Mrs. Mai
English Honors 9
2012 Romeo and Juliet
Sociograms (Tangled Webs) for Romeo and Juliet’s Conflicting Loyalties
What is it?
A sociogram is a visual representation of the relationships among characters in a literary text. Students can make
use of pictures, symbols, shapes, colors, and line styles to illustrate these relationships. Sociograms can be used at
first to help students understand the relationships among characters. As the story develops, students can add to or
revise their sociograms to graphically illustrate the changing relationships, the traits of each character, and the
emerging primary and secondary conflicts.
What does it look like?
In a sociogram, the central character(s) is placed at the center of the page, and the other characters are placed around
him/her. The spatial relationship on the page should in some way represent each of the character’s relationship with
the main character, as well as with each other. Lines/arrows and other symbols are used to show the “direction and
nature” of the relationship (e.g., strength/weakness, friend/foe, dominance/submissiveness, etc.). Students will use
pictorial representations for each of the characters; once they have arranged them in the best way to reflect their
understanding of the text, the names can then be placed on a larger piece of paper/poster and the rest of the
sociogram can be constructed. Please use a legend to help viewers understand some of the connecting lines you may
be using. A number of conventions may be useful in developing sociograms:
Place the central character(s) at the center of the diagram
Let the physical distance between characters reflect the perceived psychological distance between the
characters
Let the size/shape/symbol of a character metaphorically represent each personality, importance, one’s
power or lack of, etc.
Use the direction of an arrow/line/other symbol to help explain a relationship and its nature. The lines can
be creatively applied: What might the following types of lines indicate? A jagged line? A wavy line? The
thickness of the line? etc.)
Represent substantiated relationships with a solid line and inferred relationships by a broken line. Circle
active characters with a solid line; circle significantly absent characters with a broken line.
Place the characters that support the main character on one side of a dividing line, and antagonistic
characters on the other side.
Illustrate the tone and or theme of a piece by the use of color or visual symbols.
Explore creative ways to represent a character’s motivation. For example, inside each “character’s circle”
might be one or more words that seem to capture the essence of that character. Immediately outside the
circle could be a series of arrows that represent the forces that influence that character.
The Assignment
At the end of each Act in Romeo and Juliet (there are 5), you will create a sociogram to depict your interpretation of
the relationships and loyalty within the play. You may use any of the conventions listed above, and some you may
come up with on your own.
You must have a new sociogram for each Act.
You must include all of the major characters.
You must include quote(s) from the Act, stating who speaks the lines and the line location to support each
depiction of loyalty. Be prepared to explain your selections.
You must use a smallish poster size for your representation (larger than a sheet of paper)
You will be given some time at the end of each class to work on your representation.
Mrs. Mai
English Honors 9
2012 Romeo and Juliet
Grading Rubric - Sociogram
Romeo and Juliet is composed of five acts. You will create a sociogram for each act. Each act will be
worth 10 points and then rolled into one grade of 50 points.
Category
Character
Inclusion
Loyalties
Evidence
45-50 - A
44-40 - B
39-35 - C
34-30 - D
All major characters
from play are
included.
All significant
character loyalties
are depicted and
updated to reflect
the plot.
Each depiction of
loyalty (quote with
act, scene and line
numbers) is
supported with
evidence from the
play. Evidence of
careful thought.
Most major
characters from play
are included.
Most significant
character loyalties
are depicted and
updated to reflect
the plot.
Most depictions of
loyalty (quote with
act, scene and line
numbers) are
supported with
evidence from the
play. Some
evidence of careful
thought.
Diagram is mostly
easy to understand.
Some major
characters from play
are included.
Some significant
character loyalties
are depicted and
updated to reflect
the plot.
Some depictions of
loyalty (quote with
act, scene and line
numbers) are
supported with
evidence from the
play. Little evidence
of careful thought.
Few major
characters from play
are included.
Few significant
character loyalties
are depicted and
updated to reflect
the plot.
Few depictions of
loyalty (quote with
act, scene and line
numbers) are
supported with
evidence from the
play. No evidence of
careful thought.
Diagram has several
confusing points and
is not easy to
understand.
Thoughtful and
deliberate
consideration of
visual appeal and
interest is
inconsistent.
Diagram is very
difficult to
understand.
Clarity
Diagram is clear and
easy to understand.
Visual Appeal
Obvious thoughtful
and deliberate
consideration of
visual appeal and
interest.
Thoughtful and
deliberate
consideration of
visual appeal and
interest is mostly
evident.
Thoughtful and
deliberate
consideration of
visual appeal and
interest is lacking.