Romeo and Juliet MEGA Flashcards
Where was Shakespeare born?
Stratford-upon-Avon
What was Shakespeare’s lifespan?
1564-1616
Who were women played by?
Juvenile boys aged 12-18
Who was Queen during Shakespeare’s time?
Queen Elizabeth II
Where were the theaters located?
On the other side of the Thames River.
But soft, what light through yonder window breaks. It is the east and Juliet is the sun!
Speaker: Romeo
Speaking To: Juliet but Juliet doesn’t hear; To himself
Situation: before the balcony scene, Romeo is saying that he sees Juliet but Juliet doesn’t respond
Let two more summers wither in the pride ere we may Think her ripe to be a bride
Speaker: Capulet
Speaking To: Paris
Situation: Capulet speaks to Paris about marriage and says that she is two young and they should wait a couple of years
Therefore love moderately: long love doth so; too swift arrives as tardy as too slow
Speaker: Friar Lawrence
Speaking to: Romeo
O Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name and I’ll no longer be a Capulet
Speaker: Juliet
Speaking to: Juliet
Situation: she is saying “why are you romeo” as in why are you a Montague
Who knew about the wedding?
Romeo Juliet Friar Lawrence Nurse Balthazar
Explain the scene in which Mercutio and Tybalt die
Mercutio and Tybalt get in a fight and Romeo steps in to stop it and Tybalt goes to stab Romeo but misses and stabs Mercutio.
Romeo and Tybalt fight in response to Mercutio’s death and results in Tybalt’s death
The son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague. A young man of about sixteen, Romeo is handsome, intelligent, and sensitive. Though impulsive and immature, his idealism and passion make him an extremely likable character. He lives in the middle of a violent feud between his family and the Capulets, but he is not at all interested in violence. His only interest is love. At the beginning of the play he is madly in love with a woman named Rosaline, but the instant he lays eyes on Juliet, he falls in love with her and forgets Rosaline. Thus, Shakespeare gives us every reason to question how real Romeo’s new love is, but Romeo goes to extremes to prove the seriousness of his feelings. He secretly marries Juliet, the daughter of his father’s worst enemy; he happily takes abuse from Tybalt; and he would rather die than live without his beloved. Romeo is also an affectionate and devoted friend to his relative Benvolio, Mercutio, and Friar Lawrence.
Romeo
The Capulet daughter. She is presented as a young and innocent adolescent not yet 14 years old. Her youthfulness is is stressed throughout the play to express her progression from adolescence to maturity and to emphasize her position has a tragic heroine. Juliet’s love for Romeo gives her the strength and courage to defy her parents and face death twice
Juliet
A Franciscan friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet. Kind, civic-minded, a proponent of moderation, and always ready with a plan, Friar Lawrence secretly marries the impassioned lovers in hopes that the union might eventually bring peace to Verona. As well as being a Catholic holy man, Friar Lawrence is also an expert in the use of seemingly mystical potions and herbs.
Friar Lawrence
A kinsman to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend. One of the most extraordinary characters in all of Shakespeare’s plays, Mercutio overflows with imagination, wit, and, at times, a strange, biting satire and brooding fervor. Mercutio loves wordplay, especially sexual double entendres. He can be quite hotheaded, and hates people who are affected, pretentious, or obsessed with the latest fashions. He finds Romeo’s romanticized ideas about love tiresome, and tries to convince Romeo to view love as a simple matter of sexual appetite.
Mercutio
