Multiple Critical Perspectives™
Teaching William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet from Multiple Critical Perspectives™
by
Eva Richardson Multiple Critical Perspectives Romeo and Juliet
Other titles in the Multiple Critical Perspective™ series include:
1984 Hamlet Our Town Animal Farm Heart of Darkness Picture of Dorian Gray, The Anthem House on Mango Street, The Pride and Prejudice Antigone I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Raisin in the Sun, A Awakening, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Richard III Brave New World Invisible Man (Ellison) Romeo and Juliet Catcher in the Rye, The Jane Eyre Scarlet Letter, The Comedy of Errors, The King Lear Separate Peace, A Crucible, The Life of Pi Siddhartha Cry, the Beloved Country Lord of the Flies Slaughterhouse-Five Death of a Salesman Macbeth Tale of Two Cities, A Doll’s House, A Merchant of Venice, The Taming of the Shrew, The Ethan Frome Metamorphosis, The Tempest, The Fahrenhiet 451 Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Things Fall Apart Frankenstein Much Ado About Nothing Things They Carried, The Grapes of Wrath, The Oedipus Rex To Kill a Mockingbird Great Expectations Of Mice and Men Twelfth Night Great Gatsby, The Old Man and the Sea, The Wuthering Heights
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A Message to the Teacher of Literature
p e n y o u r s t u d e n t s ’ e y e s a n d m i n d s with this new, ex- Ociting 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.
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Table of Contents
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
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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
Discussion Questions...... 33
Essays Or Writing Assignments...... 33
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
Discussion Questions...... 46
Essays Or Writing Assignments...... 46
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General Introduction to the Work
Introduction to Romeo and Juliet
o m e o a n d Ju l i e t is a play, or, more specifically, a tragedy, yet, in some ways, it complicates the defi- Rnition 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).
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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
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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
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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.
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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.
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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.
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List of Potential Themes
• To what extent can the events that unfold in this Shakespearean tragedy be attributed to the tragic flaw of the hero? What precisely might Romeo’s tragic flaw be?
• What is the significance of fate and coincidence in the play? How do fate and coincidence compli- cate the notion of the tragic hero?
• How does the rapid chronological progression of the play influence audience reception? How does it influence the audience’s understanding of the hero and heroine?
• What is the interplay between personal responsibility and accountability on the one hand and fate and coincidence on the other hand?
• To what extent is Juliet a heroine equal in importance to Romeo?
• What is the connection between youthful rashness, poor judgment, filial disobedience, and the tragic outcome of the play?
• What definition(s) of love does the play propose?
• How does the play portray and evaluate teenage suicide?
• What is the connection between love and death as presented in the play?
• What is the role of religion? What is the role of patriarchal culture?
Theories to be Applied
• Feminist Theory • Psychoanalytic/Freudian Criticism • Mythological/Archetypal Theory
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Feminist Criticism Applied to Romeo and Juliet
Notes on the Feminist Approach
eminism is a n e v o l v i n g ph i l o s o ph y . Feminism in literature is an Feven 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.
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Three main areas of study/points of criticism:
• differences between men and women • women in power or power relationships between men and women • the female experience
1. Differences between men and women
• The basic assumption is that gender determines everything, including values and language.
• The canon must be expanded to include the study of those genres in which women “traditionally” write: journals, diaries, and personal letters.
• Note the differences in both the topics or issues about which men and women write and the per- spectives from which they write about them.
2. Women in power or power relationships between men and women
• Note and attack the social, economic, and political exploitation of women. Note whether women have any power and what type it is.
• Society has not treated all of its constituencies with equality, and literature is a means by which inequities can be identified, protested, and possibly rectified.
• Note the division of labor and economics between men and women.
• Note how men and women interact with one another in a variety of relationships (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
• On the most basic level, women experience different things in life than men do. Examine what 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.?
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• Reject any view of female personality in contrast to male personality. Feminists believe that the 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 (and possibly celebrate) the creative, life-giving role of femininity. Though traditionally 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”).
• Explore the concept that men and women are both incomplete without each other (women cannot conceive without men, etc.) not of feminine “incompleteness” alone (Adam’s rib, Freudian theories on sexuality, etc.).
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