Romeo & Juliet Introduction PDF

An Introduction to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet  Who was Shakespeare? William Shakespeare grew up in Stratford-on-Avon with aspirations of becoming a playwright. He married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 and spent much of his adult life in London. He eventually became a respected actor & auth...

An Introduction to Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet  Who was Shakespeare? William Shakespeare grew up in Stratford-on-Avon with aspirations of becoming a playwright. He married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18 and spent much of his adult life in London. He eventually became a respected actor & author who produced influential plays for influential people, like Queen Elizabeth I.  The Plays Shakespeare was an accomplished dramatist and is considered one of histories greatest writers. His continued popularity is based on a vast catalogue of detailed, interesting, and unpredictable stories. He is also popular for the way he depicts human nature; crafting characters who are deep, relatable, and authentically human.  The Globe Shakespeare’s plays were mostly performed at The Globe – a three-story, circular, open-air theater. Theaters had minimal props and no special effects, so Shakespeare used detailed descriptions to engage the audience. Women were not allowed on stage at the time, so it was common for young men to play female roles.  A Brief Introduction to Romeo & Juliet  Written between 1591 and 1596, Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet explores the doomed romance between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet in Verona, Italy.  The two come from rival families who disapprove of their relationship – a situation that is only resolved after a series of deaths.  Strong themes and universal experiences are prominent; proving that Shakespeare had an incredibly deep understanding of human nature.  Types of Conversation Shakespeare only had words to create believable scenes for an audience. This lead to some interesting techniques: A dialogue is a conversation between two or more characters; A soliloquy is a long speech that a character gives to themselves – revealing their secret thoughts to an audience; An aside is a brief comment to the audience that other characters in a scene cannot hear.  Experiencing the Play [with an In-Class Activity] Starting tomorrow, we’ll be exploring Romeo & Juliet in a unique way: Instead of just reading the play, we’ll be watching an online performance from the Stratford Festival website; This approach will give us an easier time understanding the plot and more opportunities for deeper discussion; There will also be an in-class activity where you will keep track of the plot and analyze theme.  What about Today? Today, you will be assigned a WebQuest: Each section of this document includes a set of questions and websites for you to investigate; While on your quest, you will be learning more about Shakespeare’s life and the historical context of the play. Please make sure that answers are longer than a single sentence and using evidence from your investigation.