Borrow Cupid's Wings!

Romeo heads off to the Capulet ball on Mercutio's goading, and though he says he has a premonition that someone will die as a consequence of their actions this night, the audience understands that what he says is true. Dramatic irony like this is what makes the play riviting, even though the audience already knows the outcome.


So our young lover has "borrowed Cupid's wings" and soared over his fears, so to speak. As scene five opens, the servants are bustling around, preparing for the guests. Lord Capulet is coaxing the ladies out onto the dance floor. He threatens to tell the ladies that if they don't dance, they must have corns.



For further understanding of the setting (and our enjoyment) we'll visit the American Ballet Company's site and view a Renaissance dance. If you're not willing to try it out, you must have corns, too!

Queen Mab and the Prophecy of Dreams

Act I, scene iv can be a challenge without first knowing a little about the time period. Remember that earlier in Act I, Benvolio has talked Romeo into "crashing" the Capulet party in order to look at other beautiful women, and Romeo has agreed to go in order to prove that Rosaline is indeed the most beautiful young lady. The problem is that not just anybody can go to the party; you'd have to be on the guest list, and being Montagues, Romeo and his friends are not.



As scene iv opens, that's exactly what the boys are talking about: how to get into the party without being noticed. In this time period, there is a "prompter" at the entrance to the party, and this person announces the guests as they enter. It would be hard to get by without being noticed...But wait! There is one possibility. It is fashionable for young men to wear masks as sort of a whimsical and festive thing to do. Bevolio offers a suggestion through a pun, "We'll measure them a measure and be gone," (line l0), which means they'll dance and look everyone over and leave. That's the plan, but Romeo has a bad feeling about it all which he talks about from line 48 "But 'tis no wit to go." Do the best you can in examining the scene.

Mercutio makes light of dreams (beginning with line 53) in his Queen Mab speech. Queen Mab is the fairy who brings strange dreams to mankind (the audience would have been familiar with her). Mercutio's soliloquy starts out light heartedly, but you may notice that as it comes to an end, his tone is dark, and what were dreams in the beginning turn to nightmarish images. His intentions seemingly began as an effort to get Romeo to lighten up. As this scene ends, though, Romeo mentions that he fears that someone will die as a consequence of going to the party...yet, he goes anyway. Perhaps it is fated!

Comic Relief and Understanding the Joke!

Yesterday's photo stories were imaginative and entertaining, and I look forward to the next step. As you are reading Shakespeare, be looking for passages to interpret via Photo Story 3. It could be 10 or more lines of poetry which stand out to you or challenge you. Look for literal and abstract images as well as music to share.


We'll also continue reading Act I, scenes two and three. We'll talk about comic relief and bawdy jokes. You'll meet one of my favorite Shakespearean characters, the Nurse. She's a chatterbox who never shuts up. What a great part to act on stage! She often steals the show when she's on stage. Once again, we'll analyze the setting for a better understanding of plot.




Tonight's homework is to read Act I, scene four. It's a challenge. Mercutio, like the Nurse, loves to hear himself talk, and sometimes he sounds crazy. Read over this scene on your own. Write down specific questions, using techniques we will use today in class. Tomorrow we'll share insights and frustrations, and we'll read these parts aloud.




Until then, adieu!

Poetry and Photo Story: What Would Shakespeare Do?

Today we're having Writing Workshop and laptops, finishing up our Photo Story poetry. You'll have time to blog about poetry, Shakespeare, your independent reading, and any other related topics. Be sure you engage in conversations...comment, comment, comment! I haven't gotten any comments in a long time.

I'm looking forward to our time to publish today. I wish we could upload these stories to our blog sites, but at least we can share these on the projector during class today.

Have fun with photos, imagery, and music! Keep reading!

*Don't forget to study for the vocabulary quiz tomorrow. The words (if you've forgotten) are listed on last Wednesday's blog post!