QUARTER 4
LESSON 5
Romeo and Juliet
Balcony Scene
QUARTER 4
LESSON 5
Balcony Scene
Learn about the main characters in Romeo and Juliet.
Recall the meaning of archaic words.
Read Act 2 Scene 2.
Romeo Montague is a young, passionate and headstrong teenager who thinks and acts with his emotions.
He is the only child of Lord and Lady Montague. His parents hate the Capulets.
When the audience first meets Romeo, he declares that he is in love with Rosaline. He states that he is heartbroken because Rosaline doesn't love him back.
However, his emotions are changeable, as that very night, Romeo meets Juliet and falls in love with her instantly. He vows to marry her and they marry the next day, unbeknown to their feuding families.
As the play progresses, Romeo illustrates how passionate he is by avenging his best friend Mercutio's, death. He kills Juliet's cousin, Tybalt, and is forced to leave the city of Verona.
Romeo thinks he cannot live without Juliet and is devastated when he hears of Juliet's 'death'. Here, he takes his own life so he can be with his one true love in heaven.
Juliet Capulet is a young and innocent teenage girl, but she is also decisive, passionate and headstrong.
She is the only child of Lord and Lady Capulet. Her parents hate the Montagues.
When the audience first meets Juliet, it is at her father's party. Here, she meets Romeo and flirts with him, not knowing he is a Montague. Juliet is completely smitten with Romeo and when she finds out he is a Montague, she is devastated.
However, knowing her own feelings, she decides to speak to Romeo more and when he reveals his true love for her, she persuades him to promise his love and they arrange their marriage.
When Romeo is banished for killing her cousin Tybalt, she is devastated. She feels very confused but knowing how she feels for Romeo, she forgives him.
During the mourning period for Tybalt's death and Romeo's banishment, Juliet's father tells her she is going to marry Paris. She refuses and takes drastic action to secure her relationship and future with Romeo by faking her own death. When she wakes up to find Romeo dead, she decides to take her own life so they can be together in heaven.
Archaic words are terms belonging to the early period of art and culture. These have modern versions in our language. It is better to refrain from using these words in writing.
Some examples of archaic words used in Shakespeare's writing are:
Art: Are
Thou/Thee: You
Thy/Thine: Your
Dost/Doth: Do
Hast/Hath: Has
Wilt: Will
Beseech: To beg
Hither/Thither: Here/There
Ere: Before
The famous balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet occurs in act two, scene two of Shakespeare's well-known play. In the scene Romeo climbs the Capulet family's garden wall, and sees Juliet alone on her balcony. Unaware that Romeo is nearby, Juliet sighs and speaks her feelings of love out loud. Romeo declares himself to Juliet, and she warns him of the danger of being there. Romeo and Juliet swear their true love to each other, plan a secret marriage, and finally say good night.
Read Act 2, Scene 2 again, as you are reading highlight any words you don't understand. Now look at the words you have chosen, what do you think they mean?
Look up the meaning of the words using an online dictionary.
Write down the words and their meaning in your own Shakespearean dictionary.
Spend a little time making it look nice - use a program like Canva for example!
Present it to the class!
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