Romeo and Juliet Context

romeo and juliet
lesson plans: contexts
Ages 14 - 19
(Key Stage 4/5)
© 2016 The Shakespeare Globe Trust. Permission granted to reproduce for personal and educational use only. 1
Commercial copying, hiring, lending, is prohibited.
introductory note
Each Lesson Plan is designed to represent at least an hour’s worth of teaching material. These are organised into five
distinct sections:
Prologue – key learning question(s) and quick starter activities to orientate and enthuse students, to focus thinking
and to provoke debate and enquiry.
Enter the Players – detailed descriptions of activities (with linked resources) to support exploration of the key
learning questions through collaboration and participation (drama, speaking and listening tasks, group research and
investigation tasks, creative brief tasks, etc.).
Asides – margin boxes containing facts and quizzes as well as links to additional information, e.g. factsheets.
Exeunt – a pause for some structured reflection at the end of each learning episode including a suggested plenary
activity.
Epilogue – ideas to embed and enhance learning through assessment tasks, homework assignments and additional
extension ideas including links to other relevant sections of Teach Shakespeare.
Generally speaking, each Lesson Plan – indeed each individual activity – could be selected by itself and incorporated
into a unit of work as appropriate.
Where this symbol is displayed, the activity is provided in the accompanying Student Booklet.
Romeo and Juliet
hISTORICAL AND SOCIAL CONTEXT: LESSON 1
Ages 14 - 19 (Key Stage 4/5)
Key Questions for Students:

Can I compare Shakespeare’s play with his source texts and identify and analyse key similarities
and differences?
Can I speculate about Shakespeare’s reasons for making the changes he did and explain my ideas
clearly?
Key words: adapt, compare, contrast, context, sixteenth century, sources, translation
Prologue: Opening Discussion

Students should list in pairs any films, TV shows or plays they can think of that retell a story from another part of the
world, perhaps in another language. They should divide up their list into two groups: ones where the setting has been
changed, and ones where the setting has remained the same to be faithful to the original.
Enter the Players: Group Tasks

1) Compare and contrast
In groups, students could read prepared extracts from the Brooke and Painter versions of the story. These
are available in the Student Booklet. Can students pick out any striking similarities and differences when
comparing these texts with what they know about Shakespeare’s version?
2) The origins of the story

The earliest versions of this story are in Italian. Students should read the information in the Student Booklet
about these versions from Dante onwards, and answer the questions about them.
3) Shaping the source material

What can students conclude about how Shakespeare has interpreted and made use of his source texts? What
changes has he made and why?
Exeunt: Closing Questions for Students

How did Shakespeare adapt his source material and why?
Suggested plenary activity…

What particular challenges do sixteenth century texts present to their readers, and how did students tackle them? Ask
students to compile a list of their best pieces of advice to fellow students on reading and comprehending sixteenth
century verse and prose.
Epilogue: Teacher’s Note
Students could produce a short piece of comparative and
asides:
analytical writing to be assessed for reading and writing.
discussion point
- While Shakespeare preserves
Romeo as an Italian-sounding name,
Iulietta or Giulietta becomes Juliet
in Shakespeare’s play. Students
could speculate about the reasons
for this.
extra activities
- If you have an Italian speaker in
your class, you could listen to an
early version of the story in Italian.
further reading
- The Brooke and Painter versions of
the story can be found online in full
here: shakespeare-navigators.
com/romeo/BrookeIndex.
html andgutenberg.org/
ebooks/34840.
Romeo and Juliet

Can I analyse the ending of the play and consider the effects of this ending on the audience?
Can I find out more about how Romeo and Juliet has been received and how it has captured the
imaginations of other writers?
Key words: context, convention, ending, farce, melodrama, nineteenth century, novel, taste, tragicomedy

Show students this brief quotation from David Bevington:
“A tragicomic version, in which the young lovers did not die after all, became popular as a substitute for Shakespeare’s
tragedy. Even in a tragic unfolding of the story, the ending was revamped for melodramatic effect: Romeo stayed alive
long enough after having drunk poison to be able to share with Juliet the agony and the ecstasy of their last moments on
earth.”
Ask students what they think about how Romeo and Juliet ends, and the idea of making alterations to the ending
of works of literature. Would Romeo and Juliet be better or worse if it ended happily with the lovers surviving their
ordeal? How else could the ending of the play be changed and what would the effects of this be?

1) Garrick’s version
The actor David Garrick made several changes to Shakespeare’s text in the middle of the eighteenth century, and
this version became very popular with audiences for many decades. What can students find out about the changes he
made and why they think he made them? This could lead into a discussion about taste, morals, etc.
2) Women on stage
In Shakespeare’s time, both male and female roles were played by men and boys, but it eventually became more
acceptable for women to appear on stage. In the nineteenth century, the part of Juliet was seen as a key role for any
actress to play. Eliza O’Neill, Fanny Kemble and Ellen Terry all won praise for their performances as Juliet. There are
also records from this period of several women playing Romeo on stage, including the American Charlotte Cushman
who played Romeo to great acclaim in London and New York. Ask students to find out more about the history of
women as professional actors. Students could watch extracts from the movie Shakespeare in Love starring Gwyneth
Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes, in which a young aristocratic woman disguises herself as a man to play Romeo.
3) Nicholas Nickleby
Students should read the extract from Chapter 25 of Charles Dickens’ The Life and Adventures of Nicholas
Nickleby. In small groups, students should clarify words they’re unsure about and answer the questions that
follow the text in the Student Booklet.

How has having a greater knowledge and
understanding about context enhanced my
asides:
understanding of the play Romeo and Juliet?
In what other areas and aspects of the play
has knowledge of context enhanced my
understanding?
extra activities
Suggested plenary activity…
Students could each select one short quotation from the - Students could listen to a medley
play where their knowledge of historical and social context of popular songs that refer to Romeo
has supported them in their quest for meaning, and share and Juliet such as Peggy Lee’s
examples with one another. ‘Fever’, Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’
and Dire Straits’ ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
Epilogue: Teacher’s Note You could also play music from
the Prokofiev ballet as students are
These materials build on the Key Stage 3 Historical entering the classroom.
and Social Context materials.
further reading
- Jane Austen refers to Romeo
and Juliet in Sense and Sensibility,
as Queen Mab is the name of a
horse Willoughby wishes to give
to Marianne Dashwood. In Oscar
Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray,
the eponymous hero falls in love
with Sybil Vane, a young actress
playing the part of Juliet. In Terence
Rattigan’s twentieth century farce
Harlequinade, a touring company
of actors are preparing to perform
Romeo and Juliet in the town of
Brackley.
-Journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s

one-woman play Nowhere to Belong:
Tales of an Extravagant Stranger is
about her experience of playing
Juliet as a teenager in 1960s
Uganda.
Romeo and Juliet

Can I comment on a range of interpretations of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?
Can I analyse some of the factors that influence how literary works are interpreted in different
contexts?
Key words: cinematography, contemporary, context, culture, interpretation, intertextuality, musical score, parallel,
relevant, topical, visual arts

Introduce today’s lesson by sampling one or more versions of Romeo and Juliet that put a very modern twist on the
play, e.g. graphic novels; Romeo and Juliet told in Lego; a Manga or Bollywood style Romeo and Juliet. Ask students to
comment and give their feedback on: a) how faithful it seems to be to the original play; b) who this might appeal to;
and c) their own verdict on this particular retelling. Remind students that Shakespeare’s version of Romeo and Juliet
was in itself a retelling of an older story, and that Shakespeare made changes of his own to the story.

1) Paintings
Turn the classroom into a Romeo and Juliet gallery. Use paintings such as those by Fuseli, Ford Madox Brown, Klimt,
etc. First, students could tour the pictures and make notes on their initial impressions of each image:
- the part of the play it depicts

- any ideas about artist/date
- their opinion of the image
Then students should work in small groups and become experts specialising in one picture. They are going to be
preparing tour guide notes on cue cards; one member of their group should then use these when giving a brief talk
about their picture for the forthcoming exhibition. Give students a fixed amount of time to research their image,
prepare their cue cards and rehearse the talk. Then open the ‘exhibition’ and hear from each group in turn, as the
class move from picture to picture.
2) A recent interpretation
Watch or find out more about a popular version of Romeo + Juliet e.g. the 1996 film starring Claire Danes and
Leonardo diCaprio. Discuss what makes this version of interest to modern audiences, e.g.
- has the setting been updated?

- are particular themes emphasised or parallels drawn with current issues?
- what about the look and feel of this version in terms of cinematography, the musical score, special effects,
etc.?
3) Quiz: What’s the connection?

Romeo and Juliet is one of Shakespeare’s most famous plays and has entered our language and culture in all sorts of
ways. Ask students if they can spot the connection between Romeo and Juliet and the following:
1) Gnomeo and Juliet (animated movie)

2) Lovestruck (perfume advert)
3) Kenneth Branagh’s revival of Harlequinade by Terence Rattigan (play)
4) Romuauld et Juliette (French movie)
5) West Side Story (musical)
6) A Rose by Any Name (gardening book)
7) Starcrossed (TV show)
8) A Plague on Both Your Houses (novel)

What kind of impact has Romeo and Juliet had
on our culture and language today? ASIDE:
How have directors, actors, etc. sought to make
Romeo and Juliet relevant and contemporary? DISCUSSION POINT
What is it about Romeo and Juliet that resonates
with audiences today? - What do students notice about the
aspects of Romeo and Juliet that are
Suggested plenary activity… particularly well-known and iconic?
Introduce the homework task (described below), and give
students some thinking time to scribble down their initial ideas. - In the Key Stage 3 materials, it is
suggested that students could view
Epilogue: Teacher’s Note a YouTube clip of Kate Tempest as
part of a broader discussion about
As a homework task, students could be given the opportunity the relevance and value of reading
to think in a creative and wide-ranging way about interpreting and studying Shakespeare today. To
Romeo and Juliet in the 21st century. They should create or continue this discussion, students
design something inspired by the play, such as an item of could view this clip of comedian,
clothing or jewellery, a poem or song, a comic strip, Lego writer and musician Tim Minchin
scene, garden, foodstuff or advert! talking about what Shakespeare
means to him: youtube.com/
watch?v=X0o8wQfVEhs.
Romeo and Juliet

Can I write about the context of Romeo and Juliet in a way that enhances audiences’ understanding
and enjoyment of the play?
Key words: audience, background, context, cultural, historical, literary, programme, purpose, social

Show students a range of theatre programmes for them to browse and borrow ideas from. Students should make
notes on the contents of programmes. What are the essential items a programme should include? What else is
sometimes included?

1) Theatre programmes
Having looked closely at a number of programmes, explain to students what their assessment task will be: to
produce their own programme for a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Globe. Ensure that students are clear
about the audience and purpose for their programme. Encourage students to think about this as broadly as possible,
acknowledging that a programme has a range of purposes: to inform audiences about who is acting in the play, etc.;
to explain the context and perhaps the production history of the play; to be an attractive souvenir for audiences
(importance of cover, photographs, etc.).
2) Look closely at an article/essay from a Globe programme

Model a close reading of one article from a Globe programme that gives readers valuable insights into an aspect of
the play’s context.
3) Writing your own programme notes

Students should now draft their own programme for a production of Romeo and Juliet at the Globe. Provide students
with a list of minimum contents, but students can choose to include other elements to enhance their finished piece of
writing for assessment. Alternatively, students could collaborate to produce one entire programme as small groups or
as a whole class. Contents could include:
- a piece about the history of the Globe theatre

- an interview with a member of the backstage team
- a piece comparing the Italian and English source texts with Shakespeare’s play
- a timeline of historical events from around the time the play was written
- a collage of images and ideas (sketches, moodboards, etc.) that provide insights into the setting and artistic
vision for this particular production
- a cast list and rehearsal images
- a piece about attitudes to love, marriage and the role of women in Elizabethan society
- a retrospective piece about some different productions of Romeo and Juliet
- an opinion piece by the director about why this play still resonates with audiences today

Why do people buy theatre programmes?
What should a theatre programme include?
Suggested plenary activity… ASIDE:

Students should exchange work in progress and peer
assess drafts using the success criteria. EXTRA ACTIVITIES
Epilogue: Teacher’s Note - With this and many other activities
in these materials, particularly Text
Students’ programme notes for Romeo and Juliet can be in Performance ones, students
assessed for reading and writing. could also make links to their local
theatres. Perhaps they could visit
the theatre to find out more about:
programmes and publicity, the
theatre’s history and archives, front
of house and box office as well as
many other aspects such as the
auditorium, technical features of the
theatre ‘behind the scenes’, stage
management, etc.
Romeo and Juliet

Can I make references to context in my essays that support and enhance my interpretation of the
text?
Key words: context, essay, interpretation, relevant, text

Ask students to prepare a quickfire factual quiz about the context of Romeo and Juliet, e.g. Where is the play set?
1) Writing about context in essays

Students should look back through their planning of the
various tasks from the task banks that are featured throughout
these materials. They should identify for each plan up to three pieces of
contextual information that they could include in their finished essays.
Each piece of contextual information should:
- be relevant to the point being made

- support and enhance textual interpretation
Photograph: John Haynes
2) Building your own interpretation informed by

context
The Student Booklet contains a page of activities that will
help students integrate perceptive comments about context
into their written work about Romeo and Juliet.
Exeunt: Closing Discussion
Self/peer assessment task reviewing relevance or ASIDE:
otherwise of points made in relation to context.
REVISION PREPARATION
Epilogue: Teacher’s Note
- The extent to which placing the
A full list of Romeo and Juliet tasks can also text in its historical and social
be found in the Student Booklet. context is expected of students
will depend on the curriculum and
syllabus being studied, and the
weighting of assessment objectives
against particular skill areas.

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romeo and juliet

lesson plans: contexts

Key Questions for Students:

Prologue: Opening Discussion

Enter the Players: Group Tasks

2) The origins of the story

3) Shaping the source material

Exeunt: Closing Questions for Students

Suggested plenary activity…

Key Questions for Students:

Prologue: Opening Discussion

Enter the Players: Group Tasks

Exeunt: Closing Questions for Students

-Journalist Yasmin Alibhai-Brown’s

Key Questions for Students:

Prologue: Opening Discussion

Enter the Players: Group Tasks

- the part of the play it depicts

- has the setting been updated?

3) Quiz: What’s the connection?

1) Gnomeo and Juliet (animated movie)

Exeunt: Closing Questions for Students

Key Questions for Students:

Prologue: Opening Discussion

Enter the Players: Group Tasks

2) Look closely at an article/essay from a Globe programme

3) Writing your own programme notes

- a piece about the history of the Globe theatre

Exeunt: Closing Questions for Students

Suggested plenary activity… ASIDE:

Key Questions for Students:

Key words: context, essay, interpretation, relevant, text

Prologue: Opening Discussion

Enter the Players: Group Tasks

1) Writing about context in essays

- be relevant to the point being made

2) Building your own interpretation informed by

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