Introduction to Romeo and Juliet

Name: __________________________________________  Class: _________

Introduction to Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

In this unit, we will be reading The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, using strategies to comprehend this challenging text, performing the text in different ways, and having in-depth discussions in class. For the final project, you will work in a group to perform a specific scene.

Students’ required tasks and responsibilities:

• come to class prepared with the play
• participate fully and passionately in class activities and discussions; take risks and have fun
• listen closely and take notes during class discussions
• read slowly and carefully; allow extra time when reading the text on your own; if possible, acquire your own copy, print or e-reader, of the Folger edition

1. Initial thoughts - What do you know about Shakespeare so far? Have you read or watched any dramatizations of his works? Which ones?  

2. This play has universal themes that still apply to the world today. Romeo and Juliet are one of the most popular archetypes of star-crossed lovers. Also, the world is filled with allusions to Shakespeare and his work. Begin observing and recording (in notebook or on your blog; include photographs as well) the presence of this great English playwright and specific references to this play. Think of songs, literature, movies, advertisements, etc.  

Ex. In The Hunger Games, Katniss and Peeta are supposed to pretend to be star-crossed lovers in order to survive.

3. Fill in facts about Shakespeare and the play:
1. William Shakespeare’s life/family:

2. His work:

3. Time period:

4. Background on Romeo and Juliet:

5. Shakespeare’s language:

Guide to Reading Shakespeare: follow these 10 strategies

1. Read out loud. Reread several times; each reading will bring new understanding. This is the kind of text you need to read slowly, so put aside enough time to read the play.

2. Read the summaries of the scenes on the left side of the page. I also like to read the glossary of terms before the actual text.

3. Keep track of your understanding by annotating; get your own copy so you can write in it, or use post-its. Write down inferences, questions, connections, discoveries, etc. Include:

• Character conflicts, traits, and feelings
• Favorite quotations from the play
• Questions
• Summaries and reflections of each scene  

4. Know some basics about Shakespearean language and grammar:

1. Basic vocabulary:

Thou = you (subject – comes before the verb); Thee = you (object – comes after the verb); Shall = should Thy = your; ye = informal you Art = are Fair = beautiful Ill = bad

Hath = has; Doth = does Soft = wait a minute; hold on Anon = soon; shortly Ho! = hey! Hark = listen Fie = an explanation of disgust or dismay

b. To make a verb negative, instead of writing "I don't love you", Shakespeare would write "I love you not".

c. He uses a lot of contractions and omits letters, syllables, or entire words to stay within the rhythm of the lines: dimm’d, o’er (over), ‘twixt = betwixt = between; ‘tis = it is; ‘twas = it was; ere = before; sups is a shortened way to say to have supper

d. He adds syllables by adding suffixes: growest

e. Weird sentence structure you will find. He often inverts the order of subject, object, and verb. Rather than subject-verb-object, sentences follow object-subject-verb. This is called inversion. Here are some examples: “From fairest creatures we desire increase” and “or else this glutton be”. The same thing does Yoda from Star Wars: “Judge me by my size, do you?” Why do you think he does this?

5. Be ready for witty puns and word play. Will is quite the Word Wizard.

6. Use context clues to understand unfamiliar words. Also, look up unfamiliar words in a regular or Shakespearean dictionary and/or a thesaurus (in print or online).

o http://www.cummingsstudyguides.net/xArchaisms.html#Glossary

o http://shakespeare.about.com/library/blglossary.htm?terms=glossary

o http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/shakespeare-insults-dictionary.htm

7. Enhance and supplement your understanding of the texts by reading annotations, paraphrases, commentaries, and analysis of the texts online. However, don’t go straight to the cheat sheets; try to figure things out yourself. These should supplement not replace the text you are reading!

Here are some great online resources:

o http://www.nosweatshakespeare.com

o http://shakespeare.about.com/ (includes paraphrases and analyses of sonnets)

o http://www.folger.edu

o http://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare

for sonnets: http://www.shakespeares-sonnets.com/sonnet/index.php

8. Use other guides in print such as Cliffs Notes and No Fear to supplement your understanding; never use these to replace the text.

9. Discuss the text with others. Ask questions. Come to class prepared; listen closely to our discussions and take notes. And when you have to perform a scene, do the work to understand your scene.

10. Have fun!

Prologue of Act 1

The play begins with a prologue which is meant to be presented to the audience by one of the actors. As we read this together, use the guidelines for understanding Shakespeare.

Class Activity:

1. Teacher-directed choral reading of prologue.

2. You will be put into groups and assigned a line from it. Read aloud in your groups, then write a paraphrase of it, what it means in your own words.

3. Create a tableau(tableaux pl.): a still image, a frozen moment or "a photograph". It is created by characters creating a picture or sculpture with their bodies in order to communicate an important idea, feeling, and/or action. There is no dialogue though you should have a narrator or all the characters participate in reciting the line. Create a clear image or moment that represents a central idea or theme of the line you read; practice and perfect it. Think about your audience - what do you want the audience to think, feel, and know? How will you communicate this?

4. Present your tableau to the class.

Features of final tableau:

• correct and complete comprehension of the text
• each person in the group has a role and gets fully into character; group works well together
• the tableau shows a clear image to the audience

Prologue for Act 1

Original

Paraphrase

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-crossed lovers take their life, Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Doth with their death bury their parents' strife. The fearful passage of their death-marked love And the continuance of their parents' rage, Which, but their children’s end, naught 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.

Reflection Questions:

1. Why would Shakespeare choose to begin the play with this prologue?

2. What do you notice about the structure? Why did Shakespeare choose to write in this way?

3. What do you know will happen in the play? What do you still want to know?

For further reading:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/14/shakespeare-words_n_4590819.html