ROMEO AND JULIET - Act I Reading and Study Guide I. LITERARY TERMS: Be able to define each term and apply each term to the play. Oxymoron bringing together two contradictory terms as in wise fool or feather of lead le: In Act 1, Scene 1 Romeo uses several oxymora (the plural of oxymoron ) to describe the relationship of love and hate. He says, _ Allusion reference to historical or literary figure, event, or object le: In Act 1, Scene 1 Romeo says that Rosaline Pun a play on words based on the similarity of sound between two words with different meanings -16, Romeo is feeling sad, so he does not want to dance. He says to the others, Imagery representation in words of a vivid sensory experience omeo uses imagery to describe Juliet s beauty when he says, Paradox a statement that might seem to contradict itself but is nevertheless true; for example, less is more. n she speaks of Romeo, saying,. This seems to be a contradictory statement, because love and hate are opposites. Iambic Meter Iambic Pentameter Monologue : (Act I, Scene I) Rhyme Scheme is a regular pattern of rhyming words in a poem. The rhyme scheme of a poem is indicated by using different letters of the alphabet for each new rhyme. In an aabb stanza, for example, line 1 rhymes with line 2 and line 3 rhymes with line 4.
: Find the rhyme scheme in the prologue ( ) Couplet is a pair of rhyming lines, usually of the same length and meter. A couplet generally expresses a single idea. : Give an example from Act I, Scene 1. Line 220 Sonnet - A Shakespearean sonnet consists of 14 lines, each line contains ten syllables, and each line is written in iambic pentameter. The rhyme scheme in a Shakespearean sonnet is ABAB CDCD EFEF GG in which the last two lines are a rhyming couplet. : Act I, Scene V. II. answer the following questions for the Prologue and each scene in Act I: Prologue: mutiny piteous 1. In what city does this play take place? 2. Put the following lines in to your own words: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross d lovers take their life, 3. What does the term star-cross d lovers suggest? 4. Put these lines into your own words: Whose misadventur d piteous overthrows Doth, with their death, bury their parents strife. Scene 1:
colliers valiant - pernicious adversary tyrannous 1. As Sampson and Gregory are discussing their hatred for the Montagues, what bawdy comment does Sampson make? What kind of love is this an example of? 2. Why do you suppose biting a thumb is offensive to the Capulets? 3. During the fight between the Montagues and the Capulets, the Prince appears and he is very angry. What is the promise and threat he makes? 4. Benvolio and Montague describe the way Romeo has been acting. What do they have to say about him? 5. Why is Romeo so depressed? 6. What advice does Benvolio give Romeo? Scene 2: heretics
1. Why does Capulet think it will be easy for Montague and him to keep the peace? 2. After speaking briefly, Paris gets to the point of his visit to the Capulets. What does he ask of Lord Capulet? What is Capulet s response? 3. Paris responds that girls younger than she have been married. What is Capulet s response to this? What suggestion and invitation does Capulet make to Paris? 4. While Benvolio is trying to convince Romeo to find other women in order to overcome his heartache over Rosaline, what suggestion does he make? Why? Scene 3: tetchy perilous 1. How old is Juliet? 2. When Lady Capulet asks Juliet how she feels about marriage, what is Juliet s answer? 3. Following Juliet s answer, what does Lady Capulet then tell Juliet? Scene 4: lath - wantons - benefice vile -
1. Why does Romeo say he is unable to dance? 2. How do the Montagues expect to be able to enter a Capulet house? 3. Romeo is apprehensive about going to the masquerade because of the dream he had the night before. Romeo seems to believe (as did many in Shakespeare s day) that dreams have something to do with life. Perhaps Romeo believes dreams act as omens. What is Mercutio s opinion of dreams? What does Mercutio s speech reveal about his character? 4. What is Romeo s misgiving, and what does the line some consequence, yet hanging in the stars have to do with his feeling of dread? Discuss the theme this quote illustrates. Scene 5: nuptial scathe perforce choler prodigious gall 1. What does Romeo think of Juliet the first time he sees her? 2. How does Tybalt recognize Romeo? What does he vow to do?
3. When Tybalt is ready to seize Romeo and throw him out of the party, what does Capulet say to Tybalt? 4. Explain what the conversation is between Romeo and Juliet. 5. During their conversation, Romeo ends up kissing Juliet twice before the Nurse comes to tell Juliet that her mother requests her. Romeo and his friends leave. How does the audience know that Juliet feels as strongly about Romeo as he does for her? 6. How does Romeo find out Juliet s last name? 7. How does Juliet find out Romeo s last name? 8. How do they each react to finding out they are from feuding families?