Super Short Summary of R&J

     Romeo is the son of a high class family, and is broken up after his love Rosaline breaks up with him. He and his friends crash the party of a rival family to cheer Romeo up. Romeo falls in love with Juliet, The daughter of the rival family, during a dance. They think they will not be able to marry each other because they come from rival families, so they enlist the help of Friar Laurence. The Friar then weds the lovers in secret. On the day of their wedding, Romeo kills a cousin of Juliet's. The next morning after the marriage, Romeo is forced to flee to another city, and he knows he will never be able to come back. Juliet's family wants her to wed Paris, a young noble. Juliet resists at first but then accepts because she plans to fake her death so she can jon Romeo. Friar Laurence helps carry out this plan. Juliet takes a sleeping potion, and pretends to be dead (in a tomb). Romeo is not informed of the plan because the messenger is killed by the black plague. Romeo visits her grave and kills himself to be with her in her "death". Juliet wakes up sees Romeo's dead body and kills herself to be with him for eternity.

R&J Summary

R&J Vocab 7

Beshrew (V.ii.25). (Verb) to curse or to blame for misfortune
Unhallowed (V.iii.55). (adj) Un-holy, sacrilegious, disgraceful, or wicked.
Ensign (V.iii.95). (Noun) a sign, token, or emblem that indicates identity, value, or characteristics.

R&J Devices 7

Alliteration
"One of our order, to associate me" (V.ii.7).
The vowel sound O is repeated to speed up the flow of this line.

Paradox 
"Unhappy fortune! By my brother head"(V.ii.18).
Fortune is normally happy not unhappy,

Motif 
"Unhappy fortune! By my brother head"(V.ii.18).
This line is an example of the recurring idea of destiny fortune and fate.

Elizabethan Era Theatre and Acting Notes

• inns had theaters 
• plays gave entertainment to high and low class.
• at first catered to low class male commoner
• considered a low end job
• no respect but very famous
• Women were not allowed to act
• actors did not get much money
• bigger theaters 
• see how Shakespeare caters to different classes in different characters diolouge
• poems added to credibility
• sonnets have 14 lines
• commoners were in a lower "mosh pit"
• seats on the stage for the most wealthy
• higher class were literally seated higher
• used natural light because candles would have been dangerous
• Shakespearse, Marlo, and Spencer
• Theatres doubled as a brothel and gambling house

R&J Vocab 5

Culled (IV.iii.8). Verb. to select from a large quantity
Behoveful (IV.iii.9 ). Adj. Useful; of benefit

R&J Devices 6

Irony
"How sound is she asleep!" (IV.V.8).
She thinks that Juliet is asleep but they will soon think that she is dead

Allegory
""
Anaphora
"Alack the day, she's dead, she's dead, she's dead!" (IV.v.24).
She's dead repeated to emphasize her thoughts

Couplet
"For though some nature bids us all lament,

Yet nature's tears are reason's merriment" (IV.v.93-94).

For               some       ure           us       la

       Though          nat         bids       all      ment

This Shakespearean couplet has direct meter and rhyme

R&J Vocab 6

Slugabed (IV.v.3). Noun. A lazy person who stays in bed late and sleeps all the time
Deflowered (IV.v.45). Verb. To deprive (a woman) of her virginity.
Presage (V.1.2). Verb. to predict (Think of a gypsy over a crystal ball)

Elizabethan Era Entertainment Notes

• Bear Bating 
• 1 arena in every city
• like Jaime and Brienne in Game Of Thrones
• Fencing is an upper-class sport that came from knights
• Theatre was extremely popular
• common people and upper class were part of 
• had plays in inns
• No women actor
• Shakespeare was a popular playwright
• festivals 
• Festivals on holidays
• Cockfighting 
• chickens were expensive 
• gave the chickens metal claws
• bet on horse races and chariot races
• Children played guessing games
• Tabacco Cannabis and alcohol
• !7-60 needed to know archery
• Lottery was nationalized
• Minor crimes with tickets pardoned
• Hawking was an upper-class sport
• training a bird to hunt
• Nobels played tennis 
• Chess and checkers popularized by Shakespeare

R&J Devices 4

Metaphor
"Out on her, hilding!" (III.v.168).
This is a metaphor and an example of sexism in The Elizabethan era. Capulet is directly comparing his daughter a broken useless horse. This also shows that Capulet regards more as an animal than a daughter.

"Out on her, hilding!" (III.v.168).
This also foreshadows Juliet's death, because she is being to compared to a broken horse, and broken horses are killed

Imagery
"An you be not, hang, beg, starve, die in the streets" (III.v.193).
Capulet is vividly describing what he thinks will happen to Juliet. H does this for emphasis of his point.

R&J Vocab 4

Prorogue: (IV.i.55). Verb. To discontinue without finishing
Inundation (IV.i.12). Verb. to flood or cover in water
Abate (IV.i.120). Verb. To reduce in amount, size, or intensity, to make smaller over time.

Clothing and hygiene Elizabethan era presentation notes.

Rich uper class wore shiny and purple the more, better fasion and jewels
Were not allowed to wear the colors monarchs did
merchants were told what colors the were supposed to wear.
gentry had a little less fabric  colors but not as much
knight swore armor from time to time
hyigine was terrible
lower class bathed once a year
everyone in a village used the same bath
used chamber pots that dumped in the river
chamber pots were dumped in streets
poor went in the river
laborers could not wear silk or velvet
romeo wore  fancy
Capulets wore fancy clothes and jewels
nurse wore less color
 dye was expensive so earth tones were cheaper

Elizabethan era presentation notes Plague and Illness

• early 14 century bubonic plague
• worst in Europe killed over 10 million people
• small outbreaks in 16th century
• 10 000 people killed in occurrence referenced in Shakespeare
• spread by fleas to rats to people
• Less then 20 % survived
• killed a third of 14 century
• bodies used as a biological weapon
• 2-6 days till symptoms
• flu like symptoms plus black inflamed lymp nodes.
• cut of the bumps
• drink urine
• Dysentery and typhoid came from human waste so waste based cures could give other diseases.
• Poor hygiene so affected lower class
• killed Shakespeare siblings and son Hamlet affected his writing
• killed actors

R&J devices 3

Pun/double entendre
"Ask for me tomorrow,

and you shall find me a grave man." (II.i.96-97).

Mercutio is making yet another joke; although, the joke is about his own imminent death. Grave can mean serious and a dead man's resting place, and both definitions are applicable. This makes it a double entendre.

Couplet
"And, as he fell, did Romeo turn and fly.
This is the truth, or let Benvolio die." (II.i.173-174).
This is a rhyming couplet that has meter and rhyme
Stressed:    And    he      did         e     turn         Fly
Unstressed:       as    fell        rom     o        and

Paradox
"A damned saint, an honourable villain" (III.ii.79).
This line has 2 paradoxes because by principle a saint is not damned, and by nature, a villain is not honorable. The author includes this to show Juliet's indecision. She loves Romeo , But how can she love him if has killed her cousin. 

R&J Vocab 3

1. Appertaining(III.i.62). Verb. to make appropriate or applicable.
2. Simple (III.i.33). Adjective. Slow-witted or stupid. (often with mental disability)
3. Vitae (III.ii.95). The course of one's life or career