Romeo and Juliet

An Introduction

BackgroundThere have been numerous movies made that

feature Shakespeare’s works!

The Elizabethan Era• The Elizabethan era was a time associated with Queen

Elizabeth I's reign (1558–1603) and is often considered to be the golden age in English history. It was the height of the English Renaissance and saw the flowering of English poetry, music and literature.

Romeo and Juliet

• Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families.

• Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers (pattern of behavior, which other statements, patterns of behavior, and objects copy).

History

• Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances stretching back to antiquity. Its plot is based on an Italian tale, translated into verse as The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet by Arthur Brooke in 1562 and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter in 1567.

The Setting: Verona Italy, 1590’s

Characters

• Romeo - The son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague. A young man of about sixteen.

• Juliet - The daughter of Capulet and Lady Capulet. A beautiful thirteen-year-old girl.

• Friar Lawrence - A Franciscan friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet

Characters Continued…• The Nurse - Juliet’s nurse, the woman who breast-fed Juliet when she

was a baby and has cared for Juliet her entire life.• Tybalt - A Capulet, Juliet’s cousin on her mother’s side. Vain,

fashionable, supremely aware of courtesy and the lack of it, he becomes aggressive, and violent.

• Capulet - The patriarch of the Capulet family, father of Juliet.• Lady Capulet - Juliet’s mother, Capulet’s wife. • Montague - Romeo’s father, the patriarch of the Montague clan and

bitter enemy of Capulet.• Lady Montague - Romeo’s mother, Montague’s wife.• Paris - A kinsman of the Prince, and the suitor of Juliet most preferred

by Capulet.• Benvolio - Montague’s nephew, Romeo’s cousin and thoughtful friend,

Shakespeare Poster Assignment

• Choose one of the following characters to research:a) Romeob) Julietc) Friar LawrenceFocus specifically on: What they do in the play, what affects they have on other characters, what they look like, how do they move the plot?• Then create 1 PowerPoint slide with pictures and

information you have found about your character written in complete sentences.