Use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to navigate between flashcards;
Use UP and DOWN arrow keys to flip the card;
H to show hint;
A reads text to speech;
4 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
|
The basic story
|
A boy (Romeo) and a girl (Juliet) fall in love. But they come from families which hate each other, and know they will not be allowed to marry. They are so much in love they marry in secret instead. However, before their wedding night Romeo kills Juliet's cousin in a duel, and in the morning he is forced to leave her. If he ever returns to the city, he will be put to death.
Juliet is then told she must marry Paris, who has been chosen by her parents, who do not know she is already married. She refuses - then agrees because she plans to fake her death and escape to be with Romeo. She takes a sleeping potion and appears to be dead, so her parents lay her in a tomb. However, Romeo does not know about the plan, visits her grave, finds her 'dead', and kills himself. Juliet finally wakes up, finds Romeo dead, and then kills herself. This is just the basic story. There are lots of extra characters and details you can include. However, do not fall into the trap of retelling the story in your work. No GCSE task will ask you to write out the story of Romeo and Juliet, and no marker will expect you just to outline the events in the play. Instead, use the plot to support your work and ideas. Next, let's have a look at how you can do this...
|
|
|
Linking events
|
In your work, you need to show how different events fit together. This means you should know the basic storyline and what other parts of the plot are relevant to your task. If your task relates to a particular scene, you should know both what has already happened and what happens after the scene.
Imagine you are looking at Act 3, Scene 1 (where Romeo kills Juliet's cousin, Tybalt). You would probably want to include details from the plot like: how the atmosphere beforehand (during Romeo and Juliet's marriage) was optimistic, warm and romantic. how a fight is predicted at the start of the Act (with 'the mad blood stirring') how killing off two major characters (Mercutio and Tybalt) puts the focus directly on Romeo at the end of the scene (and Juliet at the start of the next scene) how the end of the scene relates to the earlier fight and the warning from the Prince in Act 1 how the action switches to Juliet, with her dreams of love contrasting with the earlier violence |
|
|
Using the plot in your work
|
You can use the plot in all sorts of ways. Imagine you are discussing the love between Romeo and Juliet. You can use details from the plot to set the scene for when they first meet at the party. You might start by asking yourself a series of questions, like:
What do we already know about Romeo and Juliet? Does Romeo know who Juliet is when he sees her? Is it important that Romeo thought he was already in love with Rosaline? What does he do after the party? What sort of risk is he taking? Does Juliet know who he is at first? What do they do when they first meet? Answering questions like these shows you understand how to use the plot in your work. It also shows you appreciate what Shakespeare was trying to do. The first meeting of Romeo and Juliet is not just flirting, but something far more meaningful to both of them. Romeo has already seen Juliet and said he never "saw true beauty till this night". And within a minute or so of talking they are kissing. The fact that they agree to marry a few hours later is another sign of how strong their love is (and another way of using the plot effectively). Let's look at another example of using the plot elsewhere in Romeo and Juliet.. |
|
|
Making the most of your knowledge
|
When you use the plot, always keep your title in mind. This will help you to select the parts which tie in best with your task. Imagine we have a title which asks you to discuss the role of The Nurse in Romeo and Juliet. You could include the following plot details:
How she has looked after Juliet since she was a baby How the mood between them is light-hearted and full of teasing How she helps Juliet to arrange the wedding in secret How she protects Juliet and Romeo from being discovered How she suddenly dismisses Romeo (calling him a 'dishclout' or rag) and tries to persuade Juliet to marry Paris How she is then excluded from Juliet's life for the very first time The plot is a very important element in your work, but only if you use it sensibly. If you end up just retelling the story, you are not making the most of your knowledge. After you have understood how to use the plot, we need to move to the characters. |
