Romeo and Juliet

  1. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
  2. Defining Tragedy
  3. Writing the rules of tragedy
  4. NGRT Test
  5. Reading the prologue
  6. The Play Begins
  7. Montagues vs Capulets
  8. Thinking about violence
  9. Reading Respite
  10. Meeting Romeo
  11. Writing about Romeo
  12. Writing about Romeo, continued
  13. Reviewing the Plot
  14. Meeting the Capulets
  15. Considering Fatherhood
  16. Meeting Juliet
  17. At the party
  18. The Aftermath
  19. Meeting in Secret
  20. By Any Other Name
  21. Writing Coursework
  22. Quotation Hunting
  23. Juliet: a typical girl?
  24. Juliet's timeline
  25. To the end
  26. Language of Despair
  27. Making Introductions
  28. Being critical
  29. Quote Explosion

↧

The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet

LO: To consider what Tragedy means in Drama, and what we can infer

Write down three words you associate with the word Tragedy. What does it make you think of?

Is this 🔽 the right usage of the word? What does it tell you about the person using it?

“It is a tragedy that England has not won a World Cup since 1966.”

Genres

In 2024, Netflix has more than 27,000 genres of film and TV available to watch.

But Shakespeare's audiences in 1600 only had three genres to choose from.

Why?

With your partner, brainstorm why you think there were only three genres of play in Shakespeare's time.

The Three Genres of Play

Based on the names of the genres, and the emoji clues, what would you expect to see in each type of play?

The mood, what the audience should feel, what happens to the characters etc...

COMEDY HISTORY TRAGEDY
👰‍♀️ 👑 🗡️

Copy down the boxes, adding your ideas. (Save Tragedy for later!)

Research and add examples of each genre

COMEDY

  • Mood: lighthearted
  • Audience should: laugh
  • The protagonist: gets married

HISTORY

  • Mood: serious
  • Audience should: cheer
  • The protagonist: becomes king

TRAGEDY

  • Mood: ?????
  • Audience should: ????
  • The protagonist: ?????

Defining Tragedy

Below are summaries of some Shakespeare plays. Which genre do you think each of these plays falls into?

Can you guess which play each line refers to?
  1. Star-crossed lovers, feuding families, sad end.
  2. Heir to throne becomes heroic king, conquers France.
  3. Mistaken identities, hilarious mix-ups, eventual reconciliation.
  4. Prince seeks vengeance, family conflicts, many perish.
  5. Aging king divides kingdom, family discord, heartbreaking downfall.
  6. Shipwrecked sorcerer, magical island, reconciliation and restoration.
  7. Cunning royal seizes throne, ruthless actions, new monarch defeats him.

Writing the rules of tragedy

Based on what we know so far, write three rules for a TRAGEDY:
A tragedy must...
1)........... 2).................. 3)...................

Do the same for COMEDY or HISTORY

Etymology Exploration

τραγῳδός

            |
            |
            |
            |
            V

TRAGEDY

Meet Aristotle, the father of Drama

  • Lived in Ancient Greece, in the 4th Century BC (nearly 2000 years before Shakespeare)
  • Wrote widely on philosophy, science and literature
  • Invented theories for what good stories and drama should look like
  • Shakespeare would have studied his philosophy and plays at school

take notes!

Aristotle's Rules (from The Poetics)

A tragedy, then, should be:

  • an imitation of events that are serious, complete, and of a certain magnitude;
  • in the form of action, not of narrative;
  • able to create feelings of pity and fear in the audience.
  • an exploration of a character's shocking reversal of fortune

Using the information above, add to the TRAGEDY section of your table from last lesson.

PLENARY: Making predictions


If our play this term is called The Tragedy of Romeo & Juliet, what do we expect to see in it?

learn.maxbruges.com

NGRT Test

  1. Get your login code: GET MY CODE

  2. Go to TestWise TESTWISE

  3. Don't start the test til I say! Wait where it says

Welcome Firstname Lastname 👋

Reading the prologue

LO: to consider how Shakespeare opens the play

In your own words, define what a good tragedy should include (according to Aristotle)

How has the definition changed in the modern era?

To access today's activities, open your device and go to...

live.mxb.fyi

Pre-learning keywords

complete each of these Hangman puzzles; write down the word, definition and an example sentence into your grid

Pick two words to illustrate
# Word Definition Example sentence
1
2
3
4
5

The Play Begins

Finish your table of definitions and examples from last lesson.

Word Definition Example sentence
DIGNITY
GRUDGE
MUTINY
STRIFE
PROLOGUE

Does knowing the ending of a tragedy make it less interesting?

HOUSEHOLD (noun) large, extended family group

What's a prologue?

  • In Shakespeare's time, plays often began with a short speech called a prologue
  • This speech was spoken directly to the audience
  • It usually explained the setting and some of the plot of the play

Why do you think playwrights like Shakespeare included prologues at the beginning of their plays?

"In Fair Verona"

  • City in Italy
Two households, both alike in dignity,​
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,​
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,​
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.​
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes​
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;​
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows​
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.​
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,​
And the continuance of their parents' rage,​
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,​
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;​
The which if you with patient ears attend,​
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.​

Two households, both alike in dignity,​
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,​
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,​
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.​
From forth the fatal loins of these two foes​
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;​
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows​
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.​
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,​
And the continuance of their parents' rage,​
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,​
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;​
The which if you with patient ears attend,​
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.​

Summarising

Write a short paragraph explaining what the prologue tells us. Try to cover all these points:

  • Where is the play taking place?
  • What's been going on before the play starts?
  • What will happen to the 'star-crossed lovers' at the end?
  • How long will the play take?

In the prologue, Shakespeare tells us...

What do you predict the first scene of the play will show? Why?

Montagues vs Capulets

LO: to consider the opening scene of the play

What should the opening scene of a play do? How should it effect the audience?

What's the best opening to a film that you can remember?

Knowledge Check

Write full sentence answers to each of these questions

  1. What is a prologue?
  2. List three plot points we learn from Romeo and Juliet's prologue?
  3. What does the term 'grudge' mean?
  4. What does the term 'mutiny' mean?
  5. What does the term 'strife' mean?

What did Aristotle say a tragedy must have?

Montagues ⚔️ Capulets

“Two Households, alike in dignity...”

Start making a list of characters from the Families

Montagues

Romeo
Abraham
Balthasar
Benvolio

Capulets

Juliet
Sampson
Gregory
Tybalt

SCENE I. On the street, A public place.

Enter Sampson and Gregory armed with swords and bucklers.
...
Enter Abraham and Balthasar

ABRAHAM: Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?  
SAMPSON: I do bite my thumb, sir.  
ABRAHAM: Do you bite your thumb at us, sir?  
SAMPSON: [Aside to GREGORY] Is the law of our side, if I say ay?  
GREGORY: No.  
SAMPSON: No, sir, I do not bite my thumb at you, sir, but I bite my thumb, sir.  
GREGORY: Do you quarrel, sir?  
ABRAHAM: Quarrel sir! no, sir.  
SAMPSON: If you do, sir, I am for you: I serve as good a man as you.  
ABRAHAM: No better.  
SAMPSON: Well, sir.  
GREGORY: Say 'better:' here comes one of my master's kinsmen.  
SAMPSON: Yes, better, sir.  
ABRAHAM: You lie.  
SAMPSON: Draw, if you be men. Gregory, remember thy swashing blow.  
They fight 

Enter BENVOLIO  
BENVOLIO: Part, fools! Put up your swords; you know not what you do.  
Beats down their swords. 
Enter TYBALT  
TYBALT: What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds?   
Turn thee, Benvolio, look upon thy death.  
BENVOLIO: I do but keep the peace: put up thy sword,   
Or manage it to part these men with me.  
TYBALT: What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,   
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee: 
Have at thee, coward!  
They fight

Reading the scene

  1. What is happening in this scene?
  2. What is Benvolio's reaction to the fight? What is Tybalt's?
    How is their reaction different and what does this say about their characters?
  3. Underline all examples of repetition between Abraham, Sampson and Gregory. Why do you think this repetition has been used? What is the effect?
  4. How do you think an audience in Shakespeare's time would react to this scene? Is this different to how we would react? Explain.

Thinking about violence

LO: to consider the opening of the play

Is violence ever justified? Does it ever produce a good outcome?

Animals including as ants and chimpanzees often 'go to war'. Does that make violence better, or more understandable?

Act 1, Scene 1

Pick (atleast) 4 questions from the below and answer them, writing about the scene we read last lesson.

  1. Create a title for the scene, and explain your choice.
  2. Transform what we have just read into a small symbol.
  3. Sum up the extract in three words and explain your choices.
  4. What questions does this scene raise? Write 4.
  5. Summarise what happens in this extract in five sentences.
  6. This is a play about love; why is this opening surprising?
  7. Pick a quote from the extract that shows masculinity. Explain.
  8. Pick a quote from the extract that shows violence. Explain.

Homework: context of violence

Read the article I've uploaded to Teams and complete the questions that are attached to it.

Homework 📄

Reading Respite

Take your reading book out of your bag, and start reading.

Don't have a book? Go to here and download one

maxbruges.com/experiments/open-library

Reading for 20 minutes a day, every day, will help you build your vocabulary and become a more confident English student.
You can read...

  • 5,000 words in 20 minutes
  • 35,000 words a week
  • nearly 2 million words a year!

The Science of Reading

Meeting Romeo

LO: To consider what sort of person Romeo is

Re-read the scene from last week. Who's more enthusiastic about the fighting? How can you tell?

Write a letter from either Benvolio or Tybalt to the Prince of the city, explaining their actions.

Breaking up the fight

The Prince is the leader of the city, and in charge of keeping it peaceful.

PRINCE: 
Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, 
Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel, -- 
Will they not hear? What, ho! you men, you beasts, 
That quench the fire of your rage 
With purple fountains issuing from your veins, 
On pain of torture, from those bloody hands 
Throw your mistemper'd weapons to the ground, 
And hear the sentence of your moved prince.
[...] 
If ever you disturb our streets again, 
Your lives shall pay the forfeit of the peace.

  1. What is the punishment if the Capulets and Montagues are caught fighting again?
  2. Which three words this speech which suggest violence. What is the Prince's opinion of the Capulets and Montagues?
  3. How does the punctuation used in the speech help emphasise his anger?

Meeting Romeo

We're going to read the scene that introduces Romeo.

Draw this table into your books to keep track of key information

🗣️ He's saying 💭 He's thinking... 💔 He's feeling...
...
...
...

Enter Romeo

Writing about Romeo

LO: To consider how we can analyse the language used by Shakespeare

Which four words used by Romeo show his emotions the most in this scene?

Make sure these are highlighted and annotated on your printed copy of the scene (which you have definitely stuck in)

This is a city where men fight each other in the streets over honour. Do you think Romeo is more similar or less similar to the other men? Why?

Noting down our ideas

Use a mind map and with your partner write down all the emotions Romeo is showing here.

           \____________/
           |            |
           | ROMEO is...|
           |____________|
            /           \

Add quotations to each one

Zooming in

ROMEO:
O brawling love! O loving hate!
O anything, of nothing first create!
O heavy lightness! serious vanity!
Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms!
Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health!
Still-waking sleep, that is not what it is!

Writing about Romeo, continued

LO: To consider how we can analyse the language used by Shakespeare

Re-read Romeo's first the scene. Do you think we are supposed to like him?

Now, write your OWN paragraph

How does Shakespeare use language to convey Romeo's emotions in this scene?

  • Point: What emotion can we see?
  • Evidence: What quote tells us this?
  • Explain: How do the words in this quote show the emotion?

Try to write a second paragraph, about a different quote


POINT In this scene, Shakespeare presents Romeo as negative and hopeless with conflicting emotions.
EVIDENCE We can see this in his use of the oxymoron "cold fire".
EXPLAIN The use of an oxymoron suggests Romeo is feeling conflicted and confused. The noun "fire" has connotations of destruction, suggesting that Romeo thinks the love is dangerous. Furthermore the adjective "cold" suggests that this love brings no comfort to Romeo.

Reviewing the Plot

LO: To consider our understanding of what happens in the play

Based on what we read on Friday, summarise the story of the play in two sentences

Where would you set the play if you were writing it today? Which city/country? Why?

Finishing off

Complete the tasks from Friday's lesson if you haven't already

Tackle another one of the Challenges on the sheet.

The worksheet (on Teams) 📃

Would Aristotle agree that this is a tragedy? Does it break any of his rules?

Meeting the Capulets

“You should always obey your father, whatever he says.”

How much do you agree with this sentence? Is it always right?

Write your own sentence of advice for children

Life for women in the time of Shakespeare

In Elizabethan times women belonged to their fathers (or their brothers if their father died), and then to their husbands. Women could not own property of their own. This is one of the reasons Queen Elizabeth I never married – she did not want to give up her power to a man.​
Women were allowed to marry from the age of 12 in Shakespeare’s time, but often only women from wealthy families would marry so young. In the play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is 13, but her mother says by that age she was already married with a child. Many marriages were arranged for the good of the family and small children might be ‘betrothed’ to each other in order to join the families together before they were old enough to get married. Many women did not marry until their mid-20s. Men had to be able to support a household when they married.​
Women were not allowed on the stage. All the female parts in plays at the time were played by boys whose voices hadn’t broken yet – the apprentices. In several of the plays the female characters disguise themselves as men – so the audience would have seen a man pretending to be a woman pretending to be a man. This happens in Twelfth Night, As You Like It and The Merchant of Venice.​

Summarise this information in four bulletpoints
How much has this changed?

Juliet's Father

Based on what we know about men and women in Elizabethan times, what predictions can you make about Juliet's father, Capulet?
"I would expect Juliet's father to be..."

Do the same for Paris: 'a young Nobleman, and a cousin to the Prince of Verona.'
"Paris would be..."

CAPULET: My child is yet a stranger in the world,
She hath not seen the change of fourteen years;
Let two more summers wither in their pride
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.

PARIS: Younger than she are happy mothers made.

CAPULET: And too soon marr’d are those so early made.
The earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she,
She is the hopeful lady of my earth:
But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
My will to her consent is but a part;
And she agree, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.

What are they agreeing to?

Considering Fatherhood

LO: To look more closely at the character of Lord Capulet

Why should Lord Capulet make Juliet marry Paris? Why shouldn't he?
Write two sentences for each option

Juliet is going to be 14 - should she be allowed to be involved in this conversation?

PATRIACHY

What is Patriachy?

            P A T R I A R C H Y

  • Based on this, what do you think matriachy means?

Annotating the scene

CAPULET: My child is yet a stranger in the world,
She hath not seen the change of fourteen years;
Let two more summers wither in their pride
Ere we may think her ripe to be a bride.

PARIS: Younger than she are happy mothers made.

CAPULET: And too soon marr’d are those so early made.
The earth hath swallowed all my hopes but she,
She is the hopeful lady of my earth:
But woo her, gentle Paris, get her heart,
My will to her consent is but a part;
And she agree, within her scope of choice
Lies my consent and fair according voice.
This night I hold an old accustom'd feast,
Whereto I have invited many a guest,
Such as I love; and you, among the store,
One more, most welcome, makes my number more....

Answer the questions on the sheet

  1. What does Capulet think about Juliet?
  2. What has happened to his other children? How does that change his attitude towards Juliet?
  3. How much say does Juliet have in the marriage? What does that tell you about their society?
  4. Why do you think he is hosting a party (feast) and wants Paris there?

How is Capulet's behaviour patriarchal?

Plenary: Summarising Lord Capulet

What are your first impressions of Capulet as a father?​ Write a paragraph; you can use the sentences below to start off.

Capulet is someone who appears to feel....... about his daughter.
When Paris asks if Capulet has considered his proposal, Capulet responds that Juliet .....which would suggest he thinks ......
We can also see this when he says....
Capulet’s plans for Juliet mirror Elizabethan beliefs around marriage because......

Meeting Juliet

LO: To consider how Shakespeare introduces the character of Juliet

What were women expected to do and behave like in this time?

Are you more sympathetic to Lord Capulet now than when we started?

What we expect

Add some ideas to this mind map, thinking about how we expect Juliet to be and behave.

contain

How will she behave with her parents?

Reading Scene 3

[Enter Lady Capulet and Nurse.]

LADY CAPULET: Nurse, where’s my daughter? Call her forth to me.

NURSE: Now, by my maidenhead, at twelve year old,
I bade her come. What, lamb! What ladybird!
God forbid! Where’s this girl? What, Juliet!

[Enter Juliet.]

JULIET: How now, who calls?

NURSE: Your mother.

JULIET: Madam, I am here. What is your will?

LADY CAPULET: This is the matter. Nurse, give leave awhile,
We must talk in secret. Nurse, come back again,
I have remember’d me, thou’s hear our counsel.

At the party

LO: To consider how Shakespeare uses language to show Romeo attraction to Juliet

Finish the sentences below, summarising what we learnt about Juliet yesterday. Try to include the keyword from yesterday!

In Scene 3, Shakespeare presents Juliet as being....
We can see this when Shakespeare uses the phrase....
She is also presented as....

Keyword clue 🔑

What do we learn about Lady Capulet? Add two sentences looking at how she is presented

At the party

  • Lord Capulet is hosting a party for his family's friends
  • Juliet will be introduced to Paris at this party
  • Romeo and his friends have secretly entered the party

What would each character be feeling in this scene, and why?

  • 👧 "Juliet feels..... because...."
  • 🤴 "Lord Capulet feels..... because...."
  • 💁‍♂️ "Romeo feels..... because...."

Pick one of the characters and write a short direction for an actor playing the role

Language of love

Which of these images would make the best simile for something beautiful? Why? Discuss with your partner, then write down your choice

jewel 💎 torch 🔥 dove 🕊️

“Beauty is like a..., because it...”

Write your own simile or metaphor

Love at first sight?

Start our annotation by finding the images Romeo uses to describe Juliet 🕊️ 💎 🔥

ROMEO: O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear;
Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!
So shows a snowy dove trooping with crows
As yonder lady o’er her fellows shows.
The measure done, I’ll watch her place of stand,
And touching hers, make blessed my rude hand.
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night.

Writing up our paragraphs

  • Point
  • Evidence
  • Analysis
  • Explanation

The Aftermath

LO: To consider how the characters react to the first meeting

Read the lines below, where Romeo and Juliet react to finding out who the other is. Can you summarise their emotions? Why do they feel like this?

ROMEO: Is she a Capulet?
O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt.

JULIET: My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathed enemy.

What happened?

Put these events in order and copy them down into your books. You can read the scene here.

Tybalt threatens to kill Romeo

Romeo & Juliet realise who their families are

Lord Capulet hosts a party

Juliet and Romeo kiss

Romeo flees the party

Romeo sneaks into the party

Romeo spots Juliet

The Morning After

Pick one of the characters below, and write a diary entry for the day after the party

Lord Capulet 🤴

Romeo 🙋‍♂️

Juliet 👩‍🦰

Tybalt ⚔️

(Juliet's cousin, hates Romeo)

Include quotes from the play itself!

Meeting in Secret

LO: To consider how Shakespeare presents the development of Romeo and Juliet's relationship

Summarise what happened at Lord Capulet's party

What should Romeo do now?

In the garden

After the party, Romeo is desperate to see Juliet again.

He sneaks into the garden of the Capulets' mansion, and hides beneath the balcony of Juliet's room.

MERCUTIO and BENVOLIO see him jump into the garden.

BENVOLIO: he hath hid himself among these trees
To be consorted with the humorous night.
Blind is his love, and best befits the dark.

Why do they think it is a bad idea for Romeo to do this? What are they worried about?

Juliet appears

Juliet appears above at a window.
ROMEO: What light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!

Copy down the quote from Romeo.
Then: What is Romeo comparing Juliet to? Why? What does that tell us about his feelings for her?

How does this compare to his discussion of love in Scene 1?

Thinking structurally

Shakespeare's made some interesting choices in this scene.

Discuss with your partner, and write down why you think he's done each of these things:

“I think Shakespeare done this to... because... perhaps...”

  1. Shown Romeo by himself first
  2. Kept Romeo hidden from Juliet
  3. Set the scene outside in the garden
  4. Put Juliet up on a balcony and Romeo down below her
  5. Let the characters meet alone and away from anyone else

By Any Other Name

LO: To consider how Shakespeare explores ideas of identity

What does your name tell people about you? What can they guess based just on what you're called?

If you could have a different name, which one would you choose? Why?

📷 by Kelly Sikkema

All in a name

With your partner, discuss each of these questions and write down an answer.

  1. On a scale of 1-10, how important do you think a name is?
  2. Explain your decision. Why do you think names are important or unimportant?
  3. Do you think you can tell a lot about someone you have never met based on their name? Is it ever right to pre-judge?
  4. Can you hate someone based on their name?

Reading the scene

JULIET: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

ROMEO: [Aside.] Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?

JULIET: ’Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
What’s Montague? It is nor hand nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O be some other name.
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
Retain that dear perfection which he owes
Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
And for thy name, which is no part of thee,
Take all myself.
  1. Highlight ALL the names you can find in this extract (forenames and surnames).
  2. According to Juliet, what will it take for her to refuse her name as a Capulet?
  3. According to Juliet, what is a Montague NOT?
  4. 'That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet' - What is Juliet saying about names here?
  5. Juliet says, Romeo, doff thy name'. She is asking him to lose his name. Does Juliet think names are important or unimportant? Why?

How are names seen as controlling here?

Writing Coursework

LO: To understand how longer essays can be structured

Who do you think is more to blame for what happens, Juliet or Romeo? Why?

Would an audience in Shakespeare's time have agreed with you?

How does Shakespeare use Juliet to present life for women in Elizabethan society?

Copy down this questions and highlight any words you're not sure about.

What do we know already?

Create a mindmap, noting down everything we know about women in Shakespeare's time (look back in your books!).

Life for women

Things to think about:

  • Family
  • Marriage
  • Work

What do we know already?

Now, create another mindmap noting down everything we know about Juliet

Juliet is..

Quotation Hunting

LO: to consider what evidence we need to understand the character of Juliet

Which five adjectives would you use to describe Juliet?

Are there any that you would ALSO use to describe Romeo? Why?

Plot summary

In the city of ______, two noble families, the ______ and the ______, have been feuding for many years. Despite this bitter rivalry, young ______ of the Montague family falls in love with ______, a Capulet. They meet at a ______ hosted by Juliet’s family and, realising their love is forbidden, secretly marry with the help of ______.
However, trouble arises when Juliet’s cousin, ______, challenges Romeo to a duel. Romeo refuses, but his best friend, ______, fights instead and is killed. Enraged, Romeo ______ Tybalt and is banished from ______. Meanwhile, Juliet’s father insists she marry ______, but she devises a plan with the help of the Friar. She drinks a special ______ that makes her appear dead.
Romeo, not knowing about the plan, believes Juliet is truly gone. He buys a deadly ______ and goes to her tomb, where he encounters ______. After killing him, Romeo takes the poison and dies beside Juliet. When she awakens and sees Romeo dead, she takes his ______ and ends her own life. Their tragic fate finally brings ______ between the feuding families.

Evidence for attributes

Juliet is... We see this in the quote....
🙇‍♀️ Obedient
🥰 Loving
👶 Childish
🤨 Uncertain
👗 Formal
❤️ Romantic

Add quotes for additional adjectives you selected

the play 📖

Juliet: a typical girl?

LO: To think about how an Elizabethan would see Juliet

How do you think your life is different from your great-grandparents' lives? Write down six major differences

Do you think people are generally happier now than 100 years ago?

Elizabethan - (adj) the era in English history of Queen Elizabeth I's reign, 1558-1603

Why does context matter?

Think back to when we studied dystopian fiction, and we learnt about the context of George Orwell's life.

With your partner, brainstorm all the ways that knowing context can help us understand a book

Context can...

List all the different sorts of information we talk about when thinking of context

Life for Elizabethan women

Access the worksheet 📝

Plenary

How is Juliet different from other girls of her age at that time?

Would an audience have sympathised more with Juliet or her father, Lord Capulet? Why?

Juliet's timeline

Finish these sentences

“At the start of the play, Juliet is presented as being....."
"However, but the end of the play, she is...”

Can you write an alternative assessment of her character?

Juliet's timeline

In your book, write a timeline of the key moments in Juliet's story.
For each moment:

  • copy a quote of something she says
  • summarise what is happening
  • explain the emotion Shakespeare wants us to feel.

👩‍⚕️ ----> 👩‍❤️‍💋‍👨 ---> 😱 ---> ⛲️ ---> ⚔️ ---> 👰‍♀️ ---> 🧪 ---> 🪦

Which is the most important moment for Juliet? Why? Explain in a paragraph with quotations from the scene.

To the end

LO: To consider how Shakespeare presents Juliet's final scene

Finish the timeline from last lesson, if you haven't already

Which is the most important moment for Juliet? Why? Explain in a paragraph with quotations from the scene.

In the tomb

Copy these events into your book in the right order (you might need to re-read Act 5, Scene 3)

  • Juliet buys the potion to fake death
  • Romeo drinks the poison
  • Juliet dies
  • Romeo dies
  • Romeo goes to the tomb
  • Juliet is placed in the tomb
  • Romeo finds out about Juliet's 'death'
  • Romeo buys poison to kill himself
  • Juliet wakes up

Language of Despair

LO: to consider the language used by Shakespeare in the scene

Is it inevitable that the play would end the way it does? Use the word tragedy in your answer

Rewrite the ending so that it's happy

(a man called Bowlder actually did this!)

JULIET: What’s here? A cup clos’d in my true love’s hand?
Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end.
O churl. Drink all, and left no friendly drop
To help me after? I will kiss thy lips.
Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,
To make me die with a restorative.
[Kisses him.] Thy lips are warm! [shouting off-stage]
Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger.
[Snatching Romeo’s dagger.]
This is thy sheath. [stabs herself] There rest, and let me die.

Act 5, Scene 3

Select one word and explain why it's the most important

Write stage directions for an actress playing Juliet in this scene

Making Introductions

LO: To consider how we can start our coursework essays

What should the first paragraph of an essay do?

How is this different from the first paragraph of a story?

📷 by Nick Morrison

What our essays need to do

When we write our real coursework next year, the exam board will mark us on the following criteria...

  • AO1 Demonstrate a close knowledge and understanding of texts, maintaining a critical style and presenting an informed personal engagement
  • AO2 Analyse the language, form and structure used by a writer to create meanings and effects
  • AO4 Show understanding of the relationships between texts and the contexts in which they were written.

Pearson Edexcul iGCSE English Literature Specification

Put these three Assessment Objectives into your own words

📷 by Nick Morrison

What do we know, what don't we know?

  1. Detailed knowledge of the play
  2. Close analysis of the words and language used
  3. Linking ideas to the historical context of the play

Rate your confidence in each of these three areas, out of 5.

What do you think you need to research or practice more to get all three up to 5 out of 5?

Being critical

LO: to consider how we can address AO1 in the coursework

When is criticism a good thing? How can it help us?

Do you read reviews of films, books, games? Are there any critics you like?

📷 by Aaron Burden

Making arguments

This is the feedback I write most often on GCSE essays:

“Stop re-telling me the story, start telling me what you think!”

You get marks for coming up with an argument, not just for knowing things about the play.

Zooming in on AO1: What does critical mean?

“Demonstrate a close knowledge and understanding of texts, maintaining a critical style and presenting an informed personal engagement”

Paragraph A Paragraph B
In her first scene of the play, Juliet is very polite to her mother and the nurse because she is a well behaved girl. She agrees she will meet Paris and maybe marry him. I think this shows she's a good young woman. In her first scene of the play, Shakespeare presents Juliet as polite and well-behaved towards her mother and nurse. This suggests to the audience that she fits the social expectations of a girl her age in the Elizabethan era.

Write down the four main differences between these paragraphs.

Which one do you think gets more marks, and why?

Paragraph A Paragraph B
In her first scene of the play, Juliet is very polite to her mother and the nurse because she is a well behaved girl. She agrees she will meet Paris and maybe marry him. I think this shows she's a good young woman. In her first scene of the play, Shakespeare presents Juliet as polite and well-behaved towards her mother and nurse. This suggests to the audience that she fits the social expectations of a girl her age in the Elizabethan era.

Writing our own

Write your own version of paragraph B, using this sentence starter:

“At the end of the play, Shakespeare presents Juliet as...”

Quote Explosion

To look closely at the language being used by Shakespeare

What is the play about? What are the big ideas it tries to get across to the audience?

Summarise it for a year 5 student

Q) How does Shakespeare show Juliet's desperation in this scene?

JULIET: What’s here? A cup clos’d in my true love’s hand?
Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end.
O churl. Drink all, and left no friendly drop
To help me after? I will kiss thy lips.
Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,
To make me die with a restorative.
[Kisses him.] Thy lips are warm! [shouting off-stage]
Yea, noise? Then I’ll be brief. O happy dagger.
[Snatching Romeo’s dagger.]
This is thy sheath. [stabs herself] There rest, and let me die.

Act 5, Scene 3