S E R I E S E D I T O R S : W. GEIGER ELLIS, ED.D., UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA, EMERITUS and ARTHEA J. S. REED, PH.D., UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA, RETIRED A T E A C H E R ’ S G U I D E T O T H E S I G N E T C L A S S I C E D I T I O N O F WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE’S ROMEO AND JULIET By ARTHEA J.S. REED, PH .D.
I N T R O D U C T I O N William Shakespeare’sRomeo and Julietis an excellent introduction to Shakespearean drama; teenagers can relate to its plot, characters, and themes. The play’s action is easily understood, the character’s motives are clear, and many of the themes are as current today as they were in Shakespeare’s time. Therefore, it can be read on a variety of levels, allowing all students to enjoy it. Less able readers can experience the swash-buckling action and investigate the themes of parent-child conflict, sexuality, friendship, and suicide. Because of the play’s accessibility to teenagers, able readers can view the play from a more literary perspective, examining the themes of hostility ad its effect on the innocent, the use of deception and its consequences, and the effects of faulty decision making. They can study how the characters function within the drama and how Shakespeare uses language to develop plot, characters, and themes. The most able students can develop skills involved in literary criticism by delving into the play’s comic and tragic elements and its classically tragic themes: the role of fate and fortune, the inevitable nature of tragedy, and the isolation of the tragic hero. This teacher’s guide will be divided into several parts: (1) a brief literary overview, including a synopsis and commentary on the play; (2) suggestions for teaching the play, including activities, discussion questions, and essay topics to be used before, during, and after reading of the play; (3) ideas to extend the students’ learning beyond the play, including ways to address its themes, ideas for teaching literary analysis, techniques for using the play as a bridge to other works, and ways to use the play as part of an interdisciplinary study; (4) suggestions for avoiding censorship; and (5) bibliographies, including additional pedagogical sources, other works of literature addressing similar themes, and interdisciplinary sources. Throughout this study guide attention will be given to the ability level of the students, and specific activities, discussion questions, and topics will be labeled as to difficulty. *Appropriate for all students. +Most appropriate for nonacademic students. #Most appropriate for above average students. ~Most appropriate for academic students. O V E R V I E W SYNOPSIS The play takes place in Verona, Italy, in the late 15th century. At the opening of the play, Romeo, son of the House of Montague, believes he is desperately in love with Rosaline, a young beauty who spurns his attentions. To rid him of his infatuation, his friend Benvolio suggests he turn to other women (I,i.). Romeo learns through an announcement carried by an illiterate servant of the House of Capulet, a family
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