R&J Context Flashcards
Background of the the play
Ideas for this play were supplied by famous writer Matteo Bandello
- family fueds were common in his plays
Shakespeare never travelled outside England
- people believed he got his knowledge on Italy from foreigners in London and by reading books
His play was set in Verona, Italy
- Italian’s were known for their violence and passion - mesmerising the English audience
- permitted him to critique society and the monarch without being accused of treason
Patriarchy
A society controlled and dominated by men
Women were not allowed to be actors
In 16th century England
- strong expectation for women to marry and have kids
- girls as young as 13 would be married off for wealth and family status
- women belonged to their fathers/husbands
- they were expected to obey and conform to societal expectations
Courtly love
“Love between a knight and noble woman”
Popular theory at the time
Says that boys do not love until they arrive at the age of maturity
- Romeo’s lack of maturity could be his fatal flaw —> leading to tragedy
Love is difficult to attain
- makes love prized
- Rosalind is forgotten as soon as she makes it difficult for Romeo
- Shakespeare makes it impossible for the two to marry
Toxic masculinity
Urban violence was a huge issue during Shakespeare’s time
The idea that men must conform to a stereotype and perform negative behaviour
- men saw it as a way to protect their family/reputation
The expectation to fight and be strong
“Women are nothing more than sexual objects”
Fate
Elizabethans were obsessed about fate
It is a tragedy- so the audience know the end will be bad
- the play has characters who are good at heart but have fatal flaws which which leads to mistakes then a tragic downfall
Unique prologue - WS’s only prologue that spoils the entire plot
Use of sonnets - we know the structure before it happens
Continual repetition of events means they are inevitable
- eg. A5S3 the Friar explains the entire plot again after the audience has just witnessed it
Although the audience knows what happens they stay because they want to know why
Prologue
Teleological (flashes forward and spoils whole plot)
It is a method used to settle the audience from the real world into the play - told by the chorus
The end rhymes are CONTRASTING (and perhaps spell out what happens)
The opposition of the rhymes draws attention to the conflict in this play
- tells us it is not a love story but a violent tragedy
Dignity - mutiny
Scene - unclean
Life - strife
Love - remove
The sonnet form is familiar and expected
- rhythm is inevitable
- makes it easier to guess what is coming next
- predictably is laid in front of the audience
“Fatal loins of these to foes”
1. Loins = reproductive organs
- the children came from fated parents
- inevitable sexual harassment
2. Loins = blood lines
- fated death of the star crossed lovers would END the families’ bloodlines
“From ancient grudge to new mutiny”
“Star crossed lovers take their life”
“Death marked love”
Time
TIME
“Two hours traffic of our stage”
- everything is over so quickly
- whole play was only over 5 days
- characters are unable to wait
Juliet is never described as 13 - “she has not seen the change of 14”
- always hurrying
Enhances the tragedy when she dies cos she never reaches it
Friar “ those in a rush do stumble”
Verses
Verse = rhyme spoken by upperclass and nobility
Prose = ordinary language spoken by lower status characters
Eg. Even though the nurse is lower class she speaks in verse - suggesting her significance
The great chain of being
Elizabethan concept dictating the order of society (strict hierarchy)
God
Man —> wife —> children
Animals
Plants
