Romeo-and-Juliet英国文学.pptVIP

Romeo and Juliet Introduction Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career around 1597. It was among Shakespeares most popular plays during his lifetime, and along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Background Shakespeares primary inspiration was based on a poem by Arthur Brooke: The Tragicall History of Romeus and Juliet (1562). Many of the details of Shakespeare’s plot are lifted directly from Brooks’s poem, including the meeting of Romeo and Juliet at the ball, their secret marriage, the sleeping potion, and the timing of the lover’s eventual suicides. Shakespeare uses his poetic dramatic structure, such as switching between comedy and tragedy to heighten tension, his expansion of minor characters, and his use of sub-plots to embellish the story. Also, Shakespeare uses a variety of poetic forms throughout the play. He begins with a 14-line prologue in the form of a Shakespearean sonnet. Main Characters Romeo The son and heir of Montague and Lady Montague. A young man of about sixteen, Romeo is handsome, intelligent, and sensitive. Though impulsive and immature, his idealism and passion make him an extremely likable character. He lives in the middle of a violent feud between his family and the Capulets, but he is not at all interested in violence. His only interest is love. At the beginning of the play he is madly in love with a woman named Rosaline, but the instant he lays eyes on Juliet, he falls in love with her and forgets Rosaline. Main Characters Main Characters Main Characters Plot Overview Plot Overview Plot Overview Plot Overview Plot Overview Plot Overview Plot Overview ACT II scene 2 ACT II scene 2 ACT II scene 2 Themes The Forcefulness of Love Love as a Cause of Violence The Individual Versus Society The Inevitability of Fate The Forcefulness of Love Romeo and Juliet is the most famous love story in the English literary tradition. Love is naturally the play’s dominan