Shakespeare Help! [+REP]

[kuzkasate]

Okay so, in the play Romeo and Juliet in Act 3, Scene 1 (the fight scene) Mercutio dies. Just before he dies, he says "a plague o' both your houses." So how, does this line build tension?

all answers +repped

Thanks!

[luce]

i miss romeo and juliet, Shakespeare is such a genius.

Anyway this is quite prophetic in that there is misfortune for both these houses in the play after he dies leading up to the pinnacle of the double suicide at the end. I don't know but i think i remember he said some other things aswell that may lay the way for the rest of the play? He is independent of both the houses so it adds to the tragedy of the play because it doesn't just effect the two houses (the fued). He also makes the speech earlier in the book about Queen Mab, look this up, as it also has some things in it which tell the story of the play.

This basically sums it all up because those notes above are ramblings of what i remember from GCSE, i did get an A though so they're not bad :P.

Some critics have identified Mercutio’s death as the point at which Romeo and Juliet slides irrevocably into tragedy. Before this point, they argue, it was essentially a “boy-meets-girl” story, about love opposed by their parents. With this episode, in which girl’s cousin stabs boy’s best friend, causing boy to slaughter him in return, a cycle of deaths begins which will claim both Romeo and Juliet. (Paris kills Mercutio then Romeo kills Paris in rage so he is exiled just incase you didn't know)

It’s also worth noting that Mercutio’s dying curse is instrumental in the unfolding of the tragedy. His vague curse, “A plague on both your houses” nearly comes true: when Friar Lawrence writes to Romeo explaining Juliet’s plan with the sleeping draught, the letter miscarries because of plague in the city. It is this “infection” which stops Romeo from discovering her plan, and leads directly to the lovers’ suicides. Though neither of them see Mercutio’s “plague”, it kills them both.

[MattFr]

If it's English GCSE just put any old ********. If your teacher says it's wrong just say, "English is all about my interpretations of written works of art, how can I possibly be wrong!?". Although obviously sarcastic, this got me through my English GCSE with little grief haha.

[Casanova]

back off people, we have a high achiever here!!

I think Lucy gave you possibly the best reply to that than you could expect from anyone. Perfect! +repped.

[luce]

If it's English GCSE just put any old ********. If your teacher says it's wrong just say, "English is all about my interpretations of written works of art, how can I possibly be wrong!?". Although obviously sarcastic, this got me through my English GCSE with little grief haha.

that is hilarious. i got an A* in my GCSE and it took hard work. Maybe you are content with getting through and scraping a mere C or D but seriously English Lit isn't all about your interpretations and if it is it is not an opinion interpretations can actually be right or wrong.

Do not pay any attention to that actually try and it is easy to boost your marks with Point Evidence Explanation ie.

Mercutio's death in Act 1 Scene 3 builds tension by the line "a plague o' both your houses," this builds tension because it is seen as the turning point in the play from a romantic comedy to a tragedy. After his death Romeo murders paris (reference to where) and eventually this leads to the pinnacle of tragedy the double suicide of Romeo and Juliet. The double death of R+J is the forfillment of this prophesy as the plague on the houses of Montague and Capulet.

do this over and over again with different ideas and look else where in the play for examples that are relevant and you will get an A, that's pretty rough but you should be able to see the clear PEE layout it just gives the marker no choice but to notice it :)

and thanks casanova nice for people to actually recognize the beauty of Shakespeare.

[kuzkasate]

I actually thought that lucy, because it was almost as a threat and at the time, there was a plague heading across Europe. But I guess I am never too confident in my answers :(
+repp to anyone that i can!

[luce]

I actually thought that lucy, because it was almost as a threat and at the time, there was a plague heading across Europe. But I guess I am never too confident in my answers :(
+repp to anyone that i can!

be confident they won't mark you down for being wrong they always look to give marks so if you think it is at all right and it's sensible then give it a go :) but don't do what that other person said and just put mere interpretations :)

[MattFr]

that is hilarious. i got an A* in my GCSE and it took hard work. Maybe you are content with getting through and scraping a mere C or D but seriously English Lit isn't all about your interpretations and if it is it is not an opinion interpretations can actually be right or wrong.

Do not pay any attention to that actually try and it is easy to boost your marks with Point Evidence Explanation ie.


I got an A in English lit and an A in English language with no effort. Interpretations of Shakespeare cannot be right or wrong, how can ANYONE prove that Shakespeare meant ******** abc and not ******** xyz? Exactly, no one can prove anything.

Don't bother getting stressed over English, complete waste of time.

[luce]

I got an A in English lit and an A in English language with no effort. Interpretations of Shakespeare cannot be right or wrong, how can ANYONE prove that Shakespeare meant ******** abc and not ******** xyz? Exactly, no one can prove anything.

Don't bother getting stressed over English, complete waste of time.

i'm not i dropped it for a level since it serves no use to me and an interoperation can be wrong because it is so obvious it doesn't mean something and that he is referring to something this plague was obviously metaphorical and hinting at what is to come and not just saying it because it was annoyed that he was going to die.

[MattFr]

i'm not i dropped it for a level since it serves no use to me and an interoperation can be wrong because it is so obvious it doesn't mean something and that he is referring to something this plague was obviously metaphorical and hinting at what is to come and not just saying it because it was annoyed that he was going to die.

But I doubt it was as technically complex as we make out to be. Shakespeare's plays weren't written to entertain the liberal, intellectual elite (who now, with hindsight have applied all this supposed meaning to it), it was written as bawdy entertainment for the working masses and was the "Mills and Boon" of it's day. The fact that people are still analysing meaning which was never implied is quite frankly trivial and, in my opinion, completely pathetic.

If you lot dig Shakespeare though, feel free to keep believing the crap that your teachers preach to you, but it's good to form your own opinions on things, don't let teachers tell you your opinions are wrong!