If you've enjoyed this video, please consider making a donation. Thank you.<br />https://www.patreon.com/literature_walkthrough<br /><br />Breakdown of Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 4<br /><br />Nutshell Summary:<br />- Romeo and his friends meet outside the Capulets, in high spirits, exchanging puns and oxymoronic witticisms, ready to crash the party.<br />- Spirits are high. Except Romeo’s. He won’t dance because he’s too heavy-hearted for Rosaline. He mentions a dream he had…<br />- …which triggers Mercutio’s cynical rant about the fairy, Queen Mab.<br />- In some clumsy foreshadowing, Romeo explains that his dream foretold that “some consequence hanging in the stars” will begin this night.<br /><br />Themes Discussed:<br />(For more detailed discussion of THEME in Romeo and Juliet see <br />https://dai.ly/x80qt0r)<br /><br />T4 Love as disease/destroyer; Love as mere infatuation<br />T4 Love as waste of time, only destroyer that must be destroyed<br />T7 Youth as foolish, fickle<br />T8 Dualism: juxtaposed opposites; oxymoron, paradox; light imagery<br />T11 Fate as cosmic force revealed in dreams<br /><br />Characterization Discussed:<br />(For more detailed discussion of CHARACTER in Romeo and Juliet see <br />https://dai.ly/x80pud8)<br /><br />C1 Romeo: melodramatic, narcissistic, idealist, believer (sharp contrast to Mercutio)<br />C3 Mercutio: cynic, unbeliever, wit, bitter outsider, materialist<br /><br />This video on Shakespeare’s LANGUAGE might also help:<br />https://dai.ly/x80qtdh<br /><br /><br />All commentary in this series is designed to help students:<br />— Prepare for GCSE, A-Level, IB, and AP evaluation<br />— Prepare for general quizzes and exams<br />— Generate ideas for analysis essays<br />— Participate knowledgeably in class discussions
