizens dedicated to protecting the theatre from demolition formed the Hawaii Theatre
Center, HTC. HTC obtained both the theatre itself and sufficient land base to insure future
viability.
In 1986, the Hawaii Theatre and the adjacent Austin, Pantheon and McLean Buildings were
purchased. Hawaii Theatre continued to operate on a limited basis until the fall of 1989, when
it was closed for renovation.
A Long Awaited Transformation
After an award-winning interior renovation led by Malcolm Holzman of Hardy, Holzman,
Pfeiffer Associates (New York), the Hawaii Theatre was rededicated and re-opened on 26 April
1996. Since its dedication, the theatre has once again become a popular venue for national
touring shows, theatre, concerts, industrials, film, television and has attracted hundreds of
thousands of patrons back through its doors to witness its resurgence as Honolulu’s preeminent
venue.
On November 4, 2004, the Hawaii Theatre Center completed its restoration of the exterior of
the Hawaii Theatre. The facade restoration included the stabilization and repair of spalling
plaster, restoration of architectural details, new paint, a restored flagpole, a newly manufactured
replica of the familiar art deco neon marquee with computerized LED signage and a newly
manufactured replica of the hallmark “HAWAII” vertical neon sign.
The Hawaii Theatre restoration is a tribute to the entire community, and was restored for all to
enjoy, kama`aina (locals) and malihini (visitors) alike.
One of the Outstanding Theatres in America
In 2005, the Hawaii Theatre was recognized as the “Outstanding Historic Theatre in America”
by the League of Historic American Theatres. In 2006 the Hawaii Theatre Center became the
first small non-profit recipient of the Hawaii Better Business Bureau’s “Torch Award for
Business Ethics.”
We thank the many artisans, directors, employees, volunteers, patrons, visitors and community
members who have shared their wealth, work, and wisdom to grace the “Pride of the Pacific,”
the historic Hawaii Theatre.
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HTC Education Program Theatre Classes
Hawaii Theatre Young Actors Ensemble
is a company of high school age students from across O`ahu who meet twice a week after school to learn
acting, voice and movement technique; and to rehearse and perform classical theatre. In the spring,
HTYAE performs Student Matinees and public performances of a full Shakespeare production onstage at
the Hawaii Theatre. Next year’s play will be the tragedy of the man “that loved not wisely, but too well,”
Othello.
NOTE: This is a pre-professional training program led by HTC Education Director and Po‘okela Awardwinning actress Eden Lee Murray, with Master Classes from top local theatre professionals. It is NOT a
drama club!
AUDITIONS: Onstage at the Hawaii Theatre. You must call to register—791-1323. Three sets of
first round auditions are held during the summer: June 8, July 20 and August 10, all Mondays and all at
4:30pm.
Hawaii Theatre Intermediate Ensemble
A program for middle- and high-school students who have had some theatre training and experience, but
are not yet ready for the commitment expected of those in HTYAE. Fall classes involve text analysis,
techniques for character creation and monologue work. Spring classes move into more advanced character
and scene work. The class meets once a week, 4 – 6pm September – April.
Hawaii Theatre Junior Ensemble
A program designed for O`ahu middle schoolers, age 10 – 12. This is an introductory acting program led
by HTC Education Director Eden Lee Murray. Theatre games and exercises focus on improvisation and
basic acting techniques, with an emphasis on creative collaboration as well as performance skills. Classes
take place once a week, after school 4-5:30pm, from September through April. No prior acting experience
required.
The Junior and Intermediate Ensembles are feeder programs for the Hawaii Theatre Young Actors
Ensemble.
HTYAE Technical Apprenticeship Program
The Apprenticeship Program was created as a way for teens interested in technical theatre to be
individually mentored in those skills, to experience life behind the scenes of a large professional theatre,
and to give high school students marketable skills as electricians, carpenters, set/light/costume designers,
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stage managers, and production assistants. Those who wish to participate must call to register for an
interview. For more information call 791-1323, or email [email protected]
Preparing for Your Hawaii Theatre Adventure
Before
. Read Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare with your students, if at all possible.
At the very least, go over the plot summary, character descriptions and section on themes
in this Study Guide—the section on Pre-Show Classroom Prep, beginning on page nine.
. Lead pre-show discussions with your class about the characters and circumstances of
the play
. It would be helpful to speak with your students about how live performance differs
from going to the movies or watching TV. Something for the students to keep in mind is
that the Romeo and Juliet performers they are watching are their peers—our Hawaii
Young Actors Ensemble players are all high school age.
The Day of the Play
Please plan on getting to the Theatre at least 30 minutes before the performance. When
you arrive, the ushers will guide you to your places.
Before the show, our ensemble of Elizabethan Players and Roustabouts will be in the
auditorium, mingling and improvising with the audience as they set up for the
performance, offering information about themselves (in character), and the role(s) they
will portray in the play. This kind of preshow exchange offers a special opportunity for
students to connect with those who are about to perform for them.
No food or drink is allowed in the theatre. Lunch bags can be left in the lobby.
Theatre Etiquette
Please insist that your students be respectful of these young players who have worked so
hard (since September!) to bring this play to you. Remind them that during a live
performance, the actors onstage can both see and hear the audience. Talking and making
loud comments will not only distract the performers, but will also compromise the
experience for others in the audience as well.
Students should not leave their seats except to use the restroom. Cell phones must be
silenced; texting and electronic games are not permitted. Photographs may not be taken.
Any students disrupting the performance will be asked to leave the theatre and wait in the
lobby with a teacher or chaperone.
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Restrooms
Restrooms are located at either end of the lobbies on the first and second floors of the
Theatre. It’s a good idea to use the restroom before the performance. If anyone needs to
use the restroom during the performance, they should walk quietly up either aisle and out
into the lobby.
Leaving the Theatre
After the performance, please keep students sitting quietly in their seats. We have a
special “bus game” that insures a safe and orderly exit with the assistance of House
Management and our trained volunteer ushers.
After the Play
Debrief your students and share the post-show activities provided in this Study Guide. Feel free
to create your own post-show questions/activities inspired by the performance.
Feedback
Your feedback is important to us!
In order to improve our programming, we appreciate any feedback you and your students
can provide. Please fill out the teacher evaluation forms and have the students share their
reactions in the student form provided. Then either email them to [email protected] or fax them to 528-0481.
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Pre-Show Classroom Prep:
Notes from the Director
One of the joys of working with Shakespeare is the huge latitude for interpretation. Our goal
with this production is to transport our audiences back to the Elizabethan era, when roving bands
of rough and tumble players toured Shakespeare’s plays throughout the countryside, making use
of whatever they found in city squares and other public spaces to serve as stages for their
performances. Shakespeare’s plays were originally performed with little if any scenery, on a bare
stage in daylight. To inform an audience of location, he’d write lines like the one that begins
Romeo and Juliet: “Two houses, both alike in dignity/In fair Verona where we lay our scene…”
In that spirit, we’ll be running with a spare, open set, using basic objects that will be
reconfigured by our players to indicate change of location. Some will be from the cart that would
have been trundled from place to place, some will be what our resourceful Players have been
able to cadge once they arrived in the Theatre. When not in a scene, our Players will dress the
set, watching from just beyond the lights as their fellow thespians perform; eagerly waiting for
their chance to either leap up and introduce the next scene, change out the set pieces, or jump
into a scene themselves.
In Shakespeare’s time, women were not allowed onstage, so any female roles had to be portrayed
by younger boy actors, those whose voices had yet to change (one reason there are generally so
few female roles in Shakespeare’s plays). To go along with this conceit, each of our HTYAE’ers
has created his or her male Player. In turn, each Elizabethan player will portray at least one of the
roles in Romeo and Juliet.
This approach has given our young performers opportunities for much creative improvisation in
rehearsals, as the company has had to create a collective past for itself, determine and define the
relationships within the group, and figure out why each player has been assigned his role in
Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy. Then, of course, each Elizabethan player has had to create
and rehearse that role. Fun!
Our Players will be setting up for the performance as their audiences enter the Theatre. Please let
your students know the Players will be improvising with them in character, offering facts about
themselves as actors, talking (bragging?) about the roles they’ll be playing, and in general,
looking to create relationship before the story gets underway.
Each year that we have presented our HTYAE Shakespeare production, we have tried to shed
new light on these iconic works. For example, our Macbeth was presented by the coven of
witches the Ensemble created. Last year’s Much Ado About Nothing was presented as having
been written by Edward DeVere, the Seventh Earl of Oxford, and played for the first time as a
carefully coded apology to Queen Elizabeth I. With Romeo and Juliet, our contention is that
this story can be mined for comedy until Mercutio and Tybalt bite the dust in Act III.i. At that
point, the world of the play abruptly spirals into tragedy. In every comedy there are elements of
tragedy and vice-versa. You need the one to achieve the heights and depths of the other. We
hope to provoke lively post-show debate and discussion with our approach.
Enjoy!
Eden Lee Murray
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Romeo and Juliet Study Guide
Key Facts
Courtesy of: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeoandjuliet /context.html
FUL L T I T L E · The Most Excellent and Lamentable Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
AUT H O R · William Shakespeare
T YPE O F W O RK · Play
GE NRE · Tragic drama
L ANGUA GE · English
T I ME AND PL A CE WRI T T E N · London, mid-1590s
DAT E O F FI RS T PUB L I CAT I O N · 1597 (in the First Quarto, which was likely an
unauthorized incomplete edition); 1599 (in the Second Quarto, which was authorized)
PUB L I S H E R · Thomas Creede (in the Second Quarto, using the title The Most Excellent and
Lamentable Tragedie, of Romeo and Juliet)
CL I MAX · The deaths of Romeo and Juliet in the Capulet tomb (5.3)
PRO T A GO NI S T S · Romeo; Juliet
ANT AGO NI S T S · The feuding Montagues and Capulets; Tybalt; the Prince and citizens of
Verona; fate
S E T T I NGS (T I ME ) · Renaissance (fourteenth or fifteenth century)
S E T T I NGS (PL AC E ) · Verona and Mantua (cities in northern Italy)
PO I NT O F VI E W · Insofar as a play has a point of view, that of Romeo and Juliet;
occasionally the play uses the point of view of the Montague and Capulet servants to illuminate
the actions of their masters.
FAL L I N G ACT I O N · The end of Act 5, scene 3, when the Prince and the parents discover
the bodies of Romeo and Juliet, and agree to put aside their feud in the interest of peace.
T E NS E · Present
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FO RE S H ADO W I N G · The Chorus’s first speech declaring that Romeo and Juliet are
doomed to die and “star-crossed.” The lovers’ frequent thoughts of death: “My grave is like to be
my wedding bed” (Juliet, 1.5.132). The lovers’ thoughts of suicide, as when Romeo threatens to
kill himself after killing Tybalt. Friar Lawrence’s warnings to behave moderately if Romeo and
Juliet wish to avoid tragedy: “These violent delights have violent ends . . . Therefore love
moderately” (2.5.9–14). The lovers’ mutual impression that the other looks pale and deathlike
after their wedding night (3.5). Juliet’s faked death by Friar Lawrence’s potion. Romeo’s dreamvision of Juliet kissing his lips while he is dead (5.1). Romeo’s outbursts against fate: “O, I am
fortune’s fool!” (3.1.131) and “Then I defy you, stars” (5.1.24).
T O NE S · Passionate, romantic, intense, rhapsodic, violent, prone to extremes of emotion
(ecstasy, rage, misery, etc.)
T H E ME S · The forcefulness of love; love as a cause of violence; the individual versus
society; the inevitability of fate
MO T I FS · Light/dark imagery; opposite points of view
S YMB O L S · Poison; thumb-biting; Queen Mab
Friar Lawrence marrying Romeo and Juliet
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Historical Context
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeoandjuliet/context.html
Shakespeare did not invent the story of Romeo and Juliet. He did not, in fact, even introduce the
story into the English language. A poet named Arthur Brooks first brought the story of Romeus
and Juliet to an English-speaking audience in a long and plodding poem that was itself not
original, but rather an adaptation of adaptations that stretched across nearly a hundred years and
two languages. Many of the details of Shakespeare’s plot are lifted directly from Brooks’s poem,
including the meeting of Romeo and Juliet at the ball, their secret marriage, Romeo’s fight with
Tybalt, the sleeping potion, and the timing of the lover’s eventual suicides. Such appropriation of
other stories is characteristic of Shakespeare, who often wrote plays based on earlier works.
Shakespeare’s use of existing material as fodder for his plays should not, however, be taken as a
lack of originality. Instead, readers should note how Shakespeare crafts his sources in new ways
while displaying a remarkable understanding of the literary tradition in which he is working.
Shakespeare’s version of Romeo and Juliet is no exception. The play distinguishes itself from its
predecessors in several important aspects: the subtlety and originality of its characterization
(Shakespeare almost wholly created Mercutio); the intense pace of its action, which is
compressed from nine months into four frenetic days; a powerful enrichment of the story’s
thematic aspects; and, above all, an extraordinary use of language.
Shakespeare’s play not only bears a resemblance to the works on which it is based, it is also
quite similar in plot, theme, and dramatic ending to the story of Pyramus and Thisbe, told by the
great Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses. Shakespeare was well aware of this similarity; he
includes a reference to Thisbe in Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare also includes scenes from the
story of Pyramus and Thisbe in the comically awful play-within-a-play put on by Bottom and his
friends in A Midsummer Night’s Dream—a play Shakespeare wrote around the same time he was
composing Romeo and Juliet. Indeed, one can look at the play-within-a-play in A Midsummer
Night’s Dream as parodying the very story that Shakespeare seeks to tell in Romeo and Juliet.
Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet in full knowledge that the story he was telling was old,
clichéd, and an easy target for parody. In writing Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare, then, implicitly
set himself the task of telling a love story despite the considerable forces he knew were stacked
against its success. Through the incomparable intensity of his language Shakespeare succeeded
in this effort, writing a play that is universally accepted in Western culture as the preeminent,
archetypal love story.
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Who’s Who in Romeo and Juliet
Courtesy of: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeoandjuliet/context.html
Romeo - The son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague. A young man of about sixteen,
Romeo is handsome, intelligent, and sensitive. Though impulsive and immature, his idealism and
passion make him an extremely likable character. He lives in the middle of a violent feud
between his family and the Capulets, but he is not at all interested in violence. His only interest is
love. At the beginning of the play he is madly in love with a woman named Rosaline, but the
instant he lays eyes on Juliet, he falls in love with her and forgets Rosaline. Thus, Shakespeare
gives us every reason to question how real Romeo’s new love is, but Romeo goes to extremes to
prove the seriousness of his feelings. He secretly marries Juliet, the daughter of his father’s worst
enemy; he happily takes abuse from Tybalt; and he would rather die than live without his
beloved. Romeo is also an affectionate and devoted friend to his relative Benvolio, Mercutio, and
Friar Lawrence.
Juliet - The daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet. A beautiful thirteen-year-old girl, Juliet
begins the play as a naïve child who has thought little about love and marriage, but she grows up
quickly upon falling in love with Romeo, the son of her family’s great enemy. Because she is a
girl in an aristocratic family, she has none of the freedom Romeo has to roam around the city,
climb over walls in the middle of the night, or get into swordfights. Nevertheless, she shows
amazing courage in trusting her entire life and future to Romeo, even refusing to believe the
worst reports about him after he gets involved in a fight with her cousin. Juliet’s closest friend
and confidant is her nurse, though she’s willing to shut the Nurse out of her life the moment the
Nurse turns against Romeo.
Friar Lawrence - A Franciscan friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet. Kind, civic-minded, a
proponent of moderation, and always ready with a plan, Friar Lawrence secretly marries the
impassioned lovers in hopes that the union might eventually bring peace to Verona. As well as
being a Catholic holy man, Friar Lawrence is also an expert in the use of seemingly mystical
potions and herbs.
Mercutio - A kinsman to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend. One of the most extraordinary
characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays, Mercutio overflows with imagination, wit, and, at times,
a strange, biting satire and brooding fervor. Mercutio loves wordplay, especially sexual double
entendres. He can be quite hotheaded, and hates people who are affected, pretentious, or
obsessed with the latest fashions. He finds Romeo’s romanticized ideas about love tiresome, and
tries to convince Romeo to view love as a simple matter of sexual appetite.
The Nurse - Juliet’s nurse, the woman who breast-fed Juliet when she was a baby and has
cared for Juliet her entire life. A vulgar, long-winded, and sentimental character, the Nurse
provides comic relief with her frequently inappropriate remarks and speeches. But, until a
disagreement near the play’s end, the Nurse is Juliet’s faithful confidante and loyal intermediary
in Juliet’s affair with Romeo. She provides a contrast with Juliet, given that her view of love is
earthy and sexual, whereas Juliet is idealistic and intense. The Nurse believes in love and wants
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Juliet to have a nice-looking husband, but the idea that Juliet would want to sacrifice herself for
love is incomprehensible to her.
Tybalt - A Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side. Vain, fashionable, supremely aware
of courtesy and the lack of it, he becomes aggressive, violent, and quick to draw his sword when
he feels his pride has been injured. Once drawn, his sword is something to be feared. He loathes
Montagues.
Capulet - The patriarch of the Capulet family, father of Juliet, husband of Lady Capulet, and
enemy, for unexplained reasons, of Montague. He truly loves his daughter, though he is not well
acquainted with Juliet’s thoughts or feelings, and seems to think that what is best for her is a
“good” match with Paris. Often prudent, he commands respect and propriety, but he is liable to
fly into a rage when either is lacking.
Lady Capulet - Juliet’s mother, Capulet’s wife. A woman who herself married young (by her
own estimation she gave birth to Juliet at close to the age of fourteen), she is eager to see her
daughter marry Paris. She is an ineffectual mother, relying on the Nurse for moral and pragmatic
support.
Montague - Romeo’s father, the patriarch of the Montague clan and bitter enemy of Capulet.
At the beginning of the play, he is chiefly concerned about Romeo’s melancholy.
Lady Montague - Romeo’s mother, Montague’s wife.
Paris - A kinsman of the Prince, and the suitor of Juliet most preferred by Capulet. Once
Capulet has promised him he can marry Juliet, he behaves very presumptuously toward her,
acting as if they are already married.
Benvolio - Montague’s nephew, Romeo’s cousin and thoughtful friend, he makes a genuine
effort to defuse violent scenes in public places, though Mercutio accuses him of having a nasty
temper in private. He spends most of the play trying to help Romeo get his mind off Rosaline,
even after Romeo has fallen in love with Juliet.
Prince Escalus - The Prince of Verona. A kinsman of Mercutio and Paris. As the seat of
political power in Verona, he is concerned about maintaining the public peace at all costs.
Friar John - A Franciscan friar charged by Friar Lawrence with taking the news of Juliet’s
false death to Romeo in Mantua. Friar John is held up in a quarantined house, and the message
never reaches Romeo.
Balthasar - Romeo’s dedicated servant, who brings Romeo the news of Juliet’s death,
unaware that her death is a ruse.
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Sampson & Gregory - Two servants of the house of Capulet, who, like their master, hate
the Montagues. At the outset of the play, they successfully provoke some Montague men into a
fight.
Abraham - Montague’s servant, who fights with Sampson and Gregory in the first scene of
the play.
The Apothecary - An apothecary in Mantua. Had he been wealthier, he might have been
able to afford to value his morals more than money, and refused to sell poison to Romeo.
Peter - A Capulet servant who invites guests to Capulet’s feast and escorts the Nurse to meet
with Romeo. He is illiterate.
Rosaline - The woman with whom Romeo is infatuated at the beginning of the play. Rosaline
never appears onstage, but it is said by other characters that she is very beautiful and has sworn
to live a life of chastity.
The Chorus - The Chorus is a single character who, as developed in Greek drama, functions
as a narrator offering commentary on the play’s plot and themes.
Our Romeo and Juliet against the backdrop of the feuding families
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What Happens in Romeo and Juliet ?
Synopsis
Courtesy of: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeoandjuliet/context.html
In the streets of Verona another brawl breaks out between the servants of the feuding noble
families of Capulet and Montague. Benvolio, a Montague, tries to stop the fighting, but is
himself embroiled when the rash Capulet, Tybalt, arrives on the scene. After citizens outraged by
the constant violence beat back the warring factions, Prince Escalus, the ruler of Verona,
attempts to prevent any further conflicts between the families by decreeing death for any
individual who disturbs the peace in the future.
Romeo, the son of Montague, runs into his cousin Benvolio, who had earlier seen Romeo
moping in a grove of sycamores. After some prodding by Benvolio, Romeo confides that he is in
love with Rosaline, a woman who does not return his affections. Benvolio counsels him to forget
this woman and find another, more beautiful one, but Romeo remains despondent.
Meanwhile, Paris, a kinsman of the Prince, seeks Juliet’s hand in marriage. Her father Capulet,
though happy at the match, asks Paris to wait two years, since Juliet is not yet even fourteen.
Capulet dispatches a servant with a list of people to invite to a masquerade and feast he
traditionally holds. He invites Paris to the feast, hoping that Paris will begin to win Juliet’s heart.
Romeo and Benvolio, still discussing Rosaline, encounter the Capulet servant bearing the list of
invitations. Benvolio suggests that they attend, since that will allow Romeo to compare his
beloved to other beautiful women of Verona. Romeo agrees to go with Benvolio to the feast, but
only because Rosaline, whose name he reads on the list, will be there.
In Capulet’s household, young Juliet talks with her mother, Lady Capulet, and her nurse about
the possibility of marrying Paris. Juliet has not yet considered marriage, but agrees to look at
Paris during the feast to see if she thinks she could fall in love with him.
The feast begins. A melancholy Romeo follows Benvolio and their witty friend Mercutio to
Capulet’s house. Once inside, Romeo sees Juliet from a distance and instantly falls in love with
her; he forgets about Rosaline completely. As Romeo watches Juliet, entranced, a young
Capulet, Tybalt, recognizes him, and is enraged that a Montague would sneak into a Capulet
feast. He prepares to attack, but Capulet holds him back. Soon, Romeo speaks to Juliet, and the
two experience a profound attraction. They kiss, not even knowing each other’s names. When he
finds out from Juliet’s nurse that she is the daughter of Capulet—his family’s enemy—he
becomes distraught. When Juliet learns that the young man she has just kissed is the son of
Montague, she grows equally upset.
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As Mercutio and Benvolio leave the Capulet estate, Romeo leaps over the orchard wall into the
garden, unable to leave Juliet behind. From his hiding place, he sees Juliet in a window above the
orchard and hears her speak his name. He calls out to her, and they exchange vows of love.
Romeo hurries to see his friend and confessor Friar Lawrence, who, though shocked at the
sudden turn of Romeo’s heart, agrees to marry the young lovers in secret since he sees in their
love the possibility of ending the age-old feud between Capulet and Montague. The following
day, Romeo and Juliet meet at Friar Lawrence’s cell and are married. The Nurse, who is privy to
the secret, procures a ladder, which Romeo will use to climb into Juliet’s window for their
wedding night.
The next day, Benvolio and Mercutio encounter Tybalt—Juliet’s cousin—who, still enraged that
Romeo attended Capulet’s feast, has challenged Romeo to a duel. Romeo appears. Now Tybalt’s
kinsman by marriage, Romeo begs the Capulet to hold off the duel until he understands why
Romeo does not want to fight. Disgusted with this plea for peace, Mercutio says that he will fight
Tybalt himself. The two begin to duel. Romeo tries to stop them by leaping between the
combatants. Tybalt stabs Mercutio under Romeo’s arm, and Mercutio dies. Romeo, in a rage,
kills Tybalt. Romeo flees from the scene. Soon after, the Prince declares him forever banished
from Verona for his crime. Friar Lawrence arranges for Romeo to spend his wedding night with
Juliet before he has to leave for Mantua the following morning.
In her garden, Juliet awaits the arrival of her new husband. The Nurse enters, and, after some
confusion, tells Juliet that Romeo has killed Tybalt. Distraught, Juliet suddenly finds herself
married to a man who has killed her kinsman. But she resettles herself, and realizes that her duty
belongs with her love: to Romeo.
Romeo sneaks into Juliet’s room that night, and at last they consummate their marriage and their
love. Morning comes, and the lovers bid farewell, unsure when they will see each other again.
Juliet learns that her father, affected by the recent events, now intends for her to marry Paris in
just three days. Unsure of how to proceed—unable to reveal to her parents that she is married to
Romeo, but unwilling to marry Paris now that she is Romeo’s wife—Juliet asks her nurse for
advice. She counsels Juliet to proceed as if Romeo were dead and to marry Paris, who is a better
match anyway. Disgusted with the Nurse’s disloyalty, Juliet disregards her advice and hurries to
Friar Lawrence. He concocts a plan to reunite Juliet with Romeo in Mantua. The night before her
wedding to Paris, Juliet must drink a potion that will make her appear to be dead. After she is
laid to rest in the family’s crypt, the Friar and Romeo will secretly retrieve her, and she will be
free to live with Romeo, away from their parents’ feuding.
Juliet returns home to discover the wedding has been moved ahead one day, and she is to be
married tomorrow. That night, Juliet drinks the potion, and the Nurse discovers her, apparently
dead, the next morning. The Capulets grieve, and Juliet is entombed according to plan. But Friar
Lawrence’s message explaining the plan to Romeo never reaches Mantua. Its bearer, Friar John,
gets confined to a quarantined house. Romeo hears only that Juliet is dead.
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Romeo learns only of Juliet’s death and decides to kill himself rather than live without her. He
buys a vial of poison from a reluctant Apothecary, then speeds back to Verona to take his own
life at Juliet’s tomb. He enters the tomb, sees Juliet’s inanimate body, drinks the poison, and dies
by her side just as she awakes. Juliet sees her beloved Romeo and realizes he has killed himself
with poison. She kisses his poisoned lips, and when that does not kill her, buries his dagger in
her chest, falling dead upon his body.
The watch arrives, followed closely by the Prince, the Capulets, and Montagues. Seeing their
children’s bodies, Capulet and Montague agree to end their long-standing feud and to raise gold
statues of their children side-by-side in a newly peaceful Verona.
The Reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets over the Dead Bodies of Romeo and Juliet
Painted by Lord Leighton Frederic
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Themes, Motifs and Symbols
Courtesy of: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeoandjuliet/context.html
Themes Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas explored in a literary work.
The Forcefulness of Love
Romeo 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.
The powerful nature of love can be seen in the way it is described, or, more accurately, the way
descriptions of it so consistently fail to capture its entirety. At times love is described in the
terms of religion, as in the fourteen lines when Romeo and Juliet first meet. At others it is
described as a sort of magic: “Alike bewitchèd by the charm of looks” (2.Prologue.6). Juliet,
perhaps, most perfectly describes her love for Romeo by refusing to describe it: “But my true
love is grown to such excess / I cannot sum up some of half my wealth” (3.1.33–34). Love, in
other words, resists any single metaphor because it is too powerful to be so easily contained or
understood.
Romeo and Juliet does not make a specific moral statement about the relationships between love
and society, religion, and family; rather, it portrays the chaos and passion of being in love,
combining images of love, violence, death, religion, and family in an impressionistic rush
leading to the play’s tragic conclusion.
Love as a Cause of Violence
The themes of death and violence permeate Romeo and Juliet, and they are always connected to
passion, whether that passion is love or hate. The connection between hate, violence, and death
seems obvious. But the connection between love and violence requires further investigation.
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Love, in Romeo and Juliet, is a grand passion, and as such it is blinding; it can overwhelm a
person as powerfully and completely as hate can. The passionate love between Romeo and Juliet
is linked from the moment of its inception with death: Tybalt notices that Romeo has crashed the
feast and determines to kill him just as Romeo catches sight of Juliet and falls instantly in love
with her. From that point on, love seems to push the lovers closer to love and violence, not
farther from it. Romeo and Juliet are plagued with thoughts of suicide, and a willingness to
experience it: in Act 3, scene 3, Romeo brandishes a knife in Friar Lawrence’s cell and threatens
to kill himself after he has been banished from Verona and his love. Juliet also pulls a knife in
order to take her own life in Friar Lawrence’s presence just three scenes later. After Capulet
decides that Juliet will marry Paris, Juliet says, “If all else fail, myself have power to die”
(3.5.242). Finally, each imagines that the other looks dead the morning after their first, and only,
sexual experience (“Methinks I see thee,” Juliet says, “. . . as one dead in the bottom of a tomb”
(3.5.55–56). This theme continues until its inevitable conclusion: double suicide. This tragic
choice is the highest, most potent expression of love that Romeo and Juliet can make. It is only
through death that they can preserve their love, and their love is so profound that they are willing
to end their lives in its defense. In the play, love emerges as an amoral thing, leading as much to
destruction as to happiness. But in its extreme passion, the love that Romeo and Juliet experience
also appears so exquisitely beautiful that few would want, or be able, to resist its power.
The Individual Versus Society
Much of Romeo and Juliet involves the lovers’ struggles against public and social institutions
that either explicitly or implicitly oppose the existence of their love. Such structures range from
the concrete to the abstract: families and the placement of familial power in the father; law and
the desire for public order; religion; and the social importance placed on masculine honor. These
institutions often come into conflict with each other. The importance of honor, for example, time
and again results in brawls that disturb the public peace.
Though they do not always work in concert, each of these societal institutions in some way
present obstacles for Romeo and Juliet. The enmity between their families, coupled with the
emphasis placed on loyalty and honor to kin, combine to create a profound conflict for Romeo
and Juliet, who must rebel against their heritages. Further, the patriarchal power structure
inherent in Renaissance families, wherein the father controls the action of all other family
members, particularly women, places Juliet in an extremely vulnerable position. Her heart, in her
family’s mind, is not hers to give. The law and the emphasis on social civility demands terms of
conduct with which the blind passion of love cannot comply. Religion similarly demands
priorities that Romeo and Juliet cannot abide by because of the intensity of their love. Though in
most situations the lovers uphold the traditions of Christianity (they wait to marry before
consummating their love), their love is so powerful that they begin to think of each other in
blasphemous terms. For example, Juliet calls Romeo “the god of my idolatry,” elevating Romeo
to level of God (2.1.156). The couple’s final act of suicide is likewise un-Christian. The
maintenance of masculine honor forces Romeo to commit actions he would prefer to avoid. But
the social emphasis placed on masculine honor is so profound that Romeo cannot simply ignore
them.
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It is possible to see Romeo and Juliet as a battle between the responsibilities and actions
demanded by social institutions and those demanded by the private desires of the individual.
Romeo and Juliet’s appreciation of night, with its darkness and privacy, and their renunciation of
their names, with its attendant loss of obligation, make sense in the context of individuals who
wish to escape the public world. But the lovers cannot stop the night from becoming day. And
Romeo cannot cease being a Montague simply because he wants to; the rest of the world will not
let him. The lovers’ suicides can be understood as the ultimate night, the ultimate privacy.
The Inevitability of Fate
In its first address to the audience, the Chorus states that Romeo and Juliet are “star-crossed”—
that is to say that fate (a power often vested in the movements of the stars) controls them
(Prologue.6). This sense of fate permeates the play, and not just for the audience. The characters
also are quite aware of it: Romeo and Juliet constantly see omens. When Romeo believes that
Juliet is dead, he cries out, “Then I defy you, stars,” completing the idea that the love between
Romeo and Juliet is in opposition to the decrees of destiny (5.1.24). Of course, Romeo’s defiance
itself plays into the hands of fate, and his determination to spend eternity with Juliet results in
their deaths. The mechanism of fate works in all of the events surrounding the lovers: the feud
between their families (it is worth noting that this hatred is never explained; rather, the reader
must accept it as an undeniable aspect of the world of the play); the horrible series of accidents
that ruin Friar Lawrence’s seemingly well-intentioned plans at the end of the play; and the tragic
timing of Romeo’s suicide and Juliet’s awakening. These events are not mere coincidences, but
rather manifestations of fate that help bring about the unavoidable outcome of the young lovers’
deaths.
The concept of fate described above is the most commonly accepted interpretation. There are
other possible readings of fate in the play: as a force determined by the powerful social
institutions that influence Romeo and Juliet’s choices, as well as fate as a force that emerges
from Romeo and Juliet’s very personalities.
One possible staging of the final scene in our Romeo and Juliet
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Motifs Motifs are recurring structures, contrasts, and literary devices that can help to
develop and inform the text’s major themes.
Light/Dark Imagery
One of the play’s most consistent visual motifs is the contrast between light and dark, often in
terms of night/day imagery. This contrast is not given a particular metaphoric meaning—light is
not always good, and dark is not always evil. On the contrary, light and dark are generally used
to provide a sensory contrast and to hint at opposed alternatives. One of the more important
instances of this motif is Romeo’s lengthy meditation on the sun and the moon during the
balcony scene, in which Juliet, metaphorically described as the sun, is seen as banishing the
“envious moon” and transforming the night into day (2.1.46). A similar blurring of night and day
occurs in the early morning hours after the lovers’ only night together. Romeo, forced to leave
for exile in the morning, and Juliet, not wanting him to leave her room, both try to pretend that it
is still night, and that the light is actually darkness: “More light and light, more dark and dark our
woes” (3.5.36).
Opposite Points of View
Shakespeare includes numerous speeches and scenes in Romeo and Juliet that hint at alternative
ways to evaluate the play. Shakespeare uses two main devices in this regard: Mercutio and
servants. Mercutio consistently skewers the viewpoints of all the other characters in play: he sees
Romeo’s devotion to love as a sort of blindness that robs Romeo from himself; similarly, he sees
Tybalt’s devotion to honor as blind and stupid. His punning and the Queen Mab speech can be
interpreted as undercutting virtually every passion evident in the play. Mercutio serves as a critic
of the delusions of righteousness and grandeur held by the characters around him.
Where Mercutio is a nobleman who openly criticizes other nobles, the views offered by servants
in the play are less explicit. There is the Nurse who lost her baby and husband, the servant Peter
who cannot read, the musicians who care about their lost wages and their lunches, and the
Apothecary who cannot afford to make the moral choice, the lower classes present a second
tragic world to counter that of the nobility. The nobles’ world is full of grand tragic gestures. The
servants’ world, in contrast, is characterized by simple needs, and early deaths brought about by
disease and poverty rather than dueling and grand passions. Where the nobility almost seem to
revel in their capacity for drama, the servants’ lives are such that they cannot afford tragedy of
the epic kind. Below: our Mercutio and Tybalt fight, III.i.
.
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Symbols Symbols are objects, characters, figures, and colors used to represent abstract ideas
or concepts
Poison
In his first appearance, in Act 2, scene 2, Friar Lawrence remarks that every plant, herb, and
stone has its own special properties, and that nothing exists in nature that cannot be put to both
good and bad uses. Thus, poison is not intrinsically evil, but is instead a natural substance made
lethal by human hands. Friar Lawrence’s words prove true over the course of the play. The
sleeping potion he gives Juliet is concocted to cause the appearance of death, not death itself, but
through circumstances beyond the Friar’s control, the potion does bring about a fatal result:
Romeo’s suicide. As this example shows, human beings tend to cause death even without
intending to. Similarly, Romeo suggests that society is to blame for the apothecary’s criminal
selling of poison, because while there are laws prohibiting the Apothecary from selling poison,
there are no laws that would help the apothecary make money. Poison symbolizes human
society’s tendency to poison good things and make them fatal, just as the pointless CapuletMontague feud turns Romeo and Juliet’s love to poison. After all, unlike many of the other
tragedies, this play does not have an evil villain, but rather people whose good qualities are
turned to poison by the world in which they live.
Thumb-biting
In Act 1, scene 1, the buffoonish Samson begins a brawl between the Montagues and Capulets by
flicking his thumbnail from behind his upper teeth, an insulting gesture known as biting the
thumb. He engages in this juvenile and vulgar display because he wants to get into a fight with
the Montagues but doesn’t want to be accused of starting the fight by making an explicit insult.
Because of his timidity, he settles for being annoying rather than challenging. The thumb-biting,
as an essentially meaningless gesture, represents the foolishness of the entire Capulet/Montague
feud and the stupidity of violence in general.
Queen Mab
In Act 1, scene 4, Mercutio delivers a dazzling speech about the fairy Queen Mab, who rides
through the night on her tiny wagon bringing dreams to sleepers. One of the most noteworthy
aspects of Queen Mab’s ride is that the dreams she brings generally do not bring out the best
sides of the dreamers, but instead serve to confirm them in whatever vices they are addicted to—
for example, greed, violence, or lust. Another important aspect of Mercutio’s description of
Queen Mab is that it is complete nonsense, albeit vivid and highly colorful. Nobody believes in a
fairy pulled about by “a small grey-coated gnat” whipped with a cricket’s bone (1.4.65). Finally,
it is worth noting that the description of Mab and her carriage goes to extravagant lengths to
emphasize how tiny and insubstantial she and her accoutrements are. Queen Mab and her
carriage do not merely symbolize the dreams of sleepers, they also symbolize the power of
waking fantasies, daydreams, and desires. Through the Queen Mab imagery, Mercutio suggests
that all desires and fantasies are as nonsensical and fragile as Mab, and that they are basically
corrupting. This point of view contrasts starkly with that of Romeo and Juliet, who see their love
as real and ennobling.
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“O then I see Queen Mab hath been with you…!” Act I.iv
Our Mercutio teasing Romeo as Benvolio looks on.
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Analysis of Famous Quotes from R & J
Courtesy of: http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeoandjuliet/context.html
1.
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief
That thou, her maid, art far more fair than she. . . .
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars
As daylight doth a lamp; her eye in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night.
Romeo speaks these lines in the so-called balcony scene, when, hiding in the Capulet orchard
after the feast, he sees Juliet leaning out of a high window (2.1.44–64). Though it is late at night,
Juliet’s surpassing beauty makes Romeo imagine that she is the sun, transforming the darkness
into daylight. Romeo likewise personifies the moon, calling it “sick and pale with grief” at the
fact that Juliet, the sun, is far brighter and more beautiful. Romeo then compares Juliet to the
stars, claiming that she eclipses the stars as daylight overpowers a lamp—her eyes alone shine so
bright that they will convince the birds to sing at night as if it were day.
This quote is important because in addition to initiating one of the play’s most beautiful and
famous sequences of poetry, it is a prime example of the light/dark motif that runs throughout the
play. Many scenes in Romeo and Juliet are set either late at night or early in the morning, and
Shakespeare often uses the contrast between night and day to explore opposing alternatives in a
given situation. Here, Romeo imagines Juliet transforming darkness into light; later, after their
wedding night, Juliet convinces Romeo momentarily that the daylight is actually night (so that he
doesn’t yet have to leave her room).
2.
O Romeo, Romeo,
wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name,
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
Juliet speaks these lines, perhaps the most famous in the play, in the balcony scene (2.1.74–78).
Leaning out of her upstairs window, unaware that Romeo is below in the orchard, she asks why
Romeo must be Romeo—why he must be a Montague, the son of her family’s greatest enemy
(“wherefore” means “why,” not “where”; Juliet is not, as is often assumed, asking where Romeo
is). Still unaware of Romeo’s presence, she asks him to deny his family for her love. She adds,
however, that if he will not, she will deny her family in order to be with him if he merely tells
her that he loves her.
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A major theme in Romeo and Juliet is the tension between social and family identity
(represented by one’s name) and one’s inner identity. Juliet believes that love stems from one’s
inner identity, and that the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets is a product of the outer
identity, based only on names. She thinks of Romeo in individual terms, and thus her love for
him overrides her family’s hatred for the Montague name. She says that if Romeo were not
called “Romeo” or “Montague,” he would still be the person she loves. “What’s in a name?” she
asks. “That which we call a rose / By any other word would smell as sweet” (2.1.85–86).
3.
O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you. . . .
She is the fairies’ midwife, and she comes
In shape no bigger than an agate stone
On the forefinger of an alderman,
Drawn with a team of little atomi
Athwart men’s noses as they lie asleep.
Mercutio’s famous Queen Mab speech is important for the stunning quality of its poetry and for
what it reveals about Mercutio’s character, but it also has some interesting thematic implications
(1.4.53–59). Mercutio is trying to convince Romeo to set aside his lovesick melancholy over
Rosaline and come along to the Capulet feast. When Romeo says that he is depressed because of
a dream, Mercutio launches on a lengthy, playful description of Queen Mab, the fairy who
supposedly brings dreams to sleeping humans. The main point of the passage is that the dreams
Queen Mab brings are directly related to the person who dreams them—lovers dream of love,
soldiers of war, etc. But in the process of making this rather prosaic point Mercutio falls into a
sort of wild bitterness in which he seems to see dreams as destructive and delusional.
4.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents’ strife. . . .
O, I am fortune’s fool! . . .
Then I defy you, stars.
This trio of quotes advances the theme of fate as it plays out through the story: the first is spoken
by the Chorus (Prologue.5–8), the second by Romeo after he kills Tybalt (3.1.131), and the third
by Romeo upon learning of Juliet’s death (5.1.24). The Chorus’s remark that Romeo and Juliet
are “star-crossed” and fated to “take their li[ves]” informs the audience that the lovers are
destined to die tragically. Romeo’s remark “O, I am fortune’s fool!” illustrates the fact that
Romeo sees himself as subject to the whims of fate. When he cries out “Then I defy you, stars,”
after learning of Juliet’s death, he declares himself openly opposed to the destiny that so grieves
him. Sadly, in “defying” fate he actually brings it about. Romeo’s suicide prompts Juliet to kill
herself, thereby ironically fulfilling the lovers’ tragic destiny.
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Pre-Show Discussion Questions
6th – 8th grade
1. Have you ever seen a Shakespeare play before? Where? Which play, and what did you
think of it?
2. What are some of the challenges of watching a Shakespeare play?
3. How do you think actors and directors can meet those challenges and help an audience
out?
4. Given what you’ve heard about the story and the characters so far, what would you say
were some of the challenges that the characters in the story face?
5. What would you imagine are some of the challenges the actors playing these roles must
face?
9th – 12th grade (although they might have fun with the questions above, as well)
(Based on the National Players As You Like It Study Guide from the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, MD)
1. Discuss your previous experiences with Shakespeare and his plays. Did you find them
difficult to understand, or tedious to read? Could you understand what the actors were
saying?
2. Do you find the language in Shakespeare beautiful and poetic, or does the archaic
language just frustrate you and hinder understanding?
3. Have you seen any of the recent modern versions of Shakespeare plays? Did updating
them make them feel more relevant to your own life? Why or why not?
4. Having read the synopsis of Romeo and Juliet, what scene and/or relationship are you
most excited to watch?
5. Knowing the story and the characters in the play, which role might you be interested in
playing?
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Some Context for the Plays
About William Shakespeare
(This history is largely from The English Theatre Frankfurt)
Fast Facts
Born:
Education:
Marriage:
Children:
1564, Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Left school at 14 because of his family’s financial problems
Wed Anne Hathaway when he was 18 (shotgun wedding!)
Three: one daughter, Susanna, and a sickly set of twins. Hamnet
and Judith
First job:
Actor
Mystery:
Disappeared between 1585-1592, no record of his whereabouts
Theatre co: The King’s Men
Most famous play: Romeo & Juliet
A Very Bad Beginning:
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 in a half-timbered house in Henley Street, Stratfordupon-Avon. His father was John Shakespeare, a glove maker and wool-dealer. His mother was
Mary Arden, daughter of a farmer from Wilmcote. Young William attended the Stratford
Grammar School form the age of 7 until he was 14. The grammar school was held on the upper
floor of the old Guildhall, and here the classes were held in Latin, concentrating on Grammar and
the ancient classics of Greece and Rome. Shakespeare was withdrawn from school due to his
family’s financial difficulties, and never completed his education, which makes his subsequent
accomplishments all the more remarkable.
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True love?
At the age of 18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, daughter of a yeoman farmer from
Shottery, close to Stratford. The marriage may have been forced, as Anne was already 3 months
pregnant with a daughter, Susanna. This first child was followed by sickly twins – Hamnet and
Judith – in 1585.
Disappearance!
The next 7 years of Shakespeare’s life are a mystery, though he is rumored to have worked as a
schoolteacher. Sometime before 1592 Shakespeare fled his home and family to follow the life of
an actor in London.
The Black Plague hits England
London’s theatres were closed in January 1593 due to an outbreak of the plague, and many
players left the capital to tour the provinces. Shakespeare preferred to stay in London, and it was
during this time of plague that he began to gain recognition as a writer, notably of long poems,
such as Venus and Adonis, and Rape of Lucrece.
The Tide Turns
Shakespeare was fortunate to find a patron, Henry Wriothsley, Earl of Southampton, to support
him in his writing. Venus and Adonis was wildly successful, and it was this work that first
brought the young writer widespread recognition. Apart from his longer poetry, Shakespeare also
began writing his sonnets during this period, perhaps at the behest of Southampton’s mother,
who hoped to induce her son to marry.
All the King’s Men
When the theatres reopened in late 1594, Shakespeare was no longer a simple actor, but a
playwright as well, writing and performing for the theatre company called “Lord Chamberlain’s
Men,” which later became “The King’s Men.”
Shakespeare Gets Rich
Shakespeare became an investor in the company, perhaps with money granted him by his patron,
Southampton. It was this financial stake in his theatre company that made Shakespeare’s fortune.
For the next 17 years he produced an average of 2 plays a year for The King’s Men.
But It’s Never Easy in the Arts!
The early plays were held at The Theatre, to the north of the city. In 1597 the company’s lease
on The Theatre expired, and negotiations with the landlord proved fruitless. Taking advantage of
a clause in the lease that allowed them to dismantle the building, the company took apart the
place board by board and transported the material across the Thames River to Bankside.
The Globe Is Built
There they constructed a new circular theatre, the grandest yet seen, called The Globe. The
Globe remained London’s premier theatre until it burned down in 1613 during a performance of
Shakespeare’s Henry VIII.
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Shakespeare Goes Home
Shakespeare held a share in the profits from The Globe, which netted him a princely annual
income of £200-£250. His financial success enabled Shakespeare to purchase New Place, the
second largest house in Stratford. It was here that he retired around 1611.
Sorry, Anne
When he died 1616, William Shakespeare divided up his considerable property amongst his
daughters (his son, Hamnet had died in childhood), but left only his second best bed to his wife.
Anne. Shakespeare was buried in the chancel of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford.
FUN FACT:
No one really knows when Shakespeare was born. Tradition holds that his birthday is April
23, 1564. However, all we know for sure is that he was baptized three days later at Holy Trinity
Church in Stratford-upon-Avon. April 23 became popularly established as his birthday after
he died on the same day in 1616.
(From the on the National Players As You Like It Study Guide from the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, MD)
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Shakespeare’s Theatre
(From the on the National Players As You Like It Study Guide from the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, MD)
The theatre scene that Shakespeare found in London in the late 1580s was very different from
anything existing today. Because he was directly affected by and wrote specifically for this
world, it is very important to understand how it worked.
The Performance Space
The Globe Theatre was a circular wooden structure constructed of three stories of galleries
(seats) surrounding an open courtyard. It was an open-air building (no roof), and a rectangular
platform projected into the middle of the courtyard to serve as a stage. The performance space
had no front curtain, but was backed by a large wall with three doors out of which actors entered
and exited. In front of the wall stood a roofed house-like structure supported by two large pillars,
designed to provide a place for actors to “hide” when not in a scene. The roof of this structure
was referred to as the “Heavens.” The theatre itself housed up to 3,000 spectators, mainly
because not all were seated. The seats in the galleries were reserved for people from the upper
classes who came to the theatre primarily to “be seen.” These wealthy patrons were also
sometimes allowed to sit on or above the stage itself as a sign of their prominence. These seats,
known as the “Lord’s Rooms,” were considered the best in the house despite the poor view of the
back of the actors. The lower-class spectators, however, stood in the open courtyard and
watched the play on their feet. These audience members became known as “groundlings” and
gained admission to the playhouse for as low as one penny. The groundlings were often very
loud and rambunctious during the performances and would eat (usually hazelnuts), drink,
socialize as the play was going on, and shout directly to the actors on stage. Playwrights at
this time were therefore forced to incorporate lots of action and bawdy humor in their plays in
order to keep the attention of their audience.
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The Performance
During Shakespeare’s day, new plays were being written and performed continuously. A
company of actors might receive a new play, prepare it, and perform it every week. Because of
this, each actor in the company had a specific type of role that he normally played and could
perform with little rehearsal. One possible role for a male company member, for example, would
be the female ingénue. Because women were not allowed to perform on the stage at the time,
young boys whose voices had yet to change generally played the female characters in the shows.
Each company (composed of 10 – 20 members) would have one or two young men to play the
female roles, one man who specialized in playing a fool or clown, one or two men who played
the romantic male characters, and one or two who played the mature, tragic characters.
Along with the “stock” characters of an acting company, there was also a set of stock scenery.
Specific backdrops, such as forest scenes or palace scenes, were re-used in every play. Other
than that, however, very minimal set pieces were present on the stage.
There was no artificial lighting to convey time and place, so it was very much up to audience to
imagine what the full scene would look like. Because of this, the playwright was forced to
describe the setting in greater detail than would normally be heard today. For example, at the
start of Act II. Scene iii of Romeo and Juliet, when Friar Lawrence makes his first entrance at
daybreak, here’s how Shakespeare has him set the scene:
The gray-eyed morn smiles on the frowning night,
Check’ring the eastern clouds with streaks of light;
And fleckel’d darkness like a drunkard reels
From forth day’s path and Titan’s fiery wheels.
What a beautiful way to describe the dawn! Listen for this line when you see the good Friar
onstage for the first time.
Unlike the natural lighting, the costumes of this period were far from minimalist. These were
generally rich and luxurious, as they were a source of great pride for the performers who
personally provided them. However, these were rarely historically accurate and again forced the
audience to use their imaginations to envision the play’s time and place. In our production,
because we are telling the story using the conceit of our vagabond troupe of Elizabethan players,
(a company that is not all that affluent), we have imagined that each of the actors has spent most
of his salary on the one costume element that will most clearly define his role. From our research
into the players of Shakespeare’s time, we learned that in many cases, an actor would
have obtained his “signature” costume piece from a deceased nobleman’s servant. Say the lord
had willed the piece to a loyal servant, who, perhaps even before the corpse had cooled, would
head off to find a troupe of players and see who might be interested in buying whatever had been
gifted.
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Cutaway drawing of The Globe Theatre
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Shakespeare’s Audience
It is very helpful to have an idea about who Shakespeare was writing for, back in the 16th
century. His audience was very different from theatre goers today. In the first place, it was a
much more articulate age. People were in love with language, and took great pride in finding
exactly the right words or phrases to describe how they felt or thought. Today, if someone asks
“How are you feeling?” we tend to reply simply “fine” or “junk,” or some other monosyllabic
answer, depending on the kind of day we’re having. This tendency toward verbal shorthand is
encouraged by the use of texting, tweeting, Facebook messaging, etc., all of which demand the
briefest of short-speak. In Shakespeare’s day, however, people could go on at great lengths to
answer a simple question, to describe something they’d seen, or to philosophize about life in
general. Consider this: In Act I. scene iv of Romeo and Juliet, as Romeo, Benvolio and
Mercutio prepare to crash the Capulet’s big party, Benvolio and Mercutio try to get Romeo to
lighten up and cease his moping about the “fair Rosaline” who continues to rebuff his amorous
attentions. He responds with an extremely clear and articulate description of his feelings. Not
only does Romeo wax eloquent about his depression, but he manages to pun as well!
Give me a torch, I am not for this ambling.
Being but heavy I will bear the light…
/You have dancing shoes
With nimble soles, I have a soul of lead
So stakes me to the ground I cannot move.
Shakespeare himself had a vocabulary of over 30,000 words (today, an average person’s
vocabulary is between 8,000 – 10,000 words), and if he couldn’t find exactly the word or phrase
he wanted, he’d make something up! His articulate audiences loved this about his writing, and
went to hear his plays more than to see them. Shakespeare created characters that take delight
finding the perfect words to express an emotion, or describe a scene. Actors who are able to
discover and convey this delight with the language are by far the most exciting to watch as well
as listen to. They are also the easiest to understand. As you watch our Romeo and Juliet, see
who you think is really getting the most out of the words.
FUN FACT:
In Elizabethan times many of Shakespeare’s plays were performed at The Globe Theatre in
London. To get in, you put one penny in a box by the door. Then you could stand on the
ground in front of the stage. To sit on the first balcony, you put another penny in the box
held by a man in front of the stairs. To sit on the second balcony, you put another penny in
the box held by the man by the second flight of stairs. Then when the show started, the men
went and put the boxes in a room backstage—hence the “box office.”
--BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/features/shakespeare/ shakespeare-fun-facts.shtml
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Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre courtesy of www.videojug.com
How to Listen to Shakespeare
(From the on the National Players As You Like It Study Guide from the Olney Theatre Center in Olney, MD)
When watching a Shakespearean play, there are many things to keep in mind. Sometimes the
language in which Shakespeare writes can be difficult to understand, but once you do, it's really
great fun.
First and foremost, you don’t have to understand every word that’s being said in order to
understand the play. Don’t get too hung up on deciphering each word; instead, just try to grasp
the gist of what each character is saying. After a while, you won’t even have to think about it—it
will seem as if you’ve been listening to Shakespeare all your life!
Watch body language, gestures, and facial expressions. Good Shakespearean actors
communicate what they are saying through their body. In theory, you should be able to
understand much of the play without hearing a word.
There is a rhythm to each line, almost like a piece of music. Shakespeare wrote in a form called
iambic pentameter. Each line is made up of five feet (each foot is two syllables) with the
emphasis on the second syllable. You can hear the pattern of unstressed/stressed syllables in the
line,
What PA /
ssion HANGS/ these WEIGHTS / up ON/
my TONGUE?
Listen for this pattern in the play as it adds a lyrical quality to the words.
Read a synopsis or play summary ahead of time. Shakespeare’s plays involve many characters in
complex, intertwining plots. It always helps to have a basic idea of what’s going on beforehand
so you can enjoy the play without trying to figure out every relationship and plot twist.
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Playing Shakespeare: Grappling with the Language as an Actor
Rule #1 in performing Shakespeare: KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE SAYING!
Bit of trivia: when William Shakespeare was writing plays, the English language was growing
by leaps and bounds, and the playwrights of the day were adding to it with every play they wrote.
Playwrights back then were very much like rap and hip-hop artists today, stretching and playing
with language; in fact, if Shakespeare were alive today, he’d most likely be a slam poet!
FUN FACT from the BBC:
Shakespeare invented words and phrases that we use all the time without even knowing where
they come from. Shakespeare was the first to use words like critic, majestic, hurry, lonely,
reliance, and exposure. He also created hundreds of common phrases like break the ice, hotblooded, elbow room, love letters, puppy dog, and wild goose chase.
BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/features/shakespeare/shakespeare-fun-facts,shtml
Another bit of trivia: Pay attention to Shakespeare’s “O’s!” An “O” at the start of a line was
Shakespeare’s gift to his favorite actors. That open and most versatile vowel gives an actor the
chance to vocalize the pure emotion underneath his line, even before he starts to say the words.
Listen for the “O’s” in Romeo and Juliet, there are a lot of them!
Tools for the Text 1: Paraphrase
Reading a Shakespeare play can be a daunting task. Whether it is a class requirement, or a
personal project, Shakespeare’s language can make it difficult to lose yourself within its pages.
However, there are a few tools you can use to help break down the text into something both
understandable and enjoyable.
The first tool is called Paraphrasing. This is when you take the text and put it into your own
words. This is not only a useful tool for reading the language, but it is the primary method of
deconstructing the text used by actors rehearsing for Shakespeare’s plays. Although the words
used 400 years ago are similar, their meaning was quite different, in some cases. Examine the
following lines from a well-known passage in Romeo and Juliet, Act II., scene ii.
This exquisite speech of Juliet’s takes place immediately after the big party where she and
Romeo met and fell in love at first sight. She is at once overwhelmed by the powerful feelings
he has awakened in her, and appalled that the one person she would be willing to dedicate her
life to loving is also the very person that the long-standing feud between their two families
makes the match impossible.
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O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name,
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot
Nor arm nor face nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O be some other name.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for that name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.
When the good folks at Barron’s “translated” Romeo and Juliet into modern English, here’s what
the speech became:
Oh Romeo, Romeo. Why must you be Romeo? Deny your father and refuse your name. Or swear
to be my love, and I will no longer be a Capulet. It’s only your name that is my enemy. You
would still be yourself if you were not a Montague. What is Montague? It’s not a hand, or foot,
or arm, or face, or any other part of a person. Oh, change your name. What’s in a name? If
what we call a rose were renamed, it would still smell just as sweet. So if Romeo weren’t called
Romeo, he would still retain his precious perfection. He possesses it regardless of his name.
Romeo, get rid of your name, which isn’t part of you, and in exchange take all of me.
It may be clear, but it certainly sounds flat and clunky when compared with the original!
Tools for the Text 2: Imagery
Another great tool to further and deepen your understanding of Shakespeare is imagery. These
are the pictures that Shakespeare paints with specific words. Just as pictures go through your
mind when you read a book, Shakespeare used even more profound words to create very
powerful images. Read the original text of another of Juliet’s monologues below. These are the
opening lines of Act III.ii, from Juliet’s speech as she waits impatiently in her garden for her new
husband to come and claim her as his bride. The audience knows, but Juliet does not, that Romeo
has just killed her cousin, Tybalt, and been banished from Verona.
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Gallop apace, ye fiery-footed steeds,
Towards Phoebus’ lodging. Such a waggoner
As Phaeton would whip you to the west
And bring in cloudy night immediately.
Spread thy close curtain, love-performing night,
That runaway’s eyes may wink, and Romeo
Leap to these arms untalked-of and unseen.
Now take a look at the words and phrases below. Step one is to write down the first few images
that come into your mind.
Gallop apace_____________________________________________________________
Fiery-footed steeds________________________________________________________
Whip you to the west______________________________________________________
Cloudy night_____________________________________________________________
Love-performing night______________________________________________________
Runaway’s eyes may wink___________________________________________________
Leap to these arms__________________________________________________________
Untalked-of and unseen______________________________________________________
Ask yourself what those images mean to you. How do they make you feel? What kind of actions
do they make you want to do? What words affect you most? Once you’ve found some personal
connection to these words, say the monologue out loud and allow those images to fill your mind.
Allow them to affect you and your audience as you speak.
Tools for the Text 3: Working With Iambic Pentameter
Take a look at the monologue in the previous two examples. Do you notice a rhythm to the lines
when you say them? This is because Shakespeare chose to write much of his text in Iambic
Pentameter. You’ll find many explanations for what this means, but one simple way is to say that
each line has 10 syllables – 5 stressed and 5 unstressed. Here is an example from Hamlet, the
opening lines of the famous “Hecuba” speech after the Players have come to Elsinore Castle, and
one of the players, while reciting a powerful speech, has been carried away by the emotion of the
fictional character he enacts. Hamlet is angry with himself, because with all of the very real
reasons he has to be overcome with emotion, he is incapable of expressing his passion as the
actor has done while simply pretending.
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O, what a rogue and peasant slave am I!
Is it not monstrous that this player here,
But in a fiction, in a dream of passion,
Could force his soul so to his own conceit
That from her working all his visage waned,
Tears in his eyes, distraction in his aspect,
A broken voice, and his whole function suiting
With forms to his conceit? And all for nothing!
Count the syllables. You can see that each line has 10 syllables. Now we will break the line up
into smaller sections that have two syllables. These sections are called feet.
O, what a rogue and peas
ant slave am I!
Watch out when breaking a line into feet. You’ll notice that sometimes a word can be broken up
(like peas-ant). Now, within each foot there is usually one stressed and one unstressed syllable.
In Iambic Pentameter, the second syllable in a foot usually gets the strong stress. You’ll notice,
though, that at the end of the third line of the speech, there’s an extra, unstressed beat in the final
foot (pas sion), this is known as a feminine ending to the line.
One easy way to remember how the stresses work in Iambic Pentameter is that it sounds like you
were to say “eye-am” five times with the heavier beat on the second half of the foot. Try it:
I am
I am
I am
I am
I am
There are several reasons why Shakespeare used this form for his writing. One was because of its
beautiful sound and the strong rhythm which is similar to the beating of the human heart.
Another was that Iambic Pentameter is very close to the normal rhythm of every day
conversation in the English language. This helped the actors memorize their lines since, 400
years ago, they only had a few days of rehearsal before performing a play. Another was that it
gives the actor the choice as to which words are more important. When an actor goes through
his/her script to mark the feet and decide what syllables get the stresses it is called scanning the
script. Try it:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
O, what a rogue and peas ant slave am I!
Is it
not mon strous that this play er here,
But in a fict ion, in a dream of pass ion,
Could force his soul so to his own conceit
That from her work ing all his vis age wanned,
Tears in his eyes, distract ion in his as pect,
A bro ken voice, and his whole func tion suiting
With forms
to his conceit? And all
for no thing!
(Note that lines 3, 6, 7 and 8 all have feminine endings.)
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Did you make every other syllable strong? Or did you decide that some syllables were more
important than others whether or not the iambic pentameter stressed them? This is one thing that
makes acting Shakespeare so much fun! Actors get to choose what words and phrases they feel
are important, given their interpretation of the character. The thing that makes iambic
pentamenter so helpful is that if there is a question about which word(s) Shakespeare considered
important, you can be sure that they will always be the ones in the stressed portion of a foot,
when working with the standard iambic pentameter stress pattern.
Tools of the Text 1, 2, and 3 are based on the Orlando – UCF Shakespeare Festival Twelfth Night Study
Guide, adapted to suit Hamlet.
Title page of the first Edition
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Just for Fun: Shakespearean Insults
You’ve read how “serious” actors approach playing Shakespeare, now let’s have some fun.
Shakespeare gives his characters terrific verbal fodder for some of the most creative insults ever
slung. What does Hamlet say when he discovers he’s killed Polonius, eavesdropping behind the
arras? He lets fly a series of colorful adjectives that let his audience know exactly how he feels
about Polonius.
Thou wretched, rash, intruding fool, farewell/I took thee for thy better…
Below are three lists of words. Columns 1 and 2 are highly descriptive adjectives from
Elizabethan English (a number of them, no doubt, made up by Shakespeare himself). Column 3
consists of equally colorful nouns. Start with the word “thou” (a very familiar way to address
someone—a term of endearment if used with a loved one, an insult if used to address either a
stranger or an adversary). Then pick one word from each column, creating your very own
customized insult. It’s lots of fun for students to stand on opposite sides of a room and hurl their
insults across the room at each other. Be sure to savor the taste and feel of the words in your
mouth, and get as much value out of the vowels and consonants as possible! Encourage students
to sustain and build the energy all the way to the end of the phrase—a kind of spiraling energy.
Example: Thou reeky, rump-fed
pumpion!
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Artless
Bawdy
Beslubbering
Bootless
Churlish
Cockered
Clouted
Craven
Currish
Dankish
Dissembling
Droning
Errant
Fawning
Fobbing
Forward
Frothy
Gleeking
Goatish
Gorbellied
Impertinent
Infectious
Jarring
base-court
bat-fowling
beef-witted
beetle-headed
boil-brained
clapper-clawed
clay-brained
common-kissing
crook-pated
dismal-dreaming
dizzy-eyed
doghearted
dread-bolted
earth-vexing
elf-skinned
fat-kidneyed
fen-sucked
flap-mouthed
fly-bitten
folly-fallen
fool-born
full-gorged
guts-griping
apple-john
baggage
barnacle
bladder
boar-pig
bugbear
bum-bailey
canker-blossom
clack-dish
clotpole
coxcomb
codpiece
death-token
dewberry
flap-dragon
flax-wench
flirt-gill
foot-licker
fustilarian
giglet
gudgeon
haggard
harpy
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(Shakespearean Insults, cont.)
Column 1
Column 2
Column 3
Loggerheaded
Lumpish
Mammering
Mangled
Mewling
Paunchy
Pribbling
Puking
Puny
Qualling
Rank
Reeky
Roguish
Ruttish
Saucy
Spleeny
Spongy
Surly
Tottering
Unmuzzled
Vain
Venomed
Villainous
Wayward
Yeasty
half-faced
hasty-witted
hedge-born
hell-hated
idle-headed
ill-breeding
ill-nurtured
knotty-pated
milk-livered
motley-minded
onion-eyed
plume-plucked
pottle-deep
pox-marked
reeling ripe
rough-hewn
rude-growing
rump-fed
shard-borne
sheep-biting
spur-galled
swag-bellied
tardy-gaited
toad-spotted
weather-bitten
hedge-pig
horn-beast
hugger-mugger
joithead
lewdster
lout
maggot-pie
malt-worm
mammet
measle
minnow
miscreant
moldwarp
mumble-news
nut-hook
pigeon-egg
pignut
puttock
pumpion
ratsbane
scut
skainsmate
strumpet
vassal
wagtail
Shakespearean insult image courtesy of www.michaelcoady.com
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Meet Our Players
Here are the talented and hard-working members of this year’s Hawaii Young Actors
Ensemble. For this production, each has created his/her male Elizabethan Player.
The Cast
Actor
Elizabethan Player
Role(s) in Romeo and Juliet
Malia Bell
Elyot
Lady Capulet
Elettra Bresolin
Owen
Friar Lawrence
#Nicholai Brown
Sir Arthur Guinness
Tybalt
**Frank Coffee
Oliver Smith
Romeo
#Brenton Cooke
Antonio
Benvolio
#Dylan Cooke
Adam
Mercutio
Makena Duffy
Simon
County Paris
*Keaton Gosser
Aspen
Lord Capulet
**Brianna Hayes
Valentine
Juliet
**Crystal Hughes
Everett Carver (company manager)
Chorus/Prince Escalus
**Brianne Johnson
Timothy
Nurse
#Henry Lonborg
Frederick
Balthasar/Ensemble
#Ginger Morris
Joseph
Sampson/Ensemble
*Lalea Nilsen
Caspian
Gregory/Peter/Apothecary/Ensemble
Jeni-Marin Ruis
Henry
Lady Montague/Rosaline/Ensemble
Crystal Schneider
Alejandro
Abraham/Friar John/Ensemble
Judithanne Young
Barnaby
Lord Montague/Ensemble
_________________________________________________________
Malia Wessel
(Assistant Director)
Gavin Cameron Webb
________________________________________________________________________________
# Former Intermediate Ensemble member
* Second year HTYAE member
** Third year HTYAE member
***Fourth year HTYAE member
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Our Production Team
Director/Producer…………….Eden Lee Murray
Assistant Director…………….Malia Wessel
Production Stage Manager……Calli Brennan
Set Designer…………………..Margaret Hanna Tominaga
Lighting Designer……………..Janine Myers
Sound Designer and Harpist…..Lacey Chu
Light Board Operator………….Brenden McNally *
Costume Designer……………..Hannah Schaller Galli
Costume Assistant…………….Calli Brennan
Fight Choreographer…………..Tony Pisculli
Choreographer…………………Amy Schiffner
Clown Consultant……………...Mark Branner
Dance Captains………………...Brianna Hayes, Frank Coffee
Technical Directors…………….Angie, Greg and Rick McCall
Scenic Artist Assistant…………Gemma Hayden **
HTC Publicity……….………...Mele Pochereva
Production Photographer………Kaveh Kardan
Archival Videographer…………Gordon Lum
Flyer/Program Designer………..Terry Nii
_______________________________________________
*HTYAE Lighting Apprentice
**HTYAE Scenic Artist Apprentice
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Afterglow
Post-show Discussions & Activities
Follow-up Questions:
6th – 8th Grade
1. What parts of the show did you like best? Why?
2. How was seeing the play different from reading it? Was it easier to understand the
language by watching it acted out?
3. What is the main story in Romeo and Juliet? Can you tell it in sequence?
4. What do you think made Romeo and Juliet fall in love at first sight? What was
different about that relationship from what Romeo professed to feel for Rosaline? In
his first scene with Friar Lawrence in Act I, Romeo says the Friar “chid’st” (scolded)
him often for loving Rosaline. The Friar replies, “For doting, not for loving, pupil
mine.” What does the Friar mean by that?
5. If things had worked out differently, do you think Romeo and Juliet’s relationship
would have lasted? If so, why? If not, why not?
6. What do you imagine might have started the feud between the Montagues and the
Capulets in the first place? Do you know any situations where two families feel that
way about each other? What caused it? What could be done, short of Romeo and
Juliet’s solution, to heal it?
7. Even if there wasn’t a quarrel between the two families, do you think Tybalt and
Mercutio could ever have been friends? If so, why? If not, why not?
8. What role do you think Benvolio played in the trio of friends—Romeo, Mercutio and
Benvolio? Do you know people like him?
9. What do you think about the way the Prince treated his subjects? Did he remind you
of an angry parent scolding disobedient children?
10. If you were in the Prince’s position, what might you do to try and bring about peace
to Verona?
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9th – 12th Grade
1.
Romeo and Juliet is regarded as a classic tragedy. What do you think makes the
play tragic? Were you moved by the story and what happened to the characters?
2. Do you think Romeo and Juliet changed during the course of the play? Which of
them do you think suffered more?
3. If so, how is each one different from who they were at the start? What are the
changes you were able to observe as the play progressed?
4. Why do you think both the Nurse and Friar Lawrence were willing to secretly enable
Romeo and Juliet’s marriage, knowing how the odds would be stacked against it? Do
you think either of them considered what might happen to them if things went badly
wrong? How do you think they each felt as they looked at the dead couple at the end
of the play?
5. Have you ever been in a situation where you know it wasn’t smart to pursue a
relationship with someone, but went ahead anyway? If so, what happened?
6. How do the adults in the story relate to the young people? What do you think of the
relationships:
a. The Montagues to Romeo, what do you think of them as parents?
b. The Capulets to Juliet, same question.
c. The Friar to Romeo, Juliet, Paris?
d. The Nurse to Juliet, to Romeo?
Do these relationships remind you of any in your own life? Is it possible to see these
relationships from the perspective of the adults, and feel sorry for their suffering?
7. The Prince found himself in a very difficult situation as a leader. What do you think
of the ways he tried to manage the bloody feud that threatened the well-being of the
city he was responsible for governing? Why, when he had declared that the penalty
for dueling was death, do you think he only condemned Romeo to banishment?
8. When Friar Lawrence told Romeo that he was to be banished instead of executed,
why do you think Romeo seemed just as upset as if he’d learned he’d have to die?
9. Both Romeo and Juliet spoke of being willing to commit suicide several times in the
play. Do you remember when and why? Do you think, up until the end, they really
expected that was the way they were going to die?
10. Given that our take on this play is that it can be treated as a comedy up until Act III.
What happens in the middle of the story that makes the world of Romeo and Juliet
turn tragic?
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Writing Activities
Expressing an Opinion:
1. Describe your favorite part of the play, and explain why you liked it.
2. Was there anything that didn’t work for you? It’s as important to understand why you
don’t like something. What did you not like, and how might you have changed it?
3. Discuss the choices made by the Nurse. She was more of a mother to Juliet than Lady
Capulet, and would have wanted only the best for her. Why do you think she was
willing to facilitate the match between Romeo and Juliet, when she knew it would put
them at terrible risk, as well as jeopardizing her own position in the Capulet
household? When she came to Juliet with the news that Romeo had killed Tybalt,
and was to be banished, she started the scene almost hysterical with rage against
Romeo. Why else might she have been so upset? What do you think took her from
anger to a place where she was willing to arrange for Romeo to come to Juliet that
night and consummate their marriage? That’s a pretty big jump.
4. When it was clear that Lord Capulet was going to force Juliet to marry County Paris
the Nurse had this advice for Juliet:
Faith, here it is: Romeo is banish’d;
I think it best you married with the county.
O, he’s a lovely gentleman!
Romeo’s a dishclout to him.
Why do you think the Nurse pulled such an about-face? What do you think of her
advice, given the situation? How do you think it made Juliet feel? What did you see
this advice do to their relationship?
Descriptive Writing:
1. Describe your theatre adventure: the bus ride, the Hawaii Theatre, the play. Use as
many descriptive words as you can.
2. If one of our Elizabethan players visited with you before the play, describe the
conversation you had—what did you learn from him? Did they help prepare you for
the play?
3. Based on your experience watching the play, write a one-sentence description for
each major character: Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, Lord Capulet, Lady
Capulet, the Nurse, Friar Lawrence.
4. “There are no small roles, only small actors.” Some of our HTYAE actors played
smaller roles, and yet still managed to make an impression. Who, of the group
playing the Ensemble roles, stood out for you. Why?
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Romeo and Juliet Study Guide
Critical Analysis:
If you were a theatre reviewer, how would you evaluate this production? Consider first
the central concept of this production—the members of the Hawaii Theatre Young Actors
Ensemble assuming the roles of the band of Elizabethan players who bring the characters
in Romeo and Juliet to life—then assess the various specific elements involved: the
acting, the live harp music, the set and the costumes.
Visual Arts Activities:
Set Design
A set designer must select elements that reflect the world(s) of the characters in the play.
Think like a set designer: pick one of the following characters and try to design a room
that might best represent them.
Romeo
Juliet
The Nurse
Mercutio
Tybalt
The poor Apothecary
What do you think the Elizabethan Players’ camp might look like as they stopped along
the road on their tour?
Costume Design
Our costume designer had to pick one costume element per character in Romeo and
Juliet for each Elizabethan player to wear as he played his role within the story. If you
were to costume one of the main characters in Romeo and Juliet completely, how would
you want them to look?
If you were to set the play in modern dress, what kind of clothing would you imagine
Romeo would wear? Juliet? The senior Montagues and Capulets—how would you
indicate wealth and power with a contemporary wardrobe? How would the servants be
dressed? The two friars? The Nurse?
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Romeo and Juliet Study Guide
How did you like
Being able to interact
with the Players during
the Preshow?
The play itself?
The Shakespearean
language?
The live harp
soundscaping and
sound f/x?
The look of the show:
sets/lights/costumes?
The acting?
Please tell us about your favorite part of the show.
Is there anything you would have changed?
Further comments?
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HTYAE
Romeo and Juliet Study Guide
Please take the time to fill out and send in this evaluation. Your comments help us improve
our programming every year.
Please rate
GREAT
GOOD
FAIR
POOR
The quality of your
students' experience.
The quality of the
show.
Our communication
with you.
The Study Guide.
The logistics of the
show (date and time).
Further comments:
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Romeo and Juliet Study Guide
References used in compiling this Study Guide:
SIMPLY SHAKESPEARE, Original Shakespearean Text With a Modern Line-for-Line
Translation, edited by BARRONS Romeo and Juliet.
SparkNotes Editors. “SparkNotes on Romeo and Juliet.” SparkNotes LLC. 2007.
http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/ (accessed January 19, 2015).
The National Players As You Like It Study Guide from the Olney Theatre Center in
Olney, MD
BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/coventry/features/shakespeare/shakespeare-fun-facts,shtml
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