Whys

Question 1

Number 3

Answer 1

Shakespeare provides the audience with a platform to interrogate the actions of each character and identify how particular decisions lead to tragic outcomes, perhaps in the hope this growing awareness of the correlation between action and repercussion will prompt the audience to be more mindful when making their own decisions

Question 2

Number 1

Answer 2

Shakespeare argues that fate may often be self-inflicted, brought about by a failure to recognise our own flaws and moderate our behaviour

Question 3

Number 5

Answer 3

Shakespeare criticises excessively passionate behaviour, highlighting how acting recklessly out of hate or pride can have negative consequences

Question 4

Number 6

Answer 4

Shakespeare emphasises the futility of conflict, stressing how the feud between the 2 families continues out of a stubborn refusal to forgive or seek forgiveness rather than for genuine irreconcilable differences

Question 5

Number 7

Answer 5

Throughout the play, Shakespeare highlights how quickly violence spreads, ultimately infiltrating every aspect of society. He wanted to warn his audiences about the consequences of violent behaviour

Question 6

Number 8

Answer 6

Shakespeare criticises the toxic masculinity within Verona, whereby all men are eventually drawn into the competitiveness and violence for the sake of male bravado

Question 7

Number 9

Answer 7

Shakespeare exposes the limitations placed on women within a patriarchal society whereby women have little control over their own lives or futures

Question 8

Number 10

Answer 8

Throughout the play, Shakespeare highlights that love and violence are inextricably connected, suggesting that while love can be exhilarating and transformative it can also be destructive and chaotic

Question 9

Number 11

Answer 9

Throughout the play, Shakespeare demonstrates how conflicting loyalties may affect the characters’ decisions and lead to even more tragic outcomes

Question 10

Number 12

Answer 10

By presenting families where parents have little idea about the feelings and needs of their children, Shakespeare may be critiquing Renaissance social arrangements

Question 11

Number 2

Answer 11

The play serves as a warning to the audience against dreaming and behaving impulsively without properly considering actions and their potential consequences

Question 12

Number 4

Answer 12

Shakespeare criticises those within society who fail the vulnerable by providing poorly considered advice, even those with ostensibly good intentions