Student introduction
You can use this booklet to help you with your preparation for the test:
• Look at the illustrated outline of the play to remind yourself of the sequence of events.
• Make sure that you are familiar with the quotations by and about the main characters,
especially Romeo and Juliet, and that you are used to telling other people your thoughts about
them.
• Get your head round the four ‘big ideas’ of character, language, theme and performance by
talking with others about the PQR (Point Quotation Response) pages and adding your own
notes to them.
• Look at the advice on planning answers on pages 23–26. Then plan answers, and write opening
and concluding paragraphs for all the sample questions on page 22.
• Work out the strengths of the sample answers on pages 27–30 by looking at the examiner’s
comments, and think what could be done to improve them.
• Practise writing answers within a time limit so that you are used to planning and writing
quickly.
• Look at the marking criteria on page 31 to make sure you know why marks are awarded by the
examiners, and judge your own practice answers against those criteria.
Title page+ Content
Scene
Key Stage 3
Shakespeare
Romeo and Juliet
Contents
The story of Romeo and Juliet 2
Set extracts – Romeo and Juliet
Extract 1: Act 1, Scene 1, lines 98 to 232
Extract 2: Act 2, Scene 2, lines 1 to 157
4
8
Focus on character
Focus on theme
Focus on language
Focus on performance
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20
The Key Stage 3 Shakespeare test
Sample questions
Planning a character answer
Planning a theme answer
Planning a language answer
Planning a performance answer
Sample character answer
Sample theme answer
Sample language answer
Sample performance answer
Marking
How to approach the test
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The story of Romeo and Juliet
Two households, both
alike in dignity, In fair Verona,
where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break
to new mutiny.
From forth the
fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-crossed lovers
take their life;
What, drawn
and talk of peace?
I hate the word
As I hate hell, all
Montagues and thee.
1 The Prologue outlines what will happen in ‘the two
hours’ traffic of our stage’. The audience know they
are there to enjoy how the tragedy is performed, not
to hope for a happy ending.
Three civil brawls,
bred of an airy word By thee
Old Capulet and Montague,
Have thrice disturbed the quiet
of our streets.
2 The servants of the two noble families, the
Montagues and Capulets, insult each other (‘I bite
my thumb, Sir’) and involve ‘the fiery Tybalt’
(willingly) and gentler Benvolio (unwillingly) in
their fighting.
If ever you disturb
our streets again, Your
lives shall pay the
forfeit of the peace.
I have lost myself;
I am not here;
This is not Romeo, he’s
some other where.
3 The Prince, outraged by the repeated violent brawls
between the two families, is furious. He threatens
them with fierce penalties if there is more public
trouble, and this has consequences later on.
O Romeo, Romeo.
Wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy Father and refuse
thy name…
...‘Tis but thy name that is my
enemy. What’s in a name? That
which we call a rose By any
other word would smell
as sweet.
This is a
Montague,
our foe,
Thus from my
lips, by thine my
sin is purged.
Then have
my lips the sin that
they have took...
My only love, sprung
from my only hate!
6 Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio gatecrash the
Capulets’ masked ball. Benvolio claims that Romeo
will see someone more beautiful than Rosaline, and is
proved right when Romeo sees and kisses Juliet. Tybalt,
‘King of Cats’ sees and hates what is happening.
Do thou but close
our hands with holy
words,
What love can
do, that dares
love attempt.
7 Romeo has escaped his friends and waits under
Juliet’s window. He is rewarded, not just by her
appearance, but by learning that she loves him,
although he is a Montague and therefore an enemy
of her family.
2
Love is a smoke made
with the fume of sighs
Being purged, a fire
sparkling in lovers’ eyes;
… A madness most
discreet.
4 Romeo has been too busy being in love (with Rosaline)
to play any part in the brawl. His parents, worried that
Romeo just mopes around in his room, ask Benvolio
to find out what is the matter. As Benvolio rapidly
realises, Romeo is fashionably lovesick.
She is the hopeful
lady of my earth. But woo her
gentle Paris, get her heart; My
will to her consent is but a part.
This night I hold an old
accustomed feast.
5 Capulet intends to marry Juliet, his only surviving
daughter, to ‘County Paris’. At this point in the play
he sees Juliet’s wishes as very important. He then
announces the ball he intends to hold for his friends.
I do but keep the
peace. Put up thy sword,
Or manage it to part these
men with me.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
These violent delights
have violent ends And in their
triumph die, like fire and
powder, Which, as they kiss,
consume….Therefore love
moderately.
8 Having exchanged messages via Juliet’s Nurse, the
couple are married in secret by Friar Lawrence.
O calm, dishonourable, vile submission!
Tybalt, you Ratcatcher, will you walk?…
Good King of Cats.
O I am fortune’s
fool!
Romeo, away,
be gone! The citizens
are up and Tybalt slain.
Stand not amazed.
The Prince will doom
thee death If thou art
taken.
I am hurt. A plague
o’ both houses! I am sped.
Why the devil came you between
us? I was hurt under
your arm.
9 Mercutio is the liveliest and wittiest of Romeo’s
friends. When Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt (his new
relative by marriage) Mercutio does so instead, and is
killed whilst Romeo is trying to separate the fighters.
I must be gone
and live or stay
and die.
10 Romeo’s anger makes him feel that he must avenge
Mercutio. He fights Tybalt and kills him. In doing so
he has defied the Prince’s ban on brawling and
family feuding. The Friar suggests that Romeo flees
to Mantua until it is safe to return to Verona.
Hang thee, young
baggage! Disobedient wretch!
I tell thee what – get thee to
church a Thursday Or never after
look me in the face.
O think’st thou
we shall ever
meet again?
11 The Nurse brought Juliet news of Tybalt’s death, but
still arranged for Romeo to gain entry to Juliet’s
bedroom. Romeo needs to leave before it is too
light, or his life is at risk.
And you be
mine, I’ll give you to my
friend; And you be not,
hang, beg, starve, die
in the streets.
12 Juliet pretends that her tears are for her cousin
Tybalt’s death, but they are for her husband Romeo’s
departure. Capulet has decided that Juliet should
marry the County Paris, and quickly. When she
refuses, he lashes her with violent words.
I will do it without fear
or doubt, To live an unstained
wife to my sweet love...
...Romeo, Romeo, Romeo!
Here’s drink! – I drink
to thee!
O my Love, my Wife!
Death that hath sucked
the honey of thy breath
Hath had no power yet
upon thy beauty.
O true apothecary!
Thy drugs are quick.
Thus with a kiss I die.
Ha let me see her.
Out alas! She’s cold, Her blood is
settled, and her joints are stiff...
...Death lies on her like an
untimely frost Upon the sweetest
flower of all the field.
13 The Friar’s idea which offered ‘a kind of hope’ was to
enable Juliet to avoid marrying Paris by taking a
sleeping potion, and being buried, believed dead. The
Friar would inform Romeo who could then rescue
Juliet from her family tomb.
Poison, I see hath
been his timeless end.
O churl! – drunk all, and
left no friendly drop
To help me after?
14 The Friar’s messenger did not get through to Mantua,
and Romeo arrives, thinking Juliet to be dead. He
takes poison, bought from an apothecary in Mantua,
so that he can die alongside her. As he enters the
tomb, he meets and kills the grieving Paris, calling
him ‘One writ with me in sour misfortune’s book’.
Capulet, Montague,
See what a scourge is
laid upon your hate...
...For never was a story of
more woe than this of Juliet
and her Romeo.
Yea, noise? Then
I’ll be brief. O happy
dagger! This is thy
sheath; there rust,
and let me die.
Sovereign, here
lies the County Paris
slain; And Romeo dead; and
Juliet, dead before,
Warm and new killed.
15 Juliet wakes and seeing the ‘comfortable Friar’ asks
where Romeo is. When she sees him lying dead, she
first tries to kiss him and share his poison, and then
stabs herself with his dagger when she hears people
approaching.
16 The Prince and both families arrive to hear the friar
confess his part in what has happened. The Prince
believes the Friar and realises that the real problem
has been the enmity between the two families. The
old men, united now in sorrow, promise to build
statues to honour their dead children.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
3
Romeo and Juliet Set Extracts 2009
Extract 1: Act 1, Scene 1, lines 98 to 232
Performance
The Montague parents
are standing close
together to show how
upset they are and that
they need each other’s
support.
Performance
Lord Montague should
put his hand on
Benvolio’s shoulder and
make him face him, to
show that he wants a
full answer.
Language/
character
This speech by Benvolio
introduces us to Romeo
and places him in a
natural setting – it is
dawn and he is walking
in a wood. This is a
direct contrast to the
heat and bustle of
Verona’s streets. It shows
us that Romeo is a
sensitive character, and
different to other
characters like Tybalt.
Language/
character
Another reference to the
sun which is, in this case,
supposed to make
people happy. Romeo
shuns the sun, which
tells us he is unhappy.
Language
The words ‘black and
portentous’ indicate that
this behaviour will lead
to more problems. It is a
hint of what is to
happen – it is an omen.
4
All exit, except MONTAGUE, LADY MONTAGUE, and
BENVOLIO.
MONTAGUE
Who set this ancient quarrel new abroach?
Speak, nephew. Were you by when it began?
BENVOLIO
Here were the servants of your adversary
And yours, close fighting ere I did approach.
I drew to part them. In the instant came
The fiery Tybalt, with his sword prepared,
Which, as he breathed defiance to my ears,
He swung about his head and cut the winds,
Who, nothing hurt withal, hissed him in scorn.
While we were interchanging thrusts and blows,
Came more and more, and fought on part and part,
Till the Prince came, who parted either part.
LADY MONTAGUE
O where is Romeo? Saw you him today?
Right glad I am he was not at this fray.
BENVOLIO
Madam, an hour before the worshipped sun
Peered forth the golden window of the east,
A troubled mind drove me to walk abroad –
Where, underneath the grove of sycamore
That westward rooteth from this city side,
So early walking did I see your son.
Towards him I made, but he was ware of me,
And stole into the covert of the wood.
I, measuring his affections by my own,
Which then most sought where most might not be found,
Being one too many by my weary self,
Pursued my humour not pursuing his,
And gladly shunned who gladly fled from me.
MONTAGUE
Many a morning hath he there been seen,
With tears augmenting the fresh morning’s dew,
Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs.
But all so soon as the all-cheering sun
Should in the farthest east begin to draw
The shady curtains from Aurora’s bed,
Away from light steals home my heavy son,
And private in his chamber pens himself,
Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out,
And makes himself an artificial night.
Black and portentous must this humour prove,
Unless good counsel may the cause remove.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Language/theme
The word ‘ancient’ tells
us that this feud has
been going on for a long
time. This sets the
context for the audience
and is a theme in the
play.
Character
Tybalt is described like a
fierce animal – the
hissing sound makes him
seem like a wild cat. His
sword is prepared which
tells us he is ready to
fight.
Language
The images of the sun
and dawn are echoed in
the second extract. The
linking of the characters
to the natural world
emphasises their
goodness.
Language/theme
A play on the words ‘sick
amour’, meaning ‘sick
with love,’ a theme of
the play.
Character
Lord Montague extends
the picture of sensitive
Romeo created by
Benvolio. He tells the
audience that his son
keeps away from
company and is a young
man who tries to hide
his feelings from other
people.
Language
The word ‘artificial’ is the
first suggestion that
Romeo may be
responsible for his own
misery. By turning day
into night he is
undermining the natural
order and this can only
make things worse.
Performance
Lord Montague should
show his agitation and
concern by walking back
and forth. When he says
‘he’, ‘his’ and ‘himself’
he should point offstage
to show he is referring to
Romeo. Lady Montague
should walk after him,
showing she is equally
concerned.
Language
This is an image of
Romeo and Juliet who
never have the chance to
show their love to their
families. The image of
the budding flower is
echoed in the second
extract.
Character
These first words from
Romeo tell us that he is
distracted – he does not
respond to Benvolio by
saying ‘Good morrow,’
but asks him if it is
morning.
Performance
Romeo should try and
walk away from Benvolio
to show he does not
want to stop and talk to
him. His actions confirm
what has been said
about him earlier – that
he wants to be alone.
Theme
The references to time
predict what happens in
the play – time is short
for Romeo as he does
not have long to live.
BENVOLIO
My noble uncle, do you know the cause?
Character
MONTAGUE
I neither know it, nor can learn of him.
BENVOLIO
Have you importuned him by any means?
MONTAGUE
Both by myself and many other friends:
But he, his own affections’ counsellor,
Is to himself – I will not say how true –
But to himself so secret and so close,
So far from sounding and discovery
As is the bud bit with an envious worm
Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air,
Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.
Could we but learn from whence his sorrows grow,
We would as willingly give cure as know.
Enter ROMEO.
BENVOLIO
See where he comes. So please you, step aside.
I’ll know his grievance or be much denied.
MONTAGUE
I would thou wert so happy by thy stay
To hear true shrift. Come, madam, let’s away.
Exit MONTAGUE, with LADY MONTAGUE.
BENVOLIO
Good morrow, cousin.
Romeo’s reluctance to
share his feelings with
his parents plays a part
in the tragedy. He does
not tell his family about
his love for Rosaline or
Juliet.
Character
This shows that the
Montagues are loving
parents. The use of the
pronoun ‘we’ shows that
they are united in their
concern for their son.
Performance
Lord Montague should
put his arm around Lady
Montague and lead her
from the stage. They
continue to look back as
Romeo comes on stage
to show that they are
very concerned about
him.
Character
Romeo shows how
depressed he is by the
reference to ‘sad hours’.
Performance
ROMEO
Is the day so young?
BENVOLIO
But new struck nine.
ROMEO
Ay me, sad hours seem long.
Was that my father that went hence so fast?
BENVOLIO
It was. What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours?
Benvolio should try and
stop Romeo walking
away by standing in
front of him. The direct
question about what is
making him sad should
be said in a gentle tone
to reassure Romeo that
he wants to help him. He
is his cousin so it is only
natural that he is
concerned.
ROMEO
Not having that which, having, makes them short.
BENVOLIO
In love?
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
5
ROMEO
Out –
Language
The repetition of the
word ‘love’ tells us why
Romeo is depressed.
Theme/language
Eyes and sight are a
theme in the play – in
this case love is blind.
Language/
character
Regular iambic
pentameter suggests
that this is not
spontaneous speech. It
is almost like a poem
Romeo has rehearsed.
The break in the iambic
pentameter comes when
he asks Benvolio if he is
laughing at him – this is
more natural. It is
Romeo’s first speech and
tells us something about
his character at this
stage.
Performance
Benvolio should stress
the word ‘thy’ to show
Romeo that he is not
laughing at him, but
sympathises and wants
to console him.
Performance
As Romeo turns to leave,
Benvolio should start to
walk with him and then
slowly turn him back to
centre stage. Benvolio
needs to keep him
talking because he has
not discovered who
Romeo is in love with.
6
BENVOLIO
Of love?
ROMEO
Out of her favour where I am in love.
BENVOLIO
Alas, that Love, so gentle in his view,
Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!
ROMEO
Alas, that Love, whose view is muffled still,
Should without eyes see pathways to his will!
Where shall we dine? O me! What fray was here?
Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.
Here’s much to do with hate, but more with love.
Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate,
O anything of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness, serious vanity,
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!
This love feel I, that feel no love in this.
Dost thou not laugh?
BENVOLIO
No, coz, I rather weep.
Theme
The capitalisation of
‘Love’ means Benvolio is
referring to Cupid, the
mythological god of
love.
Character
Romeo makes many
references to love and
they all show a
conventional or clichéd
view of love. He talks
about love as he thinks it
should be spoken about.
This contrasts with the
way he talks once he has
fallen in love with Juliet.
Language
The use of oxymorons
(two words of
contradicting meaning) is
a poetic device which is
used to show that
Romeo is an educated
young man and is very
sensitive.
ROMEO
Good heart, at what?
BENVOLIO
At thy good heart’s oppression.
ROMEO
Why, such is love’s transgression.
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt propagate to have it pressed
With more of thine. This love that thou hast shown
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs:
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes;
Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.
What is it else? A madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.
Farewell, my coz.
BENVOLIO
Soft, I will go along –
And if you leave me so, you do me wrong.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Character
Benvolio reinforces what
we already know about
Romeo – that he is a
gentle, loving young
man who means no
harm to anyone. This
adds to the tragedy as
he suffers for having a
‘good heart’
Theme
The images of love
evoked here are those of
sorrow and suffering – it
makes you unhappy,
deprives you of breath
and makes you cry.
Theme
Romeo is suggesting
that the power of love
has made him lose his
identity. This is not a
warm, comfortable love;
these feelings have
been destructive.
Performance
Once again Benvolio
should stress the word
‘who’, this time with
more exasperation in his
voice to show Romeo
that he still has not
answered the question.
ROMEO
Tut, I have lost myself. I am not here.
This is not Romeo: he’s some other where.
BENVOLIO
Tell me in sadness, who is that you love?
ROMEO
What, shall I groan and tell thee?
BENVOLIO
Groan? Why no –
But sadly tell me who.
ROMEO
A right good mark-man! And she’s fair I love.
The love that Romeo is
describing here, with its
references to the classical
gods Cupid and Dian, is
the love that is written
about in formal poetry.
He is talking about love
in an artificial way, which
suggests he does not
really understand what
true love feels like.
Character/
language
Romeo still has not told
Benvolio who he is in
love with – the use of
the pronoun ‘she’ hides
the name. This shows us
that Romeo is secretive
and cannot be open with
his cousin. Starting each
sentence with ‘she’
makes her sound both
important and
mysterious.
Benvolio is so fed up
with Romeo talking in
riddles he should grasp
him by the shoulders,
look straight at him and
ask him who he loves.
He should emphasise the
‘who’ to show that is the
question he wants
answered.
Language/
character
ROMEO
Bid a sick man in sadness make his will –
A word ill urged to one that is so ill.
In sadness, cousin, I do love a woman.
BENVOLIO
I aimed so near when I supposed you loved.
Theme
Performance
BENVOLIO
A right fair mark, fair coz, is soonest hit.
ROMEO
Well, in that hit you miss. She’ll not be hit
With Cupid’s arrow. She hath Dian’s wit,
And in strong proof of chastity well-armed,
From Love’s weak childish bow she lives uncharmed.
She will not stay the siege of loving terms,
Nor bide th’ encounter of assailing eyes,
Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold.
O, she is rich in beauty – only poor
That when she dies, with beauty dies her store.
BENVOLIO
Then she hath sworn that she will still live chaste?
ROMEO
She hath, and in that sparing makes huge waste,
For beauty, starved with her severity,
Cuts beauty off from all posterity.
She is too fair, too wise, wisely too fair,
To merit bliss by making me despair.
She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow
Do I live dead, that live to tell it now.
The word ‘groan’
reminds us how
depressed and unhappy
he is – it is a word that
suggests pain.
Language
The language here is of
sickness, and the
reference to the will
suggests death. This
contrasts to Romeo
telling his cousin that he
is in love.
Language
Romeo says these lines in
iambic pentameter
because this is a serious
topic and the steady
rhythm makes him sound
serious.
BENVOLIO
Be ruled by me: forget to think of her.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
7
Performance/
language
Romeo should react in
an angry way to the
suggestion that he can
forget the woman he is
in love with. His tone
changes and he should
try and walk away from
Benvolio to show him
that he is angry. The
exclamation mark at the
end of the sentence
shows that the actor
should say this in an
upset way.
ROMEO
O, teach me how I should forget to think!
BENVOLIO
By giving liberty unto thine eyes:
Examine other beauties.
ROMEO
‘Tis the way
To call hers – exquisite – in question more.
These happy masks that kiss fair ladies’ brows,
Being black, puts us in mind they hide the fair.
He that is strucken blind cannot forget
The precious treasure of his eyesight lost.
Show me a mistress that is passing fair:
What doth her beauty serve, but as a note
Where I may read who passed that passing fair?
Farewell. Thou canst not teach me to forget.
BENVOLIO
I’ll pay that doctrine, or else die in debt.
Exeunt.
Performance
Benvolio should touch
both his eyes and spread
his arms out to show
that the world is full of
beautiful women, if only
Romeo would look at
them.
Theme
More references to sight:
Benvolio wants Romeo
to open his eyes and
find a new love, but
Romeo thinks that this
is a hopeless suggestion.
This reflects his state of
mind – he has lost his
happiness and cannot
see anything but his own
misery. He also does not
see that his family are
worried about him.
Extract 2 Act 2, Scene 2, lines 1 to 157
Theme
The scene takes place in
a garden where plants
grow and flourish – a
romantic setting for
Romeo and Juliet to
declare their love for
each other.
Character
Once again Romeo is
obsessed with his own
feelings. The words ‘scar’
and ‘wound’ suggest
that his suffering is
physical and it has left a
permanent mark on him.
The garden, beside the Capulet house.
ROMEO comes forward (reacting to MERCUTIO’s
joking).
ROMEO
He jests at scars that never felt a wound.
Enter JULIET, coming to her window-balcony above. ROMEO,
below, sees the light at the window, then realises it is JULIET.
– 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.
Be not her maid, since she is envious:
Her vestal livery is but sick and green,
And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off.
Language
This heralds a new dawn
in Romeo’s life. Juliet has
the power to dispel the
gloom and despair he
felt in the previous
scene.
8
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Theme
We are reminded that
this a play about love
and death – the scars
and wounds hint at what
is going to happen to
these ‘star-crossed
lovers’.
Performance
When Romeo sees it is
Juliet he should make a
move towards her as if
he is drawn to her like a
magnet, or like a moth
to light.
Language
The reference to Juliet as
the sun shows the power
of her beauty. She can
turn night into day, and
Romeo expresses his love
for her as her bringing
light to his dark world.
Language
The pronoun ‘my’
emphasises how much
he is in love with Juliet.
The alliterations of the
words ‘lady’ and ‘love’
adds a softness to this
line. The hyphens break
up the line to show he
is overwhelmed by
watching her. It is as if
he is so dazed he is
trying to catch his
breath.
Performance
Juliet should sigh loudly
and hold her head in her
hands to show how
upset and concerned she
is.
Language
– It is my lady! – O, it is my love!
O that she knew she were!
She speaks – yet she says nothing. What of that?
Her eye discourses. I will answer it.
– I am too bold. ‘Tis not to me she speaks.
Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven,
Having some business, do entreat her eyes
To twinkle in their spheres till they return.
What if her eyes were there, they in her head?
The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars
As daylight doth a lamp. Her eyes in heaven
Would through the airy region stream so bright
That birds would sing and think it were not night!
See how she leans her cheek upon her hand.
O that I were a glove upon that hand,
That I might touch that cheek!
JULIET
Ay me!
ROMEO
(Aside) She speaks.
O speak again, bright angel! – For thou art
As glorious to this night, being o’er my head,
As is a wingèd messenger of heaven
Unto the white-upturnèd wondering eyes
Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him
When he bestrides the lazy-pacing clouds,
And sails upon the bosom of the air.
The repetition of his
name tells us that Juliet
is fascinated by Romeo
and is in love with him.
JULIET
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.
Theme
ROMEO
(Aside) Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?
The conflict between the
Montagues and Capulets
cannot be ignored. Juliet
knows that it is not just
Romeo’s name that is the
problem – it is the
ongoing feud between
the families.
JULIET
‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy.
Thou art myself, 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.
Language
The references to stars
and heaven show that
Romeo sees Juliet as the
most important person in
the world. Her eyes are
like stars and shine light
into his heart.
Language
In contrast to his love for
Rosaline, whom he
talked about as a Pagan
goddess, Juliet is referred
to in religious terms as
an angel. It shows how
different his feelings for
her are compared to his
feelings for Rosaline.
Character
Juliet knows that this is
true love and that she
wants to marry Romeo.
This is a young woman
who knows what she
wants – she has grown
up very quickly.
Language
Romeo is compared to a
beautiful flower (one
that we associate with
love). By saying how
Romeo smells as sweet
as a rose we can see
how all her senses have
responded to him.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
9
Performance
Romeo should rush out
to speak to her. It shows
he cannot control
himself and has to let
her know he is there
(another impulsive
action).
Character
This is an echo from the
previous scene where
Romeo said his character
had changed. This
reveals him to be a
volatile and impulsive
character.
Performance
Once Juliet realises it is
Romeo she should lean
over the balcony so she
can see his face. At the
same time Romeo should
move towards the
balcony to show he is
desperate to get closer
to her.
Character
In contrast to Juliet’s
sensible response to the
danger, Romeo makes
light of it by suggesting
that his love for her has
made him superhuman
and invulnerable.
Character
While Romeo is talking
about love and his
feelings for Juliet, she is
being more realistic
about the danger he is
in. It shows that Romeo
is naïve and immature.
ROMEO
I take thee at thy word.
Call me but love, and I’ll be new-baptized.
Henceforth, I never will be Romeo.
JULIET
What man art thou, that thus bescreened in night
So stumblest on my counsel?
ROMEO
By a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am.
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself
Because it is an enemy to thee.
Had I it written, I would tear the word.
JULIET
My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words
Of thy tongue’s uttering, yet I know the sound.
Art thou Romeo, and a Montague?
ROMEO
Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike.
JULIET
How cam’st thou hither, tell me, and wherefore?
The orchard walls are high and hard to climb –
And the place death, considering who thou art,
If any of my kinsmen find thee here.
ROMEO
With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls,
For stony limits cannot hold love out –
And what love can do, that dares love attempt.
Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.
JULIET
If they do see thee, they will murder thee.
ROMEO
Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
Than twenty of their swords. Look thou but sweet
And I am proof against their enmity.
JULIET
I would not for the world they saw thee here.
Performance
Juliet should show her
concern that they may
be discovered with an
anxious expression, and
look behind her when
she says ‘they’ (to mean
her family).
10
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Character
Romeo forgets that he is
in a dangerous situation
by being in the Capulet’s
garden. Also, by
speaking directly to Juliet
he is making matters
more dangerous.
Theme
Romeo instantly declares
his love for Juliet and
denounces his name.
Language
Once again, Romeo
refers to her in religious
terms.
Language
The word ‘drunk’
suggests she is
intoxicated by him, and
that she can remember
his voice because of the
impact he has had on
her. This is another
example of her senses
responding to him.
Theme
In the middle of this
scene of romantic love
we are reminded that
Verona is a violent city
and that the feud
between the families
threatens their love.
Character
Juliet instantly recognises
that this is a dangerous
situation for Romeo. Her
concern for him is
genuine – she is trying to
warn him and does not
want to see him killed.
Theme
Romeo foretells his own
fate here. In the midst of
this tender love scene,
death is present.
Performance
A director has to decide
whether to have Romeo
staying on the ground,
climbing towards the
balcony to touch Juliet’s
outstretched hand or
climbing the balcony to
be with her. What would
you do?
Theme
Romeo is very quick to
tell her he loves her –
even after hearing it
several times, Juliet
needs to ask him directly
if he really is sincere in
his love for her.
Character
Juliet realises that she
may appear too eager
and that it is customary
for young women to
play hard to get.
Theme
Juliet knows her love for
Romeo is real and wants
him to know that she
will always love him.
Language
The word ‘swear’ shows
how serious the lovers
are about committing
themselves to one
another, and that the
vows have to be proper
ones.
ROMEO
I have night’s cloak to hide me from their eyes.
And but thou love me, let them find me here.
My life were better ended by their hate
Than death proroguèd, wanting of thy love.
JULIET
By whose direction found’st thou out this place?
ROMEO
By love, that first did prompt me to inquire.
He lent me counsel, and I lent him eyes.
I am no pilot, yet wert thou as far
As that vast shore washed with the farthest sea,
I should adventure for such merchandise.
JULIET
Thou knowest the mask of night is on my face,
Else would a maiden blush bepaint my cheek
For that which thou hast heard me speak tonight.
Fain would I dwell on form – fain, fain deny
What I have spoke. – But farewell compliment!
Dost thou love me? I know thou wilt say ‘Ay’ –
And I will take thy word. Yet if thou swear’st
Thou mayst prove false. At lovers’ perjuries
They say Jove laughs. O gentle Romeo,
If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully.
Or if thou think I am too quickly won,
I’ll frown, and be perverse, and say thee nay,
So thou wilt woo – but else, not for the world.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond,
And therefore thou mayst think my ’haviour light.
But trust me, gentleman, I’ll prove more true
Than those that have more cunning to be strange.
I should have been more strange, I must confess,
But that thou overheard’st, ere I was ware,
My true-love passion. Therefore pardon me,
And not impute this yielding to light love,
Which the dark night hath so discoverèd.
ROMEO
Lady, by yonder blessèd moon I vow,
That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops –
JULIET
O swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon,
That monthly changes in her circled orb,
Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.
ROMEO
What shall I swear by?
Theme
Romeo’s references to
eyes and sight indicate
that he does not see the
real danger he is in,
because he believes the
dark night (another
theme in the play) will
shield him from harm.
Language
Juliet refers to Romeo as
‘gentle’ which shows she
knows he is not a macho
or aggressive character.
Performance
Juliet should pretend to
look as if she is irritated
by Romeo and when she
says ‘nay’ she should
pretend to push him
away as if she wants him
to leave her alone.
Character
Romeo is talking to her
in the way he thinks a
lover should talk. It is not
a natural way to talk.
Character
Juliet once again shows
that she is the more
sensible one by pointing
out to him that he is
swearing by something
that waxes and wanes.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
11
Theme
Once again we are
reminded of the ‘starcrossed lovers’ from the
Prologue. The reference
to lightning hints at the
storm that their love will
create and the disaster it
will bring to both of
them. Juliet senses that
something is wrong with
what is happening to
them.
Performance
Juliet should say these
two lines quickly, to
show that she is anxious
that things have moved
too fast. She also realises
that the longer she stays
on the balcony, the more
danger they are in.
Character
True to his romantic
character, Romeo is not
thinking about sex but
of love. He wants her to
confirm that she does
love him.
JULIET
Do not swear at all. –
Or if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self,
Which is the god of my idolatry,
And I’ll believe thee.
ROMEO
If my heart’s dear love –
JULIET
Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee,
I have no joy of this contract tonight.
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden –
Too like the lightning, which doth cease to be
Ere one can say ‘It lightens’. Sweet, good night
This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath,
May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.
Good night, good night! As sweet repose and rest
Come to thy heart as that within my breast.
ROMEO
O wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?
JULIET
What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?
ROMEO
Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine.
JULIET
I gave thee mine before thou didst request it –
And yet I would it were to give again.
ROMEO
Would’st thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?
Language
The images of the
natural world show that
Juliet’s feelings for
Romeo are real and very
powerful.
Character
Even though she knows
he has to go, she is so in
love she wants to see
him again before he
leaves.
12
JULIET
But to be frank and give it thee again:
And yet I wish but for the thing I have.
My bounty is as boundless as the sea,
My love as deep. The more I give to thee,
The more I have, for both are infinite.
The NURSE is heard calling from inside the house.
I hear some noise within. Dear love, adieu!
– Anon, good Nurse! – Sweet Montague, be true.
Stay but a little: I will come again.
She goes from the window.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Language
The repetition of ‘too’
emphasises Juliet’s fear
of what might happen.
Language
The images here are of
nature and beauty – it is
summer when buds
bloom into beautiful
flowers. This is the
second time Juliet has
used the image of a
flower to describe her
feelings.
Performance
Juliet should appear
surprised because she
thinks Romeo is
suggesting that he wants
more from her than it is
proper for her to give.
She should step back
from him to show she is
worried by what she
thinks he is suggesting.
Character
Juliet is not shy about
telling Romeo that she
loved him before he
came into the garden,
and that telling him she
loves him thrills her and
makes her happy.
Language
The word ‘infinite’ tells
the audience that there
is no end to her love for
Romeo.
Performance/
language
Romeo could fall to his
knees and clasp his
hands as if in prayer. The
words ‘blessed, blessed’
sound like a prayer.
Character
Juliet has taken charge
of the situation. She tells
Romeo that if he is
serious about her, he
can show it by marrying
her.
ROMEO
O blessèd, blessèd night! I am afeard,
Being in night, all this but a dream,
Too flattering-sweet to be substantial.
Theme
JULIET returns above.
JULIET
Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.
If that thy bent of love be honourable,
Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow
By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,
Where and what time thou wilt perform the rite –
And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay,
And follow thee, my lord, throughout the world.
NURSE
(From inside the house) Madam!
The night can play tricks
on you and Romeo is
frightened that all this is
a dream and she does
not love him.
Character
This declaration of
devotion shows that
Juliet is determined to
fulfil her desires and is
willing to deceive her
parents and lose all she
has to be with Romeo.
JULIET
I come! Anon! – But if thou mean’st not well,
I do beseech thee –
NURSE
(Calling again) Madam!
Performance
The words to the nurse
should be shouted in an
irritated way to add
tension to the scene.
JULIET
By and by! I come!
– To cease thy suit, and leave me to my grief.
Tomorrow will I send.
ROMEO
So thrive my soul, –
Language
The rhyming couplets
suggest harmony and
resolution. The fact that
the lovers share the
rhyme emphasises that
they are now bound
together.
Theme
The scene ends with
Romeo commenting that
leaving his love makes
him sad, but having won
her makes him happy.
JULIET
A thousand times good night!
She goes again.
Performance
Juliet could kiss Romeo
as many times as she can
before he leaves – the
thousand good nights
are a thousand kisses. As
she leaves the balcony
she should continue to
look back at him until
she disappears inside, to
show she really does not
want to leave him.
Language
ROMEO
A thousand times the worse, to want thy light!
Love goes toward love as schoolboys from their books,
But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.
Romeo mourns her
leaving by saying that
darkness has returned
because she is the light
in his life. This echoes his
words at the beginning
of the scene when he
calls her the sun.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
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14
Romeo is self-consciously sad, and more in love with the idea of
being in love than with any particular woman. His oxymorons
(apparent contradictions) about the nature of love are too
clever and too wittily balanced to be the expressions of genuine
feeling.
Romeo: …sad hours seem long.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Your own point: Romeo dismisses Benvolio’s suggestion that he should look at
other young women, because he thinks no-one could be more
beautiful than ‘his’ Rosaline.
Romeo speaks light-heartedly about his love because he is
joking with Benvolio, but we can tell that it is a cause of sorrow
to him.
Romeo is in a very mixed-up state of mind because the girl he
thinks he loves, Rosaline, does not return his affection.
Romeo’s friend Benvolio tries to find out why he is behaving so
strangely. He quickly realises that love is the source of Romeo’s
sadness and the audience see that Romeo’s feelings are very
confused.
As an audience we quickly recognise that Romeo is playing
the part of the disappointed young lover. He has all the classic
symptoms: sighing, staying private in his chamber and avoiding
the prying eyes of fair daylight and even of his family.
Montague: Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs.
Romeo is avoiding the company of his friends and family, and
they do not know why.
Rosaline is proof against Romeo’s feelings (and against the
arrows of desire fired by Cupid, god of love). Although Romeo’s
love is more imagined than real, there are deliberate sexual
overtones in his descriptions of Rosaline’s refusal to ope her lap.
Romeo: She’ll not be hit
Or Quote: Romeo: Show me a mistress that is passing fair:/What doth her
beauty serve, but as a note/ Where I may read who passed that
passing fair?
Benvolio: Examine other beauties.
Nor ope her lap to saint-seducing gold.
or
With Cupid’s arrow.
Personal response: There is an irony in Romeo’s claim that no girl’s beauty could
compare with Rosaline’s – he is about to meet Juliet and fall in
love at first sight. Despite his words in this scene, he will not
give Rosaline a second thought, and whilst he only talks about
loving Rosaline, he acts on his love for Juliet.
Suffering the pangs of unrequited love was one of the fashions
of the times for young men in Shakespeare’s day. The audience
would have enjoyed the way Romeo’s behaviour matches the
stereotype of the young man disappointed in love.
This is not Romeo: he’s some other where.
Romeo: …I have lost myself. I am not here.
…feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health…
O heavy lightness, serious vanity…
or
Away from light steals home my heavy son…
or
Personal responses
Quotations
Points
Extract 1: Act 1, Scene 1, lines 98 to 232
Highlight the key words in this table and fill in the blank boxes with your own quotations and personal responses.
Focus on character
I know not how to tell thee who I am.
Henceforth I never will be Romeo…
and
Romeo: O that I were a glove upon that hand / That I might touch
that cheek!
O that she knew she were!
It is my lady! – O, it is my love!
or
Your own point: Having been in a dream of love, first with Rosaline and now
with Juliet, his self-questioning shows that Romeo is waking up
to the reality of his situation.
Romeo is still full of the language of love – eager to prove his
affection by swearing an oath. Juliet puts less trust in mere
words.
Or Quote: Being in night, all this is but a dream,
Romeo: I am afear’d,
Or if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self…
Juliet: Do not swear at all.
Romeo: What shall I swear by?
Juliet realises the danger that Romeo is in and this is one sign of Romeo: And what love can do, that dares love attempt.
her love for him. Romeo sounds almost intoxicated by his love
or
and uncaring about the dangers.
…I am proof against their enmity.
We realise that this is different from Romeo’s infatuation with
Rosaline. His passion is apparent, and he is ready to cease being
a Montague.
Personal response: Romeo’s love moves from illusion – the dream of being in love
– to the reality of his physical passion for Juliet. He can hardly
believe what is happening, and that the danger this love brings
is real, but his ability to question like this shows us a different
Romeo is emerging. He is no longer just a love-sick youth.
The focus of love in the play is moving from language to action:
it is what Romeo and Juliet do, not what they say, that will
determine their fates. Here the audience sees how practical,
open and action-orientated Juliet is by comparison with Romeo.
He is ready to settle for mere words – thy love’s faithful vow.
The reference to kinsmen reminds us of the family feuding and
therefore of the danger that Romeo is in. At this stage, Juliet
is the one who is worried (I would not for the world they saw thee
here) whilst Romeo is trusting, unrealistically, that night’s cloak
will hide him.
There is a convincing reality about Romeo’s love for Juliet –
he wants to be in the closest possible contact with her – but
he is still given to romantic flights of fanciful language such
as imagining the winged messenger of heaven. Conscious of the
damage his family name could do, he is ready to renounce it.
The audience may remember how besotted Romeo was with
Rosaline, but he has forgotten her now. He is now focused
only on Juliet, not on himself as before, and the way he acts
courageously just to be in her presence contrasts markedly with
his long-distance love for Rosaline.
Romeo:
Romeo has taken the great risk of entering the Capulet garden.
Seeing Juliet appear on her balcony, whilst he is below, is more
than he expected.
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Personal responses
Quotations
Points
Extract 2: Act 2, Scene 2, lines 1 to 157
Highlight the key words in this table and fill in the blank boxes with your own quotations and personal responses.
Focus on character
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
15
16
Romeo:
Love is traditionally blind. Its representative is Cupid, the god
of love, who is often portrayed as blind whilst firing his arrows.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Your own point: She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow
Or Quote: Do I live dead, that live to tell it now.
Romeo:
Romeo’s wordplay conceals his feelings from Benvolio, but fate
is also a theme, and the audience already know that the later
love will lead to his death.
From Love’s weak childish bow she lives uncharmed.
Romeo:
FATE
Rosaline is described as a chaste young woman, capable of
resisting Cupid’s arrows. In other words, she’s not in love with
Romeo!
A madness most discreet,…
or
O heavy lightness, serious vanity…
O anything of nothing first create!
Romeo: O brawling love, O loving hate,
Personal response: Romeo’s idealised love for Rosaline may sound dangerous, but
it’s really safe. However, love and death were closely linked in
Elizabethan times, and nowhere more than in this play. To ‘die’
was also used as a reference to making love, and there is a hint
here that Romeo and Juliet will later love each other to their
deaths.
The comments on Rosaline’s purity and that she worships
Diana the goddess of chastity contrast the idealised love that
Romeo has for her with the physical passion that he later shares
with Juliet. We can’t imagine him kissing Rosaline, except in
his dreams, but he touches and kisses Juliet immediately.
The contradictory nature of love is emphasised here through
oxymorons (apparent contradictions): hate and love, heaviness
of heart and lightness of heart. The idea of creation out of
nothing hints that there is no real basis for Romeo’s love for
Rosaline. His love for Juliet will be of a different kind.
Love here is an idea rather than a person. The blindness here
is amusing, but it prepares us for Romeo’s later love for Juliet
which will be much more serious because it blinds him to the
danger he puts himself in for love. The blindness to danger that
love brings will contribute to the final tragedy.
And makes himself an artificial night.
Romeo has been behaving very strangely – avoiding company,
shunning daylight. Light and darkness are minor themes
through the play.
Romeo is playing the classic mixed-up young lover here, full of
contradictory feelings and swinging between hope and despair.
But it’s just words.
The description of Romeo by his father informs the audience
immediately that Romeo is playing the traditional part (in every
sense) of the unhappy young man whose love is not returned by
his beloved. His seeking only to be alone is so extreme that we
almost find it amusing, and we are meant to do so.
Montague: Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out
LOVE
…Love, whose eye is muffled still,…
Personal responses
Quotations
Points
Extract 1: Act 1, Scene 1, lines 98 to 232
Highlight the key words in this table and fill in the blank boxes with your own quotations and personal responses.
Focus on theme
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Romeo’s love is like worship of some heavenly creature, yet he
is conscious that she is a maid, so there is a physical element to
his admiration.
Your own point: Juliet, in her determination to marry as soon as possible,
contrasts with Romeo, who just wants the words of love. She
thinks marriage will be the solution, but it just makes the
problems worse, and leads to their tragic deaths.
or
Or Quote: or I’ll… / follow thee, my lord, throughout the world.
The more I have, for both are infinite.
Juliet: The more I give to thee,
Romeo: Th’exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine…
It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden-…
I have no joy of this contract tonight.
Juliet: Well, do not swear…
Romeo tries to prove his love through words, but Juliet stops
him. She fears that their love will not last – and she is proved
right. Fate is a theme too.
In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond / And therefore may’st thou
think my ‘haviour light.
or
Personal response: Juliet has been shown as practical throughout the scene, and,
whilst Romeo wonders if he is dreaming, she wants their love
to lead to marriage as soon as possible. She knows that whilst
love may belong to two people, marriage is a social act involving
their families. But it doesn’t save them as she hopes it will: her
promise to follow Romeo proves impossible, and deadly.
This reminds us of Romeo’s O loving hate in the earlier scene.
Love’s intensity is linked with the idea that, like a bud, it will
not last long. As an audience we might wonder whether the
love between Romeo and Juliet would have quite the power that
it does, without the danger and death we know is coming.
Romeo’s mention of such merchandise reminds the audience
that marriage (as Capulet soon shows) usually reflected family
influence not romantic love in Shakespeare’s day. Juliet’s touching
honesty and naivety put the audience firmly on her side and
against the cruelty and conventions of life in violent Verona.
Juliet:…if thou think I am too quickly won / I’ll frown, and be
perverse, and say thee nay,…
…the place death, considering who thou art.
and
Love is shown as an intoxication: lovers do not behave
normally. Romeo has taken amazing risks in proving that stony
limits cannot hold love out, since we know that their family’s
enmity will mean disaster if discovered. Juliet voices that risk: If
they do see thee, they will murder thee, yet both go on to ignore it.
Juliet: My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words / Of thy
tongue’s uttering, yet I know the sound.
or … bright angel!
or …heaven …
FATE
Not knowing Romeo can hear, Juliet accidentally breaks all
the traditions of courtship, in which true feelings are hidden.
However, they both pay a price for going against society.
Being in love is like being drunk – the characters lose their
normal sense of right and wrong and behave without regard to
their own safety.
Romeo’s language is of images of light and of heavenly bodies,
as if Juliet is out of his world. In some senses she is, because she
is above him on stage and is in the Capulet world whilst he is in
the world of the Montagues. By contrast, he wants to touch her
and doesn’t want her to stay a maid for long.
Romeo:
LOVE
…fairest stars in all the heaven…spheres…
Personal responses
Quotations
Points
Extract 2: Act 2, Scene 2, lines 1 to 157
Highlight the key words in this table and fill in the blank boxes with your own quotations and personal responses.
Focus on theme
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
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Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Your own point: Romeo uses oxymorons to tell Benvolio how he is feeling.
The love that Romeo is experiencing is not a happy or uplifting
experience.
Benvolio is telling Romeo’s parents that he saw him in the
woods before dawn.
This tells us that Romeo is an educated young man who has
read poetry and that he is also very sensitive. The fact that
he has to use this poetic device to express his feelings suggests
that he is in love with the idea of being in love, but has not yet
fallen in love. The language is artificial just like his feelings for
Rosaline.
Romeo ...heavy lightness,…
Or Quote: …sick health,…
or
…cold fire,…
or
A choking gall,…
or
Personal response: Romeo describes love as physical suffering – gall is a bitter
fluid which can make you vomit and the smoke made from all
his heavy sighing would make it difficult to breathe and hurt
your eyes. This is not an original view of love, but one he has
borrowed from the love poetry of the 16th century.
Romeo: …a smoke made with the fume of sighs:…
…covert of the wood.
or
The description of Romeo in a natural setting where there is
peace and solitude is a contrast to the man-made streets of
Verona where there are people and tension. Shakespeare’s
audience would know that the sycamore is linked with lovesickness because of the pun ‘sickamour’, ‘amour’ being the
French word for love.
Benvolio: ...grove of sycamore…
…so secret and so close,…
or
…private in his chamber pens himself,…
The language used to describe Romeo paints a picture of him
as a very depressed and unhappy young man who cannot share
his feelings with anyone, even his family. He is private, secret
and close, and that tells us he that he is different to the other
young men in Verona and is not part of the battle between the
families.
There is a resigned tone to Lord Montague’s description of the
situation – the word ancient indicates that this dispute began
many years before this recent fight. It suggests that there is no
easy solution to this problem, and that this is not going to be
the last fight that we see.
Montague: ...this ancient quarrel…
Lord Montague reminds us that Verona has suffered from
violence for a long time.
Romeo is described to us by his family before we meet him. This Montague: ...my heavy son,…
prepares us for the meeting with Benvolio.
or
Personal responses
Quotations
Points
Extract 1: Act 1, Scene 1, lines 98 to 232
Highlight the key words in this table and fill in the blank boxes with your own quotations and personal responses.
Focus on language
By talking about Juliet as an angel, we know that he believes
that their love is blessed by God because angels are seen as
bringing good news and are messengers from God. These
religious references would tell the audience that Romeo is
completely serious about Juliet and this is not a passing fancy.
These comparisons with nature tell us that the feelings she has
for Romeo are natural and will develop into something more
lasting. Sadly, once flowers have bloomed they die, just like the
lovers will.
The repetition of too emphasises just how worried she is about what
is happening to them. The image of lightning suggests trouble ahead
as it heralds a storm and often destruction. She has no joy which tells
us that even when she is deeply in love with Romeo she has not lost
her common sense and knows that they are both courting danger by
allowing their love to grow.
The night which covers their initial embarrassment also symbolises
that this love has to stay hidden. The cloak of night protects the
lovers and separates them from what happens on the streets of
Verona during the day. The references to darkness also contrast to
the light of their love.
Romeo: ...bright angel!
or
...winged messenger of heaven...
or
...dear saint,...
Juliet : ...a rose...would smell as sweet.
or
This bud of love,...
or
...a beauteous flower...
Juliet: I have no joy of this contract tonight.
or
...too rash, too unadvised, too sudden.
or
Too like lightning,...
Romeo: ...night’s cloak...
or
Juliet: ...the mask of night...
or
...dark night...
Quote: Romeo also sees Juliet as someone who is innocent and pure.
Juliet talks about Romeo and their love for one another in
images of flowers.
Juliet has a premonition that their love is not going to be easy
for them.
The scene takes place at night and the lovers make several
references to night and darkness.
Your own point: Or By describing Juliet as someone as bright as the sun and her eyes
as stars, he is showing how overwhelmed he is by her beauty and
that she has more power than a mere mortal. This real passion is
a contrast to the way he talked about his feelings about love in
the first section.
Romeo: What light... breaks?
or
Arise, fair sun,...
or
Two of the fairest stars... Her eyes in heaven...
When Romeo sees Juliet at her window he describes her in
images of the sun and the stars.
Personal response: Personal responses
Quotations
Points
Extract 1: Act 2, Scene 2, lines 1 to 157
Highlight the key words in this table and fill in the blank boxes with your own quotations and personal responses.
Focus on language
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
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Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
The actor playing Benvolio tries to break into Romeo’s talk
by asking a direct question. Benvolio should stop Romeo from
walking about in his sad state and face him directly. This shows
the audience how concerned Benvolio is to find out why Romeo
is sad.
The actor playing Benvolio should disguise his laughter by
pretending that he is crying rather than laughing. This helps to
emphasise to the audience that Romeo is behaving in a rather
immature ‘love-sick’ way which contrasts with the true love he
experiences when he meets Juliet.
Benvolio: What sadness lengthens Romeo’s hours?
Romeo: Dost thou not laugh?
Benvolio should stop Romeo to get him to tell him the truth
about his love.
Romeo is suspicious that Benvolio is not taking his sadness
seriously.
Your own point: Or Quote: Benvolio: Soft, I will go along-...
Romeo: Farewell, my coz.
Benvolio: No, coz, I rather weep.
Black and portentous must his humour prove,...
Personal response: The audience will see that Benvolio’s questions are beginning
to annoy Romeo when he tries to get away from him. The
audience will see from this that Romeo wants to feel sorry for
himself. The actor playing Benvolio should try to stay close to
Romeo and not let him escape.
The audience should see from their faces and the worried way
that they huddle together and talk that Romeo’s family are
seriously concerned about him. Black and portentous shows that
Montague feels Romeo’s sad mood might lead to him becoming
ill and this would make the audience more concerned.
Montague: Adding to clouds more clouds with his deep sighs.
Benvolio, Montague and Lady Montague should show their
concern for Romeo through their expressions, how they stand
on stage and the way they speak.
Romeo tries to escape from Benvolio’s questioning about
his love.
The actor playing Montague should show his frustration
when Benvolio does not reply to his first question by grabbing
Benvolio’s shoulders and speaking loudly. This shows the
audience how anxious Montague is to know the truth about the
brawl and whether Romeo was involved.
Montague: Speak, nephew. Were you by when it began?
Montague should take Benvolio by the shoulders and face him
directly to emphasise how much he wants to hear what he has
seen.
or
Personal responses
Quotations
Points
Extract 1: Act 1, Scene 1, lines 98 to 232
Highlight the key words in this table and fill in the blank boxes with your own quotations and personal responses.
Focus on performance
The audience should see from the way the actor moves towards
the balcony that he can hardly help himself. They will realise
that he is so truly in love and he finds her attraction so powerful
he is unable to stay away from her. The audience will see the
contrast with the ‘love-sick’ way he behaved in the first section.
The actor playing Juliet should sigh loudly and hold her head in
her hands to show the audience how upset and concerned she
is. She should emphasise words like deny and refuse so that the
audience will realise that she is well aware how dangerous it is
for them to love each other.
Romeo: It is my lady! – O, it is my love!
Juliet: Ay, me!
As Romeo realises that it is Juliet on the balcony, he should
move closer.
Juliet shows her worry about Romeo being a Montague, her
family’s enemies, through her actions and the way she speaks.
The actor playing Romeo should fall to his knees to show the
audience how he can hardly believe it is true. The audience will
be reminded again of the contrast with the way Romeo plays at
being in love in the first extract, as now he is really in love.
Romeo: O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard, / Being in night, all
this but a dream.
Quote: Romeo shows how her declaration of love is almost impossible
for him to believe.
Your own point: Or I hear some noise within.
Personal response: By glancing behind her and speaking nervously the actor will
show the audience that Juliet is much more aware of their
dangerous situation than Romeo. The actor playing Romeo
should show that he is not concerned by not showing any fear
in his behaviour or the way he speaks.
Juliet: I would not for the world they saw thee here.
Juliet shows her anxiety about him being caught.
or
By leaning down towards him the actor playing Juliet shows the
audience that, like Romeo, she is in the grip of true love. The
audience will see that she can hardly stop herself from being
drawn towards him, so powerfully are they pulled towards each
other.
Juliet: Art thou Romeo, and a Montague?
As she speaks directly to Romeo, she should lean down towards
him from the balcony.
Deny thy father and refuse thy name-...
or
Personal responses
Quotations
Points
Extract 2: Act 2, Scene 2, lines 1 to 157
Highlight the key words in this table and fill in the blank boxes with your own quotations and personal responses.
Focus on performance
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
21
Sample questions
Thinking about the question: an example
Identifying similarities and
differences is the key idea in the
question – I must explore the
language of the two extracts,
commenting on what is the same
and what is different.
I’ll base my answer very firmly on
the words in a few short
quotations and avoid general
comments, but still give my own
views.
What similarities and what differences do you note
in Romeo’s language during these two extracts?
Language is the main focus so I
must write in detail about the
words and images used by
Romeo and how the audience
might respond to them.
I need to refer to both of the
two extracts in some detail,
otherwise I’ll lose marks.
Sample questions
Theme
• How are ideas about love explored in these two extracts?
• In what ways are the young lovers shown to be vulnerable in these two extracts?
Language
• What similarities and what differences do you note in Romeo’s language during these two
extracts?
• How does the way language is used in these two extracts help the audience to understand the
feelings of Romeo and Juliet?
Character
• How are the differences in Romeo’s mood and attitudes shown in these two extracts?
• How does Romeo’s love for Rosaline compare with his love for Juliet? Performance
• If you were directing a classroom performance which included these two extracts, what advice
would you give to the actors playing Benvolio and Juliet about how they might behave towards
Romeo?
• What advice would you give to the actor playing Romeo about how he should speak to other
characters and how he should speak when no-one (apart from the audience) is listening?
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Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Planning a character answer
Read the question and look at the suggested plan below. Complete the boxes on the right hand side
of the table. Use the plan suggestions and sentence starters only if you find them helpful.
How does Romeo’s love for Rosaline compare with his love for Juliet?
Introduction
For you to complete
• The big idea is that Romeo’s character changes
from idealised lover to real lover.
What these two extracts show us is that…
• At first Romeo is in love with the idea of being
in love and Rosaline is just the excuse for his
emotions.
• By contrast his love for Juliet is real – so
different, and so physical – that he risks danger
and it leads to his death.
I think that Shakespeare was…
Extract 1
• Romeo is worrying his family by playing the
lover: he avoids people and stays moping in the
darkness.
In the first extract Romeo’s love for Rosaline is…
• Rosaline’s lack of interest in him is Romeo’s
excuse for being so sad that he has ‘lost
himself’.
The words that make me think this are…
• Romeo claims that no-one could compare with
chaste Rosaline, and seems to enjoy the misery
of worshipping her from afar.
At this point in the play…
• We know there’s no real feeling here – it’s all
too cool and clever.
Extract 2
• Romeo is different now: truly in love and risking
danger just to be near his beloved.
Romeo’s love in the second extract…
• He is ready to forsake his name and family for
Juliet.
• Words won’t do any more – Romeo wants to
touch and hold Juliet, whatever the risk. This is
real feeling.
What proves that for me is…
• He still wants to ‘swear’ his love, but illusions
are no longer enough for him, and he can
hardly believe that it’s real when he finds that
Juliet returns his love.
Conclusion
• The Romeo of the second extract is a very
different lover from the youth in the first extract
whose love is just in his imagination. He is more
mature, yet so in love that, despite their family
enmity, he is ready to risk his life to be with
Juliet.
The comparison between…
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
23
Planning a theme answer
Read the question and look at the suggested plan below. Complete the boxes on the right hand side
of the table. Use the plan suggestions and sentence starters only if you find them helpful.
In what ways are the young lovers shown to be vulnerable in these two
extracts?
Introduction
For you to complete
• The big idea is that young love may shine a brief
light on a dark world, but it is too vulnerable to
last.
These two extracts show that...
• Romeo is vulnerable only in his imagination over
Rosaline, but is in real danger through loving
Juliet.
I think that Shakespeare was …
Extract 1
• When we hear of Romeo’s sadness we realise
that (like all young lovers) he is vulnerable
because he is so emotionally mixed-up that he
gets things out of proportion.
• He talks of being dead whilst alive because of
Rosaline’s vow of chastity, as if it is the end of
the world.
In the first extract …
The words that show this are...
• Romeo’s friends and family think there is a real
danger that he will sink into despair.
At this point my thoughts about the ways in which Romeo is vulnerable are...
Extract 2
• Romeo is now truly in love and that makes him
vulnerable to attack from the Capulets because
he forgets, or does not care, what danger he is
in.
• Juliet’s innocence makes her vulnerable because
she tells Romeo of her love and puts her future
life in his hands.
The second extract shows that both are vulnerable because...
What proves that is...
• Both lovers are vulnerable because their families
are enemies in a violent Verona, and Juliet is
more aware of the danger than Romeo.
Conclusion
• The first extract shows us that the young lovers
are vulnerable in terms of their own emotions,
the second extract that they are vulnerable in
terms of their lives. Loving each other puts their
lives at risk, and the audience know that the
love between Romeo and Juliet leads to death.
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Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
The vulnerability of the young lovers is shown in different ways in the two
extracts…
Planning a language answer
Read the question and look at the suggested plan below. Complete the boxes on the right hand side
of the table. Use the plan suggestions and sentence starters only if you find them helpful.
How does the way language is used in these two extracts help the audience
understand the feelings of different characters?
Introduction
For you to complete
• The answer needs to focus on what the
characters say to one another and about one
another.
The language in the two extracts…
• Both extracts show what it feels like to be in
love – that is the big idea.
Extract 1
• The audience know that Romeo is depressed
and avoiding people because his father and his
cousin talk about him before he comes on
stage.
• Romeo tells us that being in love is making him
feel ill and unhappy and he does not know
what to do.
In the first extract the language Romeo uses…
The words…
• The language he uses is artificial and refers to
pagan Gods.
Extract 2
• Now that Romeo has met Juliet he knows what
true love feels like and knows that it makes you
happy.
In the second extract Romeo’s language has changed…
• Romeo is so in love he cannot see the danger he
is in.
• To show how he feels he talks about Juliet as an
angel and a saint.
• Juliet shows how much she loves Romeo by
comparing him and their love to flowers.
The words…
• Juliet becomes anxious about their love as she
senses danger.
Conclusion
• Romeo’s feelings have changed from the first
extract to the second.
The language in both extracts shows us…
• This is the first time Juliet has experienced an
emotion as powerful as this and it marks her
passage from girl to woman.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
25
Planning a performance answer
Read the question and look at the suggested plan below. Complete the boxes on the right hand side
of the table. Use the plan suggestions and sentence starters only if you find them helpful.
If you were directing a classroom performance which included these two
extracts, what advice would you give to the actors playing Benvolio and
Juliet about how they might behave towards Romeo?
Introduction
For you to complete
• Romeo feels very different in each extract so the
actors playing Benvolio and Juliet must behave
differently to him.
Both extracts have characters responding to Romeo...
• In the first extract Benvolio tries to cheer him up
and in the second Juliet reacts to his love for
her.
Extract 1
• Benvolio shows his concern for Romeo and tries
to get him to answer questions.
In the first extract Benvolio shows his concern by...
• Benvolio tries not to laugh at Romeo’s sadness
and self-pity.
• At the end of the extract Benvolio tries to give
Romeo some advice to get over the fact that
Rosaline doesn’t love him.
I would tell the actor...
Extract 2
• Juliet should show how much she loves him
already as she recognises his voice.
In the second extract Juliet shows her love for Romeo...
• She should show concern for his safety because
she knows how dangerous it is for him.
• Juliet should speak boldly towards him as she
asks whether he loves her.
I would tell the actor...
• When he wants to swear his love to her she
should show she is practical by speaking plainly.
Conclusion
• The two actors have to respond to very different
emotions and feelings shown by Romeo in the
two extracts.
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Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
The actors playing Benvolio and Juliet need to show...
Sample character answer
B
How
Heading
are the differences in Romeo’s mood and attitudes shown in these two
extracts?
Opening has a clear
line of argument.
Convincingly
personal comment.
Points illustrated by
relevant references.
These two extracts show a big difference in Romeo’s mood and
attitudes. He goes from being in love with the idea of love, to being
really in love with Juliet.
In the first extract we hear about Romeo’s mood before we actually
see him – his father talks about ‘my heavy son’ and (like Benvolio)
we guess that this will be a young man suffering the pangs of love.
Romeo is miserable – his ‘sad hours seem long’. He is avoiding
company, shunning daylight and being ‘so secret and so close’ that
he is a mystery to his family and friends.
Romeo is confused about his feelings for Rosaline and this colours
his view of the ‘fray’ he has just missed – ‘O brawling love, loving
hate’. We guess that he would not have wanted to be involved in the
fight, because he is so obsessed with loving this woman we never see,
and being ‘Out of her favour where I am in love’ has given him this
‘madness most discreet’ called love. His images of death are all
unreal, they are about death from love, not from fighting –
She hath forsworn to love, and in that vow
Do I live dead that live to tell it now.
I think Shakespeare shows us Romeo being in love with the idea of
love in this first extract so that we would know the real thing when
we see it in the second extract. He really does love Juliet, and
instead of moping about in his bedroom as he did for Rosaline, he
goes jumping over the wall into the danger of the Capulet garden.
What a contrast.
He can hardly believe his eyes when Juliet appears, and instead of
being in hell over Rosaline, he is in heaven because of Juliet. She is
a ‘bright angel’ and her eyes are like ‘Two of the fairest stars in all
the heaven’. For her sake he is ready to stop being a Montague, or
do anything she wants –‘what love can do, that dares love attempt’.
He is even ready to die for real love – ‘but thou love me let them
find me here’.
Explores the
relationship
between the two
extracts with
understanding.
Insight into
character linked
with textual
evidence.
Develops the line of
argument
consistently, but
with unsufficient
textual evidence.
Some comment on
the effect of
language in relation
to character.
When he finds that Juliet returns his love, he can hardly believe that
he is not in a dream: ‘Too flattering-sweet to be substantial’. Romeo
loves using lots of words in both extracts, and keeps trying to swear
his love for Juliet, but she is far more practical than he is, and
stops him swearing but gets him to agree to marry her. If Rosaline
had tried to do that he would probably have run a mile, but his
attitude to Juliet is very different. His love is no longer idealised – it
is real, and his mood and his attitudes have changed very much
during the two extracts.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
27
Sample theme answer
How are ideas about love explored in these two extracts?
Opening does
engage with both
extracts.
Not much more
than narrative at
times
Distinctive opinions
based on textual
evidence.
Some discussion of
language.
The ideas about Love are explored in both extracts, but in different
ways. Love is one of the key themes in ‘Romeo and Juliet’. Loving
someone is not always easy and that is certainly true in this play.
People say you will do anything for love, and in this play this is true,
because the young lovers die for their love.
In the first extract, Romeo at first refuses to admit he is in love, and
avoids his family and friends so that he does not have to talk to
them. He even avoids daylight, and says ‘sad hours seem long’. I
think that either he is enjoying being made miserable by love – it’s
the fashionable thing to do – or it could also show that perhaps his
feelings are too overwhelming for him and he is scared to admit
them.
Romeo’s feelings for Rosaline are all mixed up, but that’s what he
thinks love is like – full of contradictions as when he says, ‘bright
smoke, cold fire, sick health’. He even says he’s not himself at all – ‘I
have lost myself. I am not here’. That links the two scenes because
later on he will offer not to be Romeo if his name upsets Juliet.
Comments on the
effects of language.
Romeo says that no other woman could compare with Rosaline, but
he soon changes his mind when he sees Juliet. In the second scene
he really is in love, not just playing the part of a young man in love.
We know that because he risks entering the garden of the Capulets,
and that puts his life at risk, and he never did anything to be with
Rosaline.
Aware of the
contrasts between
extracts.
The second extract is the famous balcony scene. Romeo worships
Juliet as if she is a planet or a goddess: ‘It is the east, and Juliet is
the sun’. For her part, she recognises his voice even though she’s
hardly heard him speak, and by the time she knows Romeo is there,
she has already confessed that she loves him. That’s not at all what
she was supposed to do, but it shows her love is real. She is worried
for him because she warns him that the place is ‘death’ if he is
discovered. That reminds the audience that love is a kind of
madness because it has made Romeo risk his life.
Shows insight into
character.
Romeo keeps trying to swear that he loves her, but Juliet thinks that
love needs to be shown and not just spoken through words. She
wants him to meet and marry her. This is very different from the
love for Rosaline that was in the first scene. That was pretending to
be in love – this is real love, but when Juliet says ‘It is too rash, too
unadvised, too sudden’ the audience remember that the pair will die
for their love.
28
Some textual
evidence for
comment.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Clear focus on
theme of love.
Sample language answer
How does the way language is used in these two extracts help the audience
understand the feelings of different characters?
Limited focus on
the title but
shows general
understanding of
how characters
react to being in
love.
Some specific
reference to
language as
revealing character.
Refers to both
extracts.
Comments relate to
actions rather than
to language.
The extracts show what it is like to be young and in love. The
language used tells us that it is sometimes hard to be in love and it
can make you miserable and that it can also be wonderful and
make you take risks.
The audience know that Romeo is unhappy because his parents are
worried about him and say he is hiding in his room and will not talk
to them. In the first extract Romeo is unhappy and he does not want
to talk to Benvolio. He is unhappy because he thinks he is in love
and is wrapped up in his own feelings: ‘I am in love’. He does not tell
Benvolio who he is in love with and talks in a confused way to show
he is miserable. ‘This love feel I, that feel no love in this’. He uses
oxymorons to describe his feelings, and this tells the audience that
he feels very upset. He says he is in ‘sick health’.
In the second extract Romeo is much happier, and we know that
because he talks about Juliet as someone who is brighter than the
moon. He says ‘Arise, fair sun and kill the envious moon,’ which
means he is happy to see her. He does not care that he is in danger
because he is in the Capulet’s garden because he says – ‘thy
kinsmen are no stop to me.’ Juliet is also very happy because she
tells Romeo that she loves him and wants him to tell her that he
loves her too. ‘If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully.’ We know she
wants him to stay because she comes back twice after the nurse has
called her. She is so happy she does not want him to leave.
Romeo uses more fancy words in the first extract to show he is
unhappy and more natural words in the second one to show he has
changed his mood. Juliet is frightened at first because she asks him
lots of questions about how he got into the garden, but once she
knows he loves her, she becomes happy too.
Generalised
comment on
character, without
textual evidence.
Quotation linked
effectively with
comment on the
contradictory
nature of Romeo’s
love.
Some awareness of
characters’ use of
language and its
effects, with apt
references.
Generalised
conclusion which
reveals some
understanding but
lacks precision of
focus on language.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
29
Sample performance answer
What advice would you give to the actor playing Romeo about how he should
speak to other characters and how he should speak when no-one (apart from
the audience) is listening?
Refers to both
extracts.
Distinctively
personal opinions
based on textual
evidence.
In the first extract the actor must show how Romeo feels sorry for
himself by speaking in a sad way: ‘Ay me, sad hours seem long.’ He is
thinking of Rosaline and how she isn’t in love with him. The actor
should show Romeo’s confused feelings by repeatedly stopping and
changing what he is talking about: ‘Where shall we dine? Oh me!
What fray was here?’ The way he keeps jumping from one topic to
another shows how he is confused.
Clear sense of the
contrast between
Romeo’s feelings in
the two episodes.
When he thinks that Benvolio is poking fun at his feelings, I would
tell the actor to look suspiciously at Benvolio when he says: ‘Dost
thou not laugh?’ He should stop speaking and look round at his
friend to see if he is laughing. After talking about all the dangers of
love I would ask the actor to turn away to leave: ‘Farewell my coz.’
He will show by this that he is trying to get away from all the
questions. When he tells Benvolio that Rosaline will not listen to his
words of love (‘She’ll not be hit with Cupid’s arrow.’) I would tell the
actor to sound as though he has given up trying to win her love.
Awareness of the
movement of
characters on
stage.
The answer lacks a
rounded conclusion
– it merely stops at
the end of the
extract.
30
Romeo’s feelings are very different in these two extracts so I would
advise the actor playing Romeo that he would have to show a range
of different feelings through his acting.
In the second extract, I would advise the actor to behave very
differently because Romeo is now really in love and not playing at
love as he does in the first extract. When he sees Juliet on the
balcony he should sound excited when he says: ‘It is my lady! – O, it
is my love!’ He should also look excitedly towards the balcony. He
should speak quickly with no changes of topic or pauses like he had
in the first extract. He should show his excitement when he speaks:
‘That I might touch that cheek!’ as he thinks he would like to be
touching her.
When he speaks to her I would tell the actor to step forward so she
can see him and speak boldly: ‘I take thee at thy word.’ This will
show the audience he is keen to say he loves her. When he says: ‘thy
kinsmen are no stop to me’ he should speak loudly to show he is not
frightened of being caught. I would tell the actor to show he is
disappointed that she is going back into her room by saying ‘O wilt
thou leave me so unsatisfied?’ in an upset way. At the end of the
extract he should sound very happy as he says: ‘O blessed, blessed
night!’ to show he now knows she loves him.
The actor playing Romeo should say the last lines really sadly as
Juliet disappears and he can no longer see her.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
Textual evidence
for comments.
Shows insight into
the relationship
between Romeo
and Benvolio, and
into Romeo’s
feelings.
Shows a sense of
what is happening
on stage.
Understanding of
Romeo’s character
is grounded in
textual evidence.
Key Stage 3 marking
How will my answer be marked?
Below is a list of what is needed to gain level 5 or above. Circle the number (1 = good, 2 = OK and 3 = needing improvement) that best describes your own thoughts about how well you can:
comment on both of the extracts given on the paper
1 2 3
show understanding of character and dramatic action
1 2 3
refer to the main features of the language in the extracts and their effect
1 2 3
show some awareness of how an audience might respond in the theatre
1 2 3
illustrate your points by picking out words or phrases from the text as evidence
1 2 3
include your personal response to specific aspects of the extracts
1 2 3
Answers on Shakespeare are allocated to mark bands. The different mark bands for a question on
language are set out below. With a partner, look back at some of your own writing about Romeo
and Juliet and highlight the criteria below that you agree match your work. This will help you both
to recognise what you do well and to decide on one or two personal targets for
improvement.
General
characteristics
What will that look like to an examiner?
1
Mainly retelling the story
with a few simple facts and
opinions. General comments that show only limited understanding of the extracts or the question, e.g.
Romeo and Juliet are both too young. The two extracts are not treated equally, and there may
be much storytelling.
2
Some response to the
question. Some broad
references to the way
character(s) speak or behave.
Some comment on what characters do and say, e.g. Romeo and Juliet are both young enough
to risk marrying although they know their families hate each other. The two extracts may not
be treated equally and simple references may not be linked with comments. There may be
some reference to some words or phrases.
3
General understanding of
characters’ feelings and of
the way language reveals
character. Some reference to
textual evidence.
Secure general understanding of the impression an audience might have of characters and
what their language shows about how they develop, e.g. When Juliet says ’I would not for
the world they saw thee here’ it shows that she loves Romeo and knows he is taking a risk.’
Points are generally illustrated by relevant references to the text but comments are likely to be
repeated rather than developed. Limited comment on the effects of language, but does include
comments on both extracts.
4
Shows awareness of
characters’ feelings and
how this is shown through
language and its effects.
May provide some discussion of how the language and behaviour of characters creates the
audience’s impressions of them. e.g. When Juliet says ’I would not for the world they saw thee
here’ it shows the audience that she loves Romeo and knows what a risk he is running because
their families hate each other.’ Relevant references from both extracts will be included and
there should be clear understanding of the broader context of the play. Explicit comments on
the effects of characters’ use of language in both extracts would be expected.
5
Clear focus on the question
asked, with understanding
of the way language is used
and of its effects. Wellchosen references to the text
justify comments as part of
an overall argument.
A relevant and focused answer which engages confidently with both extracts. Aspects of the
text will be explored, not just explained, in ways that show a wider understanding of the play’s
development, e.g. When Juliet says ’I would not for the world they saw thee here’ we hear
her urgency coming through in the alliteration of ‘would’ and ‘world’. We know that she loves
Romeo and realises what a risk he is running because of the hatred between their families.’ The
selection of well-chosen references builds into a sustained argument which includes comment
on the dramatic effect of the language used.
6
Appreciation of the features
and effects of language,
linked with coherent analysis
of characters’ actions and
attitudes. Comments and
precisely selected references
to the text are integrated into
a well-developed argument.
A focused and developed analysis of the impression created by a character through language
and action on stage. The answer engages analytically with both extracts, showing insight into
the less obvious aspects of the text and an ability to contextualise ideas, e.g. When Juliet says
’I would not for the world they saw thee here’ we know how much she loves Romeo because
we hear the urgency of her passion coming through the alliteration of ‘would’ and ‘world’
and we know that she realises what a risk he is running because of the feud between their
families.’ Appreciation of the features and effects of language is well supported by integrated
references. There may be recognition of the possibility of different interpretations of the text.
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
31
The Key Stage 3 Shakespeare test
How to approach the test
Remember that:
• The Shakespeare test accounts for 18 marks out of the 50 marks for reading. You gain marks
by showing that you understand and have responded to Romeo and Juliet. • The way you write matters, because it enables you to make your points effectively, but you will
not be judged on how well you write. No marks are given (or taken off) for spelling or
expression.
• The extracts you will be expected to write about will be printed out in the test paper. (Don’t
make the mistake of writing about all the set scenes – concentrate on the two extracts you are
given.)
• PQR (Point, Quotation, Response) is better than PEE because it includes your personal reaction
to the play.
• Short quotations are better than long ones because they save you time in the test.
Which are your top tips for the test?
Highlight the tips below that you think are most useful for you.
• Keep in mind performances of the play that you have seen, in the theatre or on video.
• Remember what it was like acting out the set scenes with other people.
• Make sure that you are familiar with the layout and style of questions by looking at tests from
previous years.
• Read the question in your head two or three times until you realise what it is really asking you to do.
• Make certain that you refer to both sections in your answer.
• Don’t ever just tell the story – highlight the key words in the question and build your answer round them.
• Time spent on planning is time well spent. Practise doing a plan in five minutes so that in the real
test you can create a plan quickly and effectively.
• Plan so that your main points are in a sensible order that responds to the question.
• Provide evidence in quotations or refer to what happens and is said to support your points. (Don’t
waste time copying out long quotations.)
• Make sure that your conclusion relates back to the question.
• Leave time at the end of the test to read through what you have written.
What will the questions be on?
The question on Romeo and Juliet should be on one of the areas (or ‘big ideas’) below, although you
usually need to refer to the other areas as part of your answer:
• why characters behave as they do in the extracts given
• the impact of the language used in the extracts
• ideas, themes and issues which are relevant to the extracts
• how these extracts might be performed in the theatre.
32
Success in Key Stage 3 Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet
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