Romeo and Juliet

By William Shakespeare

Do you believe in love at first sight?

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In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, a long feud between the Montague and Capulet families disrupts the city of Verona and causes tragic results for Romeo and Juliet. Revenge, love, and a secret marriage force the young star-crossed lovers to grow up quickly.
CA Standards:
Speaking Applications 2.5

Assignments:

English 9:
Be prepared to recite the two selections from the play below.
a) The Prologue
b) Juliet's soliloquy at the balcony  (Act 2, Scene 2)

Honors English 9: Be prepared to recite the three selections from the play below.
a) The Prologue
b) Juliet's soliloquy at the balcony (Act 2, Scene 2)
c) Romeo's soliloquy at the balcony (Act 2, Scene 2)

*  Prologue: a preface or introductory part of a discourse, poem, or novel; an introductory speech, often in verse, calling attention to the theme of a play.

* Soliloquy: a device often used in drama whereby a character relates his or her thoughts and feelings to him/herself and to the audience without addressing any of the other characters, and is delivered often when they are alone or think they are alone.

Juliet's Soliloquy
Act 2, Scene 2

O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?
 Deny thy father and refuse thy name; 
     Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
     And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
    'Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
    Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
    What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
    Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
    Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
    What's in a name? that which we call a rose
    By any other name would smell as sweet;
    So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd,
    Retain that dear perfection which he owes
    Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
    And for that name which is no part of thee
    Take all myself.

Romeo's Soliloquy
Act 2, Scene 2

     But, soft! what light through yonder window           breaks?
     It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
    Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
    Who is already sick and pale with grief,
    That thou her maid art far more fair than she:
    Be not her maid, since she is envious;
    Her vestal livery is but sick and green
    And none but fools do wear it; cast it off.
    It is my lady, O, it is my love!
    O, that she knew she were!

The Prologue

Two households, both alike in dignity,              (1)
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes     (5)
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventur'd piteous overthrows
Doth, with their death, bury their parents’ strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents’ rage,     (10)
Which, but their children's end, naught could remove,
Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

What does it mean?

Two families, the same in almost every respect,
in the town of Verona, Italy, where this play is set,
continue an old feud with new breakouts of violence, involving and killing citizens outside the families.

The son of one family and the daughter of the other, having become lovers, commit suicide,
following a series of events that keep them apart.
Their deaths cause the families to end the feud.

The events that lead to their suicide,
As well as the continuing feud between the families, (which nothing but their children’s death could end), Will now be performed on this stage for two hours.

If you listen to the play attentively, any details you missed in this introduction, will be explained as you watch the play.