Romeo and Juliet - Multiple Critical Perspectives

Teaching William Shakespeare's

from

Multiple Critical Perspectives

by

Eva Richardson

Multiple Critical Perspectives™

™

Romeo and Juliet

2 P r e s t w i c k H o u s e , i n c .

Multiple Critical Perspectives Romeo and Juliet


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ISBN 978-1-60389-441-8 Item No. 302929

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1984

Animal Farm

Anthem

Antigone

Awakening, The

Brave New World

Catcher in the Rye, The

Comedy of Errors, The

Crucible, The

Cry, the Beloved Country

Death of a Salesman

Doll’s House, A

Ethan Frome

Fahrenhiet 451

Frankenstein

Grapes of Wrath, The

Great Expectations

Great Gatsby, The

Hamlet

Heart of Darkness

House on Mango Street, The

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Importance of Being Earnest, The

Invisible Man (Ellison)

Jane Eyre

King Lear

Life of Pi

Lord of the Flies

Macbeth

Merchant of Venice, The

Metamorphosis, The

Midsummer Night’s Dream, A

Much Ado About Nothing

Oedipus Rex

Of Mice and Men

Old Man and the Sea, The

Our Town

Picture of Dorian Gray, The

Pride and Prejudice

Raisin in the Sun, A

Richard III

Romeo and Juliet

Scarlet Letter, The

Separate Peace, A

Siddhartha

Slaughterhouse-Five

Tale of Two Cities, A

Taming of the Shrew, The

Tempest, The

Things Fall Apart

Things They Carried, The

To Kill a Mockingbird

Twelfth Night

Wuthering Heights

Other titles in the Multiple Critical Perspective™ series include:

P r e s t w i c k H o u s e , i n c . 3

Multiple Critical PerspectivesRomeo and Juliet

A Message to theTeacher of Literature

OPen your students’ eyes and minds with this new, ex-citing approach to teaching literature.

In this guide, you will find reproducible activities, as well as clear and concise explanations of three contemporary critical perspectives—feel free to reproduce as much, or as little, of the material for your students’ notebooks. You will also find specific suggestions to help you examine this familiar title in new and exciting ways. Your students will seize the opportunity to discuss, present orally, and write about their new insights.

What you will not find is an answer key. To the femi-nist, the feminist approach is the correct approach, just as the Freudian will hold to the Freudian. Truly, the point of this guide is to examine, question, and consider, not merely arrive at “right” answers.

You will also find this to be a versatile guide. Use it in concert with our Teaching Unit or our Advanced Place-ment Teaching Unit. Use it along with our Response Jour-nal, or use it as your entire study of this title. However you choose to use it, we are confident you’ll be thrilled with the new life you find in an old title, as well as in your students.



General Introduction To The Work ..................................................................6

Introduction to Romeo and Juliet .............................................................................6

List of Characters ....................................................................................................7

Synopsis ...................................................................................................................9

List of Potential Themes........................................................................................12

Theories to be Applied ..........................................................................................12

Feminist Criticism Applied to Romeo and Juliet .....................................13

Notes on the Feminist Approach ..........................................................................13

Essential Questions for A Feminist Reading .........................................................16

Activity One: Examining Juliet's Roles as Wife and Daughter in A Patriarchal Society .................................................................................................17

Activity Two: Examining the Equation of Marriage and Death for A Woman ...............................................................................................................18

Activity Three: Studying the Language of Love in the Relationship Between Romeo and Juliet ...................................................................................................20

Discussion Questions ............................................................................................22

Essays Or Writing Assignments ............................................................................22

Table of Contents



Psychoanalytical/Freudian Criticism Applied to Romeo and Juliet ..................................................................................................23

Notes on the Psychoanalytic Theory ....................................................................23

Essential Questions for A Psychoanalytic Reading ...............................................26

Activity One: Comparing and Contrasting Romeo's Love for Rosaline With His Love for Juliet .................................................................................................28

Activity Two: Examining the Connection Between Love and Hate in the Play .............................................................................................................30

Activity Three: Examining and Evaluating the Relationship Between Romeo and Juliet in Light of A Modern Teenage Romance ..............................................32



Mythological/Archetypal Approach Applied to Romeo and Juliet ..................................................................................................35

Notes on the Mythological/Archetypal Approach .................................................35

Essential Questions for A Mythological/Archetypal Reading ...............................38

Activity One: Examining Romeo and Juliet as Archetypal Heroes .......................39

Activity Two: Examining the Text for Archetypal Images and Situations ............43





General Introduction to the Work

Introduction to Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a play, or, more specifically, a tragedy, yet, in some ways, it complicates the defi-

nition of Shakespearean tragedy. A Shakespearean tragedy generally involves a tragic hero (Romeo

and Juliet contains a hero, Romeo, as well as a heroine, Juliet. However, Romeo figures as the central

heroic character and most successfully fits the definition of the tragic hero). The tragic hero occupies an

elevated position in his society (Romeo is the only son of the socially prominent Montague family of

Verona. He is a also close friend of the Prince’s kinsman Mercutio). The hero is marked by a key character

trait, often a tragic flaw (Romeo displays several characteristics that can be considered tragic flaws: his

youthful rashness and uncontrolled passion, as well as his immaturity, play a core role in determining

the outcome of the play).

This tragic flaw motivates the hero to perform a particular action or set in motion a series of actions

(Romeo encounters Juliet’s kinsman Tybalt in the streets of Verona. Fueled by the long-standing feud

between the Capulets and the Montagues, a fight ensues between Tybalt, on the one side, and Romeo and

Mercutio on the other. When Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo avenges Mercutio’s death and kills Tybalt. The

tragic encounter and Tybalt’s death lead to Romeo’s banishment). Often, the hero’s inability or failure to

make the right decision functions as a catalyst to the action or series of actions (Romeo makes a mistake

when he hastily kills Tybalt and provokes his own banishment; he makes yet another mistake when he

slays Paris and poisons himself in a moment of desperation. Romeo and Juliet’s decision to marry secretly

without the consent of their parents can likewise be viewed as an irresponsible act of disobedience).

Sometimes, outside forces (a villain or intruder, supernatural intervention, fate) likewise contribute to

the hero’s deeds and subsequent downfall (Friar Lawrence offers some very bad advice about Romeo and

Juliet’s secret marriage. Romeo never receives the letter from Friar Lawrence informing him of Juliet’s

faked death.)

The series of actions set in motion by the tragic hero and/or outside forces creates intense suffering

and desolation both for the hero and for the society at large (Romeo is banished from Verona; there-

fore, he cannot see Juliet, his new wife. When Juliet’s parents attempt to force their daughter to marry

Paris, she decides to seek the help of Friar Lawrence to escape her family in Verona and find Romeo.

Friar Lawrence’s plan to fake Juliet’s death and subsequently enable Romeo to take her out of the city

fails when Romeo learns about the plan too late and believes his beloved to be deceased. Heartbroken,

Romeo seeks out Juliet’s tomb, slays Paris, and subsequently poisons himself. When Juliet awakens from

her drug-induced sleep, she sees the dead Romeo at her side and takes her own life with a dagger. The

entire city of Verona laments the unnecessary loss of so many noble citizens). Eventually, the hero dies

(Romeo, believing his beloved Juliet to be dead, kills himself by ingesting poison). The few survivors

lament the tragic events and promise to restore order and peace (The Prince of Verona views the tragic

deaths that have occurred as a punishment for the long-standing violent feud between the Capulets and

the Montagues. The two families vow to erect statues in honor of Romeo and Juliet as a reminder that

unnecessary fighting and rivalry only result in tragedy).



List of Characters

Romeo – only son of the Montague family; falls in love with and secretly marries Juliet

Juliet – Capulet’s daughter; falls in love with and secretly marries Romeo

Montague – Romeo’s father; head of a respected family in Verona; involved in feud with the Capulet

family

Capulet – Juliet’s father; head of a respected family in Verona; involved in a feud with the Montague

family; wants to marry his daughter to Paris

Lady Montague – Romeo’s mother; wife of Montague

Lady Capulet – Juliet’s mother; wife of Capulet; also desires Juliet to marry Paris

Prince Escalus – Prince of Verona

Paris – a young nobleman; the Prince’s kinsman; wants to marry Juliet

Mercutio – the Prince’s kinsman; Romeo’s friend

Benvolio – Montague’s nephew; Romeo’s friend

Tybalt – Lady Capulet’s nephew; Juliet’s cousin

Nurse – Julie’s personal attendant; aids Juliet in marrying Romeo

Rosaline – Romeo’s love interest before he meets Juliet

Friar Lawrence – Franciscan friar; secretly marries Romeo and Juliet and promises to help them reunite

outside of Verona

Friar John – Franciscan friar; sent to Romeo by Friar Lawrence to convey the plan of Juliet’s apparent

death and subsequent escape from Verona

Balthasar – Romeo’s servant



Abram – a servant of the Montague family

Sampson – a servant of the Capulet family

Gregory – a servant of the Capulet family

Peter – a servant to Juliet’s nurse

Petruchio – Tybalt’s friend

Page – Paris’ attendant

Apothecary – Sells Romeo the poison with which Romeo kills himself.

Citizens of Verona

Maskers

Torchbearers

Pages

Guards

Servants

Attendants

Watchmen



Synopsis

Act I

The city of Verona has long been the scene of a violent feud between the noble families of Montague

and Capulet. Prince Escalus wants to put an end to the rivalry and the fighting because it unnecessar-

ily divides the citizens of Verona and causes bloodshed in the streets. The Prince warns Capulet and

Montague that one more fight will likely have serious consequences for both families. Montague enters

into a conversation with Benvolio, a friend of his son Romeo. Montague and Benvolio voice their con-

cerns about Romeo’s wellbeing. They lament the fact that Romeo has been in a melancholy mood and

withdrawn from society. When Benvolio attempts to find out what ails Romeo, he learns that Romeo is

unhappily in love. At the home of the Capulet family, a young nobleman named Paris asks for the hand

of Capulet’s daughter Juliet in marriage. The Capulets agree that Juliet is old enough for marriage and

inform her of her imminent engagement. In the evening, a masquerade ball takes place at the Capulet

home. Romeo and his friends Benvolio and Mercutio attend the celebration wearing masks. At the ball,

Romeo eyes a woman he considers to be the most beautiful he has ever seen. He immediately forgets

about his past heartaches but plunges into sadness when he learns that the beautiful woman is Juliet of

the Capulet family. Juliet, too, feels immediately attracted to Romeo but fears that their love is doomed

because of the rivalry between their families.

Act II

Romeo is desperately in love with Juliet, but his friends Mercutio and Benvolio do not take his pas-

sion for Juliet seriously. Under cover of night, Romeo approaches the Capulet home and, underneath

her open bedroom window, listens to Juliet’s declarations of love. When Juliet discovers Romeo’s pres-

ence, both lovers confess their unbounded love to each other. Juliet encourages Romeo to return the

next day with plans to be married without the consent of their parents. Early the next morning, Romeo

approaches Friar Lawrence with the request to secretly marry him and Juliet. Friar Lawrence is surprised

to learn that Romeo has so quickly forgotten about his past love, Rosaline; but he agrees to sanctify the

union, hoping that this marriage might end the feud between the Capulets and Montagues. While Romeo

walks with his friends Mercutio and Benvolio, he meets Juliet’s nurse, who tells Romeo that Juliet is

eagerly awaiting news from her lover. Romeo tells the nurse to send Juliet to Friar Lawrence’s home in

the afternoon. Romeo and Juliet meet later the same day and get married.



Act III

Mercutio and Benvolio meet the Capulets’ kinsman Tybalt in the street. Tybalt voices his disapproval

of Romeo’s appearance at the Capulet ball. When Romeo joins the group, Tybalt challenges Romeo to a

duel. Romeo, now married to Juliet, does not want to fight Tybalt, since Tybalt is now his kinsman as

well. Mercutio, however, hastily answers Tybalt’s challenge and initiates a swordfight. Romeo tries to part

the two men, and Tybalt eventually leaves the scene with minor injuries. Mercutio, however, is mortally

wounded. When he dies, Romeo avenges his friend’s death and kills Tybalt. Prince Escalus is outraged

when he learns of this latest fatal dispute between the two families. He spares Romeo’s life but exiles him

from Verona. Juliet learns from her nurse that Romeo has slain Tybalt. She is overcome with grief and

bids her nurse to find Romeo and ask him to take his leave from her before going into exile. Juliet’s nurse

finds Romeo at Friar Lawrence’s home where she informs him of Juliet’s unchanged commitment. Friar

Lawrence encourages Romeo to be thankful that the Prince has spared his life. He tells Romeo to keep up

hope that all will be well soon. For the time being, Friar Lawrence sends Romeo into hiding in Mantua.

Romeo speaks with Juliet through her bedroom window one more time, and the two vow to honor their

marriage commitment. At the Capulet home, Juliet’s parents decide to proceed with the wedding plans

for Juliet and Paris. They attribute Juliet’s overpowering grief to the death of Tybalt. Juliet, however,

refuses to consent to the wedding. She leaves to find Friar Lawrence and ask for his assistance.

Act IV

At Friar Lawrence’s cell, Juliet meets Paris who believes she has come to confess her sins in prepa-

ration for their wedding. After Paris leaves, Juliet desperately asks for Friar Lawrence’s help. She tells

him that she would rather kill herself than betray Romeo and marry Paris. Friar Lawrence gives Juliet a

vial containing a sleeping potion that will enable Juliet to fake her death. He tells her that once she has

imbibed the liquid, she will maintain her death-like repose for forty-two hours. Within that time interval,

Friar Lawrence hopes the family will convey Juliet’s body into the Capulet family crypt. He promises to

inform Romeo of the plan and hopes that Romeo will be able to enter Verona, meet Juliet in the crypt,

and secretly take her to Mantua. When Juliet returns to her parents’ house, she pretends to have had a

change of heart, telling her parents that she regrets her previous disobedience and promising to prepare

for her wedding day. Left alone in her room, Juliet opens the vial and drinks the sleeping potion. The

next morning, Juliet’s nurse finds Juliet on her bed, presumes her to be dead, and informs the Capulets

of their loss. Friar Lawrence asks the family to convey Juliet’s corpse into the family crypt.



Act V

Romeo’s servant informs his master that Juliet has died and lies buried in the family vault. Overcome

with grief, Romeo purchases poison from an apothecary and decides to view his beloved’s body one last

time before killing himself. Back in Verona, Friar Lawrence receives a visit from another Franciscan

monk, Friar John. Friar Lawrence had sent him to Romeo to convey a letter explaining Juliet’s presumed

death and instructing Romeo to meet Juliet in her family crypt and convey her to Mantua once she awak-

ens from her sleep. However, Friar John informs Friar Lawrence that he was unable to deliver the letter

to Romeo. Fearing that Romeo might act rashly upon hearing of Juliet’s supposed death, Friar Lawrence

hastens to Juliet’s tomb. Meanwhile, Paris visits Juliet’s grave. As he is spreading flowers over her tomb,

Romeo approaches and demands to enter the tomb. When Paris refuses to let Romeo pass, the two

engage in a fight and Paris is killed. Romeo carries Paris’ dead body into the tomb, swallows his poison,

and dies at the side of his beloved Juliet. When Friar Lawrence arrives, he finds Paris and Romeo dead

as Juliet awakens. She sends the Friar from the tomb, takes Romeo’s dagger, and stabs herself. Several

attendants who suspect that something terrible has taken place alarm the Prince as well as the Capulet

and Montague families. As they arrive at the scene, Friar Lawrence recounts everything that has taken

place between the two lovers. Montague explains that his wife, Lady Montague, has died brokenhearted

over the loss of her exiled son. Montague and the Capulets are stricken with grief and vow to erect monu-

ments to honor the memory of their deceased children as a reminder that feuding and rivalry will only

lead to tragedy.



List of Potential Themes

•TowhatextentcantheeventsthatunfoldinthisShakespeareantragedybeattributedtothetragic

flaw of the hero? What precisely might Romeo’s tragic flaw be?

•Whatisthesignificanceoffateandcoincidenceintheplay?Howdofateandcoincidencecompli-

cate the notion of the tragic hero?

•Howdoestherapidchronologicalprogressionoftheplayinfluenceaudiencereception?Howdoes

it influence the audience’s understanding of the hero and heroine?

•Whatistheinterplaybetweenpersonalresponsibilityandaccountabilityontheonehandandfate

and coincidence on the other hand?

•TowhatextentisJulietaheroineequalinimportancetoRomeo?

•What is theconnectionbetweenyouthful rashness,poor judgment, filialdisobedience,and the

tragic outcome of the play?

•Whatdefinition(s)oflovedoestheplaypropose?

•Howdoestheplayportrayandevaluateteenagesuicide?

•Whatistheconnectionbetweenloveanddeathaspresentedintheplay?

•Whatistheroleofreligion?Whatistheroleofpatriarchalculture?

Theories to be Applied

•FeministTheory

•Psychoanalytic/FreudianCriticism

•Mythological/ArchetypalTheory



Feminist CriticismApplied to Romeo and Juliet

Notes on the Feminist Approach

Feminism is an evolving PHilosoPHy. Feminism in literature is an

even newer area of study and thought. The basis of the movement,

both in literature and society, is that the Western world is fundamentally

patriarchal (i.e., created by men, ruled by men, viewed through the eyes

of men, and judged by men).

The social movement of feminism found its approach to literature

in the 1960s. Of course, women had already been writing and publish-

ing for centuries, but the 1960s saw the rise of a literary theory. Until

then, the works of female writers (or works about females) were exam-

ined by the same standards as those by male writers (and about men).

Women were thought to be unintelligent (at least in part because they

were generally less formally educated than men), and many women

accepted that judgment. It was not until the feminist movement was

well under way that women began examining old texts to reevaluate

their portrayal of women and writing new works to fit the “modern

woman.”

The feminist approach is based on finding suggestions of misogyny

(negative attitudes about women) within pieces of literature and expos-

ing them. Feminists are interested in exposing elements in literature that

have been accepted as the norm by both men and women. They have

even dissected many words in Western languages that are clearly rooted

in masculinity. Feminists argue that since the past millennia in the West

have been dominated by men—whether they be the politicians in power

or the historians recording it all—Western literature reflects a masculine

bias, and consequently, represents an inaccurate and harmful image of

women. In order to fix this image and create a balanced canon, works

by females and works about females should be added and judged on a

different, feminine scale.



Three main areas of study/points of criticism:

•differencesbetweenmenandwomen

•womeninpowerorpowerrelationshipsbetweenmenandwomen

•thefemaleexperience

1. Differences between men and women

•Thebasicassumptionisthatgenderdetermineseverything,includingvaluesandlanguage.

•Thecanonmustbeexpandedtoincludethestudyofthosegenresinwhichwomen“traditionally”

write: journals, diaries, and personal letters.

•Notethedifferencesinboththetopicsorissuesaboutwhichmenandwomenwriteandtheper-

spectives from which they write about them.

2. Women in power or power relationships between men and women

•Noteandattackthesocial,economic,andpoliticalexploitationofwomen.Notewhetherwomen

have any power and what type it is.

•Societyhasnottreatedallofitsconstituencieswithequality,andliteratureisameansbywhich

inequities can be identified, protested, and possibly rectified.

•Notethedivisionoflaborandeconomicsbetweenmenandwomen.

•Notehowmenandwomeninteractwithoneanotherinavarietyofrelationships(romantic,pro-

fessional, etc.) Does the woman act in any way subservient to the man? Does the man treat the

woman like an adult? A political and economic equal?

3. The female experience

•Onthemostbasic level,womenexperiencedifferentthingsinlifethanmendo.Examinewhat

aspects of feminine life are included in the work. Note the point of view through which the events

are told. Is it male or female? Pay attention to how the narrator, male or female, treats the events.

For example, are they depicted with sensitivity, harshness, etc.?



•Rejectanyviewoffemalepersonality incontrasttomalepersonality.Feministsbelievethatthe

female personality is a separate entity from the male personality, and if judged by the same mea-

sures, is judged incorrectly. The female personality can stand independent of the male personality,

just as the male can stand independent of the female.

•Examine(andpossiblycelebrate)thecreative,life-givingroleoffemininity.Thoughtraditionally

women have been portrayed as dependent on men for everything, the fact is that men are depen-

dent on women for the most basic necessity in the world—birthing children. A male’s relationship

to his mother has always been portrayed as a very strong bond (whether in the Freudian theory of

the Oedipal complex or modern phrases such as “Mama’s boy”).

•Exploretheconceptthatmenandwomenarebothincompletewithouteachother(womencannot

conceive without men, etc.) not of feminine “incompleteness” alone (Adam’s rib, Freudian theories

on sexuality, etc.).

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