English 11 Romeo and Juliet text

William Shakespeare

“star-crossed lovers”

Verona, Italy

wealthy families, feud

Hatfields and the McCoys – famous old feud

Romeo loves Rosalind

a masque – a masked party

ROMEO

O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems / she hangs  / upon / the cheek / of night
Like a / rich jewel / in an  / Ethi / ope's ear;
Beauty / too rich / for use,  / for earth  / too dear!
So shows / a sno  / wy dove  / trooping  / with crows,

As yon / der la / dy o'er  /her fel / lows shows.

o'er - over

As yon / der la / dy o / ver  her / fellows / shows.

over - two syllables

o’er – one syllable

The measure done, I'll watch her place of stand,
And, touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight!

For I / ne'er saw / true beau / ty till  / this night.

never – two syllables, mess up the rhythm

o’er ne’er – usually to fix the rhythm

Oh! O – used to add a syllable

…

dove -symbol of peace and love

meter – rhythm of the poetry

iambic pentameter – iamb (heartbeat) weak strong

pentameter – five

iambic pentameter – five heartbeats

rhyme – stand hand

O, she / doth teach / the tor / ches to / burn bright!

She doth / teach the / torches / to burn / bright! rhythm doesn’t work

O, she / doth teach / the tor / ches to / burn bright!  five heartbeats

You will that all though old poetry, including Shakespeare.

iambic pentameter 

iambic - heartbeat, iamb - weak/strong rhythm
pentameter - five, pentagram

iambic tetrameter – four Tetris, The Russian Game

iambic tetrameter – four heartbeats

“The Passionate Shepherd to his Love”

Come live / with me, / and be  / my love   four heartbeats

And we / will all / the plea / sures prove  four heartbeats

Homework

Pick a few lines from the Shakespeare text and divide them into iambic pentameter.

OR

Write a line or two of your own in iambic pentameter. Doesn’t have to be poetry.

“If you / are free, / let’s go  / out for  / a walk.” musical

Send it by email of on blog comments by tomorrow morning.

Iambic pentameter is used for important speeches in Shakespeare.

Still at the masque. Finally, he and Juliet meet. Love at first site.

ROMEO

[To JULIET] If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

JULIET

Good pil/ grim, you / do wrong / your hand / too much,
Break up the words into syllables

Which mannerly devotion shows in this;
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

ROMEO

Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

JULIET

Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

ROMEO

O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do;
They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

JULIET

Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake.

ROMEO

Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take.
Thus from my lips, by yours, my sin is purged.

JULIET

Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

ROMEO

Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.

JULIET

You kiss by the book.

…

Capulet is Juliet's family name
Montague is Romeo's family name
feud - long time fight, argument

ROMEO

Is she a Capulet?
O dear account! my life is my foe's debt.

…
nurse is a nanny

JULIET

Come hither, nurse. What is yond gentleman?

…

Nurse

I know not.

JULIET

Go ask his name: if he be married.
My grave is like to be my wedding bed.

Nurse
His name is Romeo, and a Montague;

The only son of your great enemy.

JULIET

My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy.

Often called The Balcony Scene

Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scene ii (excerpted and edited)

Capulet's Garden.

Romeo.
[Juliet appears above at a window.]

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east and Juliet is the sun! 
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief 
That thou her maid art far more fair than she.
…

Juliet.
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo? 

wherefore - archaic word (old and not use anymore) - where why

Why are you Romeo? Why do you have to be part of that enemy family.

Such bad luck.

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, 
And I'll no longer be a Capulet.
…
'Tis but thy name that is my enemy:
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What's Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, 
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name. 
What's in a name? That which we call a rose 
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd, 
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, 
And for that name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.

Romeo.
I take thee at thy word.
Call me but love, and I'll be new baptis'd; 
Henceforth I never will be Romeo.

Juliet.
What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, 
So stumblest on my counsel?

Romeo.
By a name
I know not how to tell thee who I am:
My name, dear saint, is hateful to myself, 
Because it is an enemy to thee.
Had I it written, I would tear the word. 

Juliet.
My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words
Of thy tongue's uttering, yet I know the sound.
Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague? 

Romeo. 
Neither, fair saint, if either thee dislike.

…

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. Things go very wrong for the 

main characters - it's their fault. That's what makes it a 

tragedy.

tragedy and comedy mask

Movie

·      “Loving” 2016

talk about “Loving v Virginia” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loving_v._Virginia

Available for streaming - rent or watch a video online

ironic that their last name is Loving when the story is about forbidden love

lots of forbidden love in The Jade Peony

Romeo and Juliet

·      WATCH VIDEO Romeo and Juliet 1968

Two scenes- Ball/masque scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH9ZK7vSBYY

Balcony scene

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q3Y9223kSI

West Side Story modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet

set in New York City in the 1950s

- two gangs - Sharks, Jets

- Tony and Maria

You can find this online.

It is a musical with lots of singing and dancing.

pentameter -

pentameter division and word/syllable stress

Only the important speeches are in iambic pentameter.

The small incidental speaking doesn't fit.

"You kiss by the book."

Once you have the sound of iambic pentameter in your head, you will hear it everywhere.

Ok / Let's say  / good bye / un til / Wednes day.

ok - o kay

How is it pronounced?

visual and the aural

Ok - two syllables

Meet tomorrow at 9 am.