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Lesson 11

We will read one of the original source material Shakespeare used when writing Romeo and Juliet. We will explore how his choices as a playwright enhanced or detracted from the themes found in “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe.”

Lesson Goals

  • Can I recognize points of connection between the play Romeo and Juliet and the myth “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe” to make logical, objective comparisons about how Shakespeare transformed the original source material?

  • Can I use a variety of strategies (e.g., context clues, word study, and vocabulary resources) to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words, phrases, and figurative expressions?

Texts

Core

  • Unit Reader
    • “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe,” Ovid, Indiana University Press, 1955
  • Tradebook
    • Romeo and Juliet, William Shakespeare, Folger Shakespeare Library, Simon and Schuster, 2004

Materials

Tools

Reference Guides

Question Sets

Editable Google Docs

Activity 1: Read

We will read one of the original source materials for Romeo and Juliet, “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe” by Ovid.

“The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe” is a myth found in the narrative poem “Metamorphosis”by the Roman poet Ovid. It was first published in Latin in the first century, and its stories have served as inspirations for many writers, including William Shakespeare.

Read “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe” and annotate for points of similarity and difference between the myth and Romeo and Juliet using the Pyramus and Thisbe Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 2: Discuss – Write

We will discuss how Shakespeare Drew on and transformed the source material of “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe” when writing Romeo and Juliet.

As a class, respond to the following questions about “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe”:

  1. What are the points of similarities between the myth and the play? What lines from the myth support that information?

  2. Where do they diverge? What lines from the myth support that information?

  3. How does Shakespeare use or transform “The Story of Pyramus and Thisbe” in Romeo and Juliet?

  4. How did Shakespeare’s choices when transforming the source material enhance or detract from the theme found in the myth?

Capture the discussion on the Pyramus and Thisbe Note-Taking Tool.

Activity 3: Read – Discuss – Write

We will determine when to use context clues and when to use another strategy to determine the meaning of an Unknown word or phrase in a text.

Step 1

Some of the vocabulary words or phrases below have enough context to determine their meaning; some of them do not have enough context.

Respond to the following question:

  1. How will you know when to use context clues and when to try another strategy?

Review the following words with a partner. Use the Vocabulary in Context Tool for words you can decipher from the text; for others, use morphology or a reference material to help you determine the meanings.

  • forbade

  • suppressed

  • detected

  • barrier

  • futile

  • cunningbold

  • mangled

  • devour

  • peculiar

Write down your definitions in your Vocabulary Journal. For each word, identify the vocabulary strategy (e.g., context, morphology, reference material) you used to determine its meaning.

Step 2

Work with your partner to respond to the vocabulary exercises, as directed by your teacher.