30 Unit 4 Drama

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Literary Element (page 790)Tragedy

� e Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Act 5 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

A tragedy is a drama that depicts the downfall of an admirable character—the tragic hero. The hero is brought down by both fate or bad luck beyond personal control and by a flaw in character. Readers are often eager to excuse Romeo and Juliet for their personal flaws and focus instead on their extraordinary bad luck or on the meddling of others. To give the young lovers stature as tragic heroes, however, readers need to recognize Romeo and Juliet’s responsibility for their own undoing. As you consider Romeo and Juliet’s fateful decisions, ask the following questions:

• What other actions could Romeo and Juliet have taken?

• What are the effects of the actions they take?

• What does their pattern of decision making reveal about their characters?

ACTIVITY

Directions Examine the situations below and list other choices that Romeo or Juliet could

have made. In the third column, list the results of the choice that Romeo and Juliet made.

Situation and Choice Character’s Other Options Direct Result of Character’s Choice

Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel. Romeo refuses to fight and then tries to prevent Mer-cutio and Tybalt from killing each other.

Romeo could have• accepted the challenge.• left the scene.• revealed his marriage and

his kinship with Tybalt.

1.

Juliet is told that she must marry Paris. To prevent this, Juliet follows the friar’s advice and fakes her own death.

2. Juliet could have The Capulet family mourns and entombs Juliet.

Romeo hears a report of Juliet’s death. He rushes to her tomb to commit suicide.

Romeo could have

• waited for more details before taking action.

• sought counsel from the friar.

• remained in exile.

3.

4. As you examine Romeo and Juliet’s decisions, what pattern or consistent course of action do you see?

5. Do you think that Romeo and Juliet are in part responsible for the tragedy that befalls them? Explain.

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Unit 4 Drama 31

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Reading Strategy (page 790)Making Inferences About Theme

� e Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Act 5 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

A theme is a statement, not a single word. If you say that Romeo and Juliet is about love or fate or haste, you are listing topics of the play, not themes. To infer, or con-clude by way of reason, what Shakespeare means to say about love, consider how he develops the subject in the play. What do characters say and think about love? How does love affect the action and the outcome of the play? After considering the evidence, write a sentence that accurately reflects the overall implication of those details.

ACTIVITY

Directions To understand what insight about haste or urgency can be found in the play,

first add at least four additional examples of characters speaking or acting hastily to the cluster

graphic organizer. Review these details; then write a single sentence that sums up Shakespeare’s

insight about haste in Romeo and Juliet.

Active Reading Graphic Organizer

As you consider other possible themes in The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, you may want to use a graphic organizer similar to the one above to organize the details that will lead to your inferences. Ask your teacher for a copy of the Cluster Graphic Organizer.

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Tybalt

wants to kill

Romeo the instant he

sees him.

Romeo falls in love

with Juliet and forgets

Rosaline in an instant.

Lady

Capulet insists

that it is time for Juliet to

marry.

Haste

32 Unit 4 Drama

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Selection Vocabulary Practice (page 790)

� e Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Act 5 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

Vocabulary

misadventure n. a mishap; an unfortunate event

haughty adj. very proud and scornful of others

unsavory adj. unpleasant in character; disagreeable to the taste

tedious adj. tiresome; boring

E X E R C I S E A Practice with Word Parts

Complete the following sentences. Where possible, use your knowledge of word parts to

determine the best ending to the following statements.

1. An unsavory reputation is one that is .

A. not well known B. not desirable C. well established

2. A misadventure is .

A. a lost treasure B. an unlucky incident C. a chance meeting

3. A haughty person is one who is .

A. excessively proud B. extremely brave C. deeply sad

4. A tedious conversation is one that is .

A. long B. angry C. dreary

E X E R C I S E A Practice with Antonyms

Explain your answer to each of the following questions. Refer to a dictionary or thesaurus if

necessary.

1. Would it be better to experience a misadventure or a disaster? Why?

2. Would you rather have a friend who is confident or one who is haughty? Why?

3. Which would you prefer, a meal that is tasteless or one that is unsavory? Why?

4. Would it be more difficult to watch a movie that is tedious or one that is unin-teresting?

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