classic repertory company STUDY GUIDE William Shakespeare’s ROMEO AND JULIET Education Outreach Supporters Funded in part by generous individual contributors, the National Endowment for the Arts, Massachusetts Cultural Council, Foundation for MetroWest, Esther B. Kahn Foundation, Fuller Foundation, The Marshall Home Fund, Peter Fuller Car Rentals, Roy A. Hunt Foundation, and Watertown Community Foundation. This program is also supported in part by grants from the Andover Cultural Council, Framingham Cultural Council, Hudson Cultural Council, Hull Cultural Council, Saugus Cultural Council, Waltham Cultural Council, Watertown Cultural Council, and Westford Cultural Council, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency. NEW REP ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE 400 TALCOTT AVENUE | BUILDING 131, 3RD FLOOR WATERTOWN, MA 02472 in residence at the artistic director michael j. bobbitt mosesian center for the arts A Timeline of Shakespeare’s Life 1564 Born in Stratford-upon-Avon 1582 Marries Anne Hathaway 1585 Moves to London to pursue theatre career 1592 London closes theatres due to plague 1593 Starts to write sonnets 1594 Publishes first works of poetry 1594 Starts managing, as well as writing for, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men 1596 Romeo and Juliet first performed 1599 Lord Chamberlain’s Men begin performing at the newly built Globe Theater 1603 The Lord Chamberlain’s Men is renamed the King’s Men in honor of the new King James’ patronage 1604 Retires from acting 1613 The Globe Theatre burns down 1614 The Globe Theatre is rebuilt 1616 Dies and is buried at Holy Trinity Church NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, LONDON PORTRAIT GALLERY, NATIONAL in Stratford-Upon-Avon C.1600 JOHN TAYLOR THE CHANDOS PORTRAIT, adapted from http://absoluteshakespeare.com/trivia/timeline.htm Biography William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. Some believe that he was born on April 23, which is when we typically celebrate his birthday in modern day. He was the oldest son of John and Mary Shakespeare’s eight children. In November of 1582, when Shakespeare was 18, he married Anne Hathaway, a 26 year-old woman. At the time, due to his young age, William would have needed permission to marry Anne from her father. In May of 1583, William and Anne’s oldest daughter, Susana, was born, followed a few years later, in 1585, by twins, Judith and Hamnet. Hamnet, Shakespeare’s only son, would die at 11 SHAKESPEARE’S GRAVESTONE AT STRATFORD-UPON-AVON years-old. In the late 1580’s, Shakespeare began to split his time between London, working in theatre there, and Stratford-upon-Avon, where his family was living. Not much is known about Shakespeare’s life from 1585 to 1592, at which point he was already an established playwright in London. Shakespeare wrote his earliest poem, Venus and Adonis, in 1593. In 1594, Shakespeare and other actors in London formed the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. The Lord Chamberlain’s Men was a new theatre company and Romeo and Juliet Study Guide 2 Shakespeare acted as the manager and main writer. Shakespeare wrote for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men for almost twenty years. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet was first performed by the Lord Chamberlain’s Men in 1596. In 1599, the theatre company moved to a new space, the Globe Theater and in 1603, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men were renamed the King’s Men. This name change was to honor the new King James’s support of the group. In 1604, Shakespeare retired as an actor. The Globe Theater burned down in 1613, but was rebuilt by 1614. In 1616, at the age of 52, Shakespeare died in Stratford-upon-Avon. He was buried in Holy Trinity Church on April 25, 1616. His wife, Anne, would die in 1623. Shakespeare’s grave in the Holy Trinity Church reads, “Good friend for Jesus sake forbeare, To digg the dust encloased heare, Blest be the man that spares these stones, And curst be he that moves my bones.” SHAKESPEARE’S GLOBE THEATER TODAY Why do we read Shakespeare? Shakespeare’s works are over 400 years old. Since his time, countless other books and plays have been written, so why do we still read and perform his words? People often refer to Shakespeare’s work as timeless and universal because the issues and themes prevalent in his works apply to humans of all ages and backgrounds; themes of love, self-discovery, relationships, and political strife are relevant in any society, whether in 1600, 1850, or 2019. Through watching or reading Shakespeare, we can easily draw parallels to contemporary and historical issues. Shakespeare’s plays are also driven by human psychology. His characters are so well developed that we do not merely view the wide range of human emotions and the changes that each character experiences, but we also identify with these characters and their personal struggles throughout each play. Shakespeare also made many contributions to the English language. He created thousands of new words and phrases that we still use today. For instance, the common phrase “all’s well that ends well” actually comes from the title of one of Shakespeare’s comedies! One might even say that Shakespeare’s plays were part of the birth of modern English due to his creative wordplay, clever imagery, and evocative, if sometimes crude, analogies. So, why do we still choose to read and watch Shakespeare today? We can learn so much about his culture and time that are still relevant. We can enhance our vocabulary greatly by studying his use of words and contributions to the English language. Romeo and Juliet Study Guide 3 In watching or reading Shakespeare’s plays, challenge yourself to try and find something that applies to you and your life. It could be a character, a specific line, one of the main themes, or even a relationship. Everyone can connect to and identify with these plays in some capacity, so find the reason or multiple reasons his plays apply to you. ■ Questions 1. What do you already know about Shakespeare coming into this experience? What are your preconceived notions about him and his work? 2. What is something you would like to learn about Shakespeare? CHARLOTTE AND SUSAN CUSHMAN AS ROMEO AND JULIET, 1846. HARVARD THEATRE COLLECTION. Writing Prompt 1. While reading or watching Romeo and Juliet, try to find something or someone that you can connect to personally. It could be a character, a specific line, one of the main themes, or the relationship between two characters. Where is your point of connection? Romeo and Juliet Performance History “Of all Shakespeare’s plays, this is perhaps the one that is performed, if not the oftenest, with most pleasure to the spectator.” So begins Hazlitt’s 1819 edition of Shakespeare’s “most excellent tragedie,” Romeo and Juliet. This play, above all others, has proved most popular with audiences through the ages. The Bodleian First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays held in the Oxford Library during the 1600s was sold in 1664, but reclaimed in 1905. When historians examined it, they noted that the pages of Romeo and Juliet were by far the most worn. It has long held a special place in audience’s hearts. Romeo and Juliet Study Guide 4 Romeo and Juliet was first performed sometime close to 1596, when Shakespeare was with the Lord Chamberlain’s Men. While records of the period do not list the players according to parts, we can assume that the famed Richard Burbage played the titular Romeo, with the fourteen-year-old Robert Goff as the first Juliet. It wasn’t until William Davenant produced the play in 1662 that Mary Saunderson took the stage as the first female Juliet. During the early 1700s, the script was censored by those who felt some of the writing was immoral. David Garrick, who was famous for publishing censored editions of Shakespeare’s major plays, produced his edition of the text, with several large changes. The most notable of which is that the final LAURENCE OLIVIER AND PEGGY ASHCROFT IN THE scene between Romeo and Juliet shows Romeo still JOHN GIELGUD NEW THEATRE PRODUCTION, 1935 alive when Juliet wakes up, allowing them a final farewell before Romeo succumbs to the poison. This edition was performed in 1730 by an amateur company in the United States; making it the first American production ofRomeo and Juliet. In 1845, Charlotte Cushman became the first female Romeo, performing the play with her sister Susan as Juliet on a world tour to unanimous critical acclaim. Most importantly, she made the brave decision to restore Shakespeare’s original text. In 1935, the renowned Sirs Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud performed a critically acclaimed version of the play at the New Theatre in London. Olivier and Gielgud, interestingly, swapped roles every night between who would play Romeo and who would play Mercutio. Franco Zeffirelli, an Italian director, was hired by The Old Vic in London to direct the play in 1960 for what became a two year run. The play starred Dame Judi Dench and was LEONARD WHITING, MILO O’SHEA, AND OLIVIA HUSSEY IN FRANCO ZEFFIRELLI’S FILM, 1968 notably shortened, with 1,000 lines, or one-third of the play, cut. Although Shakespeare purists were outraged at the omission of the Bard’s language, many critics loved the ease of Zeffirelli’s storytelling. When Paramount Pictures wanted to create a film version of Romeo and Juliet they hired Zeffirelli, who used similar cuts to his stage version. The film was an instant Romeo and Juliet Study Guide 5 success, and nearly universally loved by critics. No other film version would be made for another 28 years, until Baz Luhrmann directed Romeo + Juliet, a “punk rock opera bursting with vitality, violence, noise, and camp humor” in 1996.