Romeo & Juliet Study Guide - Calliope Theatre Company · Romeo & Juliet In this study guide,...
Transcript of Romeo & Juliet Study Guide - Calliope Theatre Company · Romeo & Juliet In this study guide,...
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Romeo & Juliet
In this study guide, developed by professional educators and English-language
teachers, you will find printable worksheets as well as Pre- and Post-Performance
Activities and Discussion Topics. For students who are learning English, we have
also included key vocabulary so that your students will better enjoy our
performance. This study guide may be reproduced and distributed to students. It
can be found on our website www.calliopetheatrecompnay.pt
Calliope Theatre Company welcomes your opinion & suggestions on our
performances and Study Guides, so that we can continue to provide teachers and
students with the finest in-school, educational theatre experience.
We love hearing from students and teachers. Please encourage your students to leave a comment on our Facebook Group Page or write us
letters and tell us what you thought of the show!
Sincerely, Calliope Theatre Company
Welcome to Romeo & Juliet by Calliope Theatre
Company! Our touring production of Romeo & Juliet,
has been designed to “Educate, Enlighten & Entertain!”
Our professional actors, playing multiple roles, will
perform key scenes from Romeo & Juliet, bringing to
life some of the most famous and powerful language
ever written.
Calliope Theatre Company’s Romeo & Juliet is an
interactive performance and we encourage your
students’ participation. We will be asking a number of
your students to join us on stage.
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Romeo & Juliet TABLE OF CONTENTS
All of the Activities in our Study Guide may be copied and given to your students.
WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE……………………………………..………………………….. 4
THE GLOBE THEATRE …….………………………………………………..…..………..... 5
TO BE OR NOT TO BE…SHAKESPEARE (Video & Worksheet)………….……….…..… 6
CALLIOPE THEATRE’S ROMEO & JULIET - Synopsis………………………….……..…7
THEATRE VOCABULARY…………………………………………………………………7
BEFORE THE SHOW ACTIVITY – Who’s Who in Romeo & Juliet.......………….…….....8
ROMEO & JULIET – Key Points by Act & Original Text and Modern Translation………9-19
SHAKESPEARE INSULTS – Do You Bite Your Thumb at Me, Sir? ………….………….20
AFTER THE SHOW ACTIVITIES…………………………….………….…….…..…… 21-23
TEACHER RESOURCES………………………………………..…..……………….…… 24
ABOUT THE ARTISTS…………………………………………………………….………25
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Romeo & Juliet
William Shakespeare
For all of his fame, William Shakespeare remains a mysterious
figure. Very few documents from Elizabethan England
regarding him have survived and they tell us little about
Shakespeare the man.
William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, in
1564 to middle class parents. Historians believe that
Shakespeare attended school in Stratford, which at the time
had an excellent reputation for teaching Latin and Classical
Greek. What is certain is that William Shakespeare never
attended university schooling, which has caused some of the debate concerning the
authorship of his works.
In 1582 at the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway They has their first daughter,
Susanna, in 1583 and then later, had twins. It is estimated that Shakespeare arrived
in London around 1588 and began to establish himself as an actor and playwright.
Shakespeare must have shown a great deal of talent since, by 1594, he was not
only acting and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men, but was also a managing
partner of the acting troupe. The actors and plays of Lord Chamberlain’s Men were
loved by royalty and the theatre-going public of London.
Shakespeare's company was the most successful in London in his day. He had
plays published and sold "penny-copies" to his fans. As far as we know, no other
playwright except Shakespeare had seen their works published and sold as popular
literature during their lifetime. Shakespeare’s success allowed him to purchase a
home and retire in comfort to Stratford in 1611.
Often called the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard") his plays have been
translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of
any other playwright. William Shakespeare's body of work will never again be
equaled in Western civilization. His words have endured for 400 years, and still
reach across the centuries as powerfully as ever.
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Romeo & Juliet The Globe Theatre
The original Globe Theatre opened in 1599 on London’s Thames River and was owned by a
number of actors, including William Shakespeare. Most of Shakespeare's plays were staged at
the Globe. In 1613, the Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry VIII,
when a cannon, set off during the performance, ignited the theatre’s wooden beams and thatched
roof.
The Globe was a three-story, open-air theatre that could house up to 3,000 people. In front of the
stage, there was an area called the pit, where for only a penny, people could stand to watch the
performance. Because they stood on the ground for the entire performance, these audience
members were called the “groundlings”.
Often performances lasted over 3 hours, so the groundlings ate and drank throughout the show
and they often threw food at the villains in the play! (During the excavation of the Globe
Theatre, hazelnut shells were found preserved in the dirt!)
The three levels of seats in the Globe were more expensive. The Globe’s stage was raised off the
ground and there was a trap door for the actors. Large columns on either side of the stage
supported a roof and the ceiling. The area under this roof was called the "heavens." Another trap
door in the heavens allowed the actors, playing ghosts or spirits, to descend using a rope and
harness. The balcony housed the musicians or was used for scenes requiring an upper-space,
such as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet.
The new Globe Theatre opened in 1997 under the name "Shakespeare's Globe Theatre" and now
stages plays every summer.
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Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geev441vbMI and have students answer the following questions.
1.) When and where was Shakespeare born? ____________________________
2.) What was his occupation? _______________________________________
3.) Who did he marry and did they have any children? ___________________
_______________________________________________________________
4.) Where did Shakespeare move to in the late 1580s? ____________________
5.) What was the first name of his acting company? _____________________
________________________________________________________________
6.) What did you find interesting about The Globe Theatre 1599?
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
__________
7.) How many Shakespeare plays can you name?
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Romeo & Juliet
CALLIOPE THEATRE COMPANY’S
Romeo & Juliet
William Shakespeare is going to start rehearsing his play ROMEO & JULIET, but
before the first rehearsal he needs to cast actors for the play. With help from Queen
Elizabeth I, Shakespeare has an audition to choose actors to play the important
roles of Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt and Mercutio. Shakespeare will then perform a
scene from each of the five acts in his play.
THEATRE VOCABULARY
The following theatre vocabulary appears in our presentation of Romeo & Juliet.
NOUNS
Act – a large section of a play
Actor/Actress – the people performing the play
Audience – the people watching a play
Audition – a trial to find actors
Cast – the actors who will perform the play
Director – the person in charge of rehearsing
Dresser – assistant who dresses the actors
Performance – A presentation
Part – role, character in the play
Play – a theatre piece
Playwright – the author of the play
Rehearsal – a session where actors practice the play
Role – a character in a play
Scene – a smaller division of an act
Tragedian – actor who specialises in performing tragedy
Script – The written text of a play
VERBS
To act –to perform a role in a play
To perform – to act in a play
To audition for a play
To cast a play –to choose the actors
To direct – to prepare the play
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Romeo & Juliet
BEFORE THE SHOW - WHO’S WHO IN ROMEO AND JULIET?
Match each character in the play with their description
1.) Romeo ____ a.) Romeo’s priest
2.) Juliet ___ b.) The ruler of the city
3.) Paris ___ c.) Juliet’s servant
4.) Lord Capulet ___ d.) Romeo’s best friend
5.) The Prince of Verona ____ e.) Juliet’s hot-blooded cousin
6.) Mercutio _____ f.) Juliet’s father
7.) Friar Lawrence _____ g.) Lord Capulet’s daughter
8.) The Nurse ___ h.) A Count who wishes to marry Juliet
9.) Tybalt ____
i.) Lord Montague’s son
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Romeo & Juliet In the following pages, we give you the original Shakespeare text used in our version of
ROMEO & JULIET. Alongside the text is a modern translation to enhance your student’s
enjoyment of the play. We have also included a brief description of the key points for
each act of the play. We suggest that students have the opportunity to read and act the
texts in class.
The Prologue Shakespeare
.
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-crossed lovers take their life,
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.
The fearful passage of their death-marked 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.
Modern Translation
Two families, the Montagues and the Capulets,
both equal in money, status and respect, live in the
beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes
place.
A long-standing hatred between the families erupts
into new violence, and citizens of Verona stain their
hands with the blood of their fellow citizens.
Two unlucky children of these enemy families
become lovers and commit suicide.
Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their
parents' feud.
For the next two hours, we will watch the story of
their doomed love and their parents' anger, which
nothing but the children’s deaths could stop.
If you listen to us patiently, everything we’ve left
out of this prologue, we will work to show you on
stage.
Did You Know? In this famous Prologue, Shakespeare tells the whole story of Romeo & Juliet
before the play even begins! Yet for 400 years, audience members have remained to see the entire
play….hoping that the two lovers get away in the end!
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Romeo & Juliet
ACT I – Key Points
1. The Montagues and the Capulets are insulting each other in the streets of Verona
which soon leads to fighting. The Prince of Verona arrives and commands them to
stop. He declares that the violence has gone on for too long and if anyone is
caught fighting they will be punished.
2.) Romeo tells his friends that he is in love with Rosaline, but he is heartbroken
because Rosaline does not return his feeling.
3.) Paris, a young nobleman goes to Lord Capulet and asks to marry his daughter,
Juliet. Juliet says she will meet Paris at the party tonight and see if she could love
him.
4.) The Capulets are having a party and everyone in Verona is invited, except the
Montagues. However, Romeo and his friends attend the party wearing masks so
no one will recognize them. From across the room, Romeo sees Juliet, and
immediately falls in love. Forgetting all about Rosaline, he declares that he has
never been in love until this moment. Romeo and Juliet touch hands in a palmer’s
kiss and fall in love.
5.) The Nurse arrives and tells Juliet that her mother wants to speak with her.
Romeo asks the Nurse who Juliet’s mother is. The Nurse replies that Lady Capulet
is Juliet’s mother. Later, the Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo is a Montague and Juliet
is devastated.
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Romeo & Juliet Act I – Romeo & Juliet fall in love at the party
Shakespeare
Romeo:
Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear,
Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.
If I profane with my unworthiest hand
This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:
My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand
To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.
Juliet: Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too
much,
Which mannerly devotion shows in this,
For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do
touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.
R: Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?
J: Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.
R: O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do.
Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged.
J: Then have my lips the sin that they have took.
R: Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!
Give me my sin again.
Is she a Capulet?
O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt.
J: My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown, and known too late!
Prodigious birth of love it is to me,
That I must love a loathèd enemy.
Modern Translation
Romeo: Oh, she shows the torches how
to burn bright! She stands out against
the darkness like a jewelled earring
hanging against the cheek of an African.
Did my heart ever love anyone before
this moment? My eyes were liars,
because I never saw true beauty before
tonight. Your hand is like a holy place
that my hand is unworthy to visit. My
two lips are standing here like blushing
pilgrims, ready to make things better
with a kiss.
Juliet: Good pilgrim, you don’t give
your hand enough credit. By holding my
hand you show polite devotion. After all,
pilgrims touch the hands of statues of
saints. Holding one palm against
another is like a kiss.
R: Don’t saints and pilgrims have lips
too?
J: Only lips that they use to pray.
R: Well then, saint, let lips do what
hands do. Now my sin has been taken
from my lips by yours.
J: Do my lips now have the sin they took
from you?
R: Sin from your lips? You encourage
crime with your sweetness. Give me my
sin back. Is she a Capulet? Oh, this is a
heavy price to pay! My life is in the
hands of my enemy.
J: The only man I love is the son of the
only man I hate! I did not know who he
was, and I found out who he was too
late! Love is a monster for making me
fall in love with my worst enemy.
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Romeo & Juliet
ACT II – Key Points
1.) After the party, Romeo secretly returns to the
Capulet’s house to see Juliet. He climbs the
garden wall and sees Juliet on the balcony.
Romeo hears Juliet declare her love for him
and he then declares his love for her. They
decide to get married.
2.) Romeo goes to the priest, Friar Lawrence and tells
him that he loves Juliet. Romeo convinces Friar
Lawrence to marry them
3.) Romeo’s friends are looking for him and when they
find him they are surprised that he is no longer sad
about Rosaline. Juliet’s nurse then arrives and arranges
a meeting between Romeo & Juliet.
4.) Romeo & Juliet are secretly
married by Friar Lawrence.
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Romeo & Juliet Act II – Balcony Scene
Shakespeare
ROMEO: But soft, what light through yonder
window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
It is my lady, O it is my love:
O that she knew she were!
JULIET: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou
Romeo?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name;
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,
And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.
‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet.
ROMEO: I take thee at thy word;
Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptised.
JULIET: Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?
If any of my kinsmen find thee here,
If they do see thee, they will murder thee.
ROMEO: Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye
Than twenty of their swords.
NURSE: Madam!
JULIET: By and by I come –
Tomorrow will I send. What a’clock tomorrow
Shall I send to thee?
ROMEO: By the hour of nine.
JULIET: Good night, good night! Parting is such
sweet sorrow,
That I shall say good night till it be morrow.
ROMEO: Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy
breast!
Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest.
Modern Translation
ROMEO: But wait, what is that soft that light
in the window over there? It is the east, and
Juliet is the rising sun Oh, it is my lady,
Juliet. She is my love. Oh, I wish she knew
how much I love her.
JULIET: Oh, Romeo, Romeo, why do you
have to be Romeo? Forget about your father
and change your name. Or, if you won't
change your name, just swear that you love
me and I'll stop being a Capulet. It is only
your name that's my enemy. What is a name,
anyway? The thing we call a rose would smell
just as sweet if we called it by any other
name.
ROMEO: I believe you. Just call me your
love, and I will change my name.
JULIET: Are you not Romeo and a
Montague? If any of my family find you here
they will kill you.
ROMEO: One angry look from you would
be worse than twenty of your relatives with
swords.
NURSE: Madam!
JULIET: I'll be right there! Tomorrow I'll
send a message to you. What time tomorrow
should I send it to you?
ROMEO: By nine o'clock.
JULIET: Good night, good night. Leaving
you is such sweet sorrow that I will say good
night until tonight becomes tomorrow.
ROMEO: I hope you sleep in peace. I wish I
were Sleep and Peace, so I could spend the
night with you.
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Romeo & Juliet
ACT III – Key Points
1.) Romeo meets Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, in the street. Tybalt challenges
Romeo to a duel. Romeo refuses to fight because he has secretly married
Juliet the night before.
2.) Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, cannot ignore Tybalt’s insults. Mercutio is so
disgusted by Romeo’s 'cowardice' that he fights Tybalt. As Romeo tries to
break up the fight, Tybalt kills Mercutio. Full of anger and grief, Romeo
finds Tybalt and then kills him.
3.) The Prince of Verona arrives and, on hearing the full story, banishes
Romeo rather than have him executed.
4.) Meanwhile, Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet tells her she is to marry Paris.
5.) Juliet pretends to agree and goes to Friar Lawrence for advice.
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Romeo & Juliet Act III – Death in the Streets
Shakespeare
TYBALT: Gentlemen, good den, a word with one of
you.
MERCUTIO: And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something, make it a word and a
blow.
TYBALT: You shall find me apt enough to that, sir,
and you will give me occasion.
MERCUTIO: Could you not take some occasion without giving?
TYBALT: Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford No better term than this: thou art a villain.
ROMEO: Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee
Doth much excuse the appertaining rage To such a greeting.Villain am I none;
Therefore farewell, I see thou knowest me not.
TYBALT: Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries
That thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw.
ROMEO: I do protest I never injuried thee, But love thee better than thou canst devise,
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love;
And so, good Capulet, which name I tender As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.
MERCUTIO: O calm, dishonourable, vile
submission! Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?
TYBALT: What wouldst thou have with me? (They fight. Mercutio is hurt. Exit Tybalt)
MERCUTIO:I am hurt.
A plague a’both houses! I am sped. They have made worms’ meat of me. I have it,
And soundly too. Your houses! (Mercutio
dies.Enter Tybalt)
ROMEO: Now, Tybalt, take the’villain’ back again!
(They fight. Tybalt is slain.)
ROMEO: O, I am fortune's fool!
Modern Translation
TYBALT: Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'd like to
have a word with one of you.
MERCUTIO: Just one word? Put it together with something else. Make it a word and a hit.
TYBALT: You'll find me ready enough to do that, sir, if you give me a reason.
MERCUTIO: Can't you find a reason without me
giving you one?
TYBALT: Romeo, I do not like you so the only thing
I can call you is a villain.
ROMEO: Tybalt, I have a reason to love you which
is why I am not angry about your insult. I am not a
villain. I can tell that you don't know me, so goodbye.
TYBALT: Boy, I can't forgive the harm you've done
to me. Turn around and draw your sword.
ROMEO: I have never harmed you. I love you more
than you can understand. Until you know the reason,
be satisfied good Capulet—which is a name I love as much as my own.
MERCUTIO: This peaceful talk is dishonourable
and vile. Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you fight me?
TYBALT: What do you want from me?
MERCUTIO: I've been hurt. May the plague curse
both of your families. I'm finished. May the plague strike both your families! They've turned me into food
for worms. I'm done for. Curse your families!
ROMEO: Now, Tybalt, I’ll make you a villain!
ROMEO: O, I am so unlucky!
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Romeo & Juliet
ACT IV – Key Points
1.) Juliet tells Friar Lawrence that she would rather
kill herself than marry Paris.
2.) Friar Lawrence creates a clever plan. He tells
Juliet to take a potion that will make her appear to be dead for two days. She will then be taken to
the family tomb to be buried.
3.) Friar Lawrence will then send a message to
Romeo who will then return to Verona. When
Juliet wakes up in the tomb, Romeo will be there and they can then escape and find a new home.
together.
4.)
4.) Juliet returns home and her father begins to
organize her wedding to Paris. Juliet goes to her room and drinks the potion.
5.) The next morning, the Nurse discovers Juliet’s
“body.” Juliet’s family believes she is dead and she
is taken to the family tomb.
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Romeo & Juliet Act IV – Friar Lawrence’s clever plan
Shakespeare
FRIAR LAWRENCE: Hold, daughter, I
do spy a kind of hope.
If, rather than to marry County Paris,
Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself,
Then is it likely thou wilt undertake
A thing like death to chide away this shame.
JULIET: O bid me leap, rather than marry
Paris,
From off the battlements of any tower.
FRIAR LAWRENCE: Take thou this vial,
being then in bed,
And this distilling liquor drink thou off
No warmth, no breath shall testify thou
livest;
And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk
death
Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,
And then awake as from a pleasant sleep.
In the mean time, against thou shalt wake,
Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,
And hither shall he come, and bear thee
hence
To Mantua.
JULIET: Love give me strength, and
strength shall help afford. Farewell, dear
father.
Modern Translation
FRIAR LAWRENCE: Wait, daughter, I
see some hope. If you've made up your
mind to kill yourself instead of marrying
Count Paris, then you'll probably be
willing to try something like death to solve
this shameful problem.
JULIET: O tell me to jump from the castle
tower rather than making me marry Paris!
FRIAR LAWRENCE: When you're in
bed, take this vial and drink the liquid in
it. Your flesh will be cold, and you'll stop
breathing. It will seem like you're dead.
You'll stay in this deathlike state for forty-
two hours, and then you'll wake up as if
from a pleasant sleep. Meanwhile, I'll send
Romeo word of our plan. He'll come here,
and will take you away to Mantua.
JULIET: Love will give me strength, and
strength will help me accomplish this plan.
Goodbye, dear Father.
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Romeo & Juliet
ACT V – Key Points
1.) The message from Friar Lawrence is not delivered to Romeo, who
is in Mantua. Instead, Romeo only hears that Juliet is dead.
2.) Romeo buys some poison from an apothecary and goes to Juliet’s
tomb in Verona.
3.) In Juliet’s tomb, Romeo meets Paris. Paris tries to arrest Romeo.
They fight and Romeo kills Paris.
4.) At Juliet’s side, Romeo drinks the poison and dies. Juliet wakes up
and seeing that Romeo is dead, kills herself with his dagger.
5.) The Prince of Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets arrive at
the tomb. As they grieve the death of Romeo and Juliet, they declare an end to their feud.
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Romeo & Juliet Act V – Juliet’s tomb
Shakespeare
ROMEO: O my love, my wife,
Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,
Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.
Ah, dear Juliet, Why art thou yet so fair?
I still will stay with thee,
And never from this palace of dim night
Depart again. Eyes look your last!
Arms take your last embrace. Here’s to my love!
O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick.
Thus with a kiss I die.
(Romeo dies. Juliet awakes.)
JULIET: What’s here? A cup closed in my true
love’s hand?
Poison I see hath been his timeless end.
O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop
To help me after? I will kiss thy lips,
Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,
To make me die with a restorative.
Thy lips are warm.
(Taking Romeo’s dagger.)
O happy dagger,
This is thy sheath;
there rust, and let me die.
(Falls on Romeo’s body and dies.)
PRINCE OF VERONA:
Where be these enemies?—Capulet! Montague!
See what a scourge is laid upon your hate,
That heaven finds means to kill your joys with
love!
Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things.
Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd.
For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.
Modern Translation
ROMEO: Oh, my love! My wife! Death has
taken away your sweet breath, but it has not
yet ruined your beauty. Ah, dear Juliet, why
are you still so beautiful? I'll stay with you
and I will never leave this tomb. Eyes, look
for the last time! Arms, make your last
embrace! Here's to my love! Oh, that
pharmacist was right! His drugs work
quickly. So I die with a kiss.
(Romeo dies. Juliet awakes.)
JULIET: What's is this? It's a cup, in my
true love's hand? I see he has killed himself
with poison. How unfair! He drank it all,
and didn't leave any to help me. I will kiss
your lips. Perhaps there's still some poison
on them, to make me die. Your lips are
warm.
(Taking Romeo’s dagger.)
Oh, good, a knife! My body will be your
sheath. Rust inside my body and let me die.
(Falls on Romeo’s body and dies.)
PRINCE OF VERONA:
Where are these enemies? Capulet!
Montague! Do you see what a great evil
results from your hate? Heaven has figured
out how to kill your children, your joys with
love. Let’s go, to talk more about this
tragedy. Some of you will be forgiven, and
some will be punished.
For there was never such a sad story than
the story of Romeo and Juliet.
20
Romeo & Juliet Do You Bite Your Thumb at Me, Sir?
Shakespearean Insults! Find yourself tempted to say #@%* too often? Elizabethan insults are much more fun. In groups,
choose an adjective from both Column 1 and Column 2 and then combine it with a noun from
Column 3. Choose the best six insults you can create, mixing them up from the different
columns. Then have your class vote on the best insult.
Begin each insult with “Thou" (you). For example: Thou Spongy Rat-Faced Foot
Licker!!!
Column 1 Column 2 Column 3
artless base-court apple-john
bawdy bat-fowling baggage
beslubbering beef-witted barnacle
churlish boil-brained boar-pig
clouted clay-brained bum-bailey
craven crook-pated clack-dish
dankish dismal-dreaming clotpole
droning dog-hearted codpiece
errant dread-bolted death-token
fawning earth-vexing dewberry
fobbing elf-skinned flap-dragon
froward fat-kidneyed flax-wench
gleeking flap-mouthed foot-licker
goatish fly-bitten fustilarian
jarring guts-griping harpy
loggerheaded half-faced hedge-pig
lumpish hasty-witted horn-beast
mewling idle-headed lewdster
pribbling ill-nurtured maggot-pie
puny knotty-pated malt-worm
qualing milk-livered mammet
rank motley-minded measle
reeky plume-plucked miscreant
spongy rude-growing pignut
unmuzzled sheep-biting ratsbane
vain spur-galled scut
venomed swag-bellied skainsmate
warped tickle-brained varlet
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Romeo & Juliet
AFTER THE SHOW – Discussion Questions
1.) All of the problems in Romeo & Juliet result from a feud between the
Capulets and the Montagues. Ask students to brainstorm a list of conflicts between groups of people, races, and countries of today
Discuss why these feuds continue.
2.) Romeo & Juliet go to Friar Lawrence for help rather than their
parents. Have a discussion concerning communication between
teenagers and their parents. Is it harder to communicate with your parents than with your friends? Why? What could teenagers and their
parents do to better communicate?
3.) How could Romeo and Juliet have avoided the tragic ending? What
could they both have done differently? What could the adults around them have done to prevent it?
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Romeo & Juliet
AFTER THE SHOW – Writing & Acting Activities
1.) Choose three adjectives to describe each of the following characters from
Calliope Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet:
Shakespeare
Romeo
Juliet
Queen Elizabeth
Friar Lawrence
Tybalt
2.) Choose one of the scenes from the play. Write and perform a modern version of
the scene. (Example: Romeo & Juliet are from feuding rival gangs or instead of two
feuding families Romeo & Juliet come from different races or religions.)
3.) Write and perform a short scene where Lord & Lady Capulet and Lord & Lady
Montague meet one month after the story finishes. Write a dialogue between them.
4.) Shakespeare often used oxymorons - Two opposing words next to each other which
seem impossible at first glance but actually are very true… As when Juliet says
goodbye to Romeo: Parting is such sweet sorrow. Have students make a list of 5 to
10 oxymorons. Examples: Slow speed, virtual reality, plastic glasses, ill fortune,
original copy (Many oxymorons can be found in advertising!)
From the 2013 Broadway production of ROMEO & JULIET with Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad.
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Romeo & Juliet
Theatre features live on-stage actors. They have spent many
weeks rehearsing for the performance.
~ The audience is a very important part of the performance. The
success of the play often depends on the audience and their
enthusiasm and participation.
~ It is easy to identify with live actors. You can see how they
use their bodies and voices to convey different emotions.
~ Actors wear clothing and make-up to help create the
characters they play.
~ There is much more to most live performances than actors.
Special scenery, effects, lighting, music, costumes, and of
course, the audience add to the total experience.
ACTIVITY – Discuss & DRAW!
After reading the above, ask students to discuss some of the
theatre questions below.
1.) What was your favourite part of the play? Who was your
favourite character and why?
2.) What is the difference between TV and a live play? Which
do you like better and why?
3.) Draw a picture of a favourite scene or character.
4.) Design a programme cover for the play using the title, and
an illustration inspired by the play.
5.) Choose a character from the play and discuss things the
actors did to create that character. Why might an actor change
his presentation because of audience reaction? Would it be
easy to be an actor? What might you have done differently?
6.) Conduct an interview with a classmate pretending to be
one of the actors and find out the actor's feelings about being
on stage, memorization, rehearsals, costumes, audience, etc.
LIVE THEATRE!
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Romeo & Juliet
RESOURCES
Movies (Many of these may be viewed on YouTube.com)
Romeo and Juliet - Directed by Franco Zeffirelli. (Rated G)
Romeo & Juliet - Directed by Baz Luhrmann; (1997) (Rated PG13) Starring Leonardo Di Caprio
and Claire Danes, this film is retains the original Shakespearean dialogue, but is in a modern setting.
The Montagues and the Capulets are represented as warring mafia empires. The balcony scene is
highly recommended for students. However, other scenes not be appropriate for classroom use
because of violence.
Star Crossed – Amor em Jogo - Directed by Mark Heller. This Portuguese film created in
2009, recreates the Romeo & Juliet story in modern times with two rival football teams. Available from
Lusomundo in English and Portuguese
Shakespeare in Love (selected scenes) Directed by John Madden (1998) (Rated R) Please note:
This film contains many excellent scenes that convey the atmosphere of Elizabethan England. Many
sections, however, would not be appropriate for classroom use.
West Side Story - Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Music by Leonard Bernstein,
The story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid-1950s, in an
ethnic, blue-collar neighborhood. Originally a Broadway play, this musical explores the rivalry
between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.
ON THE WEB
www.folger.edu/eduLesPlanArch.cfm?cid=1786 – The Folger Shakespeare Library’s Lesson Plan
Archive, dealing with every play, Shakespeare’s life and times, and the literary genres and conventions
of the time. It is an extensive resource for teachers, easy to access, and created by K-12 educators.
www.rsc.org.uk/home/default.aspx – Web site of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
www.Shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/timeline.htm – Shakespeare timeline
www.shakespeare.org.uk/content/view/13/13 – Shakespeare in Stratford
www.shakespeares-globe.org – The Globe Theatre
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/ - No Fear Shakespeare
25
Romeo & Juliet About the artists
Zoe Kaye (Girl, Juliet, Tybalt) originally from Herefordshire, U.K., received a
Distinction Certificate in her Performing Arts exam for L.A.M.D.A and studied
Children’s Theatre at Herefordshire College of Art and Design where she
performed in the Herefordshire Performing Arts Festival. After performing for
over 3 years with Avalon Theatre Company, Zoe is proud to be a co-founder of
Calliope Theatre Company.
Meg Thurin (Queen Elizabeth I, Romeo), originally from the United States, Meg
graduated from John Cabot University with a Bachelor of Arts and received her
postgraduate degree from the Istituto Arte Artiginato e Restauro, Rome, Italy.
Since moving to Portugal in 2009, Meg has worked with Avalon Theatre
Company, participated in various voice-over projects and has performed in a TV
sitcom pilot filmed in Lisbon. Most recently, Meg became the featured voice for
iClio's - JiTT Travel app guides for many major cities in Europe. Meg is a co-
founder of Calliope Theatre Company and looks forward to seeing the teachers
and students that she met during her 5 years with Avalon Theatre Company.
Matthew Lloyd (William Shakespeare, Prince of Verona, Paris, Nurse,
Mercutio, Friar Lawrence) Originally from England, Matthew worked with
The Ferndown Drama Group, Huntington Drama Group, Chesil Theatre and
the Royal Navy Theatre Association. He has acted in a variety of full-length
works including pantomimes and dramatic plays such as Wind in the Willows
(Toad) and Pygmalion. Matthew has directed such works as The Anniversary
and Steel Magnolias and has served as Stage Manager for a variety of theatre
companies. Matthew has an MBA from Cranfield School of Management.
After his 17 years in the British Royal Navy (including time spent with
NATO, Portugal), Matthew moved permanently to Cascais. Matthew is a co-
founder of Calliope Theatre Company.