Transcript Document
Critical Essay Show how Shakespeare uses many types of contrast to great effect in the play “Romeo and Juliet”. INTRO – Paragraph 1 • The introduction can be one or two paragraphs: – Introduce play (“big picture”) – Give brief outline of what happens in play – Refer to question BODY OF ESSAY: Para 2 Contrast in characters / personalities – • Romeo – young, sensitive, passionate, inexperienced (e.g.?) – tries to stop Mercutio taking on Tybalt’s challenge • Benvolio – sensible, steady, law-abiding, tries to keep the peace, stop fights (e.g.?) – has elements in common with Romeo, though seems older and less impulsive Paragraph 3 • • • • Mercutio and Tybalt Provide contrast with Benvolio and Romeo Both hot-headed and proud Tybalt determined to challenge Romeo after he gate-crashed the Capulets’ Ball (why?) • Mercutio, determined to accept Tybalt’s challenge, as Romeo would not (why?) • Ultimately, this leads to both of their deaths…. Paragraph 4 • Contrast in goals – • Juliet’s parents want an arranged marriage for their daughter (even though her father appears at first as if he will listen to her opinion – e.g…) • Contrast this with the anger in Juliet’s father a little later when he threatens her if she does not obey him and marry Paris – again look at the use of language (Is it due to his pride / potential loss of face?) Why does Capulet want his daughter to marry Paris? • Romeo and Juliet want to follow their hearts, in marrying for love Paragraphs 5 - 8 Contrast in mood and atmosphere in different scenes: • (Para 5) Explore the witty banter in Act 1 (and possibly Mercutio’s unpleasant taunting of the Nurse) • (Para 6) Explore in detail the moments of genuine romantic happiness in Act 1 Sc 5, and Act 2 Sc 2, and the imagery used • (Para 7) Explore the moments of premonition, hints of foreboding of what is to come, in Prologue and Acts 1 and 2 (find at least 3 examples) • (Para 8) Tragedy in scene within tomb at end (quote) Paragraph 9 Scenes of inner conflict – use of Antithesis and Oxymoron: Note: • Antithesis = contrast between two opposing ideas e.g. love and hate, or saint and villain; • Oxymoron = contradictory two-word phrase, e.g.damned saint; or honourable villain. • Examine in detail the language used (a) by Romeo and (b) by Juliet when each falls in love, but are in a state of confusion and uncertainty over having fallen in love with their enemy • Explore the moments of distress and inner conflict in Juliet after Tybalt is killed and Romeo banished (If necessary, use two paragraphs for this section) Paragraph 10 Use of motifs of light and darkness (but try not to repeat what you have already said earlier e.g. about romantic love – certainly, never use the same examples twice) • Look at use of images of light in describing Juliet’s beauty, and also look at the images used to describe Romeo - quote • Look at how images of darkness are used in association with the ideas of death and sadness etc (2 examples of light and 2 of darkness will be sufficient to show this contrast) CONCLUSION – Paragraph 11 Your overall CONCLUSION summing up Shakespeare’s use of contrast in this play: • in displaying the differences in personality • the full range of human emotions from love to loss, the contrast between optimism (or hope) and tragedy • the range of experiences from friendship and love to revenge and death • the effect of these contrasts on the audience Conclusion – Paragraph 12 (Personal Response) Include your own personal response to this tragedy, and how the tragic outcome affected you: • Is this a situation that could happen today? • Can we still see such a genuine and innocent love? • Being torn apart because of different family backgrounds? • What can we learn from this play?