Romeo & Juliet
by
William Shakespeare
Taking Shakespeare from the page to the stage.
This Romeo and Juliet Companion Guide was originally created for Talking Camel Production’s first production of the Classical Theatre Project involving young Canadian actors presenting classical works for young audiences.
Table of Contents
Section
I Purpose of the Teacher’s Companion and Project
Vision
Section
II Romeo and Juliet in a “nutshell”
Section III
Cracking
the Nut
Section
IV Curricular Connections (Lessons for Learning)
Section
V Pantomime Unit
Section
VI Analogies (form other literary sources)
Section
VII The Masquerade of Violence: In the Drama
Classroom
Section
VIII Media Literacy
Section
IX Teachers’ Resources and Links
I.
Purpose of the Teacher’s Companion
This
Companion has been designed primarily as a generic template for all secondary
school teachers. It is suggested that the individual teacher selects from the
variety of approaches that will be most effective for the age, grade level and
challenges of students under their instruction.
We have applied a definition borrowed from Tony Goode, Professor of Drama
Education, in Great Britain as
the philosophical base for the curriculum in this Companion:
“ Drama is an essential form of behavior in all
cultures which allows for the exploration of issues and problems central to the
human condition and offers the individual opportunities to define and clarify
their own culture.”
http://www.gradesaver.com/ClassicNotes/Titles/romeoandjuliet/
The play is set in Verona, Italy, where a feud has broken out between the families of the Montague’s and the Capulets. The servants of both houses open the play with a brawling scene that eventually draws in the noblemen of the families and the city officials, including Prince Escalus.
Romeo is lamenting the fact that he is love with a woman named Rosaline. He and his friend Benvolio happen to stumble across a servant of the Capulet’s in the street. The servant, Peter, is trying to read a list of names of people invited to a masked party at the Capulet house that evening. Romeo helps him read the list and receives an invitation to the party.
Romeo arrives at the party in costume and falls in love with Juliet the minute he sees her. However, he is recognized by Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, who wants to kill him on the spot. Capulet intervenes and tells Tybalt that he will not disturb the party for any amount of money. Romeo manages to approach Juliet and tell her that he loves her.
Juliet’s Nurse tells Romeo who Juliet really is, and he is upset when he finds out he loves the daughter of Capulet. Juliet likewise finds out who Romeo is, and laments the fact that she is in love with her enemy.
Romeo climbs the garden wall leading to Juliet’s garden. Juliet emerges on her balcony and speaks her private thoughts out loud, imagining herself alone. She wishes Romeo could shed his name and marry her. Romeo appears and tells her that he loves her.
Juliet is called inside, but manages to return twice to call Romeo back to her. They agree that Juliet will send her Nurse to meet him at the next day, at which point Romeo will set a place for them to be married.
The Nurse carries out her duty, and tells Juliet to meet Romeo at the chapel where Friar Laurence lives and works … together they are married by the Friar.
Benvolio and Mercutio, a good friend of the Montegues, are waiting on the street when Tybalt arrives. Tybalt demands to know where Romeo is so that he can challenge him to duel … Romeo happens to arrive in the middle of the verbal bantering. Tybalt challenges him, but Romeo passively resists fighting, at which point Mercutio jumps in and draws his sword on Tybalt. Romeo tries to block the two men, but Tybalt cuts Mercutio and runs away, only to return after he hears that Mercutio has died. Romeo fights with Tybalt and kills him. When Prince Escalus arrives at the murder scene he chooses to banish Romeo from Verona forever.
The Nurse goes to tell Juliet the sad news about what has happened to Tybalt and Romeo. Juliet is heart-broken. She sends the Nurse to find Romeo and give him her ring. Romeo comes that night and sleeps with Juliet. The next morning he is forced to leave at dusk when Juliet’s mother arrives. Romeo goes to Mantua where he waits for someone to send news about Juliet or about his banishment.
During the night Capulet decides that Juliet should marry a young man named Paris. He and Lady Capulet go to tell Juliet that she should marry Paris, but when she refuses to obey Capulet becomes infuriated and orders her to comply with his orders.
Juliet goes to Friar Laurence, who gives her a potion that will make her seem dead … She takes the potion and drinks it. The next morning, the day Juliet is supposed to marry Paris, her Nurse finds her “dead” in bed. The whole house decries her suicide, and Friar Laurence makes them hurry to put her into the family vault.
Romeo’s servant arrives in Mantua and tells his master that Juliet is dead and buried. Romeo hurries back to Verona. Friar Laurence discovers too late … that his message to Romeo has failed to be delivered.
Romeo arrives at the Capulet vault and finds it guarded by Paris, who is there to mourn the loss of his betrothed. Paris challenges Romeo to a duel, and is quickly killed. Seeing Juliet dead within the tomb, Romeo drinks some poison he has purchased and dies kissing her.
Friar Laurence arrives just as Juliet wakes up … she sees Romeo dead beside her, Juliet takes his dagger and kills herself with it. The rest of the town starts to arrive, including Capulet and Montague. Friar Laurence tells them the whole story. The two family patriarchs agree to become friends by erecting golden statues of the other’s child.
III.
CRACKING THE NUT:
http://ns2.d20.co.edu/kadets/shakespeare/txt/INTRO7.txt
Class
Role Play:
Imaging
Activity -Teacher reads the
following to the class prior to viewing the play:
“Picture this! In your hometown there are two families. Both these families are well to do, and are respected in the town except for one thing. They have been feuding for many years. In fact, in the recent past there have been two major brawls in the streets, and people (both members of the families and innocent bystanders) have been killed. The police have had to restore order each time. It is mid-day on a hot summer's day. You are in a place which is equivalent to the center of town.”
Questioning
Activity -
Members of your role-playing group to play the following roles: two family members of the "Jones" family (one of the feuding families), two members of the "Smith” family (the other feuding family), and people from the town who are not part of the feud (neutral bystanders). There should be a maximum of six in each group. What will happen when the two families meet in the center of town? What will be the reaction of the other people in the town? In your groups, you'll need to think of some good reasons why the feud started, and some interesting ways to address the other people involved in the role-play. You’ll also need to discuss ways to prevent conflict from happening. Remember that, although the families are feuding, they don't want another incident in the streets. Think through what you will do and say. Once you start to role-play, stay with the scene until the teacher freezes the action and/or becomes a “fly on the wall” listening to the various smoldering fires! Respond in your character to the teacher’s questions.
Attitudes
An
activity such as the following one can be used with any play which deals with
events and themes all kids care about. This example is designed for Romeo and
Juliet.
Part I - Before the play is read - Consider the following social offenses. Rank each in the order of seriousness, with 1 being the most serious.
| Planning to trick someone / Lying to parents / Killing someone for revenge / Advising someone to marry for money / Two families having a feud / Selling poison / Killing someone by mistake while fighting / Cursing / Killing someone in self-defense / Suicide / Crashing a party / Marrying against parents' wishes / Giving the finger / Picking a fight |
When everyone
in your group has completed the assignment, compare your answers. Discuss the
items in which your group finds the most difference of opinion. Be prepared to
defend your decisions in a class discussion!
Part II
- After reading the play.
| Friar Laurence planned a trick / Juliet Lied to her parents / Romeo killed Tybalt / Nurse advised Juliet to marry Paris / Capulets and Montagues feud /Apothecary sold poison / Tybalt killed Mercutio / Mercutio cursed both families / Romeo killed Paris / Juliet killed herself / Romeo crashed Capulet's party / Romeo and Juliet married against their parent's wishes / Sampson bit his thumb at Abraham / Tybalt picked a fight with Rome |
Lessons for Learning
The following is a compilation of lesson units
derived from the Ontario English Curriculum Profile (Grade Ten, Advanced and
Applied) and the authors’ original material. Where necessary, these units have
been condensed with the complete versions available on the sites referred in
each section. The lessons’ grade level focus is grade ten applied and
academic; however, teachers can adapt these lessons to suit the requirements of
the senior grades (11-0AC) as well.
Unit 4: Interactions
Time:
26 hours
… If possible, students could attend a live
performance of the play.
Subtask
Planning Notes
The questions developed for this subtask focus on interactions among
characters; they
The teacher should choose readers for the characters in each scene prior
to the class so that students have time to rehearse their parts for homework.
1.
The teacher begins Act One, Scene One by suggesting that the scene
introduces important elements in the play: love, violence, different kinds of
relationships.
2.
Students read the scene aloud.
3.
The teacher leads a class discussion about the initial portrayal of
Romeo, Tybalt, and the Capulets in this scene.
4.
The teacher reviews the structure of a unified paragraph before assigning
the questions that are part of the guided reading. [Topic sentence, use of
evidence to support topic, concluding sentence.] Questions about character for
this scene:
a)
What is your first impression of Romeo, Tybalt, and the Capulets in this scene?
Use evidence from the scene to support your ideas.
b)
What relationships involving Romeo are apparent in this scene?
c)
What elements of love and violence have been established in this scene?
The
teacher may take these up orally or ask for them to be handed in to check
reading comprehension and paragraph structure.
1.
As a pre-reading activity, students analyse the pros and cons of arranged
marriages. The teacher explains to the class that arranged marriages were common
at the time of the play and the practice of arranged marriages has continued in
some cultures.
2.
After students read the scene aloud, the teacher reviews Lord Capulet’s
relationship with Juliet.
1.
The teacher presents the lesson on Stage direction terms. [See BLM
1.2-5.]
2.
The teacher explains the tradition of the wet nurse as a prelude to
understanding the relationship between Juliet and her two “mothers”.
3.
After reading the scene aloud, students analyse the two parent/teen
relationships in written answers:
a)
Who is the real “mother”, the Nurse or Lady Capulet? Use evidence from the
scene to support your opinion.
b)
What qualities make the Nurse a likeable character for an audience?
c)
What is your first impression of Juliet?
d)
How extensive is her web of relationships compared to Romeo’s?
4.
The teacher leads a class discussion to enable students to share their
answers to the questions.
Description
Students
demonstrate their understanding of the characters and the relationships in the
play by dramatizing key scenes in Acts Three, Four, and Five. They enhance their
presentation through skilful use of voice, movement, and gesture.
1.
The teacher informs students that they will be dramatizing and analysing
the second half of the play.
2.
The teacher organizes groups of students to match the characters in the
scenes chosen for dramatization: Act Three, Scene One; Act Three, Scene Five;
Act Four, Scene One; Act Four, Scene Five; Act Five, Scene Three.
3.
The teacher gives the students a copy of the Rubric for Dramatization of
a Scene and explains it to emphasize the skills that will be demonstrated in
their dramatization. [See BLM 4.2-2 – Rubric for Dramatization of a Scene.]
The teacher also gives students a copy of the assignment sheets for dramatizing
and for analysing their scene and explains the requirements of these
assignments. [See BLM 4.4-1 – Assignment for Dramatization
4.
Groups of students read their scene over several times to better
understand it. For homework, students practice reading their lines.
5.
In the next class, the teacher conducts a mini-lesson on the use of voice
by demonstrating reading a line with different emotions. Students in groups
explore the use of voice by interpreting a speech, selected by the teacher, with
different emotional colorations: angrily, sadly, wistfully, aggressively,
fearfully. (The Prince’s last speech is
6.
Students rehearse their scene with particular attention to the use of
voice to interpret a character’s emotions.
7.
At the beginning of the next class, the teacher reviews the importance of
stage directions and explains how to “block” a scene, using a diagram of a
stage, and tracking the movement of the actors using codes and numbers. The
teacher emphasizes the importance of avoiding a straight line of readers on
stage. The teacher also reviews tableaux and asks the groups to concentrate on
blocking their scene and developing three tableaux (or “frozen pictures”):
the opening of their scene, the middle, and the ending. Students rehearse their
scene. Near the end of the class, students present three tableaux for the
teacher: the opening, an appropriate tableau from the middle of the scene, and
the ending. The teacher makes positive suggestions for improving these tableaux.
8.
Students rehearse for two more classes. They might consider costumes and
props to enhance their scene.
9.
The teacher leads the class through a study of the rest of the play,
using the dramatized scenes and the oral presentations of their analysis to
enhance students’ understanding. Other scenes may be read aloud in class or
may be viewed on a VCR, using a filmed version of the play. The teacher keeps
the main emphasis on character and interactions among the characters.
10.
The teacher uses the Rubric for Dramatization of a Scene to assess the students
performances of a scene from Romeo and Juliet.
2. English, Grade 10, Applied - Unit 4: Interactions - Time: 25
hours
Description
In
this unit, students analyse a variety of relationships in literature and in
their lives. They read widely in newspapers and magazines and conduct interviews
to assess relationships. They write a personal response about relationships and
produce a pamphlet for possible use in a Guidance Centre. In literature, they
analyse relationships in short stories, using well-constructed paragraph
answers, and write a multi-paragraph letter of advice to a character. They view
a film of the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet and write personal responses,
expressing their opinion about relationships in the film. In the culminating
activity, students role-play characters from literature and the media in a
Rubric
for Dramatization of a Scene
|
Expectations
Focus |
Category |
Level
1 50-59% |
Level
2 60-69% |
Level
3 70-79% |
Level
4 80-100% |
|
Knowledge/ LIV.01D |
main character |
reflects limited understanding of the character |
reflects an understanding of main elements of the character |
interprets the character and situation with considerable accuracy |
shows insightful understanding of the situation and the character |
|
Thinking/ LI1.05D |
interpretation of situation and
relationships with other characters |
reflects limited understanding of situation or minor characters |
acts and interacts with other characters with some consistency |
acts and interacts with other characters with consistency |
conveys an understanding of the motives of other characters and the
context within which they act |
|
Communication LGV.02D |
audience/ |
communicates with limited sense of audience and purpose |
shows an awareness of audience with voice, position, movement |
shows a connection with the audience through use of voice, position,
movement |
feeds off the situation and the audience in a skilful, sensitive manner |
|
Application LGV.01D |
voice/ |
uses voice and body movements with limited skills, inaudible voice,
little movement |
supports interpretation of the character with an audible voice and some
characteristic action |
varies pitch, tone and volume to reflect interpretation of the
character, gestures and action are appropriate |
uses pitch, tone, pacing and volume to skillfully render the character;
gestures and action reflect and complement an insightful view of the
character |