Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare

Answer the following: What do you know about Shakespeare and Shakespeare’s theater? How familiar are you with the story of Romeo and Juliet?

Working in pairs: Discuss your knowledge, assumptions, or even guesses about Shakespearean theater. Don’t worry about getting facts right. Instead focus on the expectations of the Shakespeare.

Research Time: Before we begin reading Romeo and Juliet, we will be researching the life and works of William Shakespeare. We will look to see why he is considered the greatest playwright of all time. Then you will decide based on your research whether or not you agree.

Shakespeare’s World Preview: You will preview the article on pp You will look at both the pictures and the titles and decide what you think the article will be about. Come up with a list of 3. We will then read the article and you will see how many of ideas were correct based on the preview.

Compare: Compare England in Shakespeare’s time with the United States today? How are they similar? How are they different?

West Side Story Take a close look at the different relationships in the movie and notice how the 2 families have a hard time agreeing on how to handle the relationship. Why do you think the family has such a hard time with this?

Literary Terms Tragedy:Tragedy: a drama that ends in catastrophe-most often death- for the main character and often for several other important characters as well. Tragic heroTragic hero: Main character Comic reliefComic relief: A humorous scene, incident, or speech that relieves the overall emotional intensity. AllusionAllusion: A brief reference, within a work, to something outside the work that the reader or audience is expected to know. (allude to historical event or current event) Foil:Foil: A character whose personality or attitudes are in sharp contrast to those of another character in the same work. SoliloquySoliloquy: A speech that a character gives when he or she is alone on stage. AsideAside: a character’s remark, either to the audience or to another character, that others on stage are not supposed to hear. Blank VerseIambic PentameterBlank Verse: a form of poetry that uses unrhymed lines of Iambic Pentameter, lines that ideally have five unstressed syllables, each followed by a stressed syllable.

Connect to your Life Recall love stories that you have read about in books or seen in movies and on TV. Did the couple’s love seem real to you? Did the romance end happily? Whether a romance ends happily or not, a writer has to provide some obstacles to the couple’s love to keep the story going until the end. Answer the following questions: What were the complications in your favorite romances? Were the obstacles caused by the romances themselves, or by social factors or other outside forces beyond the couples control?

What is the setting of the play?

14 th century Verona, Italy, where two clans are feuding.

Foreshadowing: What lines can foreshadowing be seen? Remember that foreshadowing gives the reader certain clues of what will be happening at some point in the play.Remember that foreshadowing gives the reader certain clues of what will be happening at some point in the play.

Foreshadowing “fatal” (line 5) “star-crossed” (line 6) “misadventured piteous overthrows” (line 7) “death” (line 8) “fearful passage” and “death-marked” (line 9) “their children’s end” (line 11)

Aside Looking back at lines 46-57, reread and think about how it is an aside. (an aside is when a character addresses the audience but is not heard by others on stage.) Why do you think Shakespeare might have used this dramatic technique?

Conflict Conflict is at the center of every story, whether internal or external. List various examples of conflict found on p996.

Conflicts Montagues vs. Capulets The citizens vs. peace officers Lady Capulet vs. Capulet Lady Montague vs. Montague The prince vs. the Montagues The prince vs. the Capulets

Stop: Comprehension checkpoint Why did Sampson want to start a fight with the Montagues? How did Sampson go about starting the fight? What was Benvolio’s reaction to the fight? What was Tybalt’s Reaction to the fight? How did Lord Montague and Lord Capulet respond to the sight of one another? What did Prince Escalus say would happen if Montague and Capulet ever disturbed the peace again?

Focus on: Read to find out how Benvolio will try to help Lord and Lady Montague.

Character The character Romeo has several conflicting impulses. List words suggested by Romeo’s character as it is revealed from his entrance, at line 163, to the end of scene 1.

Visualizing Try to visualize the motions of Benvolio and Romeo as they hold their conversation.

Why is Romeo sad?] What is Romeo’s opinion on love? What evidence is there that Benvolio is sympathetic?

What does Benvolio propose as the cure to Romeo’s problem? Why doesn’t Romeo think Benvolio’s plan will work? –How does Benvolio decide to put his plan into effect?

Summarize Summarize the conversation between Capulet and Count Paris.

Question Time Write down two questions that you would like answered about the meaning of the text on pages

Conflict The argument between Romeo and Benvolio is a good example of a conflict. Summarize the conflict in line

Answer the following Why does Count Paris visit Capulet? How does Capulet encourage Paris? Why does the servant stop Romeo and speak to him? Why does Benvolio want Romeo to go to the party?

Compare and Contrast (FOILed again) Compare and contrast the Nurse and Juliet.

Answer the following When did the story about Juliet and the nurse’s husband take place? What happened to Juliet? Paraphrase what the nurse’s husband said to Juliet. How did Juliet respond?

Answer the following What does lady Capulet want to talk to Juliet about? Briefly describe the 2 stories the nurse tells. What is Juliet’s answer to her mother on the subject of Count Paris?

You will now draw a picture of Romeo and Mercutio face-to-face. Drawings should show the contrast in character between these two foils through careful use of line, shadow, and color in expressing character.

What does it mean? Midwife (line 59) Alderman (line 61) Athwart (line 63) Wagoner (line 69) Courtier (line 77) Sweetmeats (line 81) Tithe-pig (line 84) Elflocks (line 95)