Slow English Listening Practice | Romeo and Juliet

[00:00:00]Learn English through stories with shadowing and conversation.

[00:00:09]In the beautiful city of Verona, there were two rich and powerful families, the Montagues and the Capulets.

[00:00:21]They had an old and angry feud.

[00:00:27]Even their servants and friends fought in the streets, and the prince of the city was very angry about it.

[00:00:37]One day, the Capulet family planned a grand masked ball.

[00:00:43]Romeo, who was a Montague, was feeling very sad.

[00:00:49]His friends convinced him to go to the party secretly.

[00:00:53]He wore a mask to hide his face from the enemies.

[00:01:03]At the party, Romeo saw Juliet.

[00:01:07]She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. They talked and fell in love at first sight before they knew their families were enemies.

[00:01:21]When they found out the truth, they were shocked, but their love was [music] too strong.

[00:01:29]Later that night, Romeo secretly went to Juliet's garden.

[00:01:35]He stood under her balcony.

[00:01:40]They talked under the moonlight and promised to love each other forever.

[00:01:49]The next day, they went to a kind monk named Friar Lawrence.

[00:01:55]He married them secretly, hoping this marriage would bring peace to the two families.

[00:02:05]But happiness didn't last long.

[00:02:08]Juliet's angry cousins started a street fight with Romeo's best friend.

[00:02:15]In the chaos, a terrible accident happened and Romeo was blamed.

[00:02:24]The Prince of Verona exiled Romeo from the city forever.

[00:02:34]Juliet was heartbroken.

[00:02:37]To make things worse, her father told her she must marry a rich man named Paris.

[00:02:44]Juliet ran to Friar Lawrence for help.

[00:02:47]He gave her a special sleeping potion.

[00:02:50]He told her, >> "Drink this.

[00:02:54]You'll fall into a deep sleep and appear to be dead.

[00:02:58]I'll send a letter to Romeo explaining our plan."

[00:03:03]>> Juliet drank the potion and her sad family put her in the family tomb.

[00:03:10]Unfortunately, the letter never reached Romeo.

[00:03:15]Instead, a friend told him that Juliet was gone forever.

[00:03:20]Romeo could not live without her, so he bought a fast horse and went back to Verona.

[00:03:32]Romeo arrived at the tomb and saw Juliet.

[00:03:36]He thought she was really gone.

[00:03:38]>> [snorts] >> His heart could not take the pain and he passed away from deep sadness right next to her.

[00:03:49]Moments later, Juliet woke up from her deep sleep.

[00:03:54]When she saw Romeo's lifeless body, her heart broke, too, and she joined him in eternal sleep.

[00:04:05]When the Montagues and Capulets [music] saw this tragedy, they cried bitterly.

[00:04:11]They finally understood [music] that their foolish hate had a very high price.

[00:04:19]Ashamed, they stopped fighting, built golden statues of Romeo and Juliet, and made peace forever.

[00:04:36]Now, let's do some shadowing together.

[00:04:39]Listen carefully and repeat each sentence naturally with me.

[00:04:46]In the beautiful city of Verona, there were two rich and powerful families.

[00:04:53]In the beautiful city of Verona, there were two rich and powerful families.

[00:05:02]Romeo wore a mask to hide his face from the enemies.

[00:05:08]Romeo wore a mask to hide his face from the enemies.

[00:05:16]He married them secretly, hoping this marriage would bring peace.

[00:05:23]He married them secretly, hoping this marriage would bring peace.

[00:05:30]Juliet was heartbroken when Romeo was exiled from the city.

[00:05:38]Juliet was heartbroken when Romeo was exiled from the city.

[00:05:46]Romeo could not live without her, so he rode back to Verona.

[00:05:54]Romeo could not live without her, so he rode back to Verona.

[00:06:02]They finally understood that their foolish hate had a very high price.

[00:06:11]They finally understood that their foolish hate had a very high price.

[00:06:22]Now, let's listen to Olivia and Harry talk about the story and some of the key words from it.

[00:06:33]>> Have you ever wondered how one missed message changed literary history forever?

[00:06:40]>> Imagine if Romeo had just received one letter.

[00:06:45]That's it.

[00:06:46]One letter.

[00:06:47]The whole story could have ended completely differently.

[00:06:51]>> [music] >> Welcome back everyone, and a massive thank you to Margaret for that absolutely lovely, though incredibly heartbreaking, reading of Romeo and Juliet.

[00:07:07]Margaret, your voice always brings these classic stories right to life.

[00:07:13]>> Brilliant job, Margaret. Cheers for that.

[00:07:16]>> [sighs] >> Every time I hear it, it gives me goosebumps.

[00:07:19]But wow, it's a heavy story, isn't it?

[00:07:23]I sit there listening and I just think, they were just kids.

[00:07:28]>> Exactly. We forget that. Juliet was, what, barely 13?

[00:07:34]>> 13? Can you imagine? When I was 13, my biggest life decision was choosing between salt and vinegar or cheese and onion crisps for lunch.

[00:07:43]>> Let me guess, cheese and onion?

[00:07:46]>> Obviously, top tier crisp.

[00:07:49]But seriously, making life or death choices at that age? It's crazy.

[00:07:54]Though, looking at it now, the whole tragedy is just awful communication.

[00:08:01]>> What do you mean?

[00:08:02]>> If they had smartphones, the play lasts 5 minutes.

[00:08:06]Juliet texts, "Just sleeping, don't panic."

[00:08:10]Romeo replies, "On my way."

[00:08:13]>> Well, that's the shortest Shakespeare remake in history.

[00:08:17]>> I'm just being practical.

[00:08:19]But you're right.

[00:08:21]The lack of info is the real tragedy.

[00:08:23]That and the crazy hatred between the families.

[00:08:27]Which brings us to the genius himself, William Shakespeare.

[00:08:32]>> The most famous British writer to ever walk the earth.

[00:08:36]>> Definitely.

[00:08:37]He probably wrote this play around 1595.

[00:08:41]And did you know, this wasn't even entirely his original idea?

[00:08:46]He adapted it from an older Italian tale.

[00:08:49]>> Yes, Shakespeare was amazing at taking old stories and making them magical.

[00:08:54]He actually invented hundreds of English words that we still use today.

[00:08:59]Plus, the funny thing is, nobody knows exactly what he looked like.

[00:09:04]>> A true man of mystery.

[00:09:06]Speaking of facts, I think it's time for our new section.

[00:09:10]Fun facts.

[00:09:14]>> [music] >> Did you know, there is actually a Juliet's house in Verona, Italy?

[00:09:24]>> Oh, yes.

[00:09:25]Thousands of tourists visit it every year. They even leave love letters on the wall. It is so romantic.

[00:09:33]>> Love letters on a wall.

[00:09:35]Better than a text message, I suppose.

[00:09:37]>> [clears throat] >> Now, before we get to our vocabulary, let's learn our idiom of the day.

[00:09:42]>> Ah, a classic one for this story. Romeo fell head over heels in love.

[00:09:48]>> Which simply means to fall deeply and completely in love. If you fall head over heels, you are crazy about that person.

[00:09:57]>> Spot on. Right then, let's get stuck into the vocabulary, shall we? I've got my notebook ready.

[00:10:04]>> Let's do it. Word number one is feud, spelled f e u d, feud.

[00:10:12]In the story, the two families had an old and angry feud.

[00:10:18]>> [clears throat] >> First, a quick pronunciation tip for our listeners.

[00:10:23]It isn't pronounced feud, it's simply feud. Like few with a d at the end.

[00:10:31]Feud.

[00:10:33]>> Perfect.

[00:10:34]A feud is a very long, very bitter argument.

[00:10:39]Have you ever had a feud with a neighbor, Harry?

[00:10:42]>> Not a full feud, but my neighbor still hasn't forgiven me for parking in his space last year.

[00:10:49]He gives me a very angry look every morning.

[00:10:53]>> Well, a real feud lasts for years and involves deep anger.

[00:10:59]>> Okay, word number two. This one is dramatic.

[00:11:04]Exiled.

[00:11:05]e x i l e d The prince exiled Romeo from the city.

[00:11:12]>> To be exiled means you are forced to leave your home as a punishment, and you cannot come back.

[00:11:19]>> It's very serious, usually done by kings.

[00:11:23]But we joke with it today.

[00:11:25]For example, if I forget my wedding anniversary, my wife might exile me to the sofa for the night.

[00:11:34]>> Banished from the comfortable bed.

[00:11:36]>> Exactly.

[00:11:38]Word number three, please.

[00:11:39]>> Word three is potion.

[00:11:42]P o t i o n Friar Lawrence gave Juliet a sleeping potion.

[00:11:50]>> A liquid mixture.

[00:11:52]Usually magical. You don't walk into a pharmacy and say, "Hello, mate. One headache potion, please."

[00:11:58]>> No, they'd think you were crazy. It belongs in fantasy like Harry Potter.

[00:12:03]But we do use it playfully.

[00:12:05]>> Like my morning coffee. That is my magic potion. I need it to survive.

[00:12:11]>> Same here.

[00:12:12]All right, final word. Bitterly.

[00:12:15]B i t t e r l y At the end of the story, the families cried bitterly.

[00:12:25]>> It means doing something with intense painful emotion, not just a few tears.

[00:12:31]>> Yes, it comes from the sharp taste of something bitter like dark chocolate or a lemon.

[00:12:37]But here it's a sharp feeling.

[00:12:40]If you lose a game, you might be bitterly disappointed.

[00:12:44]>> We also use it for the British weather.

[00:12:47]Wrap up warm, Liv. It's bitterly cold outside.

[00:12:50]The wind actually hurts your face.

[00:12:54]>> Exactly.

[00:12:55]Okay, listeners. Before we go, it is time for a quick quiz.

[00:13:01]Let's see if you were listening.

[00:13:03]>> I love a quiz.

[00:13:05]Question one.

[00:13:06]Why was Romeo exiled?

[00:13:09]>> Question two.

[00:13:10]What was the sleeping potion for?

[00:13:13]>> And question three. What does the word feud mean?

[00:13:26]>> How did you do?

[00:13:27]You can always rewind and listen again if you miss the answers.

[00:13:32]>> Well, I'm bitterly disappointed that we have reached the end of the episode.

[00:13:37]>> Me, too.

[00:13:38]But, you know, every great story teaches us something.

[00:13:42]>> And perhaps Romeo and Juliet teaches us that hatred can destroy lives, but understanding can change history.

[00:13:50]>> Beautifully said, Harry.

[00:13:52]We'll see you all next week with another classic story and more natural British English.

[00:13:57]Bye for now.

[00:13:59]>> Cheers.