Romeo & Juliet: Writer's Methods and Techniques (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

The best responses at GCSE don’t limit their analysis to individual words and phrases. Examiners are really looking for analysis of Shakespeare’s overall aims, so try to take a “whole-text” approach to the writer’s methods and techniques. Each of the below topics does just that:

• Form
• Structure
• Language

Romeo and Juliet is a Shakespearean tragedy. It is important that the examiner knows from your essays that you understand the conventions of tragedy. This produces a more conceptualised answer that takes into account the methods and purpose of Shakespeare as a playwright.

Shakespearean tragedies usually consist of:

• A tragic hero: a sympathetic heroic figure (in this case Romeo) who is destined to die because of his  fatal flaw
• Fatal flaw ( hamartia ): a character trait that leads to the tragic hero’s downfall. For Romeo, it is his fatalistic impulsiveness
• A foil: a character who stands in contrast to the tragic hero, who conforms to the typical societal expectations of the era. Here it is Tybalt as he is aggressive and, unlike Romeo, keen to fight for his family's honour
• Fate: all tragic heroes cannot escape their fate or destiny. In Romeo and Juliet, this idea is shown as questionable, asking audiences whether fortunes are determined by our own actions, social pressures or written in the stars
• Catharsis: a moment of shared expression for the audience. In Romeo and Juliet, it is the tragic deaths of the lovers at the play’s end, foretold by the  Prologue. This is sometimes known as a technique called the tragic waste
• Conflict: in Romeo and Juliet there is external conflict (the family feud and the vengeful violence it brings, as well as the arranged marriage which Juliet defies) and internal (the mental decline of Romeo and Juliet)
• Final restoration of the status quo: this means, essentially, that things go back to normal after the death of the tragic hero. Here, the two families reach an uneasy peace after the deaths of their two children

The structure of a tragedy

Many of Shakespeare’s tragedies follow the same five-part structure:

1. Exposition: this is the introduction to the play for the audience, and an introduction to the themes and atmosphere. In Romeo and Juliet, it is very significant that we are introduced to the tragic ending of the play in the Prologue. This creates  dramatic irony  and tension as audiences are instructed to watch events unfold and question the role of fate in the tragedy. Audiences are also shown a battle erupting between the servants of the two families, which foreshadows further conflict. Shakespeare emphasises this effect by having the Prince decree that further fighting will be punished with death. Foreshadowing often occurs in the exposition
2. Rising Action: here is when the tragic hero’s fatal flaw is exposed and an inevitable chain of events begins the downfall of the protagonist. In the play, it could be said that Romeo’s premonition about his untimely death prior to his reckless decision to attend the Capulet Ball represents this stage
3. Climax: this is the turning point in the play where the tragic hero comes face to face with their problems. In the language of tragedy, this is called peripeteia. In Romeo and Juliet, it is the moment a fight inevitably breaks out between Tybalt and Romeo. Mercutio is killed in error, which results in Romeo’s impulsive vengeful murder of Tybalt
4. Falling Action: The tragic hero acknowledges his flaws and his potential defeat. Romeo realises he is “Fortune’s Fool” and decides to act upon his own free will. This moment of realisation is called the anagnorisis.
5. Denouement: normality and the natural order is restored. Romeo and Juliet take their own lives, fulfilling the Prologue’s fateful message. The feud between the families ends because of the sacrifices made

It is of course important to analyse Shakespeare’s use of language in any essay on Romeo and Juliet. However, try to see ‘language’ in a broader sense than just the words that Shakespeare uses: it also includes the form and patterns of his language. Moreover, try to take a whole-text approach and consider why Shakespeare presents - through his use of language - the ideas he wants to explore in the play. Below you will find revision materials on:

• Poetry and Prose
• Symbolism

Poetry and Prose

• Shakespeare used three forms of poetic language when he wrote his plays:
• Blank verse
• Rhymed verse
• Prose
• Each of the three forms is used throughout Romeo and Juliet
• Shakespeare used these different forms of language for dramatic purposes; they performed different functions:
• To distinguish characters from one another
• To reveal the psychology of characters
• To show character development

Blank verse

• The blank verse consists of unrhymed lines of ten syllables, although it does not always exactly fit that pattern
• Typically in Shakespeare's plays, the blank verse represents human feelings in intimate speeches and soliloquies and the more serious themes. It represents the character’s true feelings. It is the form used the most by Shakespeare
• In Romeo and Juliet, blank verse is used by characters trapped by fate or social rules
• Often used to signify a character with high statuses, such as in the dialogue between Tybalt and Benvolio