Elizabethan Theatre Presentation

SHAKESPEARE and elizabethan theatre

A Short Presentation

· INTRODUCTION

Index

· SHAKESPEARE

· ROMEO & JULIET

ELIZABETHAN THEATRE: INTRODUCTION

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Audience

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SHAKESPEARE

A very misterious character. He was probably born on 23 april 1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. He married Anne Hathaway at the age of 18. He had two daughters, Susanna and Judit, and a son, Hamlet, twin of Judit, who died at the age of 11. He was an exellent playwrither, actor and poet, remerberd as the beast writer and dramatist in english history. He died on 23 april 1616 in Statford-upon-Avon.

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ROMEO & juliet

by William Shakespeare

Juliet

Tybalt

the Nurse

Capulet Father/Lady Capulet

The daughter of Capulet Family. A beautiful thirteen-year-old girl, Juliet begins the play as a naïve child who has thought little about love and marriage, but she grows up quickly upon falling in love with Romeo

Juliet’s cousin. Vain, fashionable, supremely, he becomes easily aggressive, violent, and quick to draw his sword when he feels his pride has been injured.

A vulgar, long-winded, and sentimental character, the Nurse often provides comic relief . The Nurse is Juliet’s faithful confidante and loyal intermediary in Juliet’s affair with Romeo.

Juliet's parents

CAPULET FAMILY

Romeo

Benvolio

Montague Father/Lady Montague

Rosaline

The son and heir of Montague Family. An handsome, intelligent, and sensitive young man, about sixteen. Though impulsive and immature, his idealism and passion make him an extremely likable character

Romeo’s cousin and thoughtful friend. Benvolio makes a genuine effort to defuse violent scenes in public places.

The woman Romeo is infatuated with at the beginning of the play.

Romeo's parents

MONTAGUE FAMILY

Friar Lawrence

Mercutio

Prince Escalus

Paris

A Franciscan friar, friend to both Romeo and Juliet. Kind, civic-minded, a proponent of moderation, and always ready with a plan,

A kinsman to the Prince, and Romeo’s close friend. Mercutio overflows with imagination, wit, and, at times, a strange, biting satire and brooding fervor.

The Prince of Verona. As the seat of political power in Verona, he is concerned about maintaining the public peace at all costs.

A kinsman of the Prince. Once Capulet has promised him he can marry Juliet, he behaves very presumptuous toward her, acting as if they are already married.

OTHER CHARACTERS

Timeline

ACT 1 ; scene 1 ; beggining THE COMEDY STARTS

A fight breaks out between members of the Capulet and Montague houses, and Prince Escalus demands all fighting stop. Benvolio vows to help Romeo forget Rosaline.

Capulet talks with Paris about Paris's plans to marry Juliet, and invites him to a feast to begin wooing her. Romeo, Mercutio and Benvolio plan to attend this same party.

scene 2 ; pre-party

scene 3 ; Juliet appaerance

Lady Capulet and the Nurce ask Juliet to consider Paris as a potential husband.

scene 4 ; pre-party

Mercutio, Romeo and Benvolio prepare to go to the party

scene 5 ; the party

Romeo and Juliet fall in love and kiss at the feast. Tybalt wants to harm Romeo for coming to a Capulet feast, but Capulet Father stops him.

ACT 2 ; scene 1 ; Romeo leaves the party

After the feast, Romeo looks for Juliet and hides from Benvolio and Mercutio.

Romeo stands below Juliet's balcony and they profess their love for each other. Juliet promises to send a messenger the next day to make sure Romeo is serious about marriage.

scene 2 ; the balcony

scene 3 ; the marriage I

Romeo asks Friar Lawrence to wed himself and Juliet that day. Friar Lawrence agrees despite his skepticism, and hopes the marriage will end the family feud.

scene 6 ; the marriage II

Friar Lawrence warns Romeo not to get too intense in his love, and then marries Romeo and Juliet.

ACT 3 ; scene 1 ; Tybalt and Mercutio die ; THE TRAGEDY STARTS

Romeo refuses to fight Tybalt, so Mercutio fights instead. Tybalt kills Mercutio. Romeo kills Tybalt and runs away, and Prince Escalus demands Romeo's exile from Verona.

The Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo has killed Tybalt and is sentenced to exile, but she will make sure Romeo comes to Juliet for their wedding night.

scene 2 ; the wedding night

scene 4 ; Juliet's marriage agreements I

The Capulets promise Paris that Juliet will marry him in three days. Romeo hide himself in Mantua.

ACT 4 ; scene 1 ; the poison

Paris shows affection to Juliet when she comes to see Friar Lawrence. Friar Lawrence proposes to Juliet that she take a sleeping potion to feign death on her and Paris's wedding night, and Romeo and Juliet can live together in Mantua.

scene 2 ; Juliet's marriage agreements II

Juliet tells the Capulets she will marry Paris and they move the wedding up a day. Juliet drinks the sleeping poison

The Nurse, the Capulets, and Paris discover that Juliet is "dead," and mourn extensively.

scene 5 ; Juliet's fake death

In Mantua, Balthasar tells Romeo that Juliet is dead. Romeo buys a poison and plans to return to Verona to kill himself and lay with Juliet in her grave that night.

ACT 5 ; scene 1 ; Romeo buy the poison

Friar Lawrence learns that Romeo never received his letter explaining Juliet's fake death plan, and plans to rescue Juliet from the tomb. He sends another letter to Romeo explaining the situation, but doesn't know that Romeo believes Juliet is dead.

scene 2 ; the misunderstanding

Romeo kills Paris in the graveyard, drinks the poison, and dies. Juliet wakes, finds Romeo dead, and stabs herself; Friar Lawrence explains everything and the Capulets and Montagues agree to end their feud.

scene 3 ; ending

"A glooming peace this morning with it brings. / The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head. [...] For never was a story of more woe / Than this of Juliet and her Romeo"Prince Escalus (5.3)

The theme of LOVE

• SECRET LOVE: Romeo and Juliet must keep their relationship secret due to their families feud (faida)

• POWERFUL LOVE: their love is so powerful thet they fell for each other instantly; they are no more able to live without each other and that's why firstly Romeo, than Juliet, kills themself.

• ETHERNAL LOVE: the two lovers are together in life (they get married) and in death (they die together making their love ethernal)

The theme of FATE

Destiny or fate is one of the main theme of the play. All the tragic events happen because of unlucky circumstances. Everithing starts with Romeo attending the Capulet's party, trying to escape his Montague's condition, wich led to him falling for Juliet and their tragic dead.

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"From forth the fatal loins of these two foes / A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life"

William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet prologue