How to Write a Grade 9 Shakespeare Essay (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)

Juliet 

What if it be a poison which the Friar 

Subtly hath ministered to have me dead, 

Lest in this marriage he should be dishonoured, 

Because he married me before to Romeo? 

I fear it is, and yet methinks it should not, 

For he hath still been tried a holy man. 

How if, when I am laid into the tomb, 

I wake before the time that Romeo 

Come to redeem me? There’s a fearful point! 

Shall I not then be stifled in the vault, 

To whose foul mouth no healthsome air breathes in, 

And there die strangled ere my Romeo comes? 

Or if I live, is it not very like 

The horrible conceit of death and night, 

Together with the terror of the place – 

As in a vault, an ancient receptacle, 

Where for this many hundred years the bones 

Of all my buried ancestors are packed, 

Where bloody Tybalt, yet but green in earth, 

Lies fest’ring in his shroud, where, as they say, 

At some hours in the night spirits resort – 

Alack, alack, is it not like that I, 

So early waking – what with loathsome smells, 

And shrieks like mandrakes’ torn out of the earth, 

That living mortals hearing them run mad – 

O, if I wake, shall I not be distraught, 

Environèd with all these hideous fears, 

And madly play with my forefathers’ joints, 

And pluck the mangled Tybalt from his shroud, 

And in this rage, with some great kinsman’s bone, 

As with a club, dash out my desp’rate brains?

AO1 comments

• Juliet is torn between her love for Romeo and her loyalty to her family

• Juliet’s isolation and desperation are evident as she contemplates the consequences of her actions

• She feels abandoned and betrayed, fearing Friar Lawrence may have deceived her with the potion 

• Juliet’s uncertainty and vulnerability evokes sympathy from the audience 

Question focus

Informed personal response (AO1)

What does the extract show an audience about Juliet’s thoughts and feelings at this point in the play?

In this extract, Juliet’s isolation and desperation are evident and she is torn between her love for Romeo and her loyalty to her family. [Introductory sentence has a clear focus (AO1)] She is aware of the risks involved in defying her family’s wishes but her love for Romeo compels her to take drastic measures to be with him. [Sustains focus on Juliet’s internal conflict (AO1)] The contrast between her love for Romeo and the darkness that surrounds her makes her vulnerability more evident. She contemplates the consequences of her actions and feels abandoned and betrayed, fearing Friar Lawrence may have deceived her with the potion. This fear that the poison may actually be a poison and a desperate act by Friar Laurence to protect himself is clear when she questions, “What if it be a poison which the Friar/Subtly hath administered to have me dead”. This heightens her doubts and fears. [Includes pertinet, direct quote and evaluates impact (AO1)] Also, the prospect of waking up alone in the tomb, surrounded by the “foul mouth” with no air and the decaying bodies of her ancestors, adds to her terror. She continues to imagine the horrific possibility of being “stifled in the vault” or succumbing to madness from the “loathsome smells” and “shrieks” within the tomb. Her vulnerability and uncertainty in this scene evoke sympathy from the audience. [Demonstrates evaluative approach to the effect on the audience (AO1)] She feels she has surrendered control of her fate by taking the potion and her precarious and unpredictable situation creates immense suspense about her situation. [Point is developed into a second sentence of analysis (AO1)] The contemplation of suicide, using a bone “as with a club” to escape her predicament illustrates her desperation in this part of the play.

GCSE Eduqas English Literature Shakespeare

Write about Jessica and how she is presented at different points in the play

AO1 comments

• Jessica is presented as a girl frustrated by Shylock’s over-protectiveness and strictness

• She is ashamed to be Shylock’s daughter and sees herself as completely different from him 

• She exhibits a callous attitude towards Shylock and her disobedience is contrasted with Portia’s loyalty to her father

• Her elopement demonstrates her eagerness to disassociate herself from her Jewish background

Question focus

Informed personal response (AO1)

Write about Jessica and how she is presented at different points in the play

Although Jessica is a minor character in The Merchant of Venice, her role within the play is pivotal as Shakespeare uses her to explore the question of Jewish identity. [Clear focus on the question (AO1)] Her decision to elope with Lorenzo and take her father's casket of gold ducats is the trigger for Shylock's desire for revenge against Antonio. Shakespeare uses Jessica's character as a contrast to Portia’s: Portia's devoted loyalty to her father's will is contrasted with Jessica's neglect of her expected duties as a daughter. In contrast, Jessica exhibits a callous attitude towards her father, taking his money, running away from home and even trading his cherished ring for a monkey. [Gives a personal response to Jessica’s actions (AO1)] However, as a character she does not express any significant dissatisfaction with her father, except for the monotony of their life together and his overt strictness. However, Jessica decides to break free from her father and her Jewish background in order to wed Lorenzo and become a Christian. [Shows perceptive understanding of Jessica’s motives (AO1)] Through the marriage of Jessica and Lorenzo, Shakespeare may be highlighting the potential for two people with significant differences to come together in unity and equality. [Evaluates and interprets Shakespeare’s possible intentions (AO1)] Her elopement demonstrates her eagerness to disassociate herself from her Jewish background, perhaps due to the perceived negative perceptions attached to it. Further, Jessica and Lorenzo’s elopement could appear to be somewhat ambiguous. [Analyses the complexity of Jessica’s actions, offering a nuanced interpretation (AO1)]  Her desire to elope and convert could be viewed as recklessly impulsive and bordering on selfishness, due to her insistence on taking a large amount of Shylock’s treasure with them. 

Drama genre

Definition

Tragedy

• A type of play involving human conflict which ends in defeat and suffering

• Often the main character has a tragic flaw that leads to their destruction

Comedy

• A genre which has a light or humorous tone

• It depicts amusing incidents in which the characters ultimately triumph over evil or adversity

Morality play

• Morality plays explore moral and ethical themes, using allegory 

• They focus on the consequences of individual actions and societal attitudes towards responsibility and accountability

Farce

• A farce is a comedy that seeks to entertain an audience through situations that are highly exaggerated, extravagant, ridiculous, absurd, and improbable

Romance

• A genre that explores the complexities of love

• The plot usually centres around an obstacle that is preventing love between two people

Tragicomedy

• A tragicomedy might be a serious drama interspersed with comedic moments that periodically lighten the mood, or a drama that has a happy ending

Genre

Analysis

Comedy

• Shakespeare uses this genre to explore the themes of love and mistaken identity:

  • Mistaken identities, misunderstandings and accusations all help to create a level of chaos within the play which align to the comedic genre

• The genre enables Shakespeare to satirise societal conventions, particularly in relation to matters of love and courtship:

  • It enables characters such as Benedick and Beatrice to engage in witty dialogue and clever wordplay

• While the darker elements of the play involve Hero’s public humiliation and “death”, it includes many classical comedic elements, such as wit and foolery:

  • The subplot involving Claudio and Hero’s relationship adds an element of farce 

Exposition (or introduction)

• The exposition brings the audience up-to-date as quickly as possible, describing the setting (year, time of day, locale, etc.), the atmosphere (mood) and the main characters

Rising action (or complication)

• Rising action refers to all the events that happen in a story on the way to the climax

• The rising action pushes the plot along, building tension to keep an audience invested in the story as it moves forward

Dramatic climax

• This is the highest point of tension or drama in the plot

• Often, the climax is also when the main problem of the story is faced and solved by the main character or protagonist

Falling action (or second complication)

• Falling action is everything that takes place immediately after the climax

• The purpose of falling action is to bring the story from climax to a resolution

Denouement (or resolution)

• The final part of a play in which the strands of the plot are drawn together and matters are explained or resolved

Structural device

Questions to consider

Acts and scenes

• How does the division of the play into acts and scenes contribute to the structure and the pacing of the play?

• Do the acts and scenes mark significant shifts in time, location, character or theme?

• What is the purpose of each act or scene?

• How does the opening and ending of each act or scene contribute to the audience’s understanding and engagement with the play?

• Are there moments of climax or resolution within particular acts or scenes?

Setting

• Where is the play set?

• Does it have multiple settings which contrast each other or is the action set in one location?

• What might these settings symbolise?

Dramatic device

Questions to consider

Stage directions

• Has Shakespeare used stage directions? If so, what do they tell the audience about the characters and the way they speak or act?

• What do the stage directions tell us about the way the characters interact (entrances and exits/asides to the audience/tone and mood)?

Characterisation

• How have the characters been created and what do they represent or symbolise?

• How do they introduce and develop the main themes of the play?

• How might they represent the playwright’s views?

• Which characters do you empathise with and why?

Dialogue

• How do the characters speak and how does this affect the way the audience judges them?

• How do characters interact with each other?

• How does the way they speak affect the way other characters and the audience view them?

Dramatic device

Question focus

Grade 9 analysis of dramatic devices

Characterisation

(Tybalt)

How is the character of Tybalt presented?

Tybalt is presented as a ruthless and vengeful character and his intense hatred of the Montagues is clear from the very first scene of the play. He demonstrates his violent nature when he participates in the fighting and disturbance, which is directly against the Prince’s rules. His vitriolic declaration during the street brawl — “What, drawn and talk of peace? I hate the word, / As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee” — reveals this hatred and his defiance of authority. His fierce exclamation and repetition of the word “peace” in this scene indicate his loathing of the Montague family. [Analysis of language devices and their intended effect (AO2)] Additionally, Tybalt’s reaction when he discovers Romeo’s presence at the Capulet party illustrates his impulsiveness and willingness to resort to aggression, as he immediately demands his weapon. As a character he is driven by animosity and his ruthless nature contributes to the tragedy of the play. [Clear exploration of Tybalt’s characterisation (AO2)]

Dialogue

(The Nurse)

How is the character of The Nurse presented?

The Nurse is portrayed as a maternal figure in Romeo and Juliet and her deep affection and sense of responsibility towards Juliet is evident through her language. She primarily speaks in prose, reflecting her social status and illustrating her informal and colloquial language. Her frequent use of hyperbole, for example when she claims “Faith, I can tell her age onto a hour”, conveys her deep connection and close bond with Juliet (Shakespeare’s use of literary devices always linked to his intention — here, what they reveal about The Nurse (AO2)]. Her regular use of puns and superlatives reveal the intimacy and warmth of her interactions with Juliet, while also adding humour. For example, she uses a pun to jest with Juliet about the prospect of her relationship with Romeo: “I am the drudge and toil in your delight/But you shall bear the burden soon at night” (A point is made before evidence is introduced — analysis comes before quotations (AO2)]. By describing herself as the “drudge and toil” she humorously acknowledges her role in facilitating Juliet’s romance with Romeo. Furthermore, she uses superlatives when describing Juliet as “the prettiest babe that e’er I nurs’d” to convey their special connection. 

Dramatic irony

Dramatic tension

Dramatic pauses and cliff-hanger

• When the audience knows something that the characters in a play do not

• An event in the play can be understood differently by the audience and its characters

• It provides a state of uncertainty or lack of knowledge

• It creates an uncertain expectation of an event

• Dramatic pauses and cliff-hangers are used to build drama

• They enable the audience to question their own actions or opinions on characters’ actions

Dramatic conflict

Soliloquy

Aside

• A situation in which characters are involved in conflicts that invite the audience's empathy

• A speech given by a character in a play when the speaker is alone

• It is used to inform the audience of what is happening in the character’s mind

• A speech made by a character directly to the audience, but seemingly to themselves

• Its function is to reveal more about their character

Exam question 

Grade 9 analysis of dramatic techniques 

Twelfth Night is a play about mistaken identities. Write about how Shakespeare presents mistaken identifies at different points of the play. 

Shakespeare presents mistaken identities throughout Twelfth Night for comedic effect. Orsino’s elaborate description of Cesario’s appearance is one of the earliest examples of dramatic irony [Not all evidence has to be in the form of quotations, Here, a plot point is analysed (AO2)]. When Orsino first encounters Cesario, he is struck by his appearance and describes him as having feminine features such as “thy small pipe” and “all is semblative a woman’s part”. The audience are aware that Cesario is, in fact, Viola and that the allure Orsino feels for Cesario is rooted in sexual attraction. Similarly, Olivia’s sudden infatuation with Cesario, despite vowing to abstain from romantic engagements for seven years following her brother’s death, is another example of dramatic irony: “Methinks I feel this youth’s perfections/…To creep in at mine eyes”. While Olivia believes she is attracted to a man, the audience realises that her affections are directed towards a woman. This reinforces the layers of deception within the play and Olivia’s inability to recognise Viola’s true identity adds a layer of irony and humour to the situation [The effects of dramatic techniques are explored in developed analysis (AO2)].