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PRESENTS:
Directed by Jeremy Dubin
Performed by the Cincinnati Shakespeare
2014-2015 Touring Company
Discussion Guide
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About the Playwright:
William Shakespeare was born in April 1564 in the English town
of Stratford-upon-Avon. The son of John Shakespeare, a
successful glove maker and public official, and Mary Arden, the
daughter of a gentleman, William was the oldest surviving sibling
of eight children. Throughout Shakespeare’s childhood,
companies of touring actors visited Stratford. Although there is no
evidence to prove that Shakespeare ever saw these actors perform,
most scholars agree that he probably did. In 1582, at the age of
18, Shakespeare married Anne Hathaway, the daughter of a
farmer.
The couple had become parents of two daughters and a son by
1585. Sometime in the next eight years, Shakespeare left his
family in Stratford and moved to London to pursue a career in the theater. Records show that by 1592,
he had become a successful actor and playwright in that city. Shakespeare joined a famous acting group
called the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, so named for their patron, or supporter, a high official in the court
of Queen Elizabeth I. One of the first plays Shakespeare wrote for this company was Romeo and Juliet.
In 1598 Shakespeare became part owner of a major new theater, the Globe.
For more than a decade, Shakespeare produced a steady stream of works, both tragedies and comedies,
which were performed at the Globe, the royal court, and other London theaters. However, shortly after
the Globe was destroyed by fire in 1613, he retired and returned to Stratford. He died in Stratford in
1616.
The Plays
Shakespeare's works are often divided into four periods beginning with what is referred to as an
experimental period starting around 1591 and ending around 1593 which includes Titus Andronicus,
Love's Labour's Lost, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, The Comedy of Errors and The Taming of the
Shrew.
The second period ending around 1601, marks the establishment of Shakespeare and includes the
tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the comedies, The Merchant of Venice, A Midsummer-Night's Dream, Much
Ado about Nothing, The Merry Wives of Windsor and the history plays, Henry IV, Parts I and II, Henry
V, Richard II, King John and Julius Caesar.
The third period ending around 1610 marks perhaps the apex of Shakespeare's work with the tragedies,
Hamlet, Othello, Macbeth, King Lear but also comedies such as Twelfth Night, All's Well that Ends Well
and the epic history play, Antony and Cleopatra.
The final period ends around 1611 with the plays, Cymbeline, Henry VIII and romances such as The
Tempest and The Winter's Tale. The Shakespeare we read today comes from The First Folio of 1623
written by fellow actors John Heminge and Henry Condell to preserve Shakespeare's legacy.
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Romeo & Juliet: Synopsis
The action begins directly on the Verona streets. When members of the Capulet family encounter
members of the Montague family, they begin a fight in the middle of the street. The Prince arrives and
reprimands both of the families and declares that if there is any more fighting those involved will be
sentenced to death. The Montagues and Capulets go their separate ways. Lord Montague asks Benvolio
to find out what is the cause of Romeo’s melancholy lately. Romeo enters, completely lovesick.
Benvolio learns from Romeo that he’s in love with a woman, Rosaline, who does not love him back.
Paris, a young rich man, arrives at the home of the Capulets to request permission to marry the young
Capulet daughter, Juliet. While Lord Capulet feels his daughter is too young to marry, he promises her
hand to Paris if he can effectively woo her and gain her affections at the upcoming banquet.
When Romeo discovers that the Capulets are having
a party and that Rosaline will be there, he, Benvolio,
and their friend Mercutio decide to go to the banquet
disguised.
At the Capulet home, Lady Capulet tells Juliet her
father’s plans for Juliet to marry Paris, Juliet agrees to
meet Paris at the banquet.
At the banquet, Romeo sees Juliet for the first time.
Romeo is awe-struck with Juliet’s beauty. Tybalt
recognizes Romeo and he leaves in a fury. Romeo and
Juliet steal a moment together and kiss- it is love at first
sight. When Juliet answers the call of her mother,
Romeo learns from the Nurse that she is a Capulet.
Juliet too learns that her new found love’s family is her
own family’s greatest rival, a Montague.
Later, Romeo lingers below Juliet’s balcony after the
party. When Juliet comes out on the balcony to muse
about her new love, Romeo, he reveals his presence to her. They exchange vows of love and plan to
marry right away. Juliet is called inside and the lovers part. Romeo goes straight to Friar Laurence’s cell
to see if he will marry them the next day. Romeo tells Juliet’s nurse to inform Juliet that he will marry
her that afternoon in Friar Laurence’s cell. Upon hearing the news from her nurse, Juliet departs for the
church. The young lovers meet at the cell and Friar Laurence marries them.
Right after the secret marriage, Benvolio and Mercutio encounter Tybalt just as Romeo enters. When
Romeo refuses to answer Tybalt’s call to a challenge, Mercutio cannot let the challenge stand
unanswered and jumps into Romeo’s place. Romeo tries to separate the two. Tybalt mortally wounds
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Mercutio then flees the scene. Mercutio manages to jest about his wound and dying, but he strongly
curses both the Montagues and the Capulets for their fighting. Mercutio then dies. Suddenly enraged,
Romeo fights Tybalt, who has returned, and kills him. Benvolio convinces Romeo to flee as the Prince
arrives. When the Prince hears what happened, he declares that Romeo will be spared the death
sentence, but instead must face banishment from Verona.
That night, while Juliet waits in her bedroom anxiously for her new husband, the nurse comes to
inform her of the situation – Tybalt is dead and Romeo is banished. The Nurse volunteers to find
Romeo and bring him to her. It doesn’t take long for her to find him; Romeo is hiding at Friar
Laurence’s cell. When she gets to him, he is dismayed about the fact that he is banished and cries out
that death would be more merciful than life without Juliet. When Romeo begins to speak of suicide, the
Friar chastises him and tells him to be a man and go to Juliet for one night before fleeing to Mantua.
That same night, Lord Capulet, in an effort to cheer Juliet up after her cousin Tybalt’s death, agrees that
Paris may marry Juliet that very week.
The next morning, Lady Capulet informs Juliet of the marriage agreement. Juliet strongly objects and
says such a marriage is too hasty and she won’t agree. Upon learning that his daughter is refusing this
gift of a prime husband, Lord Capulet threatens to disown her. When even the Nurse urges her to accept
the marriage to Paris, Juliet leaves to seek some solace in the Friar.
At Friar Lawrence’s cell, Friar offers Juliet a possible solution: she will take one of his potions and she
will enter a coma-like state that is only sleep but looks like death. She will then be placed in the family
crypt where he will arrange for Romeo to meet her when she wakes so that they can secretly flee
together. Juliet quickly agrees to the plan and takes the potion home with her. When she arrives back at
home, she apologizes to her father for her disobedience and he moves the wedding to Paris up to the
very next morning. Finally alone in her bedroom, Juliet drinks the potion. When the Capulet family
discovers Juliet “dead” in her room the next morning, the wedding festivities are grievously turned into
funeral arrangements. The Friar urges the family to inter Juliet in the family vault. As the shock of
Juliet’s death sends her family into deep mourning.
Sadly, the letter Friar Laurence sent to Romeo detailing the plan never reached him. So when
Benvolio goes to Mantua to inform Romeo that she has died, Romeo immediately begins his journey
back to Verona declaring that nothing will stop him from joining his beloved in death in the vault.
Before reaching Verona, he stops at an apothecary and buys a strong poison.
That night, in the solemn and dark tomb, Romeo kisses his wife, Juliet, one final time. He vows his
love to her forever (even in death) and drinks the poison. Romeo dies quickly and in the very moment
that the last breath escapes him, Juliet begins to awaken. When Juliet sees Romeo and realizes what has
happened, she takes Romeo’s dagger and stabs herself. By this time both the Capulet and Montague
families arrive to see the death and destruction of the two young people. The Friar gives an honest
account of what happened to Romeo and Juliet and to the family’s dismay, they realize it was the
feuding between these two families that has been the cause of their children’s deaths.
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Meet the Cast of Romeo and Juliet:
Frank Delaney- (Friar/Paris/Prince) is incredibly excited to be joining Cincy Shakes
this season. Originally from Anchorage, AK Frank has spent the last 3 years at
Western Illinois University earning his MFA. An accomplished fight director and
teacher of stage combat, Frank is recognized as an associate instructor with Dueling
Arts International. Some of his favorite roles have been Mr. Lockhart in The Seafarer,
Mercutio in Romeo and Juliet, and King George II in Joyful Noise. He wants to thank
his friends and family for all their support.
Andrew Gehrlein- (Romeo/Sampson) is proud to call Cincinnati Shakespeare
Company his first professional gig since college! Andrew is a native of Missouri,
where he received his BFA in Acting from Southeast Missouri State. At Southeast,
Andrew had the pleasure of playing Hamlet his junior year, where his interest in
Shakespeare was fully realized. Professionally, Andrew has worked two
consecutive summers at the Shawnee Theatre in Bloomfield, Indiana. He is very
excited to spend his first post-college year bringing great Shakespearean theatre to
Cincinnati and surrounding areas!
From Andrew: Playing Romeo has definitely been a learning experience in finding the truth of a
character. Throughout most of his lines, Romeo seems to be a melodramatic serial complainer on the
surface. It was quite a challenge to find the truthfulness, and really dig into his true feelings beneath the
words. Shakespeare's words are merely clues to how a character thinks, so it has been very interesting
to piece together all of the clues and create a real, living person.
Josh Katawick- (Mercutio/Lord Capulet) is grateful and eager to be working with
Cincy Shakes for the first time. A newcomer to Cincinnati, he has performed
throughout central Ohio, stayed a season in Louisville and a summer with the
Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey. Career highlights include Hamlet, Othello,
Glengarry Glen Ross, Troilus & Cressida, Oedipus Rex, and The Lion in Winter. He
would like to shower thanks on his friends and family for their enduring support.
Courtney Lucien- (Benvolio/Lady Capulet) is ecstatic to join CSC! Originally from
Cincinnati, she’s glad to be back in town. Courtney graduated from Indiana
University with a BA in Theatre and Drama. Some favorite IU credits include
Angélique in The Imaginary Invalid, Lady Anne in Richard III, and Allison in
Language of Angels. She also debuted the role of Lacy in Lacy and Ashley Live in a
Trailer Now, which was work-shopped as part of the new works series at IU. Last
summer Courtney worked on Cardinal Stage Company’s Les Misérables as Female
Chorus. She has also worked with Jewish Theatre of Bloomington and Shakespeare
Dallas. Much love to my family for their continued support!
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Caitlin McWethy- (Juliet/Sampson) is thrilled to be sticking around for another
season with CSC! Originally from Virginia Beach, Virginia, she has worked all over
the east coast, performing with Georgia Shakespeare (The Tempest – Miranda;
Noises Off – Poppy) Virginia Stage Company (Julius Caesar – Cassius; A Christmas
Carol – Belle), Annapolis Shakespeare Company (Pride & Prejudice – Elizabeth
Bennet), Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (A Midsummer Night’s Dream –
Helena) and with Manhattan Theatre Club and the 52nd Street Project in New York City. She holds a
BA in Theatre from Drew University and dedicates her work this year to the most inspiring woman she
knows: Mom.
Tess Talbot- (Lady Montague/Tybalt/Nurse) is honored to work with Cincy Shakes
this season. She is a proud alumnus of the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati Intern
Company (2012 /2013) and has appeared at ETC in productions of Around the World
in 80 Days, Alice in Wonderland, and Swimming in the Shallows. Locally she has also
performed with New Edgecliff Theatre in their production of Bus Stop. She holds a
BFA in Acting from Wright State University. She sends much love to her family and
Donnie, as well as thanks to Brian, Jeremy, and Sara for giving her this opportunity.
Shakespeare’s Theatre: Elizabethan Times
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company has chosen to present this production of Romeo & Juliet in a modern
staging. We believe it’s important to present Shakespeare’s work in a variety of settings in order to show
just how applicable his work and subject matter is today!
However, we want to give you a clear idea of how this play
would have been originally performed as well.
The Globe
Theatres were new - the very first theatre in Elizabethan London
was introduced by an Elizabethan entrepreneur called James
Burbage and was aptly called 'The Theatre'. The Globe was built
from the timbers of the 'Theatre' - William Shakespeare and his
company of actors helped with the construction! The Globe
Theatre was an amazing success. There was money to be made
from this new and exciting form of entertainment. The London
audience clamored for more and more new plays. The plays
written by Elizabethan Playwrights, such as William
Shakespeare, were in great demand. Great actors like Richard
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Burbage, Will Kemp and Edward Alleyn became the Superstars of the Elizabethan era and the audiences
of the theatres, including the Globe! A day out at the theater was a real event - the design of the theater
was magnificent, based on the design of the old Roman Amphitheaters.
The Elizabethan Theatre - Elizabethan Acting Troupes
The popularity of the Elizabethan Theatre led to the formation of Elizabethan Acting Troupes. The
Elizabethan enjoyed entertainment and the loved plays and the theatre. But the first theatre in England
was not built until 1576! Before this time actors travelled from one town to another and one castle to
another. Travel was difficult in the Elizabethan era. There were frequent outbreaks of the terrifying
Bubonic Plague during this time. All strangers were viewed with suspicion. Actors had the reputation of
being rogues and vagabonds! A license, obtained from the Bailiff in the Guild Hall, was required by
anyone who wanted to travel around England. This ensured that the spread of disease, especially the
plague, was contained as much as possible and that the poor, homeless, vagabonds and thieves did not
easily move from one village to another village.
Elizabethan Acting Troupes – Licenses
Licenses were granted to the aristocracy for the maintenance of troupes of players, who might at any
time be required to show their credentials. Thus the Elizabethan Acting Troupes were formed. The
movement of actors was therefore
regulated. The major Elizabethan
Acting Troupes were as follows:

Elizabethan Acting
Troupes
 Lord Strange's
Men
 Chamberlain's
Men
 Admiral's Men
 King's Men
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Elizabethan Acting Troupes - The
Sumptuary Laws (Clothing restrictions)
Elizabethans were prohibited by Law to wear any
clothing which was above their social standing - these
were called the Sumptuary Laws. Many Elizabethan
plays were about Kings and the nobility but actors
were restricted to wear any clothes which might
convey this high status! This would have obviously
severely restricted and spoilt the performance of
plays! The Queen herself enjoyed this form of
entertainment so a 'Get out Clause' was written into
the Sumptuary Laws! The English Sumptuary Law of
1574 (The Statutes of Apparel ) stated the following:
“Note also that the meaning of this order is not to prohibit a servant from wearing any cognizance of his
master, or henchmen, heralds, pursuivants at arms; runners at jousts, tourneys, or such martial feats,
and such as wear apparel given them by the Queen, and such as shall have license from the Queen for
the same."
This was another reason for the formation of the Elizabethan Acting troupes who were sponsored by the
nobility.
Elizabethan Theatre Audiences
What a treat the theater was for the people of Elizabethan London! Histories, Tragedies and Comedies
written by the greatest playwright of them all - William Shakespeare. The popularity of the theater
reached people from all walks of life - from Royalty to the Nobility and the Commoners. What was a
day out at the Elizabethan theater like for the audiences? Where did they sit? How much did it cost?
What did they eat? What were the amenities like? How did illiterate members of the public know what
plays were being presented?
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London Theatregoers - The London play goers loved the Theatre! It was their opportunity to see
the great plays and each other!
Elizabethan Audience Capacity - the theatres could hold 1500 people and this number expanded
to 3000 with the people who crowded outside the theatres
Royalty - Queen Elizabeth I loved watching plays but theses were generally performed in indoor
playhouses for her pleasure. She would not have attended the plays performed at the
amphitheaters
The Nobles - Nobles would have paid for the better seats in the Lord's rooms paying 5d for the
privilege
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The Commoners called the Groundlings or Stinkards would have stood in the theatre pit and paid
1 penny entrance fee. They put 1 penny in a box at the theatre entrance - hence the term 'Box
Office'
The Box Office - the prices were determined by the comfort of the seats
Flags, Crests and Mottos - Advertising - Flags were erected on the day of the performance which
sometimes displayed a picture advertising the next play to be performed. Color coding was used
to advertise the type of play to be performed - a black flag meant a tragedy, white a comedy and
red a history. A crest displaying Hercules bearing the globe on his shoulders together with the
motto "Totus mundus agit histrionem" (the whole world is a playhouse ) was displayed above the
main entrance of the Globe Theater. This phrase was slightly re-worded in the William
Shakespeare play As You Like It - "All the world’s a stage" which was performed at the Globe
Theater.
Special effects were also a spectacular addition at the Elizabethan theaters thrilling the audiences
with smoke effects, the firing of a real canon, fireworks (for dramatic battle scenes) and
spectacular 'flying' entrances from the rigging in the 'heavens'.
The Facilities ranged from basic to non existent!
The Globe Theatre audiences
The Elizabethan general public (the
Commoners) referred to as groundlings would
pay 1 penny to stand in the 'Pit' of the Globe
Theater. The gentry would pay to sit in the
galleries often using cushions for comfort!
Rich nobles could watch the play from a chair
set on the side of the Globe stage itself.
Theatre performances were held in the
afternoon, because, of course, there was
limited artificial lighting. Men and women
attended plays, but often the prosperous
women would wear a mask to disguise their
identity. The plays were extremely popular and attracted vast audiences to the Elizabethan Theatres.
There were no toilet facilities and people relieved themselves outside. Sewage was buried in pits or
disposed of in the River Thames. The audiences only dropped during outbreaks of the bubonic plague,
which was unfortunately an all too common occurrence during the Elizabethan era. This happened in
1593, 1603 and 1608 when all Elizabethan theatres were closed due to the Bubonic Plague (The Black
Death).
Themes and Discussion Questions in Romeo and Juliet:
Love
Romeo and Juliet are two of the most famous lovers in history, but some people doubt that their historic
love lives up to its reputation. Romeo starts the play infatuated with Rosaline, a gorgeous girl with no
interest in him. His "true-love-at-first-sight" encounter with Juliet seems like it could be just another
case of puppy love. The two lovers come from warring families, but their love overcomes their families'
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hatred. Their whirlwind romance, however, ends in tragedy when each thinks the other is dead and
chooses to commit suicide rather than live alone. While Romeo and Juliet never doubt the power of
love, other characters criticize love and reject is as simply infatuation or lust. Some people interpret the
play as a cautionary tale on the dangers of young love. Others argue that Romeo and Juliet's love
develops throughout the play from a giddy flirtation to something deeper, and that the play charts the
path of a relationship from infatuation to real love.
Questions about Love
1. Romeo and Juliet is a play about love, a word that means many things to many people. Compare and
contrast how various characters (like Romeo, Juliet, Mercutio, and Friar Laurence) talk about love.
2. How might a given character's view of love be affected by his or her age, social status, or relationship to
other characters in the play?
3. Does Romeo's attitude toward love change or develop throughout the play? (Is there any difference
between his desire for Rosaline and his passion for Juliet, for example?)
4. What is the difference between love and infatuation in Romeo and Juliet? Does the play even make a
distinction?
5. Do you think the play ever critiques the intensity of Romeo and Juliet's love? Why or why not?
Hate
Love and hate are usually thought of as opposites, but in Romeo and Juliet, love and hate are two sides
of the same coin, as two children from warring families (the Capulets and the Montagues) turn their
hatred of each other into an insatiable passion. Ultimately, the hatred between their two families propels
the lovers towards their tragic deaths. When their parents discover Romeo and Juliet dead in each others'
arms, they vow to end the feud between their two families. At last, love triumphs over hatred – but the
cost of two young lives is too heavy to bear.
Questions about Hate
1. Why do the Montagues hate the Capulets? What do we know about the family feud?
2. How do Romeo and Juliet each respond when they realize they have fallen in love with the "enemy"?
3. Rosaline, like Juliet, is a member of the Capulet family, but when Romeo crushes on Rosaline, he never
worries about the family feud getting in the way of his love. Why is that?
4. Does the older generation (the parents of Romeo and Juliet) have the same attitude toward the family
feud as the younger generation (Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, Mercutio)?
5. How does the Montague/Capulet feud impact the lives of Romeo and Juliet?
Youth
"Youth in this play is a separate nation," writes literary critic Frank Kermode. In the play, Romeo and
Juliet's youthful passion conflicts with the values of their feuding parents and their more mature
advisors. Juliet ignores her Nurse, who advises her to marry Paris after Romeo is banished. Romeo and
Juliet ignore Friar Laurence's warning to slow down and to stop rushing into love and, consequently,
their youthful passion propels them towards their tragic end. Thinking Juliet is dead, Romeo
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immediately commits suicide. But Juliet has only been feigning death to escape her parents' anger. She,
too, commits suicide when she realizes that Romeo is dead. Whether the values of the old or the young
(or the tension between them) are most to blame for the lovers' tragic deaths is a question the play poses
to audiences and readers.
Questions about Youth
1. What values do the young characters emphasize in the play? What about the older generation?
2. When do young and old characters come into conflict? Over what?
3. Both the Friar and the Nurse are old, yet they make Romeo and Juliet's hasty young marriage possible.
Are the Friar and the Nurse on the side of the old or the young?
4. Is Romeo and Juliet's tragedy the fault of the old people or the young people? The values of the old or
the values of the young?
Mortality
Freud argued that human love was propelled by two opposing drives: eros, the desire for love, and
thanatos, the desire for death. But centuries before Freud, Romeo and Juliet provided a very different
view of the relationship between love and death. Despite – or perhaps because of – the passion and joy
of the play's young lovers, death is never far in the background of Romeo and Juliet. Because their
families have been feuding for as long as anyone can remember, they believe their "forbidden"
relationship puts them in constant danger. Consequently, the seeming threat of death adds a spark of
excitement to their secret meetings. Shakespeare links death and sex throughout the play and, to some
degree, portrays suicide as an erotic act that both consummates the lovers' passion and (re)unites them in
death.
Questions about Mortality
1. Is death presented as glamorous or even desirable in Romeo and Juliet?
2. Which characters, if any, are to blame for other characters' deaths?
3. What parallels are drawn between love/sex and death in Romeo and Juliet? Why do Romeo and Juliet's
descriptions of love so often refer to death?
4. Does a love as passionate as Romeo and Juliet's necessarily have to end in death? Is death an integral
component of their relationship?
Fate and Free Will
The play goes out of its way to suggest that Romeo and Juliet are destined for tragedy. After all, the
Chorus tells us in the opening Prologue that the "star-cross'd lovers" will "take their life" and
Shakespeare foreshadows the lovers' deaths throughout the play. At the same time, however, the play
seems to remind us that Romeo and Juliet decide to commit suicide of their own volition. There are also
plenty of players (the meddling Friar and Nurse, Romeo and Juliet's warring parents, etc.) that contribute
to the play's tragic events. This may suggest, in the words of W.H. Auden, that, in tragedy, "fate is not
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an arbitrary person – it is we who are responsible and we bring our fate upon ourselves" (Lectures on
Shakespeare, 24).
Questions about Fate and Free Will
1. What role does fate play in Romeo and Juliet? Is fate alone responsible for the deaths of Romeo and
Juliet, or should certain characters be held accountable?
2. Is fate friendly or unfriendly to Romeo and Juliet? Does fate seem like a threatening force or simply an
inevitable one?
3. How are Romeo and Juliet's deaths foreshadowed throughout the play?
4. Read the opening Prologue and discuss how the Chorus treats the topic of "fate."
Marriage
Romeo and Juliet marry for love, a choice that is standard today. But in the world of the play, marriage
for love, rather than money or social position, was a radical and dangerous choice. Romeo and Juliet, the
children of rival families, fall in love against their parents' wishes and marry in secret. Their union
reflects a new focus on individual passion and inner conviction – and in the play, it comes dangerously
in conflict with social and familial expectations. Romeo and Juliet pay a heavy price for marrying for
love – their clandestine union propels the lovers towards their tragic deaths.
Questions about Marriage
1. How does Juliet's dad (Capulet) first react when Paris asks to marry Juliet at the beginning of Act 1,
Scene 2?
2. When and why does Lord Capulet decide Juliet should marry Paris?
3. Friar Laurence doesn't think Romeo's love for Juliet is any more genuine than his former crush on
Rosaline but he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet anyway (2.3.9). What explanation does the Friar
offer? What does this suggest about the nature of his character?
4. Explain why Romeo and Juliet marry in secret. What are the consequences of such secrecy?
5. How would you characterize the Capulets' marriage?
Family
The conflict between family and the individual is played out in the most extreme fashion possible in the
play, as two children from warring families fall in love and have to choose between their families'
expectations and their passion for each other. Romeo and Juliet choose passion. They abandon their
loyalty to their parents and kinsman and lie to their relatives in order to protect their love. Ultimately,
though, Romeo and Juliet can't escape the conflict that divides their families. Bad luck is partially
responsible for Romeo and Juliet's deaths, but so is Romeo's obligation to avenge his friend's murder
and defend his masculinity and family name. Juliet's father and mother, who try to push her into an
unwanted marriage, are also to blame. Though we often think of family as a refuge and a place of
security, in Romeo and Juliet, kinship is more often a source of danger and battle.
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Questions about Family
1.
2.
3.
4.
Why do the Capulets hate the Montagues?
How does the Capulet/Montague family feud impact Romeo and Juliet's love affair and marriage?
Why does Juliet face greater family conflict than Romeo? Is it because she is a woman and he is a man?
Explain how the prince's kinship bonds influence his decision to exile (rather than execute) Romeo.
Classroom Activities:
1. Shakespeare in Ensemble Performance: Give
students a copy of the Prologue and have them read it aloud.
Make sure everyone knows what they are saying! Split them
into two groups and have them create an ensemble piece of
the Prologue. Give them suggestions to get them thinking
outside the box. Some we have seen before: The Prologue as
a Western, as a Hip Hop Video, as a Musical, as a Slow
Motion Ninja Film. Encourage them to play around with the
text: One person could narrate, they could all join in on
certain words, some words can be repeated, it can be sung
etc. etc.
Perform them for each other!
Prologue
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-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whole misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-mark'd 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.
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2. Romeo and Juliet Talk Show- “Host” a talk show to see what would have happened if Romeo
and Juliet had lived. Interview them, their families and anyone else in the play whom students
are interested to have come back and share. (Friar John can be surprisingly popular for his failure
to deliver the message!)
3. Shakespearian War: Romeo and Juliet
live in a world of hatred between two families,
where honor is everything. To get into this
atmosphere, there’s nothing like a good ol’
fashioned Shakespearian War.

Pass out Shakespearian insult sheet
(included below) and divide the room in two,
lined up facing each other. Each student creates
their own insult using the sheet and also a
movement/sound to go with it. The classroom
teacher is the overall “War” judge.

Going one by one, the students
yell out their insult followed by the
movement/sound. Their entire “team” repeats the
movement/sound.

Go down the line, trading off, until
the final “War Cry” which is “Capulet” or
“Montague” with a sound/movement, done by the
entire team
Classroom teacher declares a winner
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
SHAKESPEAREAN INSULT KIT
Have a classroom Shakespeare war! Divide the class into two groups and have them “duel” each other in
pairs by combining one word from each of the three columns below, prefaced with "Thou":
Column 1
artless
bawdy
beslubbering
bootless
churlish
cockered
clouted
craven
currish
dankish
dissembling
droning
errant
fawning
fobbing
frothy
gleeking
goatish
gorbellied
impertinent
infectious
jarring
loggerheaded
lumpish
mammering
mangled
mewling
paunchy
pribbling
puking
puny
qualling
rank
reeky
roguish
ruttish
saucy
spleeny
spongy
surly
tottering
unmuzzled
vain
venomed
villainous
warped
wayward
weedy
yeasty
Column 2
base-court
bat-fowling
beef-witted
beetle-headed
boil-brained
clapper-clawed
clay-brained
common-kissing
crook-pated
dismal-dreaming
dizzy-eyed
doghearted
dread-bolted
earth-vexing
elf-skinned
fen-sucked
flap-mouthed
fly-bitten
folly-fallen
fool-born
full-gorged
guts-griping
half-faced
hasty-witted
hedge-born
hell-hated
idle-headed
ill-breeding
ill-nurtured
knotty-pated
milk-livered
motley-minded
onion-eyed
plume-plucked
pottle-deep
pox-marked
reeling-ripe
rough-hewn
rude-growing
rump-fed
shard-borne
sheep-biting
spur-galled
swag-bellied
tardy-gaited
tickle-brained
toad-spotted
unchin-snouted
weather-bitten
Column 3
apple-john
baggage
barnacle
bladder
boar-pig
bugbear
bum-bailey
canker-blossom
clack-dish
clotpole
coxcomb
codpiece
death-token
dewberry
flap-dragon
flirt-gill
foot-licker
fustilarian
giglet
gudgeon
haggard
harpy
hedge-pig
horn-beast
hugger-mugger
joithead
lewdster
lout
maggot-pie
malt-worm
mammet
measle
minnow
miscreant
moldwarp
mumble-news
nut-hook
pigeon-egg
pignut
puttock
pumpion
ratsbane
scut
skainsmate
strumpet
varlot
vassal
whey-face
wagtail
Cincinnati Shakespeare Company
Sources:
http://www.noblesandcourtiers.org/elizabethan-theatre-audiences.htm
Source: http://www.shmoop.com/romeo-and-juliet/themes.html
Photos by Jeanna Vella and Rich Sofranko