Romeo and Juliet
Complete GCSE Revision Notes
Edexcel GCSE English Literature
by Toby Brough
Page 1 of 18
,Contents
Contents......................................................................................................2
How to use this guide..................................................................................2
Context........................................................................................................3
High-Level Ideas..........................................................................................4
Key Themes Overview.................................................................................4
Character Analysis.......................................................................................5
Juliet.........................................................................................................5
Lord Capulet.............................................................................................6
Lady Capulet............................................................................................7
Nurse........................................................................................................7
Romeo......................................................................................................8
Mercutio...................................................................................................9
Friar Lawrence........................................................................................10
Tybalt......................................................................................................10
Exam Technique........................................................................................11
Question Planning......................................................................................11
Model Exam Question................................................................................13
How to use this guide
Use the Context and High-Level Ideas sections to build wider understanding of the play before
revising each character in order. For each character, learn the key quotations first, then use the
analysis underneath to connect quotations to themes, context and Shakespeare’s wider message.
The Question Planning section is designed to remain as paragraph scaffolding, so use it to practise
building clear exam paragraphs rather than rewriting it as full essays.
Page 2 of 18
, Context
Astrology
The general belief in Shakespeare’s time was that people’s actions were
controlled by fate. However, Shakespeare presents a more Aristotelian
view: individuals choose their own actions, but those choices ultimately
lead them towards a final point already decided by fate. This is shown
throughout the play, as Romeo and Juliet’s decisions gradually lead them
towards the fate revealed in the Prologue.
Italy
Shakespeare sets the play in Verona, Italy, as Elizabethan audiences
associated Italy with passion, violence, family honour and revenge. The
setting creates a society where intense emotions and long-standing feuds
can naturally and quickly develop into tragedy.
Great Chain of Being
The Great Chain of Being was a religious belief that God had created a
strict hierarchy for the universe. Every person had a fixed place within
society, with men above women and the monarch appointed by God.
Shakespeare explores the consequences of challenging this hierarchy
through Juliet's rejection of her father's authority but also questions this
hierarchy in the play..
Page 3 of 18
Complete GCSE Revision Notes
Edexcel GCSE English Literature
by Toby Brough
Page 1 of 18
,Contents
Contents......................................................................................................2
How to use this guide..................................................................................2
Context........................................................................................................3
High-Level Ideas..........................................................................................4
Key Themes Overview.................................................................................4
Character Analysis.......................................................................................5
Juliet.........................................................................................................5
Lord Capulet.............................................................................................6
Lady Capulet............................................................................................7
Nurse........................................................................................................7
Romeo......................................................................................................8
Mercutio...................................................................................................9
Friar Lawrence........................................................................................10
Tybalt......................................................................................................10
Exam Technique........................................................................................11
Question Planning......................................................................................11
Model Exam Question................................................................................13
How to use this guide
Use the Context and High-Level Ideas sections to build wider understanding of the play before
revising each character in order. For each character, learn the key quotations first, then use the
analysis underneath to connect quotations to themes, context and Shakespeare’s wider message.
The Question Planning section is designed to remain as paragraph scaffolding, so use it to practise
building clear exam paragraphs rather than rewriting it as full essays.
Page 2 of 18
, Context
Astrology
The general belief in Shakespeare’s time was that people’s actions were
controlled by fate. However, Shakespeare presents a more Aristotelian
view: individuals choose their own actions, but those choices ultimately
lead them towards a final point already decided by fate. This is shown
throughout the play, as Romeo and Juliet’s decisions gradually lead them
towards the fate revealed in the Prologue.
Italy
Shakespeare sets the play in Verona, Italy, as Elizabethan audiences
associated Italy with passion, violence, family honour and revenge. The
setting creates a society where intense emotions and long-standing feuds
can naturally and quickly develop into tragedy.
Great Chain of Being
The Great Chain of Being was a religious belief that God had created a
strict hierarchy for the universe. Every person had a fixed place within
society, with men above women and the monarch appointed by God.
Shakespeare explores the consequences of challenging this hierarchy
through Juliet's rejection of her father's authority but also questions this
hierarchy in the play..
Page 3 of 18
