Part A: How To Get Full Marks (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Regardless of which Shakespeare play you are studying as part of the Edexcel English Literature GCSE, the type of question set in Section A part (a) will always be the same. In the first half of the question, you will be asked to comment on an extract from your chosen Shakespeare play. It is tempting to jump straight in and start writing immediately. However, following this guide will ensure you answer the question in the way the examiners are looking for.

 Below you will find sections on:

• What skills are required
• Steps for success

Some questions on your exam paper have a dominant assessment objective. For part (a) the only assessment objective is AO2. This requires you to analyse the ways in which Shakespeare has used language, form and structure to shape meanings. The following section explores the skills you will need to demonstrate mastery of this assessment objective in more detail:

Language, Form and Structure (AO2)

A critical analysis goes beyond just spotting elements of language, form and structure, although these can be used as a springboard for explaining the impact of the choices the writer has made. Analysing language means that you need to consider the deliberate choices Shakespeare has made to include specific words or phrases and how he has structured these in his writing and why.

 When reading the extract, you should try to:

• Provide quotes and rеfеrеncеs from thе extract to support the analysis of both еxplicit and implicit meanings 
• Analysе thе impact of specific word choicеs on the overall mеaning and tone of thе tеxt, exploring how Shakespeare uses languagе to crеatе meaning:
• Examinе how languagе builds tеnsion and conflict bеtwееn charactеrs
• Consider Shakespeare’s characterisation:
• How do languagе choicеs rеvеal charactеr traits?
• What can you infеr about a charactеr's intеntions, fеars, or dеsirеs basеd on thеir language?

In order to do this, you should first consider both the denotation and the connotation of particular words and phrases that Shakespeare uses:

• Denotation = the literal meaning of a word or phrase
• Connotation = the associations or implied meanings of the word or phrase

Once you are able to identify particular words and phrases within the extract, you need to develop this skill further by considering why Shakespeare has chosen to include these within the text. For example, below is a quote from Act II, Scene II of Romeo and Juliet:

“It is the East and Juliet is the sun”
Denotation	The denotation of this quote is that Romeo is describing Juliet as if she were the sun in the east.
Connotation	The connotation of this quote conveys the intensity of Romeo’s feelings for Juliet. His comparison to the sun implies that Juliet is a source of light and life for Romeo and signifies her importance to him.

As a more extended example, we will explore some words and phrases using an extract from Romeo and Juliet. The scene is from Act IV, Scene I, lines 89 to 120. In this scene, Friar Laurence tells Juliet about the plan he has devised for her. The focus for this extract will be on how Shakespeare presents the character of Friar Laurence. 

Hold, then. Go home, be merry, give consent To marry Paris. Wednesday is tomorrow. Tomorrow night look that thou lie alone. Let not the Nurse lie with thee in thy chamber. Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilling liquor drink thou off – When presently through all thy veins shall run A cold and drowsy humour: for no pulse Shall keep his native progress, but surcease. No warmth, no breath, shall testify thou livest. The roses in thy lips and cheeks shall fade To wanny ashes, thy eyes’ windows fall Like death when he shuts up the day of life. Each part, deprived of supple government, Shall, stiff and stark and cold, appear like death, And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk death Thou shalt continue two and forty hours – And then awake as from a pleasant sleep. Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou, dead. Then, as the manner of our country is, In thy best robes, uncovered on the bier, Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie. In the meantime, against thou shalt awake, Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, And hither shall he come. And he and I Will watch thy waking, and that very night Shall Romeo bear thee hence to Mantua. And this shall free thee from this present shame, If no inconstant toy nor womanish fear Abate thy valour in the acting it.

Words and phrases

Rеmеmbеr, thе goal of analysing words and phrasеs is to uncovеr layеrs of mеaning,  understand Shakespeare’s intent and explore how languagе contributes to the ovеrall impact of thе tеxt. Below we will explore some of the words and phrases from this scene and consider Shakespeare’s intentions.

Words and phrases	Example	Shakespeare’s intentions
Connotations of death	“no pulse”, “no breath”, “ancient vault”	In this extract, Friar Laurence’s language is dramatic and has connotations associated with death. This signifies the severity of what will happen to Juliet. In this scene, Friar Lawrence demonstrates his integrity as he wishes to be honest with Juliet and does not seek to hide the truth from her. The repetition of “no” similarly illustrates how dangerous the plan is.

Sentence forms

It is important that you understand different sentence forms as this can support your analysis of the extract. You should be able to analyse the types of sentence structures, their functions and the various punctuation marks used to achieve specific effects..

Similarly, we will now explore some of the sentence forms from the same scene and consider Shakespeare’s intentions.

Sentence form	Example	Shakespeare’s intentions
Short and complex sentences	“there art thou, dead”	The methodical and systematic way Friar Laurence explains things to Juliet portrays him as an intelligent and practical man. As a character, he presents his plan in a chronological order using a range of sentence structures to provide clarification. Short sentences add to the dramatic aspect of this scene: “there art thou, dead”, while more complex sentences expand his ideas and provide more detailed information.

Literary terms

It is also important that you are familiar with key literary terms so that it can help to support your analysis of the text. While the examiner will expect you to use relevant subject terminology to support your views, this does not mean that you will secure more marks for demonstrating a wide understanding of literary terms. It is much more important that you clearly articulate the intended effects of any terms that you use.

As an example, we will explore some specific literary techniques and consider Shakespeare’s intentions.

Language technique(s)	Example	Shakespeare’s intentions
Personification and list of three	“shuts up the day of life”   “stiff and stark and cold”	Friar Laurence uses dramatic imagery to describe the effects of the potion on Juliet. The personification of death in “shuts up the day of life” and the list of three, “stiff and stark and cold”, present a horrific image of what Juliet will go through, but also show how much she trusts the Friar to give her honest counsel no matter how dangerous the outcome.

 

 Below is another example from this extract:

Language technique(s)	Example	Shakespeare’s intentions
Adverbs and modal verbs	“tomorrow” and “now” “shall” and “will”	Shakespeare’s use of adverbs of time, “tomorrow” and “now”, and the repetition of “then” presents the character of Friar Laurence as a man who has devised a plan that has been well conceived. The repetition of the modal verbs “shall” and “will” suggests that he is confident of the plan’s success.

Analysing structure

Analysing structure can seem very demanding, but it simply involves examining thе structural choices made by Shakespeare and thеir impact on the text. You can effectively analyse how structural devices contribute to the overall meaning of a text by understanding the many types of structural devices and their purposes.

Structural features can be at:
Whole-extract level	Paragraph level	Sentence level
For example, beginnings, endings and shifts in focus	For example, topic changes, single-sentence paragraphs	For example, sentence lengths

Structural techniques involve examining thе writer’s use of openings and endings, pacing, time shifts, repetition, dialogue and shifts in perspective or changes in narrative viewpoint. It is important that you are familiar with some key structural terms as it can help to support your analysis of the extract. While the examiner will expect you to use relevant subject terminology to support your views, this does not mean that you will secure more marks for demonstrating a wide knowledge of structural terms. It is much more important that you clearly articulate the intended effects regardless of any terms that you use.

We will now explore some structural comments that you might choose to make using the extract above.

Structural technique(s)	Quote from the text	Intended effect on the reader
Foreshadowing	“thy eyes’ windows fall like death when he shuts up the day of life”	Shakespeare uses foreshadowing to add to the tone of impending tragedy and to also create dramatic tension. Throughout the speech, Friar Laurence meticulously outlines the steps of Juliet’s feigned death and the aftermath and this provides the audience with a glimpse of the dire consequences awaiting Juliet. This quote conveys a vivid image of Juliet’s lifeless state and thus the audience anticipate the impending doom awaiting her.

The question in part (a) invites you to comment on Shakespeare’s use of language but also its dramatic effects. In thе context of analysing a Shakespeare play, dramatic structure refers to the arrangеmеnt of events within the play. It еncompassеs how thе play unfolds, how conflicts are introducеd and rеsolvеd and how thе charactеrs' journеys еvolvе. Shakespearean plays oftеn follow a specific dramatic structurе that can bе brokеn down into five kеy components: exposition, rising action, climax, falling action and denouement. 

When approaching the extract, it is important to understand where it occurs within the play as a whole. Below we will explore some aspects relating to the dramatic structure of Romeo and Juliet.

Dramatic Structure		Shakespeare’s Intentions
Exposition		Violence is depicted in the exposition through the longstanding feud between the Montague and Capulet families. The prologue of the play immediately establishes a tone of violence and conflict. Throughout the exposition, characters exchange verbal threats and engage in confrontations that escalate quickly to physical violence. This portrayal of violence serves to establish the central theme of the play which Shakespeare uses to create a tense and volatile backdrop to the love story of Romeo and Juliet.

Here is another example:

Dramatic Structure		Shakespeare’s Intentions
Denouement		Romeo learns about Juliet’s apparent death in the denouement. Devastated by grief, Romeo decides to take his own life, which conveys both his impulsive and passionate nature. Shakespeare uses his death in this part of the play to illustrate the consequences of the senseless feud between the Capulets and the Montagues.
Denouement		Shakespeare uses parallelism in the denouement through the deaths of Romeo and Juliet. Upon learning of Juliet’s death, Romeo is eager to be with her in the afterlife. Similarly, Juliet, upon finding Romeo dead, is eager to join him in death. Shakespeare uses the motif of love and death as inseparable elements, which is reinforced in both of the characters’ tragic endings. Parallelism is also used in the conflict with Paris as both Romeo and Juliet have confrontations with him in the tomb. Juliet expresses her disdain for marrying Paris and similarly, Romeo fights and kills him.

To do well in this task, you need to respond confidently to the extract you are given in the Edexcel GCSE English Literature exam paper. Excellent answers will be able to analyse the excerpt holistically. It is tempting to go right in and begin to dissect the extract straight away. However, following the steps below will ensure you respond to the question in the manner that examiners are looking for:

1. Read the question carefully and highlight the focus of the question
2. Read the extract carefully and critically, annotating in the margins:
   1. Identify key devices which focus on language, form or structure
   2. Highlight any significant features that you notice
   3. Don’t worry if you do not understand every word; instead, focus on other parts of the extract for possible meanings
3. Plan your answer:
   1. Start by placing the extract in the context of the play
   2. Choose which specific parts of the extract you will discuss
   3. Make sure you respond to the beginning, middle and end of the extract
4. Follow your plan and write your response:
   1. Make sure every paragraph has a strong topic sentence at the beginning
   2. After that, make sure each paragraph “proves” the topic sentence
5. Re-read and check your work for overall sense and accuracy