TOP 10 Exam Questions on Romeo and Juliet ANSWERED

[@lvrm6]

I’m homeschooled and dyslexic. I really have to say THANK YOU. You are saving my English Literature GCSE. I have always hated English but the way you articulate your points really makes me understand the reason people are passionate towards it!

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

That’s brilliant

[@lvrm6]

@@MrSallesTeachesEnglish My test went really well! I’m doing Edexcel and they gave an extract of Lady Capulet, the Nurse and Juliet talking about Paris. I wrote about iambic pentameter and how Lady Capulet was speaking in poetry (v.s. prose). The another question I did was on Animal Farm and I used your video about how to plan your answers for that (as the theme question is either inequality or power and control - it turned out to be dishonesty). I answered really well (I think). I wrote like 10 pages! Honestly, wouldn’t have known what to do without you, THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[@jeongeorge3975]

@@lvrm6 what grade/mark u got for RJ

[@lvrm6]

@@jeongeorge3975 i dont know any specifics but overally I got a grade 6 in literature (one mark from a seven).

[@mxlodiq]

I have my lit paper 1 on Wednesday. This is so helpful. I've mostly been revising quotes an context, not much on how to answer questions based on what character it's about. I'll try to remember to give an update on how the paper goes - not entirely sure I'll get a high mark but hopefully it goes better than I expect it will.

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

Good luck

[@maniacc21]

SAME SAME 😭😭 THIS VID IS HELPING ME BY SM

[@redditama-pg3nh]

what did you get

[@becca4155]

Thank you so much. After missing so much school over the last two years this is incredibly helpful, especially as I'm doing my mocks this week.

[@esrastar7164]

Hey sir, I got my Macbeth English literature mock back and got a 9. Thank you for your work

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

Well done!

[@samwilson2046]

I saw one of your videos in my recommended and thought I should come and thank you for all your great videos that helped me to get nines in my 2021 English GCSE’s. Thank you!

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

Thanks for letting me know!

[@maniacc21]

literally watching this TWICE for tmmr 😭😭 this is s helpful omds thank uu

[@fa1leas766]

solely relying on mr salles to save my english grade, i have my first literature paper in a week and ill come back on results day to review my grade!

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

I look forward to hearing your results! Good luck

[@jojomooc]

So helpful! Doing Romeo and Juliet right now in class!

[@ZazzyZA]

I am extremely nervous about my mock because i have never even read romeo and juliet as im only new to the country :( But so far you have helped me so much with my language and i have trust in you for the literature.

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

Good luck!

[@monk_cs2]

2:47 i thought that a dowry was a gift from the brides family to the grooms family. so how would the fact that paris values juliet more result in a smaller dowry

[@Leon-nc3xk]

because as Capulet's goal is to make him want Juliet more. If Paris likes Juliet more, he will do more things in order to be able to have her hand in marriage, for example, ask for a smaller dowry from Lord Capulet to him for Marrying Juliet. This would benefit Capulet in two ways: 1. His daughter marries a respected and wealthy man. 2. He has to give Paris a smaller Dowry which means he spends less money. Hope that made sense.

[@annageorge4514]

Mr Salles, please could you post video like this for Macbeth and Jekyll and Hyde?

[@hadiyaabz1744]

I've been on a 5 for so long in English literature and hoping these videos would help boost my grades for my exam on Wednesday. thanks for the help, sir. And do you have any more last minute tips I could do?

[@MyNinjaOfficial]

Thanks for the helpful video, doing my mocks at the moment and these have helped me get through them :)

[@idrk1507]

I bought your Romeo and Juliet guide (and also An inspector calls)- I must say, your choice on the material of the covers are excellent. Idk what they’re made of, but I can’t stop touching them

[@tahmed289]

Could you say that Queen man represents patriarchal societies control of female sexuality - 'bear' has the connotations of childbirth but also 'bearing' pain so could be representative of the suffering of the women due to patriarchal society .The imagery of queen mass 'chariot' which creates a sense of prowess and luxury contrasts the semantic field of insects used to build the chariot . This further adds to the image of suffering as it's almost manipulating women giving ideas of rich chariots(linking to the marrying for class) whilst in reality it is much uglier as it's designed to help the men in society. Let that be social class or dowry? Unsure about this point so could someone clarify it

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

Excellent idea

[@aswinkumar3744]

Thanks for this great analysis

[@StickmanVenomCookie]

Currently at grade 6 in English. I’ll come back after some time and will let you know where I am after watching your videos

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

Good luck

[@StickmanVenomCookie]

@@MrSallesTeachesEnglish thanks! Done first lit and Lang papers and they went well. Got edexcel lit tomorrow (Frankenstein) and language paper 2 on Friday . Somehow, one of my best subjects is history, but one of my worst is English!

[@StickmanVenomCookie]

@@stevesorare 7 in language, 8 in literature. Both up from 6

[@mxchip6987]

Damnn​@@StickmanVenomCookie

[@user-zu7xk9ki6f]

I'm posting my notes in the replies. I hope they help

[@user-zu7xk9ki6f]

Capulet - symbol for everything wrong with the patriarchal society - Juliet is just a commodity to him - a way for him to acquire wealth and status - chooses Paris to socially climb, finds her a husband who will benefit him the most - Capulet exists to show the male exploitation of women - Thesis: - Capulet is constructed, created in order to attack patriarchal male society that treats women as objects that can be traded for wealth, power and status - appears to be good father, asking Paris to wait - “She hath not seen the change of fourteen years; Let two more summers wither in their pride Ere we may think her too ripe to be a bride” - appears to be a genuine concern about age, but he then throws a ball for the first time in 30 years which is clearly just to show off to Paris and make her seem more valuable so he’ll ask for a smaller dowry - uses capulet to showcase infidelity - “Ay, you have been a mouse-hunt in your time” - Lady Capulet - open knowledge that Capulet has had affairs, as in this society men were not expected to stay faithful to their wives at all - in contrast, the women cannot do this and must stay virgins until marriage to have any worth - “true and faithful Juliet” → she only has value if she is faithful, contrasting how men still were valued over women despite being openly unfaithful - Capulet & Juliet - Juliet is the victim of sexual exploitation of young women in society - She’s trying to escape patriarchal arranged marriage - wants to marry Romeo as an escape - he’s younger, not approved by her parents, and he’s her choice - Paris is older, only there for economic and social benefits to her father, and she doesn’t love him

[@user-zu7xk9ki6f]

Mercutio - admire his quick wit, but he’s reckless - gives interesting social commentary - “This is the hag, when maids lie on their backs, That presses them, and learns them first to bear, Making them women of good carriage” - Queen Mab - Attacking female sexuality, but also the male exploitation of that sexuality which leads to them having children so young - defence of girls like Juliet, but also disgust at heterosexual sex - Mercutio is gay - Mercutio is in love with Romeo - Jealous of Romeo wanting to be with Rosaline - “were that kind of fruit As maids call medlars […] An open-arse and thou a poperin pear!” - If you live in a society where every time you have sex there’s a risk of pregnancy, there’s an incentive to do it a different way - Mercutio fixes on this because it’s how two men would have sex and he has sexual passion & love for Romeo - Mercutio is angry when Romeo won’t fight Tybalt because he feels betrayed by the one he loves, and Tybalt called him out on being gay - “Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo” - consort → “play with” aka saying they’re in love - Enrages Mercutio because that’s what he wants but Romeo’s straight, and it’s an attack on his masculinity - Note - relationships like this were normal, although there was no word for homosexuality, and after marriage you were expected to abandon any sexual interest in other men - Mercutio could be introduced as a way to explore male sexuality, and he portrays it in such a way that even love leads to violence and death because of the way men behave. - Mercutio is a comic relief to stop the tragedy from being overwhelming Mercutio & Tybalt - Tybalt is a caricature/stereotype for everything that’s wrong with the idea of male honour - loves violence - “What, drawn, and talk of peace? I hate the word” - loves to prove himself as better than everyone else - “Turn thee Benvolio, look upon thy death” - social excuse that duelling has noble purpose behind it instead of just being a desire to fight - “Now by the stock and honour of my kin, To strike him dead I hold it not a sin” - “Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries That thou hast done me” - male honour is discredited when Tybalt kills Mercutio when he’s unprotected - well-known children’s fables about cat “Tibert” at the time → Shakespeare is calling Tybalt’s actions immature and childish

[@user-zu7xk9ki6f]

Friar - begins by talking about how everything needs to be in balance → words of wisdom - More wise words about marriage - “Young men’s love then lies Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes” - “But come young waverer, come go with me” - “Thou and these woes were all for Rosaline, And art thou chang’d? Pronounce this sentence then, Women may fall, when there’s no strength in men” - Hamartia → thinks he can change the feud by marrying them - Romeo and Juliet think they’re in love, the Friar thinks they aren’t but joining the two families will create love - In Greek tragedy, hubris was having excessive pride / going against the Gods - Shakespeare is suggesting the Friar is going against god’s wishes by marrying the two in secret without telling the parents - Friar is Catholic, which the Elizabethans would disrespect about him (being Catholic was illegal at the time) - Shakespeare does this to discredit his decisions - High intelligence is used to be manipulative - “If no inconstant toy nor womanish fear Abate thy valour in the acting it” - knows she is afraid of death and isn’t convinced by her threat of suicide, he needs to cover up his part in the marriage and send Juliet to Mantua so nobody will ever hear of it - At the end of the play he tries to make her a nun so nobody will know. When she refuses, he runs away so he won’t be exposed - Coward and hypocrite

[@user-zu7xk9ki6f]

Older vs Younger - contrast between treatment of young men vs juliet - Juliet is chaperoned at all times, no freedom, the Nurse even sleeps in her room - “Tomorrow night look that thou lie alone, Let not thy Nurse lie with thee in thy chamber” - Romeo & Benvolio can go wherever and whenever they want, with no question, and armed - adult world is corrupt - all adults end up exploiting Romeo and Juliet except Romeo’s parents, who desperately try to do what they can to help Romeo even though he’s too immature to accept that help - bridge between adult and teenage worlds is Benvolio - holds adult perspective of peacemaker - “Part, fools! put up your swords, you know not what you do” - Montague parents turn to him naturally as he is mature - Benvolio doesn’t believe in love at first sight, but takes Romeo to the ball to show him there are prettier girls than Rosaline - Despite being one of the most mature characters, that one decision leads to the whole tragedy - Shakespeare is saying that although the young people made many stupid decisions, the conditions that lead that to happen were the patriarchal parental rules around arranged marriages - Ultimately, it’s the older generation that is to blame for the younger generation’s rash, irrational actions

[@Thatfantasyfootballchick]

As a teacher ...you stole my Writing Prompts lol Great resource though for talking through some topics with students

[@ware3300]

Thank you! are there videos similar to this for dr jekyll and mr hyde or an inspector calls

[@tahakarim1901]

mr salles I wanted to ask about a literary technique within a quote ... Mercutio says "If love be rough with you, be rough with love", is this an example of chiasmas?

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

Yes it is, though I had to look up chiasmus to find out! Note the spelling. You still have to link it to an interpretation of Mercutio though - knowing the term earns no marks.

[@tahakarim1901]

@@MrSallesTeachesEnglish Ok. Could I say that the use of chiasmus builds up rhythm when the play is performed on stage, highlighting Mercutio's sexual passion and portrays his patriarchal mindset of women being sexual objects ?

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

@@tahakarim1901 No, you can’t really argue that a rhythm carries all that meaning! Meaning comes from the words, and the chiasmus can only emphasise the meaning of the words.

[@tahakarim1901]

@@MrSallesTeachesEnglish ohh I see. Could I first analyse the meaning of the words in detail and then add the chiasmus as a further point ?

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

@@tahakarim1901 yes if you link it to the meaning

[@jessicam7743]

Hi, I have a question about the exams and really help you could give a little insight. For all English Literature questions, I am aware you must include quotes however different teachers at my school are telling me different things. Do I purely rely on quotes in my answer, to base my analysis off of and heavily use to represent one idea through one or two quotes (with very in depth language analysis) or do I write about my analysis and evaluation including quotes to support the main idea and as evidence? I really do hope this makes sense and hope you could possibly help me a little in knowing exactly how to structure my answers for the best possible chance of a grade 9. Thank you so much.

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

I have several videos answering your question! The key is to have a really persuasive argument about the question title - you bring in the quotations and analysis you need to prove your argument. You don't chuck in lots of extra analysis of quotations unless it makes your argument better - so some quotations will have more analysis than others. That said, you can get high grades with very poorly argued answers and dazzling analysis of just a few quotations, because that is the way English teachers have been trained in the last 5 - 10 years. They share these ideas on Twitter, and they spread like wildfire. It isn't a valuable skill, and also leads to many students writing total gibberish. In their hearts, all English teachers know that being able to write an essay putting forward interesting and convincing interpretations of the author's purpose and the text is a much more valuable skill, but you can't fit a great essay on a PowerPoint slide. On the other hand, you can explode a quote on a PowerPoint slide and write a 250 word paragraph about a single quotation on a PowerPoint slide. So the PowerPoint slide wins.

[@soop1984]

this video is just in time for my English literature mock on monday, perfect timing

[@ayomideakinwumiju605]

This is really good as im also doing romeo and juliet

[@mooseypanda1021]

Please do a video where you analyse a grade 8/9 essay on a charcater😔😔😔😔😔😔

[@pp-lq5co]

i have mocks coming up and i was wondering how do i know what exact quotes to memorise?

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

I have a too 20 quote video

[@pp-lq5co]

@@MrSallesTeachesEnglish thank you!!!!

[@asakapilled]

i am a genderqueer lesbian and it is always so refreshing to see people talk about mercutio’s implied homosexuality when most teachers tend to dance over it! thank you for talking about queerness without judgement 💗 also i have my final english literature gcse exam tomorrow and this video was extremely helpful so thank you for making this!

[@samgilmore982]

Lool shushhh

[@asakapilled]

@@samgilmore982 problem?

[@aiimen3339]

same my exam's in like 9 hours now :')

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

I have bisexual family members, so am happy not to dance over!

[@mmmjjijhhh1307]

@@MrSallesTeachesEnglish Do u have a generic thesis statement that can be used for other questions? not just capulet

[@yumnabarhamji1700]

Very informative

[@aishah8680]

Can we have a Macbeth one pls thanks sir ur videos are helpful a lot

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

That's a good idea

[@ethanmccauley2276]

Thanks for this (:

[@Inspire3hub]

Thank you 🙏🏾😪😪😪

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

Thank you for being my first viewer!

[@elegantatrocity]

Hello! Am I able to send in my 30/30 Macbeth or 29/30 LOTF as an example for you to run through - and if so, how?

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

That would be awesome. My email address is in the 'about' tab of my KZbin homepage.

[@elegantatrocity]

@@MrSallesTeachesEnglish I’m not really able to find your email address?

[@MrSallesTeachesEnglish]

@@elegantatrocity [e-mail]

[@elegantatrocity]

@@MrSallesTeachesEnglish Alright, thank you!

[@jdd2918]

brill stuff!😹

[@lujixcjml]

Thank you so much sir, you are the best ever