English 9 / Unit 5: Drama and Shakespeare
5.5 Analyzing Romeo and Juliet
Notes
Romeo and Juliet (about 1595) is a tragedy about two young lovers from feuding families in Verona.
- The Prologue is a sonnet that tells the audience the ending: "A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life." This creates dramatic irony.
- "Star-crossed" suggests the lovers are doomed by fate.
- Major themes: love vs. hate, fate vs. choice, the danger of haste.
- Friar Laurence warns, "Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast." This line also foreshadows the lovers' rushed decisions.
- Romeo: "But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? / It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." This is a metaphor.
Practice
"It is the east, and Juliet is the sun." Which device is Romeo using?
He compares Juliet to the sun directly, without like or as.
The Prologue reveals that the lovers will die. What effect does this have on the audience?
The audience knows the ending while the characters do not.
"Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast." Which theme does this line best support?
The Friar warns against rushing.
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