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level: Level 1

Questions and Answers List

level questions: Level 1

QuestionAnswer
Romeo MontagueThe romantic and passionate young man who falls for Juliet
Lord MontagueRomeo's father and enemy of the capulets. He is worried about Romeo's welfare.
Lady MontagueRomeo's Mother. She kills herself when Romeo is banished from Verona.
BenvolioRomeo's cousin who aims to calm violence between families and distract Romeo from Rosaline.
MercutioRomeo's comedic but unpredictable best friend who does not believe in love.
Juliet CapuletThe intelligent and idealistic girl who falls for Romeo
Lord CapuletJuliet's father and enemy of the Montague's. He initially cares for juliet but becomes violent when disobeyed.
Lady CapuletJuliet's emotionally detached mother who also married young.
TybaltJuliet's proud and fierce cousin who is quick to violent action when he feels he is disrespected.
Friar LawrenceThe thoughtful Franciscan friar who is Romeo's father figure and a herb expert.
The nurseJuliet's comedic best friend and confidante who has looked after Juliet since she was a baby.
Count parisA powerful relation of the prince and suitor of Juliet.
Prince EscalusThe prince of Verona and relation of Mercutio and Paris. He is concerned about the violence in the streets.
Abram & BalthasarTwo minor Montague servants
Peter, Sampson & gregoryThree minor Capulet servants
RosalineThe chaste woman who Romeo loves at the start of the play.
Context - 14th century italyThe play can be seen as a criticism of how blood was spilled over trivial issues.
Context - ReligionThe play can be seen as a criticism of Catholicism and its rigid rules, outmoded theology and unreliable priests such as Friar Lawrence.
Context - Family and HonourShakespeare explores how the father's absolute power and the lack of bonds with parents led to conflict between generations. If you were challenged to a duel and you refused, you would be deemed a coward, thus damaging your honour and the status of your family.
Context - Male aggressionMales were considered 'weak' if they did not show aggression or violence towards others when necessary, especially when family honour was at stake.
Context - Patriarchal society and the position of womenShakespeare explores the tragic consequences of what happens when a daughter challenges the patriarchal system. This is what marks Romeo and Juliet's love out as unique, and why Juliet's refusal to marry her father's choice, Paris, is so shocking - with such serious consequences.
Context - Belief in FortuneThe characters all express the belief that higher forces control the fate of human beings; however Shakespeare highlights that they may be too quick to reject personal responsibility, and that human error may well be partially responsible for the tragedy. Indeed, the play ends with the idea that social harmony is restored only when person responsibility is accepted.
Context - Belief in astrology: lives being "mapped out" in the starsIn the play, Shakespeare shows that no matter what the lovers do, what plans they make or how much they love each other, their struggles against Fate only help fulfil it. Romeo and Juliet's determination to struggle against Fate in order to be together, whether in life or death, shows the strength and commitment of their true love.
Context - Courtly lovePresents the male lover who views his lady as unattainable and effects/pretends to be love sick, in torturous suffering and pain, while the object of his love adopts a cool and disdainful attitude towards him. Shakespeare drew on the context of Petrarch's courtly love poetry in his depiction of Romeo's false love for Rosaline.
Vocab - BelligerentAngry and ready to fight.
Vocab - ReconcileCause people to become friendly again after an argument.
Vocab - ConspireSecretly plan with someone to do something harmful or illegal.
Vocab - InfatuatedFilled with foolish or very strong love.
Vocab - OppressionTo treat a person in a cruel or unfair way.
Vocab - allegianceLoyalty to a person, country or group.
Vocab - ClandestineDone in a private or secretive way
Vocab - ExileForced to leave your home and go to live in a foreign country
Vocab - NaiveHaving a lack of experience or knowledge.
Vocab - InevitableCertain to happen
Dramatic Methods - SonnetA poem of 14 lines with a strict rhyme scheme, usually associated with love and romance in conflict.
Dramatic Methods - VerseWhen the characters' words rhyme.
Dramatic Methods - blank verseTwo or more lines of iambic pentameter. It is usually spoken by the upper class.
Dramatic Methods - Iambic PentameterTen syllables in each line, following a rhythmic pattern of unstressed-stressed.
Dramatic Methods - ProseLines which are not written in iambic pentameter/don't rhyme. It is usually spoken in the lower class.
Dramatic Methods - Rhyming couplets2 lines next to each other ending in rhyme
Dramatic Methods - PunUsing the double-meaning of a word for humour.
Dramatic Methods - InnuendoRemark that suggests something sexual or something unpleasant but not referring to it directly.
Dramatic Methods - SymbolismAn object that stands for an idea, eg. 'light' standing for hope or heaven.
Dramatic Methods - OxymoronsJuxtaposition of two contradictory words, e.g. 'heavy lightness'.
Dramatic Methods - SoliloquyTalking while or as if alone; used to reveal a character's innermost thoughts.
Dramatic Methods - Dramatic ironyWhen the audience knows something the character on stage does not
Dramatic Methods - ForeshadowingHinting about something that will happen in the future
Dramatic Methods - Religious imageryWords linked to religious ideas: God, pilgrims, angels, heaven, hell, etc.
Dramatic Methods - Light and darkness motifRepeated symbolic references to light and darkness throughout the play
Dramatic Methods - Celestial imageryWords linked to things 'above': heaven, angels, God, the sky, stars, moon, sun, other worlds.