Part of our series of posts that focus on a key character from exam set texts. Offering alternative interpretations and insights, these are ideal for sharing with students as they revise and prepare for their English Literature exams. “I am the drudge and toil in your delight” When we first meet the Nurse in Act […]
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Part of our series of posts that focus on a key character from exam set texts. Offering alternative interpretations and insights, these are ideal for sharing with students as they revise and prepare for their English Literature exams. “Virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied” When we are introduced to Friar Lawrence, it is via his […]
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Themes that are understood Romeo & Juliet is sometimes perceived as ‘just too silly’. I disagree. In my experience teenage students relate to R&J and enjoy it. Why? Because the themes are themes they understand. The characters are people they can to some extent relate to. Although it’s a tragedy (and I must admit I […]
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The new Literature exams often ask students to analyse an extract and then to refer to texts as a whole. OCR uses the term ‘moments’: for example, ‘Explore at least two moments from… to support your ideas.’ I like this idea of selecting moments. My interpretation of this is that it designed to develop interpretation […]
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Romeo and Juliet was written during the 1590s and was first performed in 1597 in London. We know that Romeo and Juliet has an enduring appeal for audiences – as the title page of the play’s 1597 edition tells us, the play was, even then, a popular success “…it hath been often (with great applause) […]
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