G09U5_ST_Shakes1_28-31.fm Page 29 Wednesday, March 12, 2008 3:29 AM
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The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, Act I, by William Shakespeare
Reading: Using Text Aids to Summarize
Summarizing is briefly stating the main points in a piece of writing. Stopping periodically to
summarize what you have read helps you to check your comprehension before you read further.
To be sure that you understand Shakespeare’s language before you summarize long
passages, use text aids—the numbered explanations that appear alongside the text.
• If you are confused by a passage, check to see if there is a footnote or side note, and read
the corresponding explanation.
• Reread the passage, using the information from the note to be sure you grasp the meaning
of the passage.
DIRECTIONS: Use the text aids to answer the following questions about what you read in Act I of
the play.
1. In your own words, summarize what is happening in Verona based on lines 1–4 of the
Prologue.
2. In Scene i, as the two Montague Servingmen approach the two Capulet Servingmen,
Sampson says, “Let us take the law of our sides; let them begin.” What does he mean?
3. Later in Scene i, Benvolio and Montague talk about how unhappy Romeo has been. Then,
they see Romeo. Benvolio tells Montague to leave so that he can talk to Romeo alone.
Montague says, “I would thou wert so happy by thy stay / To hear true shrift.” Put this
wish into your own words.
4. In Scene iii, Juliet’s mother tells her to “Read o’er the volume of young Paris’s face.” Refer
to that passage (lines 81–92) and, with the help of text aids 9 and 10, restate the advice
Lady Capulet gives to her daughter.
Unit 5 Resources: Drama
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