Romeo and Juliet
Eighth Grade Curriculum Planner
Preparing Students for Shakespeare’s Play
CCSS Addressed
•
•
•
•
RI.8.1. Cite the textual evidence that most strongly supports an analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
RI.8.4. Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative,
connotative, and technical meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone,
including analogies or allusions to other texts.
W.8.1. Write arguments to support claims with clear reasons and relevant evidence.
W.8.4. Produce clear and coherent writing in which the development, organization, and style are
appropriate to task, purpose, and audience.
Prior to Attending the Play – Consider the activities that are the best fit for your students
1. Activate Prior Knowledge
• Quick-write: Have students write about what they already KNOW about Shakespeare and
the play, Romeo and Juliet.
• Share together quick-writes as a class to assess what students know using the
“ KnowWhyQuestionLearn” chart. (Give all students copies, put it on the document
camera, Smartboard, or hang a poster to record responses.)
• Show pictures/video clips of Romeo and Juliet and discuss movies that have been made
about Romeo and Juliet— Gnomeo and Juliet (2008), Romeo and Juliet (1996- Leonardo
Dicaprio and Claire Danes), Romeo and Juliet (1968), West Side Story (1961).
2. Build Background for Students - work with students to answer this question: WHY should students
learn about the works of Shakespeare?
• Fill out “Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Anticipation Guide”.
• Read a brief history of Shakespeare and/or Romeo and Juliet (see Literature Charts handoutpage 1 only, available at: http://www.litcharts.com/lit/romeo-and-juliet)
• Revisit “KWQL” and “Anticipation Guide”.
3. Introduce the characters in Romeo and Juliet.
• Briefly introduce characters and indicate how they are related (see character list and
description handout).
• Students could complete the “Character Relationship Map.”
4. Assist Students in Understanding Shakespearean language
• Listen to an excerpt of play. Shakespeare’s works were written to be performed.
• Discuss the differences between Shakespeare’s language and today’s language.
• Translate the meaning of the lines from Romeo and Juliet using vocabulary translations and
“Matching Shakespeare’s Words to Our Own.”
o This activity may be done individually or in teams by cutting up each line from the
worksheet for teams of students to translate and then identify by matching with
the translation. Classes could use the Kagan activity “Think-Write–Pair-Share.”
o Be sure to give each group/individual a list of the word translations.
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5. Revisit “KWQL.”
• Determine the questions student still have before viewing the play.
• Determine a focus for the viewing.
Follow-Up after the Play
1. Revisit “KWQL” chart
• What did you LEARN?
• Were your questions answered?
2. “RAFT” writing assignment (See handout)
• Use “RAFT” to write a persuasive letter
Resources to support additional learning:
• Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet “KWQL chart”
• “Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Anticipation Guide” key
• “Why Study Shakespeare?”
• “Romeo and Juliet Characters Guide”
• “Romeo and Juliet Character List”
• “Romeo and Juliet Character Relationships” and key
• Romeo and Juliet Follow-up “RAFT” Writing
References
http://masuk-language-arts.wikispaces.com/Romeo+and+Juliet
http://www.dukeofdefinition.com/Romeo_and_Juliet_letter.pdf
http://www.litcharts.com/lit/romeo-and-juliet/background-info
http://www.folger.edu/
http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/whystudyshakespeare.html
http://www.readwritethink.org/files/resources/lesson_images/lesson1162/CharacterList.pdf
www.absoluteshakespeare.com
http://www.shakespearehigh.com/classroom
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Name:
Date:
Class #_
Shakespeare and Romeo and Juliet
KWQL Chart
What do I already
KNOW about
Shakespeare and
Romeo and Juliet?
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WHY should I know about
Shakespeare?
QUESTIONS I have
about Shakespeare and
Romeo and Juliet.
What did I LEARN about
Shakespeare and Romeo and
Juliet?
Page 3
Name:
Date:
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Anticipation Guide
Class #:
Directions: Before reading the paragraph description about Shakespeare and his play Romeo and Juliet, read each statement in the
middle of the chart below. Under the column, “Before Reading,” place an X to indicate if you agree or disagree with the statement.
Read the Shakespeare description, and then repeat the same process as before under the column, “After Reading.”
Before Reading
Agree
Statements about Shakespeare
and Romeo and Juliet
Disagree
After Reading
Agree
Disagree
Shakespeare left his family and moved to London to become an
actor and playwright.
Shakespeare co-owned the Globe theater in London.
Shakespeare was a college graduate.
Shakespeare was born and died in London, England.
Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway.
Shakespeare died a very poor man.
Shakespeare was a member of the King’s Men theater troupe
adopted by King James.
Romeo and Juliet lived happily ever after.
Romeo and Juliet was totally Shakespeare’s story idea.
Romeo is sent away because he kills Juliet’s cousin.
Romeo and Juliet are married in the play.
Romeo and Juliet’s families were great friends.
Juliet is 16 years old.
The play, Romeo and Juliet, is considered a tragedy.
The setting of Romeo and Juliet was during the Renaissance in
Verona, Italy.
Retrieved at: shakespearonline.com
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Key for Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Anticipation Guide
Directions: Before reading the paragraph description about Shakespeare and his play Romeo and Juliet, read each statement in the
middle of the chart below. Under the column, “Before Reading,” place an X to indicate if you agree or disagree with the statement.
Read the Shakespeare description, and then repeat the same process as before under the column, “After Reading.”
Before Reading
Agree
Statements about Shakespeare
and Romeo and Juliet
Disagree
After Reading
Agree
Shakespeare left his family and moved to London to become an
actor and playwright.
Shakespeare co-owned the Globe theater in London.
Shakespeare was a college graduate.(possibly completed grammar
school)
Shakespeare was born and died in London, England. (Stratford-uponAvon)
Shakespeare was married to Anne Hathaway.
X
X
X
X
X
Shakespeare died a very poor man. (very rich man)
Shakespeare was a member of the King’s Men theater troupe
adopted by King James.
Romeo and Juliet lived happily ever after. (died of a double suicide)
X
X
X
Romeo and Juliet was totally Shakespeare’s story idea. (Not totally)
X
Romeo is sent away because he kills Juliet’s cousin.
X
Romeo and Juliet are married in the play.
X
Romeo and Juliet’s families were great friends.(enemies)
X
Juliet is 16 years old. (13 years old)
X
The play, Romeo and Juliet, is considered a tragedy.
The setting of Romeo and Juliet was during the Renaissance in
Verona, Italy.
Retrieved at: shakespearonline.com
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Disagree
X
X
Page 5
Why Study Shakespeare?
Retrieved and adapted for use at:
http://www.meridianschools.org/PMS/Staff/Bromley/AssignmentsInformation/William_Shakespeare
[2 printable].pptx
The Reasons Behind Shakespeare's Influence and Popularity
Ben Jonson anticipated Shakespeare’s dazzling future when he declared, "He was not of an age, but
for all time!" in the preface to the First Folio. While most people know that Shakespeare is, in fact,
the most popular dramatist and poet the Western world has ever produced, students new to his work
often wonder why this is so. The following are the top four reasons why Shakespeare has stood the
test of time.
1) Illumination of the Human Experience
Shakespeare’s ability to summarize the range of human emotions in simple yet profoundly eloquent
verse is perhaps the greatest reason for his enduring popularity. If you cannot find words to express
how you feel about love or music or growing older, Shakespeare can speak for you. No author in the
Western world has penned more beloved passages. Shakespeare's work is the reason John Bartlett
compiled the first major book of familiar quotations.
Here are some examples of Shakespeare's most popular passages (hot linked to excerpts on
Shakespeare Online)
• “All the world’s a stage,” As You Like It, (2.7.139)
• “Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?” (Sonnet 18.1)
• “We band of brothers,” Henry V, (4.3.43)
• “The green-eyed monster,” Othello, (3.3.190)
• “What's in a name?” Romeo and Juliet, (2.2.45)
• “Now is the winter of our discontent,” Richard III, (1.1.1)
• “If music be the food of love,” Twelfth Night, (1.1.1)
• “Beware the ides of March,” Julius Caesar, (1.2.17)
• “We are such stuff/as dreams are made on,” The Tempest, (4.1.156-157)
• “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” Hamlet, (1.4.90)
• “To be, or not to be: that is the question,” Hamlet, (3.1.64)
2) Great Stories
In the introduction to her famous retelling of Shakespeare’s stories, Marchette Chute summarizes
one of the reasons for Shakespeare’s immeasurable fame:
“William Shakespeare was the most remarkable storyteller that the world has ever
known. Homer told of adventure and men at war, Sophocles and Tolstoy told of
tragedies and of people in trouble. Terence and Mark Twain told comedic stories,
Dickens told melodramatic ones, Plutarch told histories and Hand Christian Andersen
told fairy tales. But Shakespeare told every kind of story – comedy, tragedy, history,
melodrama, adventure, love stories and fairy tales – and each of them so well that
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they have become immortal. In all the world of storytelling he has become the
greatest name (Stories from Shakespeare, 11).”
Shakespeare's stories transcend time and culture. Modern storytellers continue to adapt
Shakespeare’s tales to suit our modern world, whether it be the tale of Lear on a farm in Iowa,
Romeo and Juliet on the mean streets of New York City, or Macbeth in feudal Japan.
3) Compelling Characters
Shakespeare invented his share of stock characters, but his truly great characters – particularly his
tragic heroes – are unequalled in literature, dwarfing even the sublime creations of the Greek
tragedians. Shakespeare’s great characters have remained popular because of their complexity; for
example, we can see ourselves as gentle Hamlet, forced against his better nature to seek murderous
revenge. For this reason Shakespeare is deeply admired by actors, and many consider playing a
Shakespearean character to be the most difficult and most rewarding role possible.
4) Ability to Turn a Phrase
Many of the common expressions now thought to be clichés were Shakespeare's creations. Chances
are you use Shakespeare's expressions all the time even though you may not know it is the Bard you
are quoting. You may think that fact is "neither here nor there", but that's "the short and the long of
it." Bernard Levin said it best in the following quote about Shakespeare's impact on our language:
If you cannot understand my argument, and declare "It's Greek to me", you are quoting Shakespeare;
if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your
salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger, if your wish is
father to the thought, if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if
you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast
and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have
knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on
ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short
shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's
paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as
good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and
baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the
game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the
crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop)
without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you
have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send
me packing, if you wish I were dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the
devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut,
tut! for goodness' sake! what the dickens! but me no buts - it is all one to me, for you are quoting
Shakespeare. (The Story of English, 145)
For a list of authors who have named their books after lines from Shakespeare, see Shakespeare's
Impact on Other Writers.
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References
Chute, Marchette. Stories from Shakespeare. New York: World Publishing Company, 1956.
Levin, Bernard. Quoted in The Story of English. Robert McCrum, William Cran and Robert MacNeil.
Viking: 1986).
Mabillard, Amanda. “Why Study Shakespeare?” Shakespeare Online. 20 Aug. 2000.
< http://www.shakespeare-online.com/biography/whystudyshakespeare.html>.
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Major Characters in Romeo and Juliet
Use the following characters to fill in the Romeo and Juliet “Character Relationship Map.”
The Capulets
• Juliet Capulet – a 13 year old girl
• Lord and Lady Capulet – Juliet’s parents
• Count Paris – the man Juliet’s father wants her to marry
• Tybalt – Juliet’s cousin
• Nurse – Juliet’s nurse, who has taken care of her since she was a baby.
The Montagues
• Romeo – a young man, probably about 17 years old
• Lord and Lady Montague- Romeo’s parents
• Benvolio Montague – Romeo’s cousin
• Mercutio – Romeo’s best friend
• Friar Laurence – a priest and friend of Romeo
• Rosalind – Romeo used to lover her, but she did not love him
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Romeo and Juliet Characters Guide
Retrieved at:
http://absoluteshakespear.com/guides/romeo_and_juliet/characters/characters.htm
Escalus: The Prince of Verona, his continued annoyance with the ongoing feud between the
Capulet and Montague families leads him to warn both families that further fighting between
the two will be punished by death. Escalus is also responsible for banishing Romeo from
Verona after Romeo killed Tybalt, an act of mercy on the Prince's part. At the end of the play
when both Romeo and Juliet are dead, Escalus tells the two grieving families they are largely
to blame for this tragedy in addition to his own lack of intervention to stop the Capulet /
Montague feud... (Lines 281-295)
Paris: A young nobleman, Kinsman to the Prince. Introduced to us in Act I, Scene II, it is
Capulet's desire that the young Paris marry his daughter Juliet. Juliet later reveals her
reluctance to be married so early in life rather than a dislike of Paris personally. When Juliet
falls in love with Romeo, Paris is increasingly ignored by Juliet but remains polite, perhaps
ignorant that Juliet does not want to marry him nor that she does not love him. At the end of
the play (Act V, Scene III), he is killed by Romeo, but has his death wish of being placed near
Juliet whom he loved, granted by Romeo. (Lines 73 & 74)
Montague and Capulet: The heads of two houses opposed to each other. Their feud has been
going on for some time, described in the Prologue as an "ancient grudge" (Line 3). We never
learn the cause of it, only that it continues to this day. Montague's son is Romeo, Capulet's
daughter is Juliet. The two heads of their respective households never fight, only it appears do
their servants, nephews and children. At the end of the play each man loses their beloved
child. Montague's role in the play appears to be limited to concern for his son, and his last act
in the play in Act V, Scene III is to raise a gold statue of his former enemy's daughter Juliet.
Capulet's role, however is much greater. First we see him as the wise and charismatic,
charming man who prevents Tybalt fighting Romeo at his party and graciously talks with
various guests, then later as the firm, ruthless father who would see his daughter marry
against her will rather than have his rule questioned...
Romeo: The son of Montague, Romeo is first introduced to us as a sad, melancholic, apathetic
youth. His reason for sadness is universal; Rosaline his love will not return his affections. Not
initially daring, it is his friends Mercutio and Benvolio who suggest he gatecrash or arrive
uninvited at the Capulet party to see Rosaline. There he meets Juliet falling instantly in love.
From this point on, Romeo no longer is melancholic, but dynamic and courageous, risking his
life at the Capulet's house to be near Juliet and later breaking a banishment order which
threatens death for him, to see his Juliet again. Well regarded even by Capulet, his enemy,
Romeo is a thoughtful man, unwilling to provoke fighting unlike the hot-blooded, adversarial
Tybalt, whom he kills. Romeo also kills Paris but in both encounters sought to avoid fighting,
winning only to defend his life. At the end of the play, he commits suicide, rather than live
without Juliet, the ultimate display of loyalty for his love Juliet since his life obviously no longer
had meaning without her...
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Mercutio: Kinsman to the Prince, Mercutio displays a fine if disrespectful tongue, especially
towards Juliet's nurse. An unlikely source of wisdom, he tells a depressed Romeo to, "Prick love
for pricking, and you beat love down" meaning Romeo should be rough with love if it is rough
with him, and to regain his enthusiasm for love (Act I, Scene IV, Line 28) . Mercutio meets his
death in Act III, Scene I when he rashly draws his sword on Tybalt who had been trying
unsuccessfully to provoke Romeo into fighting. Famous for the words, "a scratch, a scratch;
marry, 'tis enough" which describe his fatal wound by Tybalt, Mercutio's death results in Tybalt's
death when Romeo avenges the death of his friend (Line 98). It has been argued in some literary
circles that Mercutio was "removed" as he was increasingly stealing the show from Romeo, the
lead character (with Juliet) in this play...
Benvolio: Nephew to Montague, and friend to Mercutio and Romeo, his role in the play is
minor, serving mainly as a friend to Romeo.
Tybalt: Nephew to Lady Capulet, this rash, hot-blooded young man is adversarial and hateful
towards all Montagues, especially Romeo. When he sees Romeo at the Capulet party, his
immediate instinct is to fight, but only the increasingly firm warnings from Capulet to hold his
peace restrain him. Tybalt is slain by Romeo in Act III, Scene I, after he had killed Romeo's friend,
Mercutio. Until this point, Tybalt had failed to provoke Romeo into fighting, but dies when he
finally fights Romeo.
Friar Laurence: A Franciscan priest, he plays a crucial role in the play by marrying Romeo and
Juliet's in his cell in the hope that the feud between the Montague's and the Capulet's will now
end. A friend of Romeo, he initially does not take Romeo's love for Juliet seriously, remembering
Romeo's obsession with Rosaline. Later he unwittingly plays a part in the two lover's deaths
when he first puts Juliet to sleep with a deathlike potion which fools Romeo into thinking Juliet
is dead leading to his suicide by self-administered poison followed by Juliet's death after her
discovery that Romeo is dead. Friar Laurence's letter to Romeo explaining that Juliet was not
really dead never made it to Romeo. At the end of the play, despite his own admission of guilt
for Romeo's and Juliet's death, Escalus, The Prince of Verona forgives him.
Friar John: Of the same order as Friar Laurence, this Friar's detainment by quarantine in Verona
(Act V, Scene II) leads to Romeo not receiving Friar Laurence's letter of explanation that Juliet
was not really dead, leading to Romeo killing himself in despair...
Balthasar: Servant to Romeo, he witnesses the final moments of Romeo's life at the churchyard
from a hiding place. He later backs up Friar Laurence's explanation of events to Escalus, Prince
of Verona.
Sampson and Gregory: Servants to Capulet, these two men initially try to pick a fight with their
opposites from the Montague family, Abraham and Balthasar in Act I, Scene I, establishing the
feud that exists between Capulet and Montague families by showing that their mutual hatred
even extends to their servants. This fight in a civic space leads Escalus to warn both families that
further fighting will be punished by death...
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Peter: Servant to Juliet's nurse.
Abraham: Servant to the Montague family, he is involved in the fight in Act I, Scene I.
An Apothecary: A minor character, he supplies the poison that Romeo uses to end his life. At
first he is unwilling to sell poison to Romeo but later sells it out of necessity against his
conscience.
Lady Montague: The wife of Montague, she worries about her son's happiness in Act I, Scene I.
Later she dies grief stricken that her son was banished from Verona. "Grief of my son's exile
hath stopp'd her breath" Montague later explains (Act V, Scene III, Line 211).
Wife to Capulet: Juliet's mother, we see her as a distant figure in Juliet's life; Juliet's nurse
remembers more about Juliet's childhood than Lady Capulet, suggesting a distance between
mother and daughter. Nonetheless she appears close to her daughter, assisting her husband to
convince Juliet into marrying Paris. When Capulet orders Juliet to marry Paris, Lady Capulet,
falls into line, agreeing with Capulet and betraying Juliet.
Nurse to Juliet: In many ways a surrogate mother to Juliet, she cares deeply for Juliet's best
interests, even encouraging Juliet's dangerous relationship with Romeo in the hope that it will
make Juliet happy. After Tybalt's death, however, Nurse becomes less sympathetic and later
when Capulet orders Juliet to marry Paris; she defends Juliet at first but later pragmatically
suggests that Paris would not be so bad after all...
Retrieved from:
http://absoluteshakespeare.com/guides/romeo_and_juliet/characters/characters.htm
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Name:
KEY
Date:
Class #:
Romeo and Juliet Character Relationship Map
Source: http://masuk-language-arts.wikispaces.com/Romeo+and+Juliet
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Name:
Date:
Class #
Romeo and Juliet Follow-Up RAFT Writing
Assignment
Directions: Write using the RAFT—Role, Audience, Format, and Topic as listed below.
Role of Writer: Modern Day Romeo or Juliet Audience:
Romeo’s or Juliet’s modern day parents
Format: Persuasive Letter
Topic: Persuade parents that they should end their feud with the neighbors.
Rubric for RAFT Writing on Romeo and Juliet
Written in
correct
voice
Correct
audience is
addressed
Letter
Format is
Accurate
Persuasive
techniques are
used
appropriately
Accurate
Information
is Included.
4-Excellent- well
written
3-Good-a few
errors are made
2-Missing
some
elements
1- Needs
Improvement
Total Score=
/25
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