Hello, everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton and I'm here to guide you through your learning journey today.

Now today's lesson is called: Planning an essay on the role of fate in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." So we're going to start by analysing the role of fate in Act 5, Scene 3, the moment of Romeo and Juliet's deaths.

And then we're going to explore how fate is presented in the play as a whole and think about how we can construct an argument about fate and Shakespeare's intentions.

So if you're ready, grab your pen or laptop, whatever you use for this lesson, and let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to plan an answer to a question on the inevitability of fate in Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet." So we have four words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They will identified in bold throughout the learning material.

And I'll try to point them out to you as well so you can see them being used in context.

So our first keyword is fate, which means development of events outside of a person's control, regarded as predetermined by supernatural power.

Now this is absolutely central to our lesson today because we're thinking about how we can analyse a presentation of fate in "Romeo and Juliet" and why Shakespeare might have presented it like that.

Our second keyword is inevitable, which means certain to happen or unable to be avoided or prevented.

We're going to be thinking about whether Shakespeare presents fate as inevitable.

Our third keyword is inauspicious, which means unlucky, ill-omened, or unfavourable.

Now this is the word that Romeo used to describe his fate.

He believes himself to be unlucky and ill-omened, Our final keyword is intentions, which means a purpose or goal; an aim.

We're going to be thinking about what Shakespeare's purpose might be when it comes to the role of fate in "Romeo and Juliet." So I'll just give you a moment to write down those keywords and their definitions.

So pause the video, write them down now.

Fantastic.

Let's get started with the lesson.

So we have three learning cycles in our our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to analyse the role of fate in Act 5, Scene 3.

Now this is the moment of Romeo and Juliet's deaths.

We're going to think about how Shakespeare creates the impression of inevitability around fate and death in this scene.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to expand our thoughts to the play as a whole, and think about where else we can see references to fate, whether they too present fate as inevitable.

For our third learning cycle, we're going to think about Shakespeare's intentions and why he might present fate in this way in "Romeo and Juliet." Now as I said, Act 5, Scene 3 is the final scene of "Romeo and Juliet." So let's start with a quick summary of the scene.

So Paris arrives at Juliet's tomb and when Romeo arrives, Romeo and Paris fight because Paris believes that Romeo's intentions are dishonourable and Paris is killed.

Now Romeo, believing that Juliet is dead, takes poison and dies.

If you remember, Juliet faked her own death with the help of Friar Laurence because she wanted to avoid having to marry Paris.

Now, Friar Laurence wrote a letter to Romeo to tell him of this, but the letter never gets through to him.

Now, what I think is absolutely fascinating is that the letter doesn't get through because of a suspected plague outbreak.

This is exactly the curse that Mercutio uses on Romeo and Tybalt when he dies, "A plague on both your houses." So in a way, a plague is what caused the deaths of the children of the houses of Montague and Capulet.

Then Juliet awakes to find Romeo dead.

Friar Laurence then tries to convince Juliet to come away with him and join a nunnery.

But he runs away at a noise.

Juliet kills herself with Romeo's dagger and then Romeo and Juliet's deaths lead the Montagues and Capulets to end their feud.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which the following happens in Act 5, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet?" Is it A: Paris and Romeo fight at Juliet's tomb and Romeo is killed? B: Friar Laurence gives Romeo's dagger to Juliet for her to kill herself? Or C: Romeo and Juliet's deaths lead to the end of the feud? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now Romeo is the one who kills Paris and Friar Laurence tries to convince Juliet to run away to a nunnery.

So the correct answer is that Romeo and Juliet's deaths lead to the end of the feud.

So very well done if you got that right.

So let's start analysing the language around fate in Act 5, Scene 3.

So when entering Juliet's tomb, Romeo says, "here will I set up my everlasting rest.

And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars from this world-wearied flesh!" Now a yoke is a wooden beam used on an ox to help them pull a load.

And inauspicious is one of our keywords.

It means unlucky or ill-omened.

So Romeo is suggesting here is bad luck is a burden to him.

So Romeo is saying he's going to kill himself in order to take his fate into his own hands because the burden of his bad luck is too much to bear.

So what I'd like you to think about is how is Romeo's desire to take fate into his own hands ironic? How is it the opposite of what he intends? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now I think these moments are what makes the play so desperately tragic.

Romeo's trying to take control and take his life into his own hands.

But Romeo's fate is to die.

He's fulfilling his destiny by killing himself.

Now, when taking the poison, Romeo addresses it as: "Come, bitter conduct, come unsavoury guide." Now conduct refers to a leader, and a guide is someone who shows the way to others.

So what I'd like you to think about here is what might Romeo be acknowledging here, despite his desire to take his fate into his own hands, if he's saying the poison is his guide and his leader? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone, some great ideas there.

Now you might have said, it's acknowledging that he's not in control.

Something else is leading and guiding him to his death.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that Romeo's death means he changes his destiny? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Now the correct answer is false.

Now I'd like you to tell me why it's false.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said that despite his desire to change his destiny, Romeo actually fulfils his fate by committing suicide.

So very well done if you got those right.

So now let's think about Juliet's language in Act 5, Scene 3.

So when taking Romeos dagger, Juliet says: "O, happy dagger, this is thy sheath." Now, a sheath is a case for a dagger.

So a dagger, in essence, belongs in a sheath.

So what I'd like you to think about is what is the significance of Juliet describing herself as a sheath might be? So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might have said.

Now, just as the dagger belongs in a sheath, we might say this suggests the dagger belongs in Juliet.

She is the sheath.

Now this might link to the inevitability of her fate.

The dagger belongs in Juliet because Juliet is fated to die.

So now for quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me which interpretation of Juliet calling herself a sheath is the most valid? Is it A: By calling herself a sheath, Juliet is distancing herself from the knife, which implies she's frightened of death? Or B: by calling herself a sheath, Juliet suggests she feels the knife belongs in her? So pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Now the correct answer is B: By calling herself a sheath, Juliet suggests she feels the knife belongs in her.

Now I'd like to know why it's B.

So pause the video.

Take a few moments to consider.

Well, welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said: "A sheath is a cover for a dagger.

It's where a dagger belongs.

So she welcomes death at this point in the play." So very well done if you've got those right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're now onto the first task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is consider what we've said throughout this learning cycle and make some notes on the question based on Act 5, Scene 3.

So how does Shakespeare use the deaths of Romeo and Juliet to reinforce the inevitability of fate? Now you might think about: Romeo's ironic desire to shake the yoke of inauspicious stars by killing himself.

Romeo referring to the poison as his conduct and his guide and Juliet referring to herself as a sheath for Romeo's dagger.

So pause the video, make some notes now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great work there.

What I'd like you to do now is think about Jacob's notes and think about how well they align with your ideas.

So, Romeo's ironic desire to shake the yoke of inauspicious stars" by killing himself.

And Jacob said, "It shows you cannot escape fate no matter how hard you try.

Romeo referring to the poison as his conduct and his guide.

And Jacob said, "It shows Romeo acknowledging that someone else, so fate, is controlling his actions." Juliet referring to herself as a sheath for Romeo's dagger.

And Jacob said, "This implies the dagger belongs in Juliet.

It is her fate." So pause the video, think about how well Jacob's notes align with your notes.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now we're going to take our ideas about fate and apply them more broadly to the rest of the play.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're now onto our second learning cycle where we're going to take our ideas about Act 5, Scene 3 and see where else we can see fate presented in this way in the rest of the play.

So let's think about how we might approach the question: How does Shakespeare use the deaths of Romeo and Juliet to reinforce the inevitability of fate? So from Act 5, Scene 3, we had the following ideas: We said that fate cannot be avoided.

We said that Romeo feels as if he's being controlled by someone or something else.

And we said that Romeo and Juliet are fated to die.

So now we're gonna take these three main ideas and see where else we can see them in the play as a whole.

So let's take our first idea from Act 5, Scene 3, the idea that fate cannot be avoided.

And what I'd like you to think about is where else can we see Shakespeare exploring this idea in "Romeo and Juliet" as a whole? Pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now you might have said, we see the same idea of fate being unavoidable in Act 1, Scene 2.

So here, Benvolio attempts take away Romeo's "black" fate by convincing him to attend the Capulet ball.

However, Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulet ball, which leads him to his tragic fate.

You also might have said Act 5, Scene 1.

So here Romeo has just discovered that Juliet is dead.

He responds by declaring "I defy you, stars." So here Romeo thinks that fate has separated him from Juliet and so decides to defy fate by buying poison to kill himself and be with Juliet in death.

However, in doing so, he's following the path that fate has chosen for him.

So now let's take our second idea from Act 5, Scene 3, the day that Romeo feels he's being controlled by someone or something else.

So what I'd like you to do is think about where else we can see Shakespeare exploring this idea in Romeo and Julia as a whole.

So pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Let's talk through what you might have said.

Now you might have thought about Act 1, Scene 4.

So here Romeo tells his companions to direct him.

He's offering control of his life to others.

You also might have thought about Act 2, Scene 2.

Romeo says he's "no pilot", that love directed him to Juliet, and that suggests he's not in control.

Something else led him to Juliet.

In Act 3, Scene 1, Romeo also says, "I am Fortune's fool." And that implies he's under fate's control.

So now let's think about our third idea from Act 5, Scene 3, the idea that Romeo and Juliet are fated to die.

So what I'd like you to think about is where else can we see Shakespeare exploring this idea in "Romeo and Juliet" as a whole? So pause the video.

Take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Let's talk about what you might have said.

Now you might have thought about the prologue, where we're told a pair of star crossed lovers take their life.

Now star crossed relates to the idea of fate because stars were thought to be connected to fate and show people's destinies.

You also might have thought about Act 1, Scene 4.

So here, Romeo has a dream that attending the Capulet ball will lead to his death, "some consequence yet hanging in the stars." You also might have thought about Act 3, Scene 5, where Juliet has a vision of Romeo's death.

"I have an ill-divining soul.

Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, as one dead in the bottom of a tomb." So here they both have dreams and visions of their tragic outcomes.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is fill in the gaps to complete our ideas about fate and inevitability in "Romeo and Juliet." So, fate cannot be.

Romeo feels if he's being.

by someone or something else.

Romeo and Julie are.

to die.

So pause the video, fill in the gaps now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now the correct answers are: fate cannot be avoided.

Romeo feels if he's being controlled by someone or something else, and Romeo and Juliet are fated to die.

So very well done if you've got those right.

So to answer the question: "How does Shakespeare use the deaths of Romeo and Juliet to reinforce the inevitability of fate?", we might use our ideas as the basis for three paragraphs.

So paragraph one might be about the idea that fate cannot be avoided.

Paragraph two might be the idea that Romeo feels he's being controlled by someone or something else.

And paragraph three might be about the idea that Romeo and Juliet are fated to die.

Now, we might use a single paragraph outline to use our ideas so far to create an initial plan to answer the question: How does Shakespeare use the deaths of Romeo and Juliet to reinforce the inevitability of fate? So a single paragraph outline is made up of a topic sentence and that explains the specific focus of the paragraph.

It contains supporting details, which is analysis of evidence that supports a topic sentence.

It also contains a concluding sentence, which is a summary of the paragraph with a clear focus on the writer's intentions.

So a clear focus on the writer's purpose and their aim.

So for example, we might have the topic sentence: "Throughout Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare suggests that fate cannot be avoided." This offers us a clear focus on what the paragraph will tell us.

For the supporting details, we might analyse Act 1, Scene 2, where Benvolio is attempting to remove Romeo's "black" fate and in doing so, leads him to his fate.

We also might analyse Act 5, Scene 1, where Romeo declares "Then I defy you, stars," and ironically, doing exactly what he's fated to do.

We also might analyse Act 5, Scene 3, where Romeo attempts to remove the yoke of fate by completing his fated destiny.

Then we might use the concluding sentence: "Ultimately, Shakespeare suggests you cannot avoid your fate even if you're desperately trying to change the outcome of your life." So here we are saying that Shakespeare's intention is to suggest the inevitability of fate.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is fill in the blanks with single paragraph outline definitions.

So the topic sentence: Explains specific.

of paragraph.

The supporting detail is the.

of evidence that supports the topic sentence.

And the concluding sentence is a summary of the paragraph with a clear focus on writer's.

So pause the video, fill in the gaps now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now a topic sentence explains the specific focus of the paragraph.

The supporting detail is analysis of evidence that supports the topic sentence, and the concluding sentence is a summary of the paragraph with a clear focus on the writer's intentions.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now onto the second task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is use our ideas to create a multi-paragraph outline to answer the question: How does Shakespeare use the deaths of Romeo and Juliet to reinforce the inevitability of fate? So create a single paragraph outline for each of our three ideas: The idea that fate cannot be avoided, the idea that Romeo feels as if he's being controlled, and the idea that Romeo and Juliet are fated to die.

So pause the video, create your multi-paragraph outline now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Some fantastic work there.

So what I'd like you to do is read back over your plan and reflect on the following questions: So did you create a topic sentence for each paragraph that explains the main focus of the paragraph? Did you include supporting details of each paragraph that supports the topic sentence? And did you create a concluding sentence for each paragraph that summarises the main focus of the paragraph with a clear focus on Shakespeare's intentions? So pause the video, read back through your work now.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now creating a cohesive plan is so important because it really allows you to get your thoughts in order in order to create a convincing cohesive argument.

Amazing work, everyone.

We're now onto the third learning cycle, where we're going to think about the big why question.

Why might Shakespeare present fate as inevitable? What effect does this have on society? Now when we're answering questions such as: How does Shakespeare use deaths of Romeo and Juliet to reinforce the inevitability of fate? We want to not only respond to the text and analyse it, but also consider why Shakespeare presents fate as inevitable? What might his intentions be? So what might his purpose be? So what I'd like to start off by thinking about is why might thinking about Shakespeare's intentions be important? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone, some great ideas there.

Let's talk through some of the things you might have said.

So thinking about Shakespeare's intentions, it might help to think about the purposes of the text and how the text relates to the bigger picture.

So what might it reveal about society or humanity in general? So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is tell me whether the following statement is true or false.

So is it true or false that considering the writer's intentions is an important part of answering a question on the text? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Now the correct answer is true.

Now I'd like to tell me why it's true.

So pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now you might have said: when thinking about the writer's intentions, it helps to consider how the text relates to the bigger picture and what it might reveal about humanity or society.

So very well done if you've got those right.

Fantastic work, everyone.

We're now onto the final task of the lesson.

So what I'd like you to do is discuss why you think Shakespeare might want to reinforce the inevitability of fate.

And you might think about the following questions: So how do you think the idea of fate being inevitable would make people feel about their lives? As a playwright, Shakespeare would've wanted to appeal to the court.

So how might the idea of fate being inevitable help maintain the status quo so the present situation of social order and social hierarchy so that people didn't try to overthrow the monarch or better their social status? So pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss.

Welcome back, everyone, some great discussions there.

What I'd like you to do is think about Aisha and Izzy's ideas.

Think about how well they align with your ideas.

So Aisha said, "Maybe it'll comfort people to know that the bad things that happened in their life weren't their fault." Then Izzy said, "I think it would help maintain the social order if people believe their life is already planned out, what would be the point of trying to change things?" So pause the video, think about how well Aisha and Izzy's ideas align with your ideas.

Welcome back, everyone.

Now trying to think about why writers create texts and meanings in the way that they do will really help to elevate your answers.

For me, literature is so revealing about humanity and society, and I think it's so important to remember that.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

So arguably, Shakespeare represents fate as inevitable throughout "Romeo and Juliet." Act 5.

Scene 3 reinforces the idea of fate being inevitable through Romeo and Juliet's deaths.

Using single paragraph outlines can be an effective way of creating a plan for an analytical essay.

And considering the writers intentions allows us to think about how the text connects to the bigger picture.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.