Key Themes

Question 1

Themes to link to

Answer 1

Youth
Family + duty
Violence
Love
Individual vs Society
Chance/fate

Question 2

Shakespeare intentions 1

Answer 2

Shakespeare shows the consequences of violating societal, religious and familial constructs.

Question 3

Shakespeare intentions 2

Answer 3

These foundational constructs in society are insurmountable (can’t overcome), even in the face of true love.

Question 4

Shakespeare intentions 3

Answer 4

Thus, he makes Romeo’s hamartia (fatal flaw) his impetuousness (impulsiveness) - his inability to navigate social expectations reinforces the folly (foolishness) in the youth.

Question 5

Shakespeare intentions 4

Answer 5

Through dramatic irony, Shakespeare’s crafting of an inevitable tragedy shows how love and violence are inextricably linked.

Question 6

Shakespeare intentions 5

Answer 6

He utilises Romeo as an example of this entwined duality, portraying him as the embodiment of the conflicts of love and violence within a single individual.

Question 7

Shakespeare intentions 6

Answer 7

Shakespeare’s tragic portrayal of Romeo and Juliet reinforces that even the seemingly boundless power of love is ultimately constrained by forces beyond human control.

Question 8

Shakespeare intentions 7

Answer 8

He reinforces Elizabethan ideas of determinism showing celestial bodies were powerful forces on human life.