Resources:

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Transcript:

Let’s continue learning about the play Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare. But don’t worry because I’ve made it very easy for you to understand.

Hi! I’m Georgiana. Thanks for joining me for another episode of the podcast. My mission is to help you improve your English fluency.

Before we start, get the transcript of this episode for free. At: SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/podcast

Ok, let’s start!

In a previous episode, I began discussing the play “Romeo and Juliet.” Today, we will continue with Acts 4 and 5 of the play.

Great! Let’s start with Act 4:

[Act 4 – Juliet’s Bold Move]

In Act 4, the story takes another turn. Juliet’s parents want her to marry Paris, a man she doesn’t love. She’s already married to Romeo, but it’s a secret.

Juliet’s Problem: Juliet worries about marrying Paris because she loves Romeo. She goes to Friar Laurence, a good friend to the young lovers, for help.

Friar’s Plan: Friar Laurence develops a plan to help Juliet. He gives her a special drink that will make her look like she’s dead for a while. He advises her to take it the night before her wedding so that everyone will believe she has died.

Juliet’s Fear: Juliet is terrified of the plan. She’s worried that the drink might actually kill her or that she’ll wake up alone in a scary tomb.

Juliet’s Agreement: Juliet agrees to the plan because she’s desperate to avoid marrying Paris. She goes back home, and her parents are happy because they think she’ll marry Paris soon.

Wedding Rush: Her parents decide to move the wedding up to the next day, which makes Juliet even more nervous.

Romeo’s Missed Message: Meanwhile, Friar Laurence tries to send a message to Romeo about the plan, but it doesn’t reach him because of a problem.

[Act 5 – A Sad Ending]

In Act 5, the story reaches its tragic conclusion.

Romeo Comes Back: Romeo secretly returns to Verona because he thinks Juliet is dead. He wants to see her one last time.

Fight with Paris: Romeo and a man named Paris fight at Juliet’s tomb. Romeo doesn’t want to hurt Paris, but they end up fighting, and Romeo accidentally kills Paris.

Juliet’s “Death”: When Romeo sees Juliet in her tomb, he thinks she’s really dead. So, he drinks poison and dies next to her.

Juliet Wakes Up: Just after Romeo dies, Juliet wakes up. She is very sad when she sees Romeo dead. Juliet tries to kiss the poison from his lips, but it doesn’t work. So, she takes his dagger and kills herself.

Friar Explains: Friar Laurence comes to the tomb and explains everything to the Prince and the families. He tells them about Romeo and Juliet’s secret marriage and how it led to their sad endings.

Families Make Peace: The Prince rebukes the families for their fighting and says it’s because of their feud that Romeo and Juliet are dead. The tragedy brings about a turning point, leading them to cease their conflict and forge a friendship.

Great! That’s it for now. I hope you’ve enjoyed these episodes of Romeo and Juliet. And that I’ve given you some understanding of what this Shakespearean play is about.

Let’s continue with a Point-of-View Lesson.

POV-Story (Learning grammar with a story)

I will tell you the same story twice. So make sure to focus on the changes.

You can find these techniques fully implemented in my premium courses.

SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/courses

Okay! Let’s start!

In the heart of Verona, two young hearts, Romeo from the Montagues and my daughter Juliet from the Capulets, are meeting online. They chat under fake names, sharing a love for music and art.

One day, they decide to meet at a small café. When they see each other, their smiles fade. They are from families that do not like each other. The Montagues and the Capulets are fighting over an old song, each claiming their grandfather wrote it.

One night, I hear her singing. I know it is Montague’s song, and I become furious. “No daughter of mine will meet with a Montague,” I say and lock away her guitar.

I take away her phone, preventing her from communicating with Romeo.

Heartbroken, Juliet writes a note to Romeo: “I cannot see you anymore. Our families will never agree.” She gives it to a friend, who promises to deliver it.

But the friend is careless and loses the note. Romeo waits every night for Juliet, his music filled with sadness. Juliet cries in her room, thinking Romeo has forgotten her.

Neither knows about the lost note. The families keep arguing, and the song of Romeo and Juliet is heard no more. Their love, like a forgotten melody, lingers in the air of Verona, felt only as a whisper in my heart.

Let’s listen to the story in the past tense from Juliet’s viewpoint:

Hi! I’m Juliet, And some time ago, in the heart of Verona, I met Romeo online. We chatted under fake names, sharing a love for music and art.

One day, we decided to meet at a small café. When we saw each other, our smiles faded. We were from families that did not like each other. The Montagues and the Capulets were fighting over an old song, each claiming their grandfather had written it.

We tried to meet in secret. At night, Romeo played his guitar, and I sang from my window. Our song floated over the quiet streets, a secret melody of our love.

But secrets do not stay hidden. My dad heard me singing one night. He knew it was Montague’s song and became very angry. “No daughter of mine will meet with a Montague,” he said and locked away my guitar.

He also took away my phone, preventing me from communicating with Romeo.

So, heartbroken, I wrote a note to Romeo: “I cannot see you anymore. Our families will never agree.” I gave it to a friend, who promised to deliver it.

But the friend was careless and lost the note. Romeo waited every night for me, his music filled with sadness. I cried in my room, thinking Romeo had forgotten me.

I didn’t know about the lost note. Our families kept arguing, and the song of Romeo and I was heard no more. Our love, like a forgotten melody, lingered in the air of Verona and felt only as a whisper in my heart.

How sad! This modern version of Romeo and Juliet has a tragic ending, just like the original one. Despite their strong love for each other, their families’ feud makes it impossible for them to be together.

Great! I like these kinds of stories because they’re easy to remember and help a lot with learning English. Humor also makes learning more enjoyable. You can find this method in my premium courses—take a look!

Visit SpeakEnglishPodcast.com/courses, to get my premium courses. They are designed for learning by listening.

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See you soon!
Bye! Bye!

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