SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO & JULIET

WHAT DO YOU ALREADY KNOW?What do you know about Shakespeare, the play, the characters, etc.?

UNDERSTANDING SHAKESPEARE’S AUDIENCE• What was the last R-rated film you

saw?• Why was it rated R?• It was R-rated for: Sex, violence,

and profanity

HOW DO YOU REACT?• When you hear an inappropriate joke, how do you

react?

• When you hear an inappropriate joke, do you:• A) laugh a lot and share it with your friends• B) think about making a profit from the joke• C) pretend to be shocked, but secretly find it interesting• D) react with disgust and horror, thinking that it is

entirely inappropriate and nasty

AUDIENCES TODAY & SHAKESPEARE’S AUDIENCE

Shakespeare’s audience was comprised of these 4 groups:• A) Groundlings

• poor people, usually uneducated and illiterate working class. Enjoyed bawdy (sexual) humor. Stood to watch the show.

• B) Merchants• Sold supplies to audience members, sought a profit

• C) Nobles• Showed off their wealth, seated very close to the stage. Theater

for them was about being seen. They were more proper.• D) Puritans

• Boycotted Shakespeare’s show because of the sexual content, they were disgusted by Shakespeare’s humor.

SHAKESPEARE USED BAWDY HUMOR TO INTEREST THE AUDIENCE

• Bawdy humor: • Dealing with sex in a way that is meant to be

funny• Shakespeare uses bawdy humor to attract the

groundlings interest• Synonyms: ribald, racy, rude, suggestive, crude,

vulgar, offensive• Antonyms: refined, proper, clean, wholesome, G-

rated

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND• His plays were performed in the Globe Theater

Groundlings & merchants, stand for the entire play

Nobility, pay to sit in nicer seats. Usually sit close to stage to be seen

Puritans protest outside of the theater

THE FOUR HUMOURS & TEMPERAMENT)• During the Elizabethan Era, people believed that man is made of

the elements—earth, air, fire and water—which translate to the four “humours.” • the excess of a particular humour determined a person’s

characteristic traits or actions• The perfect balance of the humors resulted in an ideal

temperament (personality)• It is important to understand these humors because we will see

Shakespeare describe his characters based on these temperaments

THE FOUR HUMOURSMelancholy

• Sad, depressed, miserable, gloomy, unhappy, dejected

• Usually a person is reserved, solitary or sentimental

• Associated with the earth because we look down at the earth when we are sad

Choler• Hot-headed, rage, anger, passion,

lust, temper• The person would be sensitive,

impulsive, envious, vengeful• Associated with fire because of the

passion.

Sanguine• Light, happy, free, playful, sociable• Associated with air• A person who is of a sanguine

temperament might act like they have their head in the clouds

Phlegmatic• Dull, listless, torpid, heavy,

lethargic, slow, inactive, lacking energy

• Associated with water• A phlegmatic person might be slow

to respond, they would be inactive.

THE FOUR HUMOURSMelancholy Choler

Sanguine Phlegmatic

GROUND RULES FOR READING SHAKESPEARE1. Everyone is a second language learner when they

read Shakespeare • You are not the only one that thinks this is challenging

2. You don’t have to understand every word to understand the significance of the story

3. There are always multiple meanings and interpretations • Please share your interpretations, they are important!