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Clear, engaging lecture on Elizabethan society for Romeo & Juliet (monarchy, patriarchy, marriage, fate) linked directly to GCSE AO3.

Give students the context they need to boost AO3 marks in Romeo & Juliet with this detailed, student-friendly lecture on Elizabethan society.
This 12-slide PowerPoint introduces the key historical, cultural, and social context behind Shakespeare’s tragedy, with explicit links to themes, characters, and plot points in the play.

What’s included:
• Elizabeth I and the Tudor monarchy — instability before her reign, challenges as a female ruler, and her public image
• The Great Chain of Being — rigid hierarchy and its relevance to Juliet’s defiance of her father
• Patriarchal society — women as property, gender roles, and expectations of marriage and motherhood
• Marriage customs — love vs social status, age of marriage, and Juliet’s situation with Paris
• Shakespeare’s gender intentions — differences in his comedies and tragedies, and how R&J critiques patriarchy
• Fate and free will — Elizabethan beliefs and how the play explores both forces
• Honour culture — duelling, family reputation, and examples from the play
• Prompts for students to summarise and apply contextual facts directly to exam responses

Ideal for:
• GCSE English Literature (AQA, Edexcel, OCR, WJEC)
• First teaching of Romeo & Juliet
• AO3-focused lessons
• Revision and consolidation
• Cover lessons

Why it works:
Links every context point directly to moments in the play so students understand why it matters for AO3, not just what happened historically.

TES Search Tags:
Romeo and Juliet Elizabethan Context | GCSE English Literature AO3 | KS4 English Lit | Shakespeare Context | Great Chain of Being | Patriarchal Society | Fate and Honour

Explore more:
If you found this useful, visit my TES store for fully resourced schemes, annotated extracts, and exam-focused lessons, including my complete annotated texts, a detailed OCR A Level English Literature Unseen American Literature Scheme, and A Christmas Carol Victorian Context Lecture, amongst others.