Unit 2-Script-Lecture On Romeo and Juliet

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Unit 2: Lecture on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

ROMEO AND JULIET

(William Shakespeare)

Slide 1
In Unit 2, we introduce you to a literary work that has resulted in lots of interest and discussion
in British literature: Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Slide 2
OVERALL VIEW

• 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. It
was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and, along with Hamlet,
is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded
as archetypal young lovers and the word "Romeo" has even become synonymous with
"male lover" in English.

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DATE

• It is unknown when exactly Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet. The play was first
printed in early 1597, so its appearance in early 1597 makes 1596 the latest possible date
for its composition.

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SOURCES

• Romeo and Juliet belongs to a tradition of tragic romances dating back to antiquity. The
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. Shakespeare borrowed heavily from both but expanded the plot by
developing a number of supporting characters, particularly Mercutio and Paris.

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THEME OF LOVE: Young love – Language and historical text

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Unit 2: Lecture on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

• On their first meeting, Romeo and Juliet use a form of communication recommended by
many etiquette authors in Shakespeare's day: metaphor. In this fashion of the time, if a
man used a metaphor as an invitation, the woman could pretend she did not understand
him, and he could retreat without losing honor. By using metaphors of saints and sins,
Romeo is able to test Juliet's feelings for him in a non-threatening way. Juliet, in return,
however, participates in the metaphor and expands on it.
• In the later balcony scene, Shakespeare has Romeo overhear Juliet's soliloquy. By
bringing Romeo into the scene to eavesdrop, Shakespeare breaks from the normal
sequence of courtship. Usually, a woman in Shakespeare’s day was required to be modest
and shy to make sure that her suitor was sincere, but breaking this rule serves to speed
along the plot. The lovers are able to skip courting and move on to plain talk about their
relationship so that they agree to be married after knowing each other for only one night.
• In the final suicide scene, there is a contradiction in the message. In the Catholic religion
that exerted great influence in the then society, suicides were thought to be condemned to
hell, whereas people who die to be with their lovers under the so-called "Religion of
Love" believe they will join their lovers in paradise. Romeo and Juliet's love seems to be
expressing the so-called "Religion of Love" view rather than the Catholic view.

What message of humanity can we learn from Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare?

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VALUE OF HUMANITY: Feud and reconcilement

• In Romeo and Juliet, what can be seen behind the love story of two young lovers is the
reconcilement arising from seemingly unsolvable feud. When facing the moral dilemma
between loyalty to family and loyalty to love, the young lovers choose the latter.
Unfortunately, their choice results in their regretful deaths that are the immense sorrow
for the two families alike. However, it is due to this tragedy, the two feuding families are
reconciled when they have shared the same grief rooted in their prolonged hatred and
violent war.

The last thing we would like you to know about this play is its popularity.

Slide 7

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Unit 2: Lecture on Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

POPULARITY

• Romeo and Juliet ranks with Hamlet as one of Shakespeare's most performed plays.
• Even in Shakespeare's lifetime, it was extremely popular. So far, its many adaptations
have made it one of his most enduring and famous stories.
• Of Shakespeare's works, Romeo and Juliet has generated the most—and the most
varied—adaptations, including prose and verse narratives, drama, opera, orchestral and
choral music, ballet, film, television, and painting. Its various adaptations have been
continually made with modifications of several scenes, removals of some material,
omissions of the action, and even the addition of a happy ending.

Slide 8

You have read the synopsis of the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare and Act II, Scene 2 of
it, haven’t you? And we have just provided you with basic knowledge of the play.

We hope you are ready now to present your ideas in a discussion that follows and answer the
questions about it later.

THE END

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