Act 1, Scene 1
1. How does Shakespeare open the play? Why does he do this?
2. How does the fight between the two houses begin?
3. Benvolio and Tybalt, nephews of each of the households, enter as the fighting begins. What does each character seem like? Cite details about each character to reveal what they are like.
Benvolio:
Tybalt:
4. Summarize the Prince’s monologue (lines 74-96) and his decree.
5. Based on Benvolio’s and Montague’s discussion, what can you infer about Romeo?
6. Cite at least three oxymorons in Romeo’s conversation with Benvolio (lines 164-176). What do these oxymorons imply about how Romeo is feeling?
7. What does Benevolio discover is bothering Romeo?
8. Paraphrase (reword) Benevolio’s advice (lines 220-221).
Act 1, Scene 2
1. Why does Paris come to Capulet?
2. Paraphrase what Capulet says in his monologue.
3. How is the interaction between Romeo and the Capulet servant an example of dramatic irony?
4. Who is Rosaline, and why is she significant?
Act 1, Scene 3
1. Infer the relationship between the nurse and Juliet. Compare this to Juliet and Lady Capulet.
2. Discuss two traits of the nurse’s character.
3. What are some differences between the servant class (nurse) and nobility (Lady Capulet and Juliet) in dialogue?
4. What features of Paris does Lady Capulet emphasize? What metaphor does she use to describe Paris?
5. What do you think is Lady Capulet’s real motivation at this moment?
6. What does Juliet mean by the quote, “I will look to like, if looking liking move” (line 98).
Act 1, Scene 4
1. What is Romeo’s emotional state?
2. How does Mercutio respond?
3. Explain how Romeo and Mercutio are foils of each other.
4. Cite three images from Mercutio’s monologue.
5. Contrast how Romeo and Mercutio feel about dreams.
6. How do Romeo’s final lines contribute to the theme of fate?
Act 1, Scene 5
1. Romeo says, “O she doth teach the torches to burn bright!” Who is Romeo complementing
(look at the stage direction)?
2. When Tybalt overhears Romeo and realizes a Montague is at the party, how does he react?
3. Summarize what Capulet tells Tybalt about Romeo.
4. How is their first meeting representative of the idea that they are “star-crossed lovers?”
@straightforwardField9322
Act 1, Scene 1:
1. Shakespeare opens the play with a fight between servants of the Capulet and Montague households. He does this to immediately establish the deep-seated feud between the two families, setting the stage for the tragedy that follows.
2. The fight between the two houses begins with a quarrel between servants, Sampson and Gregory, of the Capulet house, and Abram and Balthasar, of the Montague house.
3. Benvolio is depicted as a peacekeeper, trying to stop the fight and urging everyone to put down their weapons. He is described as calm and level-headed. Tybalt, on the other hand, is hot-headed and eager for conflict. He enters the scene with aggression, ready to fight, saying, "What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?" (1.1.57).
4. The Prince's monologue chastises the two households for their ongoing feud, which has caused disturbance in Verona's streets. He threatens death to anyone who disturbs the peace again, showing his frustration and desire for order.
5. From Benvolio and Montague's discussion, it can be inferred that Romeo is lovesick and melancholic, as they talk about his recent strange behavior and his tendency to isolate himself.
6. Three oxymorons in Romeo's conversation with Benvolio are "O brawling love, O loving hate, O heavy lightness!" These oxymorons suggest that Romeo is experiencing conflicting emotions, feeling both love and hate, lightness and heaviness.
7. Benvolio discovers that Romeo is troubled by unrequited love for a woman named Rosaline.
8. Benvolio advises Romeo to forget about Rosaline and find someone else to love, saying, "Be ruled by me: forget to think of her" (1.1.221).
Act 1, Scene 2:
1. Paris comes to Capulet to ask for Juliet's hand in marriage.
2. Capulet expresses his willingness to consider Paris as a potential son-in-law, but he also suggests that Juliet is still too young for marriage.
3. The interaction between Romeo and the Capulet servant is an example of dramatic irony because the audience knows that Romeo is a Montague, an enemy of the Capulets, while the servant does not.
4. Rosaline is a woman Romeo is infatuated with at the beginning of the play. She is significant because she is the object of Romeo's unrequited love, which drives much of his actions early in the play.
Act 1, Scene 3:
1. The relationship between the nurse and Juliet is one of affection and familiarity, almost like that of a mother and daughter. This contrasts with Juliet's more distant relationship with Lady Capulet.
2. Two traits of the nurse's character are her humorous and bawdy nature, as well as her deep loyalty to Juliet.
3. The dialogue of the servant class, represented by the nurse, is often more informal and colloquial compared to the more formal speech of the nobility, represented by Lady Capulet and Juliet.
4. Lady Capulet emphasizes Paris's good looks and noble status, describing him as "a man of wax" and comparing him to a book that is "beautifully bound."
5. Lady Capulet's real motivation at this moment is likely to secure a suitable and advantageous marriage for Juliet, thereby securing the family's social status and wealth.
6. Juliet means that she will try to like Paris if looking at him brings feelings of affection or attraction.
Act 1, Scene 4:
1. Romeo's emotional state is melancholic and somber, as he feels heartbroken over his unrequited love for Rosaline.
2. Mercutio responds with humor and teasing, trying to cheer up Romeo by encouraging him to forget about love and enjoy himself at the Capulet party.
3. Romeo is romantic and melancholic, while Mercutio is witty and cynical. They contrast in their attitudes towards love and life.
4. Three images from Mercutio's monologue are Queen Mab, a fairy who controls dreams; dreams themselves, which he describes as "the children of an idle brain"; and lovers' dreams, which he mocks as being foolish and nonsensical.
5. Romeo is idealistic and believes in the power of dreams, while Mercutio is cynical and dismissive of them.
6. Romeo's final lines about feeling uneasy and foreseeing his death contribute to the theme of fate, suggesting that his destiny is already written and that he is destined for tragedy.
Act 1, Scene 5:
1. Romeo is complimenting Juliet, who is described as teaching the torches to burn brightly, indicating her beauty and radiance.
2. When Tybalt overhears Romeo at the party, he reacts with anger and plans to confront him for intruding on the Capulet's festivities.
3. Capulet tells Tybalt to leave Romeo alone, describing him as a well-behaved young man who is not causing any trouble at the party.
4. Their first meeting is representative of the idea that they are "star-crossed lovers" because they fall in love at first sight despite being from feuding families, setting the stage for their tragic romance.
@GlisteningEmbers can you help with other things about romeo and juliet
@straightforwardField9322
I sincerely doubt it. It's been so long since i've read it, but I can try (:
wrong one sorry
Act 2, scene 2
This is one of the most famous scenes in all of dramatic literature. Why do people seem to remember this part so much?
Read lines three through six, to what does Romeo compare Juliet? Why is the moon envious?
How many times does Romeo use a word or phrase synonymous with light in lines 2-24?
What does Juliet mean when she says, “O Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou Romeo?”
What is Juliet saying in lines 33-36?
What is an aside? Why is Romeo’s line here an aside?
Who says, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet”? What does this mean?
What is Juliet’s solution for the problem of Romeo’s name? At this point Romeo reveals that he is listening to Juliet. What is his solution to the problem of his name?
Are you surprised by his willingness to give up being a Montague? Explain why or why not?
What is being personified in line 58? How?
According to lines 80-84, how did Romeo find out where Juliet was? What literary term is this an example of?
Why is Romeo “unsatisfied”?
What complications threaten the lover’s happiness? Who seems to take this threat more seriously?
Act 2, scene 3
Where is this scene set?
In lines 10-11, what is the Friar saying about the nature of the earth? How is this similar to what he says in lines 21-22? What point about human nature is the Friar making here? Explain.
How does Friar react when Romeo says he has forgotten Rosaline? Why do you think he reacts in this way?
What does Romeo ask Friar to do in lines 57-64? How does the Friar first respond to the idea? What does Friar say about the nature of young men’s love in lines 67-68? What does he say about Romeo’s actions regarding Rosaline?
What persuades Friar, despite his condemnation of Romeo’s wavering, to assist Romeo?
Act 2, scene 4
What new occurrences in the Montague/Capulet feud do Mercutio and Benvoilio know about that Romeo has not learned of?
What scheme has Romeo devised?
Act2, scene 5
In what length of time did the nurse promise to return?
How long has the Nurse been away?
The nurse puts off answering Juliet’s questions about the marriage plans for four excuses. What are they?
What praise does the Nurse give Romeo?
At the end of the scene, where is the Nurse going? Where is Juliet going?
Act 2, scene 6
What does Romeo say about death in lines 7-8?
In your own words, tell what warning Friar gives in lines 9-11?
What does Romeo ask Juliet upon her arrival? How does Juliet respond?
@GlisteningEmbers
Identify these Vocab words:
John adams
northwest land ordinance 1787
Pinckney treaty
proclamation of 1763
Republican motherhood
separation of powers
seven years war'shay's rebellion 1787
strict vs loose interpretation of the constitution
thomas paine " common sense"
virtual representation
whiskey rebellion
XYZ affair