SUGGESTED ANSWERS FOR PRE-MYE PRACTICE PAPER

CAPULETBut Montague is bound as well as I,
In penalty alike; and 'tis not hard, I think,
For men so old as we to keep the peace.

PARISOf honourable reckoning are you both;
And pity 'tis you lived at odds so long.
But now, my lord, what say you to my suit?

CAPULETBut saying o'er what I have said before:
My child is yet a stranger in the world;
She hath not seen the change of fourteen years,
Let two more summers wither in their pride,
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.

PARISYounger than she are happy mothers made.

CAPULETAnd too soon marr'd are those so early made.
The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she,
She is the hopeful lady of my earth:
But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
My will to her consent is but a part;
An she agree, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.
This night I hold an old accustom'd feast,
Whereto I have invited many a guest,
Such as I love; and you, among the store,
One more, most welcome, makes my number more.
At my poor house look to behold this night
Earth-treading stars that make dark heaven light:
Such comfort as do lusty young men feel
When well-apparell'd April on the heel
Of limping winter treads, even such delight
Among fresh female buds shall you this night
Inherit at my house; hear all, all see,
And like her most whose merit most shall be:
Which on more view, of many mine being one
May stand in number, though in reckoning none,
Come, go with me.

[To Servant]Go, sirrah, trudge about
Through fair Verona; find those persons out
Whose names are written there, and to them say,
My house and welcome on their pleasure stay.




i) Explain in what way Montague and Capulet are 'bound' and what is it that they both must do? (4 marks)

1m -  Montague and Capulet are bound by Prince Escalus' declaration that they are to maintain the peace in Verona
1m -  by controlling their men and the feud that the two houses are involved in.
1m-   In Act One, it is mentioned that the fued between the Montagues and Capulets have 'thrice disturbed the quiet of (the) streets' in Verona, and the Prince is quite understandably 'moved' (angered) by the blatant disregard for law by the two houses.
1m-  Prince Escalus' threatens Lord Montague and Capulet with his declaration, that 'If ever (they) disturb (the) streets again, (Their) lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.' As heads of their respective house, Lord Montague and Capulet must keep the peace between their men, or risk being punished (executed).

 ii) What sort of a parent do you think Capulet is? Refer closely to the passage above in support of what you say. (12 marks)

EACH P.E.E.R/L paragraph = 4marks
Point 1
1m-  In this extract, Capulet comes across as a rather concerned father. (Point)
1m-  He staves off Paris' seeming impatience with regard to his proposal to marry Juliet by saying: 'My child is yet a stranger in the world;' (Explanation)
1m-  Capulet explains to Paris that his hesitance in agreeing to Paris' 'suit' or proposition of marriage lies primarily with the fact that Juliet is much too young and therefore, ill-suited to be a mother. He carries on this concerned tone further when he asks that Paris give Juliet 'two more summers wither in their pride' to allow Juliet time to mature. (Elaboration)
1m-  Through his words, we see that Lord Capulet seems to portray the role of a concerned parent, who primary concern is the well-being of his child. Ironically, this is perhaps the only point in the play where Capulet exhibits such behavior as eventually, he turns out to be a rather callous and hard-hearted father. (Reiteration / Link)

Point 2:
He is inherently proud of Juliet.
Quote:
The earth hath swallow'd all my hopes but she,
She is the hopeful lady of my earth:Point 3:
He portrays himself to be an understanding parent, whose primary concern is Juliet's happiness.
Quote:
My will to her consent is but a part;
An she agree, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.

iii) Explain clearly what happens immediately after Capulet and Paris leave the servant alone on stage. (4 marks)
1m-  The servant, who is illiterate, goes off to find the guests Lord Capulet has decided to invite to the ' old accustom'd feast', 
1m-  Unable to read, the servant endeavors to find someone who can. In a twist of Fate, he bumps into Romeo and Benvolio. Romeo reads the invitation. 
1m-  Not knowing Romeo's identity, the servant invites Romeo to 'come and crush a cup of wine' at the Capulet's feast. 
1m-  Benvolio persuades Romeo to attend the feast, asking him to go 'with unattainted eye (and) compare her face' with the other beauties at the feast so as to prove '(Romeo's) swan a crow.' This final portion of the extract is pivotal to the meeting of Romeo and Juliet at the Capulet feast.
 

iv) To what extent does this scene impact on the subsequent plot of the play? 
(5 marks)
1m-  Sets up the meeting of Romeo and Juliet at the feast.
1m-  Sets up the tragedy of the play, where a Montague falls in love with a Capulet- a love that culminates in tragedy.
1m-  Prepares us for a subsequent tragedy, knowing that Lord Capulet has made arrangements for Juliet to be courted (and perhaps even eventually be married) to Paris.
1m-  Helps the audience understand the tumult of emotions involved when Juliet is eventually to be married off to Paris, whilst already secretly married to Romeo.
1m-  Also, it reveals to us the dynamics in the relationship between parent and child; that Lord Capulet would make a tacit agreement to Paris' proposal without first consulting Juliet speaks volumes about the amount of control he felt he had over his child
1m- Romeo's 'invitation' to the feast by the Capulet servant also has bearing on the subsequent events in the play. His presence at the feast angers Tybalt who swears revenge. Tybalt's revenge also impacts upon the subsequent tragic events in the play; Mercutio's death. Romeo's eventual banishment from Verona for avenging Mercutio and killing Tybalt etc.