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Lesson 8

We will read and analyze Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4 of Romeo and Juliet and get to know the characters Juliet and Mercutio. We will continue to deepen our understanding of emerging themes in Act 1 and analyze Shakespeare’s use of figurative language.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I recognize and interpret language and sentence structures to deepen my understanding of Romeo and Juliet?

  • Can I recognize and interpret important relationships among characters within Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet?

  • Can I evaluate the effects of figurative language and imagery within Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4 of Romeo and Juliet?

  • Can I summarize the main events of Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4 of Romeo and Juliet?

  • Can I determine themes that are being developed in Act 1, Scenes 3 and 4 of Romeo and Juliet?

Texts

Core

  • Tradebook
    • Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library, Simon and Schuster, 2004
  • Multimedia
    • Romeo and Juliet: The Fully Dramatized Audio Edition, William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library, Simon and Schuster, 2014

Materials

Tools

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will read a brief summary of lines 1–67 from Act 1, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet.

Read the following summary of Lines 1-67 from Act 1, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet.

In this scene, Lady Capulet asks the Nurse to fetch her daughter Juliet so that she can speak with her. When Juliet arrives, Lady Capulet asks the Nurse to leave to give them privacy, but she seems uncomfortable having the conversation with her daughter, so she immediately asks the Nurse to return.

The Nurse embarks on a long monologue about how she took care of Juliet since birth. We learn that the Nurse’s daughter died at a young age, and we can infer that the Nurse loves Juliet as if she were her own daughter.

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will read lines 68–113 of Act 1, Scene 3 of Romeo and Juliet and answer a set of guiding questions.

Read and annotate Lines 68-113 of Act 1, Scene 3.

Respond to the following questions in your Learning Log:

  1. What does Lady Capulet want to discuss with her daughter?

  2. What is Juliet’s response?

Discuss your answers with a partner.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will reread specific lines from Act 1, Scene 3 to deepen our understanding of the character juliet.

Reread the following lines.

JULIET: It is an honor that I dream not of. (1.3.71)

JULIET: I'll look to like, if looking liking move.

But no more deep will I endart mine eye

Than your consent gives strength to make it fly. (1.1.103-105)

Discuss the corresponding questions as a class.

  1. What do these lines reveal about Juliet’s personality?

  2. How do they relate to an idea introduced in the exchange between Lord Capulet and Paris in Act 1, Scene 2?

  3. What lines for each scene best support this connection?

Capture the discussion in your Character Note-Taking Tool for Juliet. Be sure to include specific line citations in your textual evidence.

Activity 4: Discuss – Write

We will summarize our understanding of Act 1, Scene 3 on the text-theme Note-Taking Tool.

Participate in a whole-class discussion to summarize your understanding of Act 1, Scene 3 on the Text-Theme Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 5: Read – Discuss – Write

We will read lines 1–57 of Act 1, Scene 4 and be introduced to the character of Mercutio.

Reference the Character List to identify the role of Mercutio.

Read and annotate Lines 1-57 of Act 1, Scene 4.

Discuss the following questions with a partner. Write down your answers on the Character Note-Taking Tools for Romeo and Mercutio.

  1. What is Romeo’s mood in this scene?

  2. What lines support this interpretation?

  3. How is Mercutio’s response to Romeo’s mood in this scene similar to Benvolio’s response in Act 1, Scene 1? How is it different?

  4. What specific lines support this comparison?

Activity 6: Read – Discuss – Write

We will engage in a close reading of lines 11–22 from Act 1, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet to analyze how Shakespeare’s use of puns and allusions helps develop the characters of Romeo and Mercutio.

Step 1

Write down the following terms in your Vocabulary Journal.

A pun is a humorous play on words to suggest multiple meanings of a word or a word that has the same sound.

An allusion is a reference to a person, event, or other work of art or literature.

Reread or act out with a partner Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-22. Pay close attention to how the use of puns and allusions helps to develop the characters of, and the relationship between, Romeo and Mercutio.

Step 2

Respond to the following questions from Act 1, Scene 4, Lines 11-22:

  1. What puns are included in these lines?

  2. What allusion to Greek mythology is included in these lines?

  3. What do the puns and allusion reveal about Romeo’s mood? What evidence from the text supports this interpretation?

Capture the discussion in your Character Note-Taking Tool for Romeo.

Step 3

Reread the selected lines a second time. This time, pay attention to how the lines reveal the nature of Romeo and Mercutio’s friendship.

Discuss the following questions with a partner:

  1. What does this exchange reveal about Romeo and Mercutio’s friendship?

  2. How do you know? Cite evidence from the text to support your answer.

Capture the discussion in your Character Note-Taking Tools for Romeo and Mercutio.

Activity 7: Read – Write

For homework, we will read a summary of lines 58–121 in Act 1, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet and complete our text-theme Note-Taking Tool for Act 1, Scene 4.

For homework, read the summary of Lines 58-121 in Act 1, Scene 4 in Romeo and Julieton the Section 1 Question Set.

Use the following questions to complete the Text-Theme Note-Taking Tool for Act 1, Scene 4.

  1. How do these lines connect to a thematic idea that was introduced in the prologue?

  2. What lines from this scene and the prologue offer the strongest support for this connection?

Complete your Text-Theme Note-Taking Tool for Act 1, Scene 4.