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"A Pair of Star-Crossed Lovers"
Prologue, Act I, line 6

DIRECTORY
work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) General Information work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Setting
work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Characters work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Theatrical Conventions
work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Plot work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Important Ideas
work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Assignments & Projects work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Theme
work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Essay Assignments work03btn.jpg (1922 bytes) Shakespeare
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GENERAL INFORMATION
first romantic tragedy
based on poem translated from French novella
written 1595
written during sonnet popularity
two lovers from feuding families

classical illustions

CHARACTERS
Montagues  
montseal.jpg (8156 bytes) Lord Montague wealthy nobleman
father of Romeo
Lady Montague wife of Lord Montague
mother of Romeo
Romeo protagonist
young man
son of Lord and Lady Montague
in love with Juliet
Benvolio Romeo's friend
nephew to Montague's
Balthasar servant to Romeo
Capulets  
capseal.jpg (8196 bytes) Lord Capulet wealthy nobleman
father of Juliet
excitable, rash
Lady Capulet wife of Lord Capulet
mother of Juliet
concerned about her image
Juliet protagonist
daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet
young girl, 13 years old
in love with Romeo
  Tybalt Capulet's nephew
hot head
  Nurse servant of family
caretaker of Juliet
confidante to Juliet
Others  
  Prince Escalus ruler of Verona
related to Mercutio
  Mercutio Romeo's friend, talkative
  Friar Lawrence friend of Romeo
Catholic priest
pharmacist, herbalist
  Count Paris relative of Prince Escalus
suitor to Juliet
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SETTING
Geography Verona, Italy
Mantua, Italy (10 miles from Verona)
Time 14th century
Social Environment patriarchal society
father arranged marriages
morals and ideals of Elizabethan England: astrology, fate; moderation
moderation . . . moderation . . . moderation . . . moderation . . . moderation . . .

PLOT
Two young people from feuding families fall in love and marry secretly. Complications arise and Romeo must leave Juliet after he slays her cousin. Juliet fakes death to avoid marriage to another, but Romeo thinks she is dead. He kills himself; Juliet awakes, sees Romeo dead and kills herself. smallcolorpray.jpg (28101 bytes)
Conflicts
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Man versus Man

Man versus Society

Man versus Fate
Romeo vs. Tybalt Families vs. town Romeo vs. fate
Montagues vs. Capulets Romeo & Juliet vs. town Juliet vs. fate
Juliet vs. Lord Capulet Juliet vs. environment Friar vs. fate

Tybalt vs. Mercutio

    
 

Man versus Self

 Juiliet vs. self - poison or not
  Romeo vs. self - Petrarchan love
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THEATRICAL CONVENTIONS
Soliloquy speech when character is alone on stage expressing character's innermost feelings
Puns play on words; two or more words sound the same but are used differently; same word with different meanings
Irony Verbal: meaning is the opposite of what is said
Situational: happening is the opposite of what is appropriate or expected
Dramatic: audience knows something critical that actors don't know
Couplet Two consecutive lines that rhyme
Personification giving life and human attributes to inanimate objects
Foreshadowing clues that hint at what is to come
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PAY ATTENTION TO THESE IDEAS
types of love
importance of communication
symmetry - parallels
references to heavenly bodies
references to light and dark
attraction of opposites
moderation
good intentions - results

THEME CLUES
beautyanddeath.jpg (43857 bytes) power of love
role of fate


"Then I defy you, stars!"  Romeo, Act V, scene 1, 24
virtue turns to vice
importance of moderation
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ASSIGNMENTS & PROJECTS
Daily Work Students will be assigned parts in the play to be read aloud in class
Students will complete vocabulary and reading guide work sheets
Tests A test will follow the completion of each Act and a final following the conclusion of the play
Projects Students will select one of the following projects. Criteria for a grade willbe neatness, relevance to topic, interst, clarity, effort and mechanics
1.  Select your favorite line(s) from the play. Create a poster or collage with the lines and pictures or illustrations that expand, explain, or relate to the lines. Be sure to place quote marks around the lines and state the speaker, act, scene and line numbers.
2.   Select a theme from the play. Find lines that relate to the theme and create a poster. Illustrations will also help.  Be sure to place quotes around the lines and cite the source.
3.   Create a collage illustrating the personality and character of Romeo or Juliet.
4.   Reread the Queen Mab speech in Act I. Create a poster, collage, or children's book from the impressions and imagery.
5.   An epitaph is a short saying placed on a tombstone to commemorate the life of the deceased. The epitaph should indicate the character of the individual. Create tombstones with epitaphs for Mercutio, Tybalt, Paris, and Romeo. (example)

Here lies Moogie.
Beloved, mischievious cat of the Westenskow family.
He willbe missed by the dogs and people whom he
amused, annoyed, and tormented.

 

ESSAY ASSIGNMENTS
Select one of the following and develop a five paragraph essay. Include prewriting, rough drafts, peer editing guides and rewrites, and final copy. Be sure to support your thesis with examples and detail. This is your final essay of the year and will be counted as a final (twice). There will be no time for rewrites so make sure this is your best effort.
1.  Discuss the theme of the power of love in Romeo and Juliet.
2.  Discuss the role of fate in Romeo and Juliet.
3.  Discuss the use of irony in the play.
4.  Discuss three kinds of love as seen in Romeo and Juliet. Use specific examples.
5.  Discuss the them expressed by Friar Lawrence, "virtue itself turns vice, being misapplied" Act II, scene i, line 17.
6.  Trace the major conflicts and show the resolutions.
7.  Compare three elements of Romeo and Juliet with the same elements in West Side Story.
8.  Discuss the Elizabethan view of passion. Is passion the sin that causes the tragedy? What kinds of passion do we see during the play?  Who warns against passion?  What images are used as illustrations of passion?  Do the warnings come true?
9.   Trace the development of Romeo's or Juliet's character through the play. Be sure to use specific examples from the play.
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True I speak of dreams;
Which are the children of an idle brain,
Begot of nothing but vain fantasy.
                                         Mercutio, Act I, scene iv, 68-70

 

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