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Year 11 - English

'Romeo and Juliet': exploring gendered societal expectations

Romeo and Juliet: the tragedy of societal expectations

Unit Summary

In this unit, pupils explore the tragedy of societal expectations in 'Romeo and Juliet'. They look at the problem through a range of different prisms, including the tension between individualism and the status quo. They plan and write an essay on Shakespeare's presentation of societal expectations.

Lesson Summary

You will learn to explain how Romeo and Juliet both subvert and conform to gendered societal expectations in 'Romeo and Juliet'.

Key Notes

  • In Elizabethan England, violence and honour were arguably seen as integral to masculinity.
  • We might see Romeo's killing of Tybalt as conforming to masculine expectations and leading to his downfall.
  • In Elizabethan England, obedience was arguably seen as integral to femininity.
  • By marrying Romeo, Juliet subverts the expectations of how a daughter should behave.
  • However, we might see Juliet as conforming to societal expectations of how a wife should behave.

Vocabulary To Learn

  • societal expectations: the beliefs and norms that a society holds about how individuals should behave and act
  • conform: behave in line with socially acceptable conventions or standards
  • subvert: behave or act in the opposite way to socially acceptable conventions or standards
  • masculinity: a set of behaviours, qualities and roles associated with men and boys
  • femininity: a set of behaviours, qualities and roles associated with women and girls

Common Mistakes To Avoid

  • That characters either conform to or subvert stereotypes within texts.

3 Quick Questions (With Answers)

1. Explain this English learning goal in two key points.

In Elizabethan England, violence and honour were arguably seen as integral to masculinity. We might see Romeo's killing of Tybalt as conforming to masculine expectations and leading to his downfall.

2. Define this language term and use it in a sentence. 'societal expectations'

the beliefs and norms that a society holds about how individuals should behave and act.

3. Correct this common English misunderstanding.

Mistake: That characters either conform to or subvert stereotypes within texts. Correction: We might see Romeo and Juliet as both conforming to and subverting societal expectations of gender at different moments in 'Romeo and Juliet' - characters are typically multifaceted rather than one note.

More Lessons In This Unit

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