Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

“For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”

Students analyze how Shakespeare unfolds a tragedy and tells a story of fate, love, beauty, and identity. They also analyze Shakespeare’s craft and how he uses the structure of the text and elements of classical tragedy to refine central ideas, advance the plot, and create effects such as tension.

Calendar

Lesson
Text
Learning Outcomes/Goals
1 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Prologue Students begin their study of Romeo and Juliet by reading the 14-line Prologue in which the Chorus introduces the events of the play. Students begin to acquaint themselves with Shakespeare’s language and explore how his specific word choices create tone.
2 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 1.1: lines 158–202 Students read Act 1.1 lines 158–202, in which Romeo tells Benvolio that he is in love with someone who does not love him in return, and analyze how Shakespeare introduces Romeo in this scene. Prior to reading, students view a clip of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, which introduces major characters and depicts the violence between the Montagues and the Capulets.
3 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 1.1: lines 203–236 Students read Act 1.1 lines 203–236, in which Romeo reveals that his love interest does not return his feelings. Students analyze how Shakespeare develops a central idea using figurative language.
4 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 1.3: lines 64–100 Students read Act 1.3 lines 64–100, in which Juliet and her mother discuss Paris’s proposal of marriage. Prior to reading, students watch a clip of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet in which Benvolio persuades Romeo to go with him to the Capulet ball to see Rosaline. Students analyze how Shakespeare develops Juliet’s character through her interactions with her mother.
5 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 1.5: lines 92–109 Students analyze Shakespeare’s use of figurative language in lines 92–109, in which Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time, engage in flirtatious dialogue, and eventually kiss. Students analyze Shakespeare’s use of figurative language in this portion of text. Prior to reading, students watch a clip from Romeo + Juliet directed by Baz Luhrmann.
6 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 2.2: lines 1–61 Students read Act 2.2, lines 1–61, in which both Romeo and Juliet perform soliloquies. Students explore the effect of Shakespeare’s structural choices in these lines, as well as consider how he develops the central idea of individual identity versus group identification.
7 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 2.2: lines 62–141 Students read Act 2.2, lines 62–141. In these lines, Romeo and Juliet declare their love for each other, despite Juliet’s protests that “[i]t is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden” (line 118). Students analyze how Shakespeare uses the dialogue between Romeo and Juliet to develop a central idea.
8 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare In this lesson, the Mid-Unit Assessment, students craft a formal, multi-paragraph response to the following prompt: How does Shakespeare’s development of the characters of Romeo and Juliet refine a central idea in the play?
9 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 3.1: lines 59–110 Student pairs read Act 3.1, lines 59–110, in which Tybalt kills Mercutio, and analyze how Shakespeare develops Romeo’s character through his interactions with Tybalt and Mercutio. Prior to reading, students view a clip of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet that depicts the marriage of Romeo and Juliet.
10 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 3.1: lines 111–138 Students read Act 3.1, lines 111–138, in which Romeo kills Tybalt, and analyze how the excerpt develops a central idea of fate. At the end of the lesson, students view a clip of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet in which the Prince banishes Romeo from Verona as punishment for killing Tybalt.
11 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 3.2: lines 1–31 Students read and analyze Juliet’s soliloquy in Act 3.2, lines 1–31, in which Juliet expresses how eager she is for Romeo’s arrival. Students analyze the effects of Shakespeare’s structural choices in this scene.
12 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 3.2: lines 1–31 Students analyze how artists treat the same subject in different media. Building on their understanding of Act 3.2, lines 1–31, students analyze how the artist Marc Chagall treats the same subject in his painting, “Romeo and Juliet.” Next, students consider Baz Lurhmann’s cinematic treatment of the same scene in his film, Romeo + Juliet.
13 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 3.3: lines 1–70 Students read Act 3.3, lines 1–70, in which Friar Laurence tells Romeo that Romeo has been banished from Verona, and Romeo describes how living in exile, apart from Juliet, would be torture. Students analyze the cumulative impact of Shakespeare’s word choices on the development of Romeo’s character.
14 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 4.1: lines 44–88 Students read Act 4.1, lines 44­–88, in which Juliet tells Friar Laurence that she will kill herself to avoid marrying Paris, and Friar Laurence suggests a plan to save Juliet from the marriage. Students analyze how Shakespeare develops Juliet’s character through her interactions with Friar Laurence. Students also view a clip of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet in which Juliet quarrels with her parents because she does not want to marry Paris.
15 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 4.1: lines 89–126 Students read Act 4.1, lines 89–126, in which Friar Laurence explains his plan for Juliet to avoid marrying Paris so that she can be with Romeo instead. Students analyze how the plan advances the plot and write an objective summary of the excerpt for the lesson assessment.
16 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 5.3: lines 88­–120 Students read Act 5.3, lines 88­–120, in which Romeo drinks a fatal poison in Juliet’s tomb, and analyze how central ideas are developed and refined in this excerpt. Students also view a clip of Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet in which Romeo purchases a vial of poison from the Apothecary and Friar Laurence learns that Romeo never received his letter about the plan to fake Juliet’s death.
17 Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Act 5.3: lines 139–170 Students read Act 5.3, lines 139–170, in which Juliet wakes up, learns from Friar Laurence about Romeo’s death, and then kills herself with Romeo’s dagger. Throughout their reading, students explore a central idea of fate before participating in an assessed discussion on the following prompt: Who or what is responsible for Juliet’s death? Students assess their own contributions to the discussion and complete an Exit Slip that asks them to compare their ideas before and after the discussion and analyze the arguments and evidence that changed or confirmed their thinking.