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Summary English literature paper 1 Romeo and Juliet GCSE notes
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These are my notes for English literature paper 1 Romeo and Juliet as part of the GCSE course.
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Romoe And Juliet,Introduction:
Abrahm Calovius famously questioned, ‘Who will venture to place
the authority of Copernicus above that of the Holy Spirit?’. Romeo
states ‘Juliet is the Sun’, and therefore has to die to restore
equilibrium and stability, something we learn from the prologue.
Romeo and Juliet is a tragic eponymous play written to inspire
pathos and fear into the audience. Romeo and Juliet go against many
of the societal norms including religion, the masculine role, the
parental role and creating instability. The play serves as a warning
to the audience not to deviate from societal expectations.
, context
Try not to say ‘at the time’ Always start response
instead say in the Elizabethan/ with ‘in the
Victorian period for ACC eponymous play…’
William Shakespeare was born in 1564 from a middle-class family. He worked as a
playwright and actor and died in 1616 with 37 plays and 154 sonnets attributed
to him. Romeo and Juliet was written around 1594.
Italy:
• In the early Renaissance period, Italy wasn’t a united country but divided into
smaller pricipilaties.
• Cities like Verona flourished economically where politically powerful families
became very wealthy and lived in luxury whilst most of Italy was made up of
the peasant class.
• Romeo and Juliet ser ves as a warning to the powerful and wealthy who are
unable to put their pride aside to treat others as well (shown through conflict
bet ween Capulets and Montagues leading to several deaths as they cannot
accept each other). It also serves as a warning to British aristocrats who
might try to undermine Elizabeth I’s authority.
• Romeo and Juliet reflects many English stereotypes of Italy at the time:
emphasis on romance (and open attitudes towards sex and relationships)
derived from love poems of the time, negative attitudes towards Catholicism
(shown through Friar Lawrence resulting in the tragedy of Rome and Juliet’s
deaths - Catholic figure is blamed) and its influence on society and politics in
Europe.
Society in Elizabethan period:
• Society was very patriarchal and women had. No rights or authority to own
property and money. Children were often given in marriage for social and
political gain.
• Family honour and respect was very important.
• Love and relationships were very ceremonious, formal and courteous.
• People heavily believed in fate and astrology and believed their destiny was
already written. Wealthy people often paid for astrological readings before
making important decisions.
• Scientific revolution: until around 1543, people believed in a geocentric model of
the universe (Earth at the centre). With the scientific revolution, Copernicus’s
work on developing a heliocentric model, suggested that the sun was at the
centre and other planets orbited it.
, Aristotelian tragedy:
The Greek philosopher Aristotle defined six fundamental
characteristics of the tragedy genre:
• Plot structure - must include an element of pathos
(character suffering), peripeteia (reversal of fortune), and
anagnorisis (character realisation). The plot must have a
definitive beginning, middle and end and often begins with
a prologue.
• Characters - must include a tragic hero whose hamartia
leads to their downfall. The aim of tragedy is to elicit fear
or pity from the audience.
• Diction - language used by characters to express their
feelings.
• Thought - how themes are explored and how characters
think and behave.
• Lyric poetry - how music/poetry is used in storytelling
• Spectacle - stagecraft
Shakespearian sonnet: A
poem of 14 lines, usually
divided into three quatrains
and a final, concluding
couplet. Usually the themes
are of love and other
emotions.
Blank verse - unrhymed iambic
pentameter, used for higher class
characters
Rhymed iambic pentameter -
used to emphasise thoughts and
emotions
Prose - used for low status
characters
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