Romeo and Juliet context
Wealthy family would hire a wet nurse, a person to breast feed their babies
Juliets nurse is closer to her than her own mother is
Written by William Shakespeare in England (Elizabethan time)
Play based in Verona
The plague in 1606 led to theatre closures in 1563. 20,000 people in London died through the plague
Fate and destiny, people believed this to be pre-determined therefore people did not believe they were in control of their own destiny
Were Romeo and Juliet destined to have a tragic end?
The Church had a big influence in the 16th century
Religion is a powerful force in the play
Both Romeo and Juliet commit suicide and suicide was a sin in the eyes of the church
Once Juliet had married Romeo she could not marry Paris as she would breaking the law of the church
Partiarchal society
Courtly love, it was polite, ceremonious, restrained, intellectual, courteous and these should be in love with the idea of being in love
no contact just exchange of gifts, letters and poems
Father made all decisions including who the daughter could marry, they were seen as father property
All of women's wealth would pass her to husband when they married
Marriage was seen as a political or financial transaction to secure and retain wealth
Romeo and Juliet should not have married as Juliets father should have picked Juliets husband
You married for money not love