Video: Introducing Romeo

﻿Hi everyone and welcome back to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet unit. This is lesson three, introducing Romeo. I'm Ms Mackay and I'm going to continue to take you through the Romeo and Juliet play today together. Before we get started if you just want to make sure that you're in a really nice, quiet and safe space to get on with your work today. Make sure there's no notifications that are going to pop up and distract you, make sure its a really, really nice, quiet space for you. Also, you need to make sure that you've got a pen, pencil, something to write on and with, for all the notes that you're going to take for the lesson today. Once you're really, really happy that you've got everything you need and you're ready to get going, let's carry on. So, what's our big question for today? Well, How does Shakespeare present Romeo when he is first introduced to the audience? Let's find out. So what's the structure for the lesson today? Well, we're going to start with key vocabulary, and move on to key context, then, best bit, reading and questions of the actual text. Part four will be applying our learning, and then finally we'll end with a review quiz. So key vocabulary. Let's learn what the key words are for the lesson today. In this lesson we'll be learning the words infatuated, melodramatic, and anomalous. The first word we're going to look at is the word infatuated, and this is an adjective. Infatuated is described as showing an intense but short-lived passion. An example of this in a sentence. The young man was infatuated with the person that stood in front of him. Okay, so first things first, key vocabulary. We're going to learn three new words today, all of them are worth noting down on your piece of paper as we go through them because we're going to use them all the way through the lesson including in your independent response to the big question at the end of the lesson. Let's get started. What are the features of infatuation? How do you know when somebody is infatuated? Well, that person will probably demonstrate an extreme obsessive action or expression, really going over the top in the way that they speak about or act towards the object of their infatuation. The person might become powerless before that object. They're so infatuated, so passionate, that they actually can't control themselves. This then leads to some somewhat foolish and illogical behaviour. Because infatuation is so powerful, and because it can render you powerless, it means that you might act in a way that you wouldn't if you weren't feeling so infatuated. The second word for today is melodramatic. This is also an adjective, and it links to infatuation. Melodramatic describes anything which is exaggerated, or over emotional. Look at the picture on the right hand side, the man with his arms raised, and his facial expression almost crazed or anxious. In a sentence we might say he yelled and gestured in a very melodramatic way as he walked towards them. Anything over the top, over emotional, intense would be melodramatic. So what are the features of melodramatic behaviour? Well, as we've said, behaving in an extreme or over the top manner, acting in a way which shocks and surprises others, or creates contrast with those around you, those acting sensibly. Being seen as foolish, or illogical by those around you. So you can see that infatuation and the ways that you might express that could be considered melodramatic. The third word for today is anomalous. The definition of this adjective is not demonstrating what is standard, normal or expected. In a sentence, his anomalous costume choice certainly made him stand out from the crowd. See in the picture on the right hand side we have a beautiful flower standing out from the others around it. It's not doing something that is same as everything else. Contrasting, unexpected, a little bit different. So let's check your understanding of some of these key words. Which of the following would not be an example of melodramatic behaviour? Option one, making a calm, thoughtful response to a question, option two, exaggerated laughter at a joke, option three, loud and excited retelling of a story, option four, excessive crying at a film. Have a think, point to the screen in three, two, one. It's option one. That would be actually quite sensible, normal behaviour, not melodramatic. True or false, demonstrating melodramatic behaviour is often considered foolish by others. Point to the screen in three, two, one. It's true. Because you're acting in an extreme way others might think that you are being rather foolish. Let's try another one, true or false. Anomalous behaviour is acting in a typical or expected way. Point to the screen in three, two, one, absolutely not. Anomalous behaviour is the unexpected, acting in a way which is not typical. Which of these would be an example of anomalous behaviour in an English lesson at school? Option one, dancing on the desk, option two, writing down your notes in your book, option three, asking a question if you don't understand, and option four, listening to the teacher. Point to the screen in three, two, one. Option number one, dancing on the desk. Let's try another. True or false, infatuation normally leads to sensible, rational behaviour. Point to the screen in three, two, one. It's false, infatuation definitely creates non-rational behaviour. Which of these four options is not a consequence of infatuation? Option one, feeling powerless as a result of your feelings, option two, being considered foolish or silly by others, option three, displaying extreme emotions, and option four, feeling satisfied and successful. Not a consequence of infatuation. Point to the screen in three, two, one. Number four, it probably won't lead to satisfaction, because there's the anxiety, the foolishness, and the powerlessness all related to feeling infatuation. Okay, part two. Now we've got some of our key words, we're going to introduce you to the character that you're going to apply them too. The reason we've learned these three adjectives today is because they all are related to the character of Romeo. So we're going to spend the rest of the lesson really thinking about Romeo's character, what kind of person he is, and how we might describe him. Let's meet Romeo. Okay, so our character that we're focusing on today is Romeo. Romeo is a protagonist. A protagonist is the name given to the main or central character in a story. Romeo, as well as Juliet is an eponymous protagonist, as his name appears in the title of the story. The audience is immediately aware that he is important and they will follow his journey throughout the story. Romeo is of course one of the star-crossed lovers mentioned in the prologue. However, Romeo has not appeared on stage yet. He was not present at the fight between the Capulets and the Montagues, unlike most of the rest of the male characters. Immediately, this sets Romeo's character apart from the rest. It indicates his anomalous characteristics. Which of these two characters would both be considered eponymous protagonists? Option one, Benvolio, option two, Romeo, option three, Juliet, and option four, the Prince. Point to the screen in three, two, one. Hopefully you said Romeo and Juliet. Their names are in the title, they're eponymous protagonists. True or false, Romeo is first introduced as a violent character in the fight with the Capulet servants. Answers in in three, two, one. Uh-uh, false, Romeo is not part of the fight. He does not appear on stage until later. True or false, Romeo's characterization is immediately contrasted with those around him. His anomalous characteristics are shown right from the start of the play. Answers in three, two, one. Absolutely true, he's already seems to be different, strange, or in contrast with the other male characters right from the very start. Okay, so let's take a look at what happens at the later end of Act 1: Scene 1 and in Act 1: Scene 2. What follows is a short summary. After the fight between the Montagues and the Capulets we see Lord and Lady Montague who are worrying that they have not seen Romeo all day. They ask Benvolio to help them find him. Benvolio suggests that Romeo has been acting strangely, and says he will find out why Romeo seems so upset. When Benvolio finds Romeo, Romeo explains he is deeply in love, infatuated, with a girl named Rosaline who does not love him back. Meanwhile, we find out that Lord Capulet is holding a party at his house, and will be introducing his daughter, Juliet, to a noble man named Paris as a potential husband. Benvolio and Romeo bump into a servant carrying invitations to the Capulet party and learn Rosaline will be at the party that night. Benvolio convinces Romeo to go the party and compare Rosaline's beauty with others, so that he will forget her. Romeo agrees, but does not think that anyone can compare to Rosaline in his eyes. Let's do a check, Romeo is missing at the start of the play, true or false, three, two, one, absolutely true. He's not at the fight, he's off being sad on his own. True or false, Romeo has fallen in love with someone who does not love him back. Answers in three, two, one. Absolutely true, poor Romeo. True or false, Lord Montague is having a large party that evening. Answer in three, two, one. False, tricked you, it's Lord Capulet, Juliet's father. Okay, so we've done the summary of Romeo, and we've got a sense of how some of our key words might relate to him. What we're going to do in this section is my favourite part of the lesson, which is where we really get to engage with Shakespeare's language. So we can't just summarise Romeo, and talk about him broadly. We really need to get a sense of how he speaks and acts in the play if we're really going to analyse his character effectively. We're going to continue to explore Act 1, focusing on the introduction of Romeo's character specifically. Now remember, in the previous scene we witnessed the huge public fight between the Montagues, Romeo's a Montague, and the Capulets, that's Juliet's family. In this scene there is a real shift in tone and focus as we learn more about our eponymous protagonist. So we've come away from the fighting, away from the conflict and we're now meeting our famous protagonist Romeo. Let's take a look. So this is the start of this part of the scene. And it starts with Lady Montague, that's Romeo's mother. She says, "O where is Romeo? Saw you him today? Right glad I am he was not at this fray." Lady Montague there is expressing her concern for Romeo. She uses the word fray to describe the fight that's taken place. She's glad he wasn't involved. Benvolio replies, "Early walking did I see your son, towards him I made, but he was aware of me, and stole into the covert of the wood." A covert is a space of trees with lots, and lots and lots of trees altogether, an easy place to hide. Benvolio implies here the Romeo ran away from him, and wanted to be alone. It creates intrigue, why is that? Now the key method used in this section is interrogatives. Shakespeare's using interrogatives here from Lady Montague to show that she doesn't really understand her son. Where is Romeo? Saw you him? Glad he wasn't there. There's a lack of understanding. The mother doesn't understand her son. Benvolio also doesn't seem to understand Romeo's behaviour. Using the interrogatives allows Shakespeare to show us that this is a character who other people misunderstand, and are confused by. Now Benvolio does find his friend Romeo and Romeo is fairly disheartened. Benvolio says, "What sadness lengthens Romeo's hours?" Romeo replies, "Not having that, which having, makes them short?" Benvolio, "In love?" Romeo, "Out." Benvolio, "Of love?" Romeo, "Out of her favour where I am in love." Benvolio, "Alas that love, so gentle in his view. Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof." So what are they saying? Benvolio's saying, why are you so sad? And Romeo is confessing that he is in love, and someone doesn't love him back. Benvolio's response at the end here, he uses the word tyrannous, which means cruel and severe. And actually he's mocking Romeo a little bit. He's saying, oh love is so cruel to you. But we get the impression that Benvolio thinks that Romeo is being a little bit over the top, a little bit melodramatic. Again, we can see interrogatives being used here. Like Lady Montague in the previous scene, Benvolio asks a lot of questions. He doesn't understand his friend. Now a little bit later Romeo is describing his infatuation. He's describing his love for this mysterious girl. And he says, "Not mad, but bound more than a mad-man is, shut up in prison. Kept without my food, whipped and tormented." He actually gets interrupted there. But we can see that he is being incredibly melodramatic. Look at the verb choices here. Tormented, to experience great suffering, whipped, to experience great pain, shut up to be confined. All of this incredibly extreme, and perhaps linking back to our definition of infatuation. He's feeling powerless, he's feeling completely overwhelmed by these feelings. And his verb choices show us this, they show us how much pain he's in. Now who is it that interrupts Romeo at this point? It's actually a servant. And it's a servant of the Capulet household. Now the servant cannot read, but he's been given the job of delivering invitations to Lord Capulet's party. And he interrupts Romeo at this point, and asks him to help him deliver these invitations. Romeo and Benvolio read the invitation and hear about the party that's happening at Lord Capulet's house. Now who should be attending the party, but the fair Rosaline? Benvolio suggests, we should go to the party, Romeo, because there will be women much more beautiful than Rosaline at this party. This will be full of all the most beautiful in Verona. You'll forget all about Rosaline. Romeo replies, "One fairer than my love! The all-seeing sun never saw her match since first the world begun." He says, one more beautiful than Rosaline? That would never happen on this earth, not since the beginning of the time, of the beginning of the world. The exclamatories here are really used by Shakespeare to emphasise Romeo's melodramatic reaction. All right, quick check. Romeo is already infatuated with Juliet. True or false in three, two, one. Uh-uh, false. Romeo is infatuated with Rosaline. He hasn't met Juliet yet. True or false, Benvolio suggests that Romeo should attend the Capulet party. Answer in three, two, one, true. Benvolio's trying to get Romeo's mind off Rosaline. Romeo's not that keen, though. True or false, Romeo's anomalous behaviour confuses his family and friends. Three, two, one, yes. Romeo's confused his mother by wandering around and not being near any of the other men. And he confuses his friend by showing this foolish, illogical infatuation with Rosaline. Okay, so hopefully you've got a really good understanding of Romeo now, the kind of character that he is, and the words you might use to describe him. In this section it's when you're going to take 10 minutes, 15 minutes to answer the big question I posed to you at the beginning of the lesson. I'm going to give you some key words to help you, some sentence starters and bullet points, and really, really put that together. At the end of the section I'll give you my model answer, so you can see what you could have written. And you can compare what you've written to what I have. Let's make a start. Okay, so it's time to answer our big question for the lesson today. How does Shakespeare present Romeo's character when he's first introduced? Write a short response to the question above. You should probably spend about 10 minutes writing. And here's the things you should include. A definition of the key adjectives to describe Romeo. So that's infatuated, melodramatic and anomalous. Doing that one. Think about the moments that we've just looked at together. Examples of the methods that Shakespeare uses. I've included some on your key words list. Interrogatives to show the confusion, and exclamatory to emphasise his melodrama. On the next slide I've included some sentence starters. If you feel confident that with these bullet points and the key words, you're ready to get going, pause the video now to have a go. If you'd rather use the sentence starters, keep watching and they'll appear on screen now. Here are some sentences frames to help you. Shakespeare presents Romeo as, we learn that Romeo is, when Romeo, Shakespeare also uses, to emphasise that. Overall, Romeo is/seems. Have a go now, spend about 10 minutes writing and resume once you're finished. Here's an example of what you might have written. I've put the key words in bold. And what you could do is compare this answer to what you've written down. You can add or clarify your own response based on this model. Shakespeare presents Romeo as an anomalous character. He's in contrast with the other characters that we have met in the play. From the start of the story Shakespeare shows this by presenting Romeo as withdrawn and isolated from other characters. We learn he is in love with Rosaline, and this is the reason for his anomalous behaviour. As his infatuation with her is leading him to struggle to act normally, or think clearly. When Romeo's loved ones use frequent interrogatives, we understand their confusion linked to Romeo's character, as if they are perplexed by his actions. Shakespeare also exaggerates Romeo's melodramatic character by using exclamatory statements to emphasise his excessive, passionate urges. Overall, Romeo is introduced in a way that exaggerates his emotional and passionate characterization. Here's a slightly more developed example. It goes across two slides. Shakespeare presents Romeo as an anomalous character who does not seem to fit in to his setting. His character is immediately contrasted with others. For example, instead of being present at the fight and showing violent urges, like other many male characters, Romeo appears withdrawn and isolated within the story. We learn that Romeo is in love with a girl named Rosaline. And this is the reason for his anomalous, isolated behaviour as his infatuation with her is leading him to struggle to act normally, or think clearly. Shakespeare shows his melodramatic characterization through the way he expresses his feelings. His hyperbolic, exclamatory statements show his excessive passionate urges. When Romeo speaks with Benvolio's character, their dialogue is clearly contrasted. Benvolio is clearly mocking and laughing at Romeo's over the top declarations and melodramatic, romantic statements. Shakespeare uses frequent interrogatives during this scene in the dialogue of Romeo's friends and family, which allows him to exaggerate their surprise, and confliction as they question his anomalous behaviour. Clearly, Romeo does not act as he is expected to. Through is first introduction, we immediately understand the melodramatic infatuation, anomalous nature of his character. Okay, we're done for the day, that's all of the key content for this lesson introducing Romeo. Hopefully, you've got a really good sense of his character, what kind of person he is, and how you might describe him. The final thing you need to do today is head over to the review quiz and complete those five questions there. You'll get feedback on that, whether you get your answer wrong or correct, and it'll help to really make sure that you're confident with this key content. Thank you so much for coming and joining me today. And hopefully I'll see you next lesson. If you want to, you can share your work with Oak National. If you'd like to do this, please ask your parent or carer to share your work on Twitter, tagging @OakNational, and #LearnwithOak. This will let me see what you've managed to do this lesson.

Exit Quiz: Introducing Romeo

Completed: Introducing Romeo

In this lesson, we will explore the characterisation of Romeo. We will investigate his initial appearance on stage and consider the methods used by Shakespeare to present him to the audience.

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Introducing Romeo

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