Hello everyone.

It's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

Clayton, and I'm gonna guide you through your learning journey today.

Today's is called "Romeo and Juliet," exploring gendered societal expectations.

So we're gonna be thinking what the stereotypical behaviours and characteristics for men and women were in Elizabethan England, and how we can see Romeo and Juliet both conforming to and subverting those stereotypes at different moments in the play.

Then we're gonna be thinking about how Romeo and Juliet's actions in relation to the gendered stereotypes might relate to the tragedy of the play itself.

So if you're ready, let's get started.

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explain how Romeo and Juliet both subvert and conform to gendered societal expectations in "Romeo and Juliet." So we have five words today we're going to be focusing on as our keywords.

They're identified in bold throughout the learning material, and I'll try to call out to as well, so you can see them being used in context.

So our first keyword is societal expectations, which means the beliefs and norms a society holds but how individuals should behave and act.

We're going to be thinking about what beliefs and norms society held in Elizabethan England around how men and women should behave.

Our second keyword is conform, which means to behave in line with socially acceptable conventions or standards.

And our third keyword is subvert, which means to behave or act in the opposite way to socially acceptable standards or conventions.

We're going to be thinking about how Romeo and Juliet both conform to and subvert gendered stereotypes at different moments in the play, and how their behaviour might link to the tragedy.

Our fourth keyword is masculinity, which means a set of behaviours, qualities, and roles associated with men and boys.

We're going to be looking at the idea that violence and honour were associated with men in "Romeo and Juliet," and how Romeo relates to those expectations.

And our final keyword is femininity, which means a set of behaviours, qualities, and roles associated with women and girls.

We're going to be looking at the idea that obedience and faithfulness were associated with women in the Elizabethan period, and how Juliet relates to those expectations.

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 start with the lesson.

So we have two learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to think about Romeo's behaviour and characteristics throughout the play, and how they relate to the expectations of masculinity.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to think about Juliet's behaviour and her characteristics in relation to her father and to Romeo specifically, and how they relate to expectations of femininity.

We're then gonna think critically about our ideas, and what the implications of them might be for Shakespeare's intentions, and what "Romeo and Juliet" might be saying about gendered stereotypes and society.

So, let's just start with a brief reminder of what the stereotypes around masculinity were in Elizabethan England.

So in Elizabethan England, there were specific societal expectations of how men should behave and act.

Now, expectations of masculinity included that men should defend their honour, that violence was an acceptable means of defending that honour, and that men should be dominant and powerful.

Now, we see Shakespeare reinforcing these stereotypes throughout "Romeo and Juliet." Personally, I think the fight that Shakespeare opens with a scene of male violence is a really powerful indicator of those stereotypes.

It suggests to us these ideas of dominance, violence, and honour will define the actions of the male characters throughout the play.

Now, as we just said, "Romeo and Juliet" opens with a street fight in act one, scene one, between the Montagues and the Capulets.

The fight begins because a servant of the House of Montague asserts that his master is better than Lord Capulet.

So what I'd like you to think about is how is Shakespeare creating characters that conform to societal expectations of masculinity? So how is he creating characters that behave in line with socially accepted characteristics of men? Now, if you're working through this with someone else, you might talk about your ideas with them.

If working through this by yourself, you might just think about your ideas.

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.

You might have thought it shows that violence is seen a solution to a problem.

A conflict has arisen.

They've chosen to solve it through violence.

It specifically shows honour being defended through violence.

By saying that Lord Montague is better, then Samson's insulting the honour of Lord Capulet, and the other Capulets by extension.

As I said earlier, the fact this is the opening scene means it creates a standard and the expectation, so it creates the expectation that violence and honour are integral to the male characters.

Now, let's start thinking about Romeo as a character specifically.

Arguably, the audience's introduction to Romeo shows him as separate from the stereotypes of masculinity.

So in act one, scene one, Romeo's wandering alone and thinking of his unrequited love for Rosaline.

Now, unrequited means not returned.

So think about how Rosaline doesn't love him back.

So what I'd like to think about is how is Shakespeare setting Romeo up as subverting masculine stereotypes here? So how is he not behaving in a way that'll be expected for a man in Elizabethan England? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Some lovely ideas there.

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

Now, by acknowledging he's feeling sad because Rosaline doesn't love him, that shows Romeo being vulnerable and showing emotions.

The fact he isn't present during the fight also shows him as separate to the violence that's associated with the male characters.

So he isn't meeting the expectations of men to be strong, dominant, and aggressive.

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 Shakespeare initially presents Romeo as conforming to masculine stereotypes? 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.

You might have said: our introduction to Romeo shows him as separate from the violence of the street fight, and as someone who's vulnerable and emotional, which subverts masculine stereotypes.

So very well done if you got those right.

So we've thought about how Romeo subverts stereotypes of masculinity in the play.

Now we're going to start thinking about how we can also see him as conforming to those stereotypes as well.

Now, arguably, we see societal expectations of masculinity demonstrated most clearly in act three, scene one.

Now, after Romeo tries to make peace with Tybalt and avoid a dual, Mercutio declares that Romeo's actions are: "Calm, dishonourable, vile submission." So what I'd like you to think about is how does this demonstrate the societal expectations of masculinity? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, you might have said that by calling Romeo's calls for peace dishonourable adheres to the idea that men should be dominant.

They should defend their honour through violence.

So it's conforming to stereotypes of masculinity.

Now though, Romeo begins act three, scene one by subverting expectations of masculinity by calling for peace, he arguably conforms to masculine expectations by the end of it.

So after Tybalt kills Mercutio, Romeo declares, "Away to heaven, respective lenity, and fire-eyed fury be my conduct now." Now, lenity means the quality of being kind or gentle.

So what I'd like you to think about is how does this suggest that Romeo is now conforming to masculine stereotypes? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Some fantastic ideas there.

Now one of our Oak pupils Andeep said, "By saying that fire-eyed fury will be his conduct, Romeo's saying his reaction will be one of anger with violent undertones.

It suggests that now sees violence as the answer to his problems, rather than gentleness he previously tried to use." So what I'd like you to think about is whether you agree with Andeep's ideas, why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Now, I think the consensus is that people agree with Andeep about how this move to violence and anger does seem to conform to the masculine stereotypes.

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 by killing Tybalt in anger, Romeo's arguably conforming to masculine stereotypes? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

The correct answer is true.

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

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

Welcome back everyone.

You might have said: by choosing anger and violence over his previous gentle approach, Romeo's actions suggest he now sees violence as a solution to his problems, a trait previously shown by other male characters in the play.

So very well done if you got those right.

Now, one of the things I really want to think about in this lesson is how the gendered stereotypes might relate to the nature of the tragedy.

So let's just take a moment to remind ourselves about "Romeo and Juliet" and the tragedy genre.

So act three, scene one is the climax of the play, where it arguably turns from a comedy to a tragedy with the deaths of Mercutio and Tybalt.

Prior to act three, scene one, with many comic interludes and moments of lightness.

However, that changes after act three, scene one.

Now, a tragedy is a play dealing with tragic events that usually ends in a death.

Stereotypically, a tragedy contains a tragic hero, the central character experiences a tragic downfall due to the hamartia, their fatal flaw.

Now typically Romeo's hamartia is said to be his impulsiveness.

So what I'd like you to think about is do you agree that Romeo's downfall is due to his impulsiveness? Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Some amazing ideas there.

Now, a lot of people think about Romeo's decisions throughout the play, and how they do seem to be quick and impulsive.

He falls out of love with Rosaline and into love with Juliet very quickly.

And Romeo and Juliet get married the day after they meet, which we could definitely consider as impulsive.

Now, we could see the leading to his downfall, because it's their love that leads them to take their own lives at the end of the play.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is complete the following sentences by filling in the gaps.

So arguably, act three, scene one is where Romeo Juliet turns from a comedy to a.

A tragedy is a play dealing with tragic events that usually ends with.

Stereotypically, a tragedy contains a tragic hero, the central character who experiences a tragic downfall due to their.

Typically, Romeo's hamartia said to be his.

So pause the video, fill in the gaps now.

Welcome back everyone.

Let's talk through the answers.

So arguably, act three, scene one is where Romeo and Juliet turns from a comedy to a tragedy.

A tragedy is a play dealing with tragic events that usually ends with death.

Stereotypically, a tragedy contains a tragic hero, the central character who experiences a tragic downfall due to the hamartia, their fatal flaw.

Typically, Romeo's hamartia said to be his impulsiveness.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work everyone.

And now for the first task of the lesson, we're going to bring together our ideas from this learning cycle and think about how the expectations of masculinity might relate to the nature of the tragedy.

So, I'd like you to answer the following questions.

So question one, how does Romeo's shift to conforming to societal expectations of masculinity in act three, scene one, arguably create the play's tragedy? So think about the fact that Romeo chooses violence and anger and kills Tybalt as a result.

How does that create the tragedy? Question two, what might the implications of this be? What might this suggest about Shakespeare's presentation of societal expectations of masculinity? So what might Shakespeare be trying to say about men resulting to violence and anger as a solution to their problems? So pause the video, answer the questions now.

Welcome back everyone.

Some fantastic work there.

What I'd like you to do is think about Sofia's ideas.

Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? So question one, how does Romeo's shift to conforming to societal expectations of masculinity in act three, scene one arguably create the play's tragedy? And Sofia said, "I think we can see Romeo's shift to anger and violence as creating the tragedy 'cause it's what leads him to kill Tybalt.

If he continued to subvert masculine stereotypes and try to create peace, then perhaps Tybalt's death wouldn't have happened.

Furthermore, it is Mercutio and Tybalt's adherence to masculine stereotypes that lead to the dual happening in the first place." So pause the video, think about Sofia's ideas.

Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? Welcome back everyone.

Now, I think a lot of people agree with Sofia here.

The fact that Romeo killed Tybalt meant he was banished from Verona, and therefore was unaware that Juliet had faked her own death to avoid marrying Count Paris.

If he had been aware of that, then their deaths could have been avoided.

So question two, what might the implications of this be? What might this suggest about Shakespeare's presentation of societal expectations of masculinity? And Sofia said, "I think perhaps Shakespeare's trying to say that conforming to societal expectations of masculinity can be damaging to both men and society.

Shakespeare may be suggesting that to see violence as a solution to problems means there's an endless circle of violence and repercussions that men cannot escape from." So pause the video, think about Sofia's ideas.

Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not? Welcome back everyone.

It was great to see people think about how Sofia's ideas could be extended if we think about act five, scene three.

Now, Romeo and Count Paris arguable conform to masculine stereotypes here by duelling over honour.

And now again, this demonstrates the consequence of that violence and how men cannot escape from it.

So now we're going to move on to our second learning cycle.

We're going to look at how we might see Juliet as both subverting and conforming to expectations of femininity.

So as we did with Romeo and expectations of masculinity, let's just spend a moment to recap what Elizabethan expectations of femininity were.

Now as well as set expectations for men in Elizabethan England, there were also societal expectations of femininity.

Now those included: being obedient to one's father and then one's husband.

Being submissive.

So this means being passive and conforming to what other people want you to do.

Being faithful to one's husband.

Now, this means both emotionally and sexually.

Inheritance was a fraught subject in the Elizabethan period, so men wanted to be sure that any children produced in their marriage were their own children.

So what I'd like to start off by thinking about is Juliet's actions in the play.

So she marries Romeo without her father's permission, and she fakes her own death to avoid marrying Paris, the man her father wishes her to marry.

And what I'd like to think about is do you think Juliet is meeting the societal expectations of femininity through her actions? Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Some amazing idea there.

Now, as Aisha says, "I think she's averting societal expectations of femininity because she's not being obedient to her father.

She's trying to control her own life." So Juliet's not conformed to expected behaviour of women because she's not being obedient or submissive.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

What I'd like you to do is fill in the gaps to complete the following sentences.

So, in Elizabethan England, women were expected to be to their fathers and their husbands.

By marrying without her father's permission, Juliet is arguably societal expectations of femininity.

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

Welcome back everyone.

So, in Elizabethan England, women were expected to be obedient to their fathers and their husbands.

By marrying without her father's permission, Juliet's arguably subverting societal expectations of femininity.

So very well done if you got those right.

Now, when we read "Romeo and Juliet," typically we focus on Juliet's disobedience to her father because of the scene in act three, scene five is such an angry visceral scene between them.

It obviously becomes a focal point.

But I also think about Juliet's behaviour as a wife.

So I'd like to think about the following ideas.

Firstly, Juliet states she cannot "speak ill of him that is my husband." Now this occurs after Juliet's found out that Romeo killed her cousin Tybalt.

Initially, she'll speak badly of Romeo, but then she switches and says she cannot speak ill of him.

What I think is so crucial here is that her language switches.

She calls him husband rather than Romeo.

Secondly, Juliet wish to live an unstained wife to Romeo.

Now this is the moment we're talking to Friar Laurence about wanting to take her own life, and wishing to live as an unstained wife to Romeo is the reason she gives for wanting to take her own life.

So what I'd like you to think about is how might we see Juliet as conforming to societal expectations of how a wife should behave? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Some amazing ideas there.

Now Alex said, "By not speaking ill of Romeo and wanting to remain unstained for him, Juliet's arguably showing loyalty and obedience to Romeo, which does conform to expectations how a wife should behave." So what I'd like you to think about is do you agree with Alex's opinion? Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Now, I think a lot of people were agreeing with Alex.

She's showing her loyalty and her faithfulness to Romeo, and it was great to see people picking up on the fact in those quotations, she's specifically saying husband and wife.

So she's reinforcing the idea it's related to stereotypes of marriage.

Now, let's think about the end of the play and what impression Shakespeare gives us of Juliet at the end.

So in act five, scene three, Juliet's referred to as "Romeo's faithful wife" and "true and faithful." So what I'd like you to think about is how does this enhance the concept of Juliet conforming to societal expectations of femininity? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Some great ideas there.

Now, as Laura says, "By repeating 'faithful,' Shakespeare enhances our perception of Juliet's actions as part of being loyal to Romeo, her husband.

Since these are in the final act, they're our lasting impression of Juliet, a loyal wife." So our last impression of Juliet is her conforming to expectations of how a wife should behave.

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 false, our final impression of Juliet is one that subverts societal expectations of femininity? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

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.

You might have said, by repeatedly calling her faithful, Shakespeare creates the impression of Juliet as a loyal wife who conforms to expectations of femininity.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work everyone.

Now, the final task of the lesson, we're gonna bring our ideas from this learning cycle together, and as we did with Romeo and masculinity, think about how they relate to the nature of the tragedy.

So arguably, we could see Juliet's desire to remain faithful to Romeo and conform to societal expectations of how a wife should behave as a catalyst for the tragedy of "Romeo and Juliet." So what I'd like you to think about is do you agree with this idea? Why or why not? And you might consider that Juliet only disobeys her father because to obey him would be to disobey her husband, that Juliet's desire to avoid marrying Paris leads her to fake her own death, which ultimately leads to the suicide of Romeo and Juliet.

So pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss.

Welcome back everyone.

Some fantastic discussions there.

What I'd like you to do is think about Lucas's ideas.

Do you agree? Why or why not? So Lucas said, "I partially agree.

I think a desire to remain faithful to Romeo could be seen as a catalyst for the tragedy, but I think Juliet's subversion of societal expectations of femininity by marrying Romeo in secret at the beginning of the play might also be seen as a catalyst as well.

Maybe Shakespeare's demonstrating how societal expectations place too much pressure on women, and this can result in tragedy." So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Lucas's ideas.

Welcome back everyone.

Now, I think thinking about these ideas of how we can see Romeo and Juliet both subverting and conforming to expectations at different moments in the play is so important because it really helps to understand how societal expectation of gender influenced people and the choices they made, and what Shakespeare might be trying to say about that.

You all did amazingly well today, everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

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 is 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 wife should behave.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson, everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.