Knowledge Organiser Year 7 English Romeo and Juliet
Enquiry Question: Romeo and Juliet Big questions that will help you answer this enquiry question: 1) To what extent is the downfall of Romeo and Juliet inevitable? 2) Why do we still read Shakespeare? How is it relevant to the modern world? 3) What are the key conventions of a Shakespearean tragedy? 4) What are the differences between a tragedy and something that is tragic? 5) To what extent is Friar Lawrence to blame for the characters demise? 6) What is the purpose of Mercutio? 7) What is true love? 8) To what extent can small decisions have big consequences? 9) Why do both characters have to die? 10) To what is extent is the end a fitting resolution? Key Vocabulary: Tragedy- A drama or literary work in which the main character is brought to ruin or suffers extreme sorrow, especially as a consequence of a tragic flaw, moral weakness, or inability to cope with unfavorable circumstances. Fate- a power or agency that predetermines and orders the course of events. Soliloquy- device often used in drama when a character speaks to him- or herself, relating thoughts and feelings, thereby also sharing them with the audience, giving off the illusion of being a series of unspoken reflections.
Homework The tasks below represent only part of what you can do to enhance and develop your understanding of the text. You are preparing for an exam on a challenging text. Knowledge is power, so the more you know, the more secure you will be in your learning. Term 3 Deadline: Task Research Shakespeare and his other works. What has he written? What do you know about Shakespeare s life? What was the period of time in which he was writing? Research one of the following areas of context and create a guide for fellow students to understand what was happening at the time Shakespeare was writing. Your guide should: link to an extract from the play that relates to your area of context, have a key summary of what you found out about the area of context, and the links to a character from the play. Areas to choose from: The conventions of a tragedy. Elizabethan Britain The life of Shakespeare Using your homework you have completed, write a 500 word evaluation answering the question: to what extent does Romeo and Juliet fulfil the conventions of a tragedy? If you have no homework (a likely story!) or you have finished the above, try these tasks on a weekly basis to ensure your understanding of the play is secure. 1) Research Rome and Juliet and make some revision notes on the scenes that you have read. 2) Research Shakespeare and other works that he has produced. Are there common themes?
Task: Imagine you are a young actor who hopes to play Romeo in a new production of Romeo and Juliet. Write a letter to the director of the play, offering your ideas for the role and why you think you will make an excellent Romeo. Dear Director, Romeo s character in Romeo and Juliet is clearly central to the play. He, at first, strives for peace and is emotionally sensitive but in Act 3 Scene 1 there is a major turning point in Romeo s development as a character. After Tybalt brutally murders Mercutio, Romeo s response is ruthless and shows his character drastically changing. Again he has let emotion get the better of him but instead of love, it is anger that boils over. As an actor, I feel that I would make an excellent Romeo for the reasons that I am about to outline to you. As I have alluded to, Romeo is clearly the most important character in the play but he is an extremely interesting and challenging character to play well. He starts the play in love with Rosaline and to some, such as Friar Laurence, appears to be fickle in his relationships. Although his devotion to Rosaline can be questioned, an actor would have to be able to portray the heartache that he undeniably feels. Ultimately at this stage of the play he is a lost youth trying to navigate the complex feelings that he is experiencing. This is one side to Romeo s character but as soon as he falls for Juliet, the actor would have to be able to demonstrate the layers to Romeo s personality and reflect in their performance the strength of feelings that Romeo s exhibits towards Juliet. Some may say that Romeo s fatal flaw is his highly strung emotional state but it is clear that he feels genuine love for Juliet. Demonstrating the love that Romeo feels towards Juliet is a major challenge for an actor but Romeo s character becomes much more complex in Act 3 Scene 1. At the start of the scene, Romeo is clearly trying to keep the peace and although he is antagonised by a furious Tybalt, Romeo responds that there is no quarrel to be settled when he says I do protest I never injured thee. Romeo s protestations that he has never inflicted pain on Tybalt are, however, not enough to settle the feud. Mercutio feels that Romeo s actions are dishonourable so intervenes which is ultimately what leads to his death. The fatal demise of the comical character of Mercutio can be considered to be the turning point in the play which causes the rest of the deaths to occur. As an actor, displaying Romeo s response to Mercutio s death would be a challenge but is something that I feel I could do effectively. After trying to defuse the situation by asking Mercutio to put thy rapier up, Mercutio is murdered by Tybalt. After this pivitol moment, Romeo declares that he has had Enough with mercy and consideration. It s time for rage to guide my actions. Romeo s transition from a merciful character who acts with consideration to a character who has allowed rage to guide his acts; without this scene, the other character s deaths would arguably not happen. As an actor, displaying Romeo s passion, whether this is anger or love, is the biggest challenge. Demonstrating authentically the love that Romeo feels for Juliet is difficult but the biggest task comes in highlighting Romeo s inner darkness. I would love to be considered for the role of Romeo. Yours faithfully,
This student s response includes the following: Fluently linked paragraphs that communicate meaning precisely. The register is consistently matched to the purpose. Sentence demarcation is secure with no spelling errors. Standard English is used consistently. Overall, this piece of work would receive 18/20.
Wider Reading List Other Shakespeare plays Hamlet The story of Hamlet, the young Prince of Denmark, his tortured relationship with his mother, and his quest to avenge his father's murder at the hand of his brother Claudius has fascinated writers and audiences ever since it was written around 1600. King Lear- "King Lear" has been widely acclaimed as Shakespeare's most powerful tragedy. Elemental and passionate, it encompasses the horrific and the heartrending. Love and hate, loyalty and treachery, cruelty and self-sacrifice: all these contend in a tempestuous drama which has become an enduring classic of the world's literature. Macbeth- "Macbeth" is one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies, encompassing witchcraft, bloody murder, ghostly apparitions as well as high poetry, blended in such a way as to demonstrate the assured dramatic touch of Shakespeare's maturity. Macbeth's tragedy is that of a good, brave and honourable man turned into the personification of evil by the workings of unreasonable ambition. Film adaptations (be careful of plot changes!) Romeo and Juliet (Dir. Baz Luhrmann) 1996