Sec 3 2012_Literature in English_Mr. Ahmad and 3BN, 3GR, 3IT, 3MD & 3LY Section B – Drama (William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet)
Passage-based Question
Read this passage carefully, and then answer the questions that follow it:
Lady Capulet Enough of this; I pray thee, hold thy peace.
Nurse
Yes, madam: yet I cannot choose but laugh,
To think it should leave crying and say 'Ay.'
And yet, I warrant, it had upon its brow
A bump as big as a young cockerel's stone;
A parlous knock; and it cried bitterly:
'Yea,' quoth my husband,'fall'st upon thy face?
Thou wilt fall backward when thou comest to age;
Wilt thou not, Jule?' it stinted and said 'Ay.'
Juliet
And stint thou too, I pray thee, nurse, say I.
Nurse
Peace, I have done. God mark thee to his grace!
Thou wast the prettiest babe that e'er I nursed:
An I might live to see thee married once,
I have my wish.
Lady Capulet Marry, that 'marry' is the very theme
I came to talk of. Tell me, daughter Juliet,
How stands your disposition to be married?
Juliet
It is an honour that I dream not of.
Nurse
An honour! were not I thine only nurse,
I would say thou hadst suck'd wisdom from thy teat.
Lady Capulet Well, think of marriage now; younger than you,
Here in Verona, ladies of esteem,
Are made already mothers: by my count,
I was your mother much upon these years
That you are now a maid. Thus then in brief:
The valiant Paris seeks you for his love.
Nurse
A man, young lady! lady, such a man
As all the world--why, he's a man of wax.
Lady Capulet Verona's summer hath not such a flower.
Nurse
Nay, he's a flower; in faith, a very flower.
Lady Capulet What say you? can you love the gentleman?
This night you shall behold him at our feast;
Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
And find delight writ there with beauty's pen;
Examine every married lineament,
And see how one another lends content
And what obscured in this fair volume lies
Find written in the margent of his eyes.
This precious book of love, this unbound lover,
To beautify him, only lacks a cover:
The fish lives in the sea, and 'tis much pride
For fair without the fair within to hide:
That book in many's eyes doth share the glory,
That in gold clasps locks in the golden story;
So shall you share all that he doth possess,
By having him, making yourself no less.
Nurse
No less! nay, bigger; women grow by men.
Lady Capulet Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?
Juliet
I'll look to like, if looking liking move:
But no more deep will I endart mine eye
Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.
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Sec 3 2012_Literature in English_Mr. Ahmad and 3BN, 3GR, 3IT, 3MD & 3LY Review of Literature in English Mid-year Paper 2012
Drama – Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet (Passage-based Question)
(i) What do you find striking about the relationship between the 3 women (Juliet and the
Nurse and Lady Capulet) in this scene?
Question Analysis
The word ‘striking’ could be interpreted many ways, but we have to view it in the context
of this passage. What stands out, is unusual, is surprising, is significant, is controversial,
is shocking, is interesting, is notable, about the relationship between the 3 women?
Note that the question is asking us about what is striking about their relationship, NOT
what is striking about the 3 women. It is critical that at the beginning stages, you are
clear about exactly what the question is asking for. I’m glad that most of us were alert,
and kept focused on the question, with the exception of a few who talked about the
women as individuals instead of analyzing their relationship with one another.
Plan your approach
Visualizing a simple triangle diagram here can help:
(in general, when it comes to relationship questions, a quick diagram sketch can do
wonders to get you started. A quick one mind you J, don’t get distracted!)
Juliet Nurse Lady Capulet There is no specific order you have to start discussing the relationships. A possible
approach could be analyzing the relationship between:
a) Juliet and Lady Capulet
b) Juliet and the Nurse
c) Lady Capulet and the Nurse
and when relevant, you could comment on the dynamics of their relationship beyond the
pairings.
Observations, Analysis, Evidence
Passage-based questions require close attention to details, especially pertaining to the
language used in the extract (this applies to passage-based questions involving the
Novel and Unseen as well). The first question almost always requires you to use
material only found in the extract.
Before formulating your response, you will have to read closely, annotating the extract
using the question to guide you in picking out relevant details.
Make insightful observations, think critically in your analysis, and provide evidence to
justify your arguments.
Sec 3 2012_Literature in English_Mr. Ahmad and 3BN, 3GR, 3IT, 3MD & 3LY These are some possible points to mention, including points some of you have
mentioned in your responses:
Juliet and Lady Capulet
Their relationship seems overly formal…
Observe the terms they use to refer to each other: “Madam”, ‘daughter Juliet”
Observe Lady Capulet’s manner of questioning: “How stands your disposition to be
married?” (very formal)
Juliet’s response too is formal: “It is an honour that I dream not of”…she answers in the
negative. This seems a rather awkward, yet measured and carefully worded, response.
What can we infer?
- their relationship seems superficial / not that close / seems to be awkwardness /
discomfort in their interaction
- evidence: Lady Capulet is at a loss for words, does not know how to broach the subject
of marriage, and is unaware of her daughter’s real feelings or readiness for marriage.
Why would she even need to ask if she knew her daughter well?
Avoid being too harsh on Lady Capulet e.g. she neglects Juliet, is a bad mother and so
on…it can be considered to a certain extent normal for such formality in a noble, upperclass family like the Capulets, although it would still qualify as striking
Do consider the context of history as well – what is not acceptable now, may not have
seemed so unusual then
Some of the better responses pointed out that Lady Capulet’s elaborate extended
metaphor concerning Paris as a book needing only a cover seems quite superficial,
materialistic and even chauvinist. In any case, Lady Capulet seems concerned more
about the prospect of her daughter’s marriage to Paris than her daughter’s happiness.
She talks more about Paris’ noble qualities, how Juliet would be so lucky…no mention of
Juliet’s feelings or happiness, or how Paris would make her happy. It is evident that
Lady Capulet’s point of view is rather conservative, suggesting she sees a woman as
fulfilling a certain role in a marriage and in society, beyond individual concerns.
Juliet and Nurse
Juliet seems very close to the Nurse, and more notably, closer to the Nurse than to her
own mother (point out that this is striking). This does seem familiar to some of us
though, right, as we discussed in class cases where children in Singapore are closer o
their maids than their own parents.
What observations can we make?
The two behave affectionately towards each other, using nicknames: Jules (versus
daughter Juliet) or ‘prettiest babe that e’er I nursed’.
The Nurse recounts Juliet’s childhood, showing clearly that the Nurse has been present
throughout Juliet’s childhood, and has gone through all her important milestones with
her.
Better responses were able to point out how Shakespeare deliberately has the Nurse
recount all these incidents to show their familiarity and closeness (note: this sets us up
for her eventual ‘betrayal’ of Juliet later in the play).
There is a measure of pride we can detect in the Nurse when she talks about Juliet.
We can imagine Juliet blushing at the Nurse’s scandalous references to the pleasures of
marriage and when the Nurse recounts Juliet’s innocent reply to her husbands
mischievous remark. The Nurse seems like the auntie who is the antithesis of strict,
didactic parents, and in whom we confide.
Sec 3 2012_Literature in English_Mr. Ahmad and 3BN, 3GR, 3IT, 3MD & 3LY Nurse and Lady Capulet
What observations can we make?
We would, perhaps, expect the Nurse to be subservient, obedient and at the very least
quiet J but not this Nurse…she not not only talks too much, she interrupts her boss, and
embarrasses Juliet, and doesn’t stop talking when told to! Remember, when making
these observations, to always link back to the question, and point out how and why this
is striking.
Insightful responses could point out that this does not imply disrespect on the Nurse’s
part, but shows the level of comfort that is the result of spending so many years with the
family. It is striking that she is not in awe of Lady Capulet, although this does not imply
that she disrespects her.
The Nurse’s repetition / affirmation of Lady Capulet’s praise of Paris (“A man, young
lady! lady, such a man / As all the world--why, he's a man of wax” and “Nay, he's a
flower; in faith, a very flower”) shows an eagerness to please Lady Capulet, perhaps out
of guilt arising from her irrepressible outbursts J
The Nurse’s preoccupation with marriage and the pleasures it (and men) bring provide a
stark and often entertaining contrast to Lady Capulet’s cool, measured and formal
appraisal of the situation. The Nurse’s ‘heat’ is comically set against Lady Capulet’s
‘cold’, almost frigid personality.
(ii) The language used by the characters often reveals their true feelings and intentions,
even if they do not realize it themselves. Give two examples (using only material from
Act 1 Scene 1 to Act 1 Scene 3, including this passage if relevant) to illustrate this,
referring closely to the language used by the characters.
Question Analysis
This was quite a challenging question, in that it is not as clear about what examples you
could provide as the first question. You would definitely have had to think carefully about
which 2 examples you could use. You would also have to consider the question
requirements (The language used by the characters often reveals their true feelings and
intentions, even if they do not realize it themselves) carefully, as there is a risk of
choosing examples that are not relevant.
Having said that, it is not an unreasonable question, in that it rewards those who are
familiar with the text and who produce a carefully-considered and insightful response.
Indeed, quite a lot of us were on the right track with this question, although the majority
seemed to focus on their first example at the expense of the second. It was
disheartening though to observe that a few seemed completely perplexed by the
question and made almost no attempt to address it. It is important that we be ready to
think on our feet, and know the text well enough that we can respond to whatever
comes our way.
There are more than two possible examples to choose from, and these include:
a) Romeo, when he grandly proclaims his love for Rosaline. It is evident to us the
audience that his love is not really so much love as it is infatuation. This was by far the
most popular example quoted. We need to focus on the artificiality of the language he
uses when describing his feelings for Rosaline to effectively make our point here.
Sec 3 2012_Literature in English_Mr. Ahmad and 3BN, 3GR, 3IT, 3MD & 3LY b) Lady Capulet seems to be presenting Juliet a choice when she asks her, “Tell me,
daughter Juliet, / How stands your disposition to be married?” It is quite clear though
that she is nudging her daughter towards accepting the proposal, given her enthusiastic
praise for Paris. Point out her elaborate metaphor and curt end to the ‘discussion’,
“Speak briefly, can you like of Paris' love?” It seems Lady Capulet has already made up
her mind, and Juliet’s agreement is a mere formality.
c) Capulet’s conversation with Paris is another possibility. Paris requests for Juliet’s
hand in marriage, but Capulet claims that she is too young. Paris presses further, and
Capulet comes across as a very understanding father when he stresses that Juliet’s
consent is paramount in the decision, and that Paris should ‘woo her heart’. In the
course of the conversation, though, it is evident that Capulet encourages Paris by
inviting him to the banquet, and as further examples of false modesty in the
conversation suggest, he is quite pleased at the prospect of Juliet’s engagement to
Paris.
(b) and (c) were not common points raised, but (d) was even rarer…
(d) Juliet’s reply to Lady Capulet’s enquiry as to her thoughts on marriage and to Paris in
particular may seem coy and indicative of an obedient daughter and decent young lady.
She very cleverly makes no commitment and answers in the negative. She neither
rejects nor accepts the proposal, couching her language diplomatically. It can be pointed
out that her reply actually, by it’s very lack of commitment and enthusiasm, belies a lack
of interest in Paris. Such a famous, eligible bachelor would surely not be unknown to
Juliet, especially with someone like the Nurse around J It might be fair to say then that it
is obvious Juliet is not particularly impressed with Paris nor with the idea of marriage or
love (until she meets Romeo that is!)
For all the points mentioned above, and any other relevant points you can think of, do
remember to refer closely to the language the characters use, providing relevant quotes
when necessary to justify your points.
This is our first written exam for Pure Lit, and there are many promising signs – insightful
observations, informed and engaging personal response, and a sound knowledge of the
text.
There are, however, some concerns as well, such as responses which could be more
detailed in analysis, and which need more evidence in support of points. Be prepared as
well, for questions that require you to think on your feet. If the questions are challenging,
it is only because you are worth the challenge!
“Go girl, seek happy nights to happy days!”