‘Romeo and Juliet offers an audience a powerful story which raises questions about the importance of love and

the
nature of family relationships’.

Use this as a starting point for a discussion of the play supported through a close examination of at least three key
extracts / scenes. Remember to integrate both poetic AND dramatic devices into your analysis.

“Shakespeare’s characters are interesting because they struggle with both external forces and their own human flaws.”

Discuss this statement with close reference to characters and key scenes in Romeo and Juliet.

In your response, you must show an understanding of language, structure and theatrical devices.

2022 Yearly Exam: Shakespeare

PRINCE
This letter doth make good the friar's words,
Their course of love, the tidings of her death:
And here he writes that he did buy a poison
Of a poor 'pothecary, and therewithal
Came to this vault to die, and lie with Juliet.
Where be these enemies? Capulet! Montague!
See, what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with love.
And I for winking at your discords too
Have lost a brace of kinsmen: all are punish'd.
Act 5, Scene 3

Write an essay in which you explore how the given extract reflects the cause of tragedy in Shakespeare’s play Romeo
and Juliet.

In your response, you must refer closely to the given extract and to other scenes in the play. Your essay should show
an understanding of how characters and ideas are shaped by both dramatic features and language techniques.