Besonderheiten:

• Shows human as he really is – from the inside
• human = center – with insecurities and enormity
• knows everything about us & changed the world with over 30 plays
• does not need scenery, just poetry

Language:

• early modern English
• many new words -> different meanings, changed structure & grammar
• own poetical magic – puns (Wortspiele), metaphors, ambiguity, imagery in general
  Blank verse
  regular rhythm, but does not rhyme -> Shakespeare: particular form of blank verse: iambic pentameter
• Benvolio: shows control, formal look, shows education
• Tybalt: express his rage, anger and his hot-head
  Rhyming verse
  Lines that rhyme (often rhyming couplets where the final word of a pair of lines rhymes)
• Romeo
• Friar Lawrence
• Lady Capulet & Lady Montague
• Prince
  -> Shows education and moral, reflects their position in society
  Prose
  “Ordinary written language” without rhyme scheme or metrical structure
• Mercutio: fits to his character, aggressive vitality, provocative
• Nurse: simple-minded woman, uses more ordinary words especially with sexual meaning
• Servants: low educated

Romeo and Juliet

• well-known, much-adapted tale
• most famous tragedy
• f.ex.: movie adaption by Baz Luhrmann -> trendy re-telling of classic love story – fashionable and cool once again
• themes: love, hate, death, fate & chance, being or pretense, guilt, revenge, betrayal, friendship, jealousy, lust
• interpretation is different for everybody (many interpretative approaches)
• timeless, immortal, ideal love

Characters:

• House of Verona: Prince Escalus (STATE; justice), Count Paris (kinsman of Escalus; wishes to marry Juliet; peaceful), Mercutio (kinsman of Escalus; friend of Romeo; talkative; hot-headed)
• House of Capulet: Capulet (patriarch), Lady Capulet (matriarch), Juliet (13-year-old daughter, female protagonist), Tybalt (cousin of Juliet; nephew of Lady Capulet; hot-headed; aggressive), Nurse (Juliet’s personal attendant and confidante; talkative), Rosaline (Lord Capulet’s niece; Romeo’s love in beginning), …
  - House of Montague: Montague & Lady, Romeo (son; male protagonist), Benvolio (Romeo’s cousin; best friend; peaceful), …
  - Others: Friar Laurence(CHURCH): Franciscan friar; Romeo’s confidant; morality; reconciliation
  Friar John (sent to deliver Friar Laurence’s letter to Romeo), …

Plot

• late 15th century
• play is set in Verona against the background of the feuding families Capulet and Montague
• Romeo who is love-sick due to his unreturned feelings towards Rosaline learns that the Capulets are giving a masquerade feast -> Rosaline will attend it (intention)
• Benvolio and Romeo attend the fears
  -> Romeo sees Juliet, falls in love and finally realizes that she is Capulets´ daughter
• in the infamous balcony scene Romeo then sneaks into Capulets´ garden
  -> Romeo´s soliloquy
• irrespective of their families hating one another Romeo and Juliet exchange vows of love and decide to marry
• Friar Lawrence agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet because he believes that their marriage will end the feuding of the families -> they marry

Climax:

• in a fight between Montagues and Capulets Mercutio is killed by Tybalt
  -> Tybalt is killed in revenge by Romeo -> immediately banished from the city
• Juliet learns about the fight and is devastated (wants to kill herself) by the thought of Romeo´s banishment
  -> Romeo hears from her sorrow and also tries to kill himself (Nurse at Friar Lawrence)
  -> Romeo and Juliet spend their first and last night together before Romeo has to flee to Mantua
• meanwhile Juliet´s father prepares her wedding with Paris
  -> Juliet begs her parents her parents to postpone the wedding -> fails
• she then asks the Friar for advice who tells her to take a poison that will make her seem dead. She will then be placed in the Capulets vault where Romeo will wait ready to take her to Mantua (fails)
• the letter concerning the plan doesn’t reach Romeo -> hears from Juliet’s death
• Romeo buys poison, returns to Verona, finds Paris at Juliet´s tomb, fights with him and kills him
  -> he then enters the tomb and kills himself thinking Juliet is dead
• Juliet awakens, recognizes the failure of the plan and kills herself with Romeos dagger
• the Capulets and the Montagues arrive at the tomb and find both children dead
  -> they decide to end the fight

General: ancient grudge between Capulets and Montagues
Act I: antagonism between Lord Capulet & Lord Montague
Act V: reconciliation

Leitmotifs

Light / Darkness (sun/moon; day/night)

• images
• Juliet is the light that liberates Romeo from the darkness of his depression
  -> associates her with sunlight
• later during the falling action darkness becomes a central motif -> ending of play (tragedy)
  Time
• It is often mentioned that time is wasted/passes to fast
• impetuous decisions caused by emotions
• love at first sight
• Capulet speeds up his plan to have Juliet married to Paris within a week
  -> time is used as a force against the protagonists -> pressure
  Destiny
• everything is leaded by a greater power. (Often mentioned by Romeo)
  Love & hate
• contrast
• love of Romeo and Juliet is threatened by a society full of hate -> star-crossed lovers
• love is so intense that it causes their death
• love is a powerful emotion that guides individuals
  -> controls them and leads to certain events
  Fate
• chorus opens play with a mention of the fate -> star-crossed lovers -> doomed
• belief that fate determines our lives echoes trough the play
• Romeo fears that fate has unhappy things in store for him (feast)
  -> “Some consequences yet hanging in the stars”
• Romeo and Juliet struggle to break free of what fate brings them in dreams

Shakespeare still relevant?

Yes:

• Everybody knows that it is a love tragedy & the authors name
• Many adaptions (movies, operas, musicals, books)
• Often still played in theaters all over the world in many languages
• Large variety of themes (timeless) and characters – everyone can relate
• Powerful use of language
• Really good use of poetry
• Characters have positive and negative sides -> human
• Created quatre of english language -> homage to him for that -> wider vocabulary
• Invented over 1700 words
• Sent out messages like “to be or not to be” from Hamlet

No:

• Takes too much time to read -> no attention span anymore
• Highly outdated
• Many people do not understand the difficult language – cannot interpret it to modern day language – whole analysis is necessary – annoying
• Not useful in life -> you should learn sth. that you need in the future / can help you
• Too vulgar – suicide is answer to sadness – violence
• Shakespeare did not write about real issues – no reference to modern day happenings