Help With English

 

Shakespeare coursework writing frame

This is to help you get started,

you should use this in conjunction with the detailed guide in your workbook

 

Introduction: Start with a short summary of what happens in the play (5 lines maximum). Explain that the story of R&J is popular because people can identify with the themes e.g. love, death, marriage, family loyalty, respect, honour and fate.

 

Paragraph 1: Quickly summarise what happens in Act 2, Scene 2 (look in your workbook for some example summaries). Explain that R&J and have just met at the Capulet masked ball and that after Act 2, Scene 2 Friar Lawrence agrees to marry them in secret hoping their marriage will end the family feud.

 

Paragraph 2: Write about how Shakespeare develops the dramatic tension in Act 2, Scene 2 by setting the scene in a dangerous place – Romeo must climb into the garden where there is a chance he will get caught by his mortal enemies.

Write about how the audience learns about Romeo’s true feelings because at the start of the scene he soliloquises (talks to himself out loud) about how beautiful Juliet is. He compares her to the rising sun (hyperbole) which suggests that he is idolising her (worshiping her) and is following the conventions of romance (rules of love).

For bonus marks explain how Romeo has to repeatedly refer to the darkness of the night so that Shakespeare’s audience would know it was late at night.

 

Paragraph 3: This is the first time R&J speak to each at length – what do we learn about their opinions about family, love and marriage? What rules are they willing to break and what risks are they willing to take so that they can be with each other?

Explain how this scene is the turning point in the play – a moment of happiness before R&J’s luck changes and they begin their tragic fall.

How does Juliet test Romeo’s love (don’t swear on the moon) and why does she do it? This adds dramatic tension because the audience thinks that Juliet is going to leave. What does Romeo say to make her stay (wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?).

Why might Shakespeare’s audience found Romeo’s question funny / shocking (wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?).

 

Paragraph 4: Explain how the interruptions of the nurse add an element of comedy and excitement to the scene – she’s interrupting a magically romantic scene and also reminding the audience that the lovers might get caught at any moment. The nurse’s presence also speeds up the scene meaning that R&J and have say their goodbyes very quickly as the sun is starting to rise. 

 
Conclusion: Explain why Act 2, Scene is an important moment in the play because it is a turning point in the fortunes of the two lovers. Explain that in this scene we get to know the main characters and learn about their opinions about family and love and what they are prepared to risk so they can be together. End by giving your opinion about the play as a whole and why you think people still like to watch the play four hundred years after it was first performed. 

Some useful words and phrases for essay writing:

 
Words you can use to introduce more information about a point you’ve already made:


moreover; furthermore; again; further; what is more; in addition; however; besides; above all; as well (as); either; not only...but also; similarly; correspondingly; in the same way; indeed; in fact; really; in reality, it is found that...;as for; as to; with respect to; regarding

Example: Frankenstein’s creation is a truly tragic character. However, our sympathies are challenged when we see him murder the small child William.

Example: Dr. Frankenstein can be understood as a dangerously ambitious man. Similarly, Captain Walton, through whom the story is narrated, is also very driven, since, like Frankenstein, he wants to be remembered for a great achievement and is willing to sacrifice almost everything to achieve it.

Writing in lists


First(ly); second(ly); third(ly); another; yet another; in addition; finally; to begin with; in the second place; moreover; additionally; also; next; then; and to conclude; lastly; finally.

Example: We might understand the monster as a stark metaphor that serves to explore the idea of ‘normality’ and ‘beauty.’ In addition to this, he is also symbolic of man’s need to be loved and accepted for who he is rather than what he looks like.

Putting the same idea in a different way:


In other words; rather; or; better; in that case; to put it (more) simply; in view of this; with this in mind; to look at this another way.

Example: The novel Frankenstein and the image of the crazy scientist and his terrible creation are often uses as a symbol of science run amok. In other words, whenever a scientist attempts something that is considered to be immoral or unnatural, he or she is often compared to Dr. Frankenstein, the implication being that there are always consequences for your actions, however good they may have been.

Introducing examples and evidence:


That is to say; in other words; for example; for instance; namely; an example of this is;  as in the following examples; such as; including; especially; particularly; in particular; notably; chiefly; mainly; mostly.

Example of ‘in text quotations’: Having naively believed that he had chosen the creatures features as beautiful, Frankenstein recoils when confronted with terrible reality of his efforts, describing the monster’s image as ‘hideous.’ Whereas when taken individually the delicate hands and ‘straight black lips’ might have been considered ‘beautiful’ when assembled upon the workbench the result is a monstrous and inhuman mosaic of horror.

Introducing an alternative point of view:


By contrast; another way of viewing this is; alternatively; again; then again; however, having said that; rather; one alternative is; another possibility is; on the one hand...on the other hand; conversely; in comparison; on the contrary; in fact; though; although.

Example: The doctor has been driven mad in the pursuit of his ambition. On the other hand, you could argue that he was mad from the beginning, especially when you consider his choice of books, nearly all of them strange, occult volumes written by dangerous and disgraced men of science.

To emphasise your earlier viewpoint:


However; nonetheless; in the final analysis; despite…; in spite of….;while ______ may be true, nonetheless; although; though; after all; at the same time; on the other hand; all the same; even if x is true; although x may have a good point,

Example: Even if Frankenstein is mad, he is certainly not alone in his madness since he shares a terrible existence with the tragic creature which he created, suggesting that we, as readers, are supposed to see the two men as similar people, joined by a series of tragic events.

Making a strong point:


Therefore; accordingly; as a result; so, (then,) it can be seen that; the result is; the consequence is; resulting from this; consequently; now; we can see, then, that; it is evident that; because of this; thus; hence; for this reason; owing to x; this suggests that; it follows that; in other words; otherwise; in that case; that implies.

Example: In the event Frankenstein refuses to make a mate for the creature and resolves to undo what he has already created, thus his decision to destroy the female companion before the work is complete.

Summing up or concluding:


Therefore; so, my conclusion is; in short; in conclusion; to conclude; in all; on the whole; to summarise; to sum up briefly; in brief; altogether; overall; thus; thus we can see that.

Example: So we can see that despite his best intentions Frankenstein’s plans to deliver mankind from the horrors of death and decay ultimately end in tragedy and serve as a bold reminder that we shouldn’t play god. To conclude, Shelley’s timeless masterpiece will continue to haunt us, standing as a testimony to the dangers of ambition and the judgemental habits of humanity. The final image of the creature taking the corpse of his ‘father’ and only human contact, is moving one, and perhaps Shelley meant the final word of the novel to be one of compassion and the power of the heart, that despite his hardships and his crimes all the creature wanted was to be loved.