Skip to Main Content

Lesson 6

We will read Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and examine how it is the turning point of the play.

Lesson Goals

  • Can I determine how a theme is developed within Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet?

  • Can I recognize and interpret important relationships among key details and character motivations in Act 3, Scene 1 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 – Discuss – Write

We will read lines 1–143 of Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and examine how its events change the course of the play.

Step 1

As you read Lines 1-143 of Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet, pay close attention to the different motivations of Mercutio, Benvolio, Tybalt, and Romeo.

Read and annotate Lines 1-143.

As a class, respond to the following questions about Act 3, Scene 1:

  1. What happens in this scene?

  2. How does it alter the mood of the play?

Step 2

In groups, discuss the specific motivations of characters in this scene using the questions below. Capture the discussion in your Character Note-Taking Tools for Benvolio, Tybalt, Mercutio, and Romeo.

Respond to the following questions about Benvolio in Act 3, Scene 1:

  1. What is Benvolio’s motivation in this scene?

  2. How do you know? What lines support this?

  3. How does it connect with what we have learned about him in other scenes?

Respond to the following questions about Tybalt in Act 3, Scene 1:

  1. What does the word injuries mean in Line 67?

  2. What is Tybalt’s motivation in this scene? How do you know? What lines support this?

  3. How does it connect with what we have learned about him in other scenes?

Respond to the following questions about Mercutio in Act 3, Scene 1:

  1. What does the phrase vile submission mean in Line 74?

  2. What is Mercutio’s motivation in this scene? How do you know? What lines support this?

  3. How do these lines connect to what we have learned about him in other scenes?

Respond to the following questions about Romeo in Act 3, Scene 1:

  1. What are Romeo’s motivations in this scene?

  2. How do you know? What lines support this?

  3. How do they connect to what we have learned about him in other scenes?

  4. What might be surprising about his reactions in this scene?

Activity 2: Read – Discuss

We will read the remaining lines in Act 3, Scene 1 of Romeo and Juliet and examine the consequences of the events in the scene.

As you read and annotate Lines 144-207 of Act 3, Scene 1, pay attention to the reactions of the other characters to the earlier events in the scene.

Read and annotate Lines 144-207 of Act 3, Scene 1.

Respond to the following questions about Act 3, Scene 1 in your Learning Log:

  1. What punishment does Lady Capulet request for Romeo?

  2. What does Lord Montague argue is just?

  3. What punishment does Prince Escalus ultimately decree on Romeo? Why?

Discuss your responses with a partner.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will prepare for the next lesson’s Section Diagnostic by examining how a theme introduced in Act 1 is further developed in Act 2 and 3.

In the prologue of the play, Romeo and Juliet are referred to as “star-crossed lovers,” introducing the thematic idea of fate and destiny. That thematic idea is developed throughout scenes in Acts 1, 2, and 3.

Respond to the following questions about Act 3, Scene 1 in your Learning Log and discuss your answers with a partner:

  1. What lines from Act 3, Scene 1 connect to the thematic idea of fate?

  2. How do these lines connect to the thematic idea of fate?

Discuss your answers with a partner. Capture your discussion in your Text-Theme Note-Taking Tool. Highlight the theme and supporting textual evidence in your notes.

Activity 4: Read

We will prepare for the next lesson’s Section Diagnostic by tracing how a thematic idea introduced in Act 1 is further developed in Act 2 and 3 of Romeo and Juliet.

In preparation for the Section Diagnostic, use the notes on your Text-Theme Note-Taking Tool to trace how the theme you selected for the Section 1 Diagnostic is introduced in Act 1 and further developed in Act 2 and in Act 3, Scene 2. Highlight the theme and supporting textual evidence in your notes.

If you feel you might have stronger textual evidence for a different theme from what you wrote about in the Section 1 Diagnostic, you might switch themes for your Section 3 Diagnostic.