Hello everyone, it's lovely to see you here today.

My name's Dr.

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

Now today's lesson is called "Romeo and Juliet: Exploring the Relationship Between Adults and Adolescents".

Now it's always useful to remember that Romeo and Juliet are teenagers.

We know that Juliet's only 13.

And in the original source material that Shakespeare based the play on, Romeo is 16, so we assume he's around the age of Shakespeare's play as well, since Juliet's the same age as she is in the original source material.

So we're going to think about what stereotypes of youth and teenagers we see in the play, and then how Shakespeare also portrays a conflict between the idea of parental control and the adolescent desire for independence.

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

So by the end of the lesson, you'll be able to explore the societal expectations around adolescent behaviour and parental control in, "Romeo and Juliet".

So we have five words today we're going to be using as our keywords.

They'll be 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 key word is stereotype, which means a set idea that people have about what someone or something is like.

We're going to be thinking about what stereotypes exist for adolescents and adolescent behaviour.

Our second key word is societal expectations, which means a beliefs or norm society holds about how individuals should behave and act.

We're going to be thinking about how Elizabethan society expected children to obey their parents and how Shakespeare explores this expectation in, "Romeo and Juliette".

Our third key word is adolescent, which of a young person means in the process of developing from a child into an adult.

We're going to be specifically thinking about how Romeo and Juliette are adolescents and how they might impact our interpretation of their behaviour.

Our fourth key word is impulsive, which means showing behaviour in which you do things suddenly, without any planning.

We're going to be thinking about being impulsive as a stereotype of adolescent behaviour and how we can see reflected in Romeo and Juliet's behaviour.

Our final key word is autonomy, which means the ability to make your own decisions about what to do.

We're going to be thinking about how Shakespeare presents a conflict between the expectation of parental control and the adolescent desire for autonomy 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 two learning cycles in our lesson today.

For our first learning cycle, we're going to begin by thinking broadly about what stereotypes we associate with adolescents.

Then we're going to think about we can see those societal expectations portrayed in, "Romeo and Juliet", and how they might relate to the nature of the tragedy.

For our second learning cycle, we're going to think about how Shakespeare presents a conflict, putting an expectation of parental control and the adolescent desire for autonomy in, "Romeo and Juliet", and what Shakespeare might have been trying to say about society through this.

So as I said, we're going to begin by thinking broadly about the stereotypes of adolescents in society, because arguably society has stereotypical ideas of how adolescents should behave.

Society has a set idea of how young people will act and behave.

So what I'd like to start off by thinking about is what stereotypes of adolescent behaviour can you think of? Now if you're working through it with someone else, you might talk about ideas with them.

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

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.

They might have thought, society expects young people to be impulsive, so it expect them to show behaviour in which you do think suddenly without any planning.

It expects them to be rash, again, it expects them to act and say things without thinking.

It expects them to be selfish, to think about themselves before thinking about others.

And it expects them to be irresponsible, to not show care or control.

Now throughout, "Romeo and Juliet", we arguably see Shakespeare exploring these societal expectations of youth and adolescents.

So for example, when Friar Lawrence first hears of Romeo's love for Juliette in act two, scene three, he says, "Holy Saint Francis, what a change is here! Is Rosaline that thou didst love so dear, so soon forsaken?".

So what I'd like you to think about is how does this imply that Romeo's conforming to societal expectations of youth? 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 Romeo's very sudden shift of affections from Rosaline to Juliet could suggest he's acting impulsively, he's acting without thinking.

This sudden shift could also imply he's very changeable, so he changes his mind very quickly, which might associate with being rash and irresponsible.

Now another example is in act two, scene five, when Juliet's waiting for the nurse to return with news from Romeo about their marriage, and she says, "How she affections and warm youthful blood, she would be as swift in motion as a ball.

But old folks, many feign as they were dead, unwieldy, slow, heavy and pale is lead".

So what I'd like you to think about is what's the importance of these lines in terms of societal expectations of age? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

And you might have said, Juliet specifically associated swiftness with youth and slowness with age.

So it suggests that speed impatience are associated with youth and that conforms societal expectations and stereotypes of adolescents.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which of the following might we associate with stereotypes of adolescents, is it A: Irresponsibility, B: Sensibility, or C: Thoughtfulness? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Now we associate adolescent with rash impulsive behaviour, so the correct answer is irresponsibility.

So very well done if you got that right.

So now let's think about how we can connect societal expectations of youth with Romeo and Juliet's actions.

So in the play, Romeo and Juliet fall in love and marry in secret within a day of meeting one another.

They marry despite the feud between their families and Romeo kills Tybalt in a duel after Tybalt killed Mercutio.

So what I'd like you to think about is do you think they conform to societal expectations of youth and adolescents? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

Now as Jacob says, "I think they make rash impulsive decisions throughout the play without thinking of the consequences.

They don't consider how their actions will affect their families or the people around them.

So they do conform to the stereotypes of adolescents".

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So 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 and Julie arguably conform to societal expectations of youth and adolescents? 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 throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet make impulsive decisions and they show their impatient natures.

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

Amazing work everyone.

And now the first task of the lesson, we're gonna bring our ideas together and think about how they might link the nature of tragedy.

So, "Romeo and Julie", is a tragedy and Romeo is seen as the tragic hero who experiences downfall because of his hamartia, his impulsiveness.

However, we might interpret Romeo's impulsiveness as being part of the societal expectations of youth.

Now we might see the implications of this in two ways, that Shakespeare criticising societal expectations of youth, we expect Romeo to act impulsively, therefore he does.

Or that Shakespeare's creating a cautionary tale, so a story with a warning of what happens when adolescents act impulsively.

So what I'd like you to do is discuss which interpretation do you agree with more, why? So pause the video, take a few minutes to discuss.

Welcome back everyone, some fantastic discussions there.

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

Do you agree with them? Why or why not? So Sophia said, "I think Shakespeare's criticising societal exploitations of youth.

I think societal expectations play a part in the tragedy.

That Shakespeare's suggesting if we expect adolescents to act irresponsibly and impulsively, we are creating a self-fulfilling prophecy that they will act this way".

So pause the video, think about whether or not you agree with Sophia's ideas.

Welcome back everyone.

Now I really want to stress there's no right interpretation.

Shakespeare didn't tell us what his intentions were.

What we have to do is think about how the text presents the argument to us.

So if you picked the opposite interpretations of Sofia, that's absolutely fine, as long as you explain why you think that through the evidence in the text.

Amazing work everyone.

Now to the second learning cycle, we're going to think about how Shakespeare presents a conflict between the expectation of parental control and the adolescent desire for autonomy.

Now I think one of the most interesting aspects of, "Romeo and Juliet", is the relationship between parents and children, because arguably, Shakespeare represents a separation between children and parents from the start the play.

So in act one, scene one, Lord Montague declares, "I neither know it nor can learn of him", regarding why Romeo's melancholic, so why he's sad.

However, Romeo tells Benvolio, Mercutio and Friar Lawrence what troubles him.

So.

And what I'd like you to think about is how does this create separation between children and their parents? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

And you might have thought about the fact that Romeo confides in others rather than his parents, that that suggests he does not have a close relationship with them.

Now I think Shakespeare really highlights this message to us through the fact that Romeo does not share any lines with his parents throughout the whole play.

It's just a clear lack of communication and lack of relationship.

Now as well as Romeo and his parents, we might say we see a similar separation between Juliet and her mother at the start of the play.

So in act one, scene three, Lady Capulet asked the nurse to remain while she discusses Juliet's potential marriage.

So what I'd like you to think about is how does this create a separation between children and their parents? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, it's fantastic ideas there.

And you might have said, the fact that Lady Capulet seems to be uncomfortable talking to Julie alone shows a lack of closeness.

It implies that Julia and Lady Capulet do not spend time together.

We see both Romeo and Juliet finding parental figures elsewhere in the play, in Friar Lawrence and the nurse rather than their own parents.

Now I think the reason I find these parent-child relationships so fascinating is that we see the separation between parents and children throughout Shakespeare's work.

Now this is something you might want to look out for when you read another of Shakespeare's plays and think about what it might mean.

Maybe Shakespeare's saying something about society, or maybe it's reflecting his own relationship with his own children.

That's something you might like you to take away and think about.

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 represents Romeo and Juliet as having close relationships with their parents? 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, Shakespeare's suggest that Romeo does not communicate with his parents and that Juliet doesn't typically spend time with her mother.

So very well done if you got those right.

Now arguably the separation between adolescents and their parents leads to a conflict between parental desire for control and the adolescent desire for autonomy.

Now autonomy is one of our keywords, it means the ability to do what you want.

So the adolescents want the freedom and independence to do as they please.

So let's take a moment to think about the context of parental control.

So in Elizabethan England, children were expected to obey their parents.

And children were expected to act in a way that benefited their parents, from marriage to job opportunities.

So let's return to Lord Montague and Romeo's melancholia, so Romeo's sadness.

Lord Montague states, "Myself and many other friends have tried to find out the reason for Romeo's sadness, but he will not speak to them about it".

Now we might interpret this as an act of parental concern, but how might we also see it as a desire for parental control? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone, some great ideas there.

Now as Aisha says, "I think it shows Lord Montague's trying to find out information about Romeo's emotions, despite the fact that Romeo's unwilling to speak to him about them.

In our modern society, we might say Lord Montague isn't respecting Romeo's boundaries.

He's trying to get him to reveal more about his life than he's comfortable doing".

Now the concept of parental control is arguably most seen explicitly between Lord Capulet and Juliet.

When talking about his desire for Juliet to marry Count Paris, in act three, scene five, Lord Capulet refers to as his decree.

Now a decree is official order that has the force of law.

So what I'd like you to think about is what does this suggest about how parental control was seen in Elizabethan England? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

Now one of our Oak pupils Alex said, "I think it suggests that parents' desires were seen as akin to the law.

Children were expected to obey and abide by their parents' wishes".

So what I'd like 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 there's a general consensus in agreeing with Alex's opinion.

If you make it sound as if your word is law, it implies you expect people to do as you tell them to.

So now for a quick check for understanding.

So which interpretation of Lord Capulet referring to his desires as a decree is the most relevant, is it A: That Lord Capulet sees desires something separate from himself, or B: That Lord Capulet sees desires as akin to the law? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

The correct answer is B.

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

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

Welcome back everyone.

You might have said, a decree is an official order, that's the force of law.

Therefore, it's suggest that Lord Capulet words and desires are akin to an official order.

So very well done if you got those right.

Now as well as parental control, we also arguably see a desire for autonomy from Romeo and Juliet.

Now autonomy is one of our key words, it means the ability to make her own decisions about what to do.

So Romeo and Juliet desired to make their own decisions away from their family.

For example, in act two, scene two they say, "Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I'll no longer be a Capulet".

And Romeo says, "Neither a Montague or Romeo, fair maid, if either thee dislike".

So what I'd like you to think about is how might we interpret these lines as desire for autonomy away from parental control, because the children were expected to behave in a way that benefited their family in Elizabethan England.

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

Welcome back everyone.

Now one of our Oak pupils Aisha said, "Both Rome and Julia express a desire to be free from their family name.

It's suggests they want to be free from the obligations their name carries and free to live their own lives away from their parents' desires".

So what I'd like you to think about is whether you agree with Aisha's opinion? Why or why not? Pause the video, take a few moments to think about it.

Welcome back everyone.

It was great to see people thinking about how names are so personal to our identities.

And wanting to change their family name suggests they want to be separate from their parents and have their own identities.

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 presents Romeo and Julia as desiring to be autonomous from their family families? 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 both declaring they'll no longer be a Capulet or a Montague, Romeo and Juliet are arguably showing their desire for autonomy from their families.

So very well done if you got those right.

Amazing work everyone.

Now the final task of the lesson, we're gonna bring these ideas together and think about how we might interpret them.

So remember, in Elizabethan England children would've been expected to obey and respect their parents.

Therefore, we might interpret Shakespeare's intentions about parental control and adolescent autonomy in two different ways, that Romeo and Juliet can be read as a cautionary tale of what happens when adolescents seek autonomy and disobey their parents.

Or we might read it as a criticism of society that tries to exert control over adolescent autonomy.

So which interpretation do you think is the most convincing? Why? I'd like you to write a short answer to explain your ideas.

So pause the video, write your answer now.

Welcome back everyone.

It's fantastic work there.

Now what I'd like you to do is think about Lucas and Alex's ideas.

Who do you think is the most convincing? Why? So Lucas said, "I think it's a cautionary tale.

There's more evidence in the play of Romeo and Juliet defying their parents' wishes and that leading to tragic events".

And Alex said, "I think it's a criticism of society.

We see from the prologue that Romeo and Juliet's fate is bound up with their parents' strife.

Therefore, that suggests societal expectations parental control are to blame for the tragedy".

So pause the video, think about whose ideas you find the most convincing.

Welcome back everyone.

Now as we said earlier, there's no right or wrong answers to these questions.

What I'd encourage you to do though is really think about why one interpretation might be more convincing to you than another.

What is it about the text that really makes you think that? And that will help you when you come to write up your own arguments.

You all did amazingly well today everyone.

Here's a summary of what we covered.

Arguably Shakespeare suggests that adolescence was associated with impulsiveness in Elizabethan England.

Therefore, we might suggest the tragedy of, "Romeo and Juliet", was in part due to societal expectations of adolescents.

Shakespeare presents parental relationships as distant and separate from their children.

Potentially, we might read, "Romeo and Juliet", as a conflict between parental desire for control and adolescent desire for autonomy.

I really hope you enjoyed the lesson everyone.

I hope to see you for another lesson soon.

Goodbye.