Romeo and Juliet

All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
---W. Shakespeare

Introductory Activities

Essential Questions:

• How is drama different from other literary forms?
• What lessons can be learned from the Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet that apply to our lives today?
• Are Shakespeare's views on love, loyalty, friendship, and fate still relevant today?

Act I: Scenes (1-5)

Focus Question: Are there forces in life over which people have no control ?

Act II: Scenes (1-6)

Focus Question: What is unusual about Juliet's Soliloquy during the balcony scene ?

Act III: Scenes (1-5)

Focus Question: Shakespeare was well-known for his use of "allusions" in his plays.
Why do you think modern writers are making "allusions" to Shakespeare's characters, quotations, and literary work?

Act IV: Scenes (1-5)

Focus Question: How does Shakespeare employ the literary device "comic relief" to ease the tension in the plays mounting tension in Act IV ?

Act V: Scenes (1-3)

Focus Question: How do we define the term "tragedy" as it applies to Romeo and Juliet or literary works in general ?

Miscellanous