Views of love in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet.

Views of love in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Contents . Introduction 1 2. Main part: Views of love in Romeo and Juliet 2 2.1. Romeo's and Juliet's view of love: Love as the reason for living 2 2.1.1. Romeo 2 2.1.2. Juliet 5 2.2. The domestics' and Mercutio's view of love: Love means sex 8 2.2.1. Sampson and Gregory, servants of the house of Capulet 8 2.2.2. The Nurse 9 2.2.3. Mercutio 10 2.3. Benvolio's view of love: Be happy, no matter if you are in love or not 12 2.4. Juliet's parents, the Prince and Paris: The Elizabethan attitude towards 12 love and sex 2.4.1.Capulet 13 2.4.2. Lady Capulet 14 2.4.2. Prince Escalus 15 2.4.3. Paris 16 2.5. Romeo's parents: A relationship full of love 17 2.5.1. Montague 17 2.5.2. Lady Montague 17 2.6. Friar Laurence' view of love: Violent delights have violent ends 18 3. Conclusion: In how far do the views of love presented in the play reflect 19 the attitude towards love the Elizabethan audience had? . Introduction William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet has the "high profile as the love-tragedy everybody knows"1. Although it is regarded as the ideal of romantic love there

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Classical Music Interpretations of Romeo and Juliet: Tchaikovsky, Gounod and Prokofiev

0099 0549 2 016 Word Count: 8300 Tutor: Dr. Julie Sanders Classical Music Interpretations of Romeo and Juliet: Tchaikovsky, Gounod and Prokofiev Contents Acknowledgements Page 3 Preface Page 4 Chapter One: The Masked Ball Page 6 Chapter Two: The Balcony Scene Page 15 Chapter Three: Friar Lawrence Page 23 Conclusions Page 31 Glossary Page 33 Bibliography Page 34 Acknowledgements This dissertation would not have been possible without the help of many tutors and friends at Keele University. Thanks, first of all are due to Dr. Julie Sanders who stimulated and encouraged me throughout the writing of this piece. Secondly I would like to thank Matt Edmonds who let me borrow several pieces of his music collection so that this dissertation could be completed. My Mum, Dad and Phil need a special thanks for reading rough drafts, sharing my enthusiasm and for picking me up when I was in need of help. Thank you all. Preface This study originated in my interest in Shakespeare and my love of music. I first had an interest in Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet when I did a school production at the age of twelve. Having since studied a wide range of Shakespearean material at university I decided to go back to my initial interest of Romeo and Juliet and write a dissertation. As my interest in classical music has grown over the

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  • Subject: English
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To what extent is Macbeth wholly responsible for his ruin, which destroys not only himself and other individuals, but also disrupts the divine unity of Scotland?

Macbeth Anna 11W To what extent is Macbeth wholly responsible for his ruin, which destroys not only himself and other individuals, but also disrupts the divine unity of Scotland? From the instant Macbeth stabs Duncan he can never rid himself, those close to him and the 'Divine Scotland' of the multitudinous scenes of carnage. Macbeth is the darkest and most brooding of all Shakespeare's texts, from his first encounter with the witches he plummets into a world of ruthless ambition, murder and an ongoing nightmare until his final, untimely however inevitable fate of destruction and demise. In order to understand how Shakespeare intended his audience to react to and interpret the themes in the play and on whom he intended the blame for the disruption to be placed, I must analyse it from a number of different aspects. I must firstly gain an understanding of Jacobean themes to help me to understand the audience's reaction and also observe the beliefs surrounding supernatural activities at the time. Especially those of James I, the King at the time as it is widely known of his strong beliefs that Shakespeare would inevitably be aiming to satisfy. My essay will quantify the extent of the damage Macbeth's actions caused at different stages of the history of political Scotland and will analyse his thinking which displays such

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Explain How Shakespeare Creates Dramatic Tension in III.v

Explain How Shakespeare Creates Dramatic Tension In Act Three Scene Five Ask people to give an example of a rich mixture of romantic lyricism, crammed with deadly enmity, tantalizing love, clandestine marriage, farce and heart - breaking tragedy, most would respond with 'Romeo and Juliet', the remarkable tale of 'star crossed lovers', is one of the most famous literary tragedies in history. Written in 1595, Shakespeare converses the story of devoted teenagers in a tumultuous world of sadness and grief as they defy all known laws of their time, in pursuit of forbidden love and the consequences faced for their actions; inevitably bringing them to their suicidal deaths. Leading to the scrutiny of Act Three Scene Five, which could arguably be, the most pivotal scene of the overall play. Dramatic tension is one of the most vital devices used in this scene with the feeling of trepidation, fear and ambiguity cascading from the scene, the string of events in which lead to the lovers 'death marked love', is plunged into motion. The scene takes place after Romeo's banishment by the Prince from Verona for the death of Tybalt "immediately we do exile him hence...that hour will be his last", the eviction of Romeo puts a strain on Romeo and Juliet's relationship as his life will now be jeopardy if he is found in the city, commiseration is felt for Juliet as the corollary of the

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King Lear gold

King Lear shows how Shakespeare adapted a well known fairy tale and turned it into a dark play about family relationships. Choose from the many transcripts and audio files of well known actors and directors discussing how tyranny and rejection between parents and children can lead to extreme cruelty, suffering and madness. Richard Eyre's recent production at the National theatre has been hailed as one of the greatest and most accessible this century. In a frank interview he discusses his interpretation of the play and why it is essentially about families. Q: Why did you decide to direct the play of King Lear? It's a play I've thought about for many years and always felt shy of. It's one of the very first plays that I saw when I started going to the theatre, which was when I was in my late teens. Almost the first professional Shakespeare production I saw was Peter Brook's production of Lear, with Paul Scofield, and it made a very very deep impression on me. The play made a very deep impression because I was doing my A Levels in Sciences, in Physics, Chemistry and Maths, had virtually read no literature, and didn't know the play at all. I knew nothing about the play. I knew it was about an old man who was a king, King Lear, and I was knocked sideways by the production. I suppose it awoke my imagination to the power of the theatre and the power of that play, and the legacy of

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Writing about the story of Romeo and Juliet, in a prologue then the relationship the Nurse had with Juliet then, who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and to what extent is fate responsible for their deaths?

Romeo and Juliet In this piece of course work I am going to be writing about the story of Romeo and Juliet, in a prologue then the relationship the Nurse had with Juliet then, who is to blame for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet, and to what extent is fate responsible for their deaths? Theatres today and how they have changed since Shakespeare's day and I'll be finishing with comparing the two videos of Romeo and Juliet also Film adaptation of the modern Romeo and Juliet film and I'll be studying in detail (Act5 scene 3). The Prologue of Romeo and Juliet reveals the entire story in a single page. The prologue raises the questions (1) To whom do the events occur? And (2) What are the details of the story? The two families are very rich and powerful but Romeo, a Montague, and Juliet, a Capulet, are sworn enemies because of an ancient feud between their families. In beautiful Verona, Italy " . . . where we lay our scene. From an ancient grudge break to new Mutiny." This quote symbolises Romeo and Juliet's love. These star-crossed lovers prove their love by respecting each other in spite of their family's conflicting. Instead they love each other which in the end, was much worse than hating each other therefore fulfilling the uprising to which the Prologue refers. "Where civil blood make civil hands unclean," means that all the towns people and family members had a part in

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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Who was the driving force behind the murdur of duncan?

Who is the driving force behind the murder of Duncan? This Shakespearean play was written in the height of Shakespeare's career. The flimsiness of people's mental stability and their potential for Machiavellian tasks, prejudice, barbarity and voracity are explored. Use of supernatural beings is commonly used in his plays, with Macbeth this is being used with the characters of the witches. Macbeth tells the story of a Scottish lord who kills the king in order to become king himself after it was prophesised by a cult of witches who he meets only once in the play. He then also kills his friend Banquo as a result of his thirst for power but then suffers greatly from his guilt, as a result prevents him enjoying the rewards of his actions and becomes a depressed oppressor, murdering innocent people and eventually condemning himself to defeat in battle. In this essay I will be deciding who I think was the driving force behind the murder of Duncan, King of Scotland and the begging of Macbeth's spiral downwards. After reading the play I have found three potential forces behind the murder: . The Witches 2. Macbeth himself 3. Or Lady Macbeth. I must now closely examine the play's events and the behaviour and thought's of the central protagonists, so that I can finally conclude who I think was the main catalyst that made Macbeth commit this homicide. The very first party we come

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How is Macbeth persuaded to kill Duncan: Is his wife entirely to blame?

How is Macbeth persuaded to kill Duncan: Is his wife entirely to blame? Legend has it that Macbeth was written in 1606 and performed at Hampton court for King James I; although some historians argue that it was in fact premiered at The Globe theatre, as were most of Shakespeare's productions. Irrespective of this polemic, the play is littered with aspects, issues and ideas that would undoubtedly suggest that the play was indeed written to please King James, who was at the time, patron of Shakespeare's theatre group. One of these themes deals with witches who James was quite unashamedly interested in; so captivated by the supernatural in fact, he wrote a book on the subject; Demonology. Macbeth begins by launching us into a meeting with the three witches. In terms of pure storytelling, this scene is unnecessary - it is only until scene three that we discover the true nature and role of the witches in this play. If one were to miss the first scene, one could follow the narrative still, without any difficulty. I felt that the logic behind the placement of the scene is twofold; to draw the crowd (especially James) in from the outset, and it also underlines the importance of the witches and the theme of darkness to the audience, as the first thing that the crowd see on stage will often be the most memorable. Witches were very much the scapegoat of the time, and much of the

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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How does Shakespeare create a sense of tragedy in the final scene of 'Romeo and Juliet'?

English Coursework: How does Shakespeare create a sense of tragedy in the final scene of 'Romeo and Juliet'? Four hundred years ago, late in the sixteenth century, William Shakespeare wrote 'The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'; a play that tells the tale of the love between the children of two feuding families, and the tragedy that becomes their love. Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall in love, then further dishonour, and in this course disobey, their parents by secretly getting married. When Romeo's best friend Mercutio is killed in a brawl Romeo takes revenge (death) on his killer, Tybalt, Juliet's cousin. Romeo is here by banished and has to leave Juliet to marry her father's choice of groom: Parris. Juliet will not marry him and again disobeys her father. She takes a sleeping potion to make her appear dead. Romeo doesn't get this message and, on hearing the news of her death, goes to her tomb to take his own life. Juliet wakes up to find her love dead and in her pain takes also her life. 'Romeo and Juliet', is, by definition, a tragedy: ) A play in which the protagonist falls to disaster through the combination of a personal failing and circumstances with which he cannot deal 2) Any dramatic or literary composition dealing with such themes. Defined by the Oxford Dictionary In this play Romeo and Juliet are the protagonists that fall to disaster. The disaster

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  • Subject: English
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Take lines 37-240 of Act 3, scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet and explain how I think they should be said as if I where directing it myself.

English Shakespeare Assignment: Introduction In this piece of coursework I have been asked to take lines 37-240 of Act 3, scene 5 of Romeo and Juliet and explain how I think they should be said as if I where directing it myself. I will then go on to talk about Shakespeare's stagecraft, the attitudes he received from the audiences and how they accept his complex characters and finally the differences between the poem Shakespeare based his play on and the play itself and which is more relevant to today's audience. English Shakespeare Assignment: Romeo And Juliet The scene begins as the sun is rising in Verona. Romeo and Juliet awake after the previous night consummating their marriage. Emotions are running high in the Capulet household as Romeo had slaughtered Tybalt Juliet's cousin only the night before. When performing the lines in this scene certain things must be taken into account about how the characters will be feeling about incidents which have previously taken place. Both Romeo and Juliet will be very paranoid about there families finding out about the marriage as from the opening scene of the play the families grievance was known from the fight between the younger generations of the families in the streets. They will feel very alone as the only two people who are supporting the young lovers marriage are the nurse and the Friar who said in act 2 scene 3: "For this

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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