- 23 pages of very high quality notes
- in-depth analysis of quotations
- context, form and sophisticated vocabulary to boost your grade
- 1 detailed essay plan and 2 exemplar A* essays done under examination conditions
For reference, I got a Grade 9 with 100% on Paper 1- Shakespeare/19th Ce...
Romeo and Juliet
This guide consists of key quotations with in-depth analysis for securing the top grades.
Context
Written between 1594 and 1596
Romeo and Juliet was written in the Elizabethan era (the renaissance). This time period heavily
focused on religion, politics, science, arts and language.
Elizabeth I was queen. She was queen while Shakespeare was writing, and supported him. She
made Protestantism the of cial religion of England, which angered many Catholics, and led to
much con ict. Shakespeare may be referencing this in "Romeo and Juliet" with the two warring
families.
Elizabethans believed the body contained 4 humours: blood, phlegm, yellow bile, black bile. The
amount you had of each determined your personality. People with too much phlegm were
emotional. People with too much blood were irresponsible and gluttonous. People with too much
yellow bile were violent and vengeful. People with too much black bile were depressed and self-
centred.
Patriarchal society
Patriarchal societies are ones where men are dominant, and have control over women e.g. by
choosing who they would marry
In the patriarchal society of the Elizabethan era, men were extremely engrossed in protecting their
honour and reputation
Elizabethan society generally believed that a man too much in love lost his manliness
“effeminate”.
Set rules (social norms) for women and men
Italian history
true story of Romeo Montecchi and Giulietta Cappelletti
Reference to Veronese leadership (Escalus) closely phonetically resembles the “Della scala” family
Perhaps Shakespeare purposefully describes a time of con ict in Italy rather than England so he’s
able to highlight the underlying issues with British society (patriarchy, loyalty, consequences of
parental pressure) without offending the British monarchy and Queen Elizabeth I for whom’s
entertainment he wrote the play
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