themes and essay for romeo and juliet

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Please be seated and take out your homework, (Holt Reader and Scene Design Worksheet).

I will check those assignments for attendance and during our Warm Up today, a Think/Pair/Share activity.

TH

INK

, PA

IR, S

HA

RE

First, think about the question and jot down notes about your answer. (5 minutes)

Next, get in pairs and groups of threes with the people who sit beside you and talk about what you wrote down. (5 minutes)

Finally, we’ll regroup as a class and share what you came up with together.

What are your thoughts on revenge? Do you think it can be a good thing or a bad thing? Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted revenge? Describe it.

Act III, Scenes 2-5 SummaryRomeo and Juliet

Act III, Scene 2The nurse tells Juliet someone is

dead.For some time Juliet thinks that

someone is Romeo.The nurse finally explains Tybalt is

dead and that Romeo killed him. She tells Juliet Romeo is now banished from Verona.

Act III, Scene 2 (cont.)Juliet threatens to kill herself, but

the nurse comforts her, saying she will go to Friar Laurence’s cell and tell Romeo to come to Juliet’s chamber that evening.

Act III, Scene 3At Friar Laurence’s cell, the friar

tells Romeo of the prince’s sentence of banishment.

When the nurse arrives she reports Juliet is upset.

Romeo tries to stab himself.The nurse prevents him.

Act III, Scene 3 (cont.)So, the friar offers a plan.Romeo will go to Mantua while

the friar works to reconcile the feuding families, reveal the secret marriage, and get a pardon from the Prince for Romeo.

First Romeo will visit Juliet.

Act III, Scene 4Paris visits the Capulet house.Lord Capulet tells him Juliet is

upset about Tybalt’s death, but he promises Juliet will marry Paris in three days.

Act III, Scene 5In the final scene of Act III,

Romeo and Juliet spend the night together.

Romeo leaves and the nurse and Lady Capulet come in to tell Juliet she will marry Paris in three days.

Juliet refuses to marry Paris, so Lord Capulet gets angry at her.

Juliet decides she’ll visit Friar Laurence for help.

Plot PyramidRomeo and Juliet

Plot Pyramid

Act I: ExpositionStreet fighting between Capulets and Montagues; Romeo loves Rosaline; Juliet to marry Paris; Romeo and Juliet meet at party and fall in love

Act II: Rising ActionBalcony scene: Romeo and Juliet promise to marry; Friar lawrence helps Romeo plan a secret wedding; nurse tells Juliet about the plan; Romeo and Juliet marry

Act III: Crisis or Turning PointTybalt kills Mercutio; Romeo kills Tybalt; Prince banishes Romeo from Verona; Capulet will allow Paris to marry Juliet; Romeo and Juliet spend night together; Juliet refuses to marry Paris

THEMES FOUND WITHIN THE PLAY

Romeo and Juliet

Theme 1: LOVERomeo and Juliet is the most

famous love story in the English literary tradition.

Love is naturally the play’s dominant and most important theme.

The play focuses on romantic love, specifically the intense passion that springs up at first sight between Romeo and Juliet.

Theme 1: LOVEAt times love is described in the

terms of religion, as in the sonnet when Romeo and Juliet first meet.

At others it is described as a sort of magic: “Alike bewitchèd by the charm of looks”.

Theme 2: LOVE AS A CAUSE FOR VIOLENCEThe themes of death and

violence in Romeo and Juliet are always connected to passion, whether that passion is love or hate.

The connection between hate, violence, and death seems obvious.

But the connection between love and violence requires further investigation.

Theme 2: LOVE AS A CAUSE FOR VIOLENCERomeo and Juliet have thoughts of suicide

and a willingness to experience it.In Act III, Scene 3, Romeo brandishes a

knife in Friar Lawrence’s cell and threatens to kill himself after he has been banished from Verona and his love.

Juliet also pulls a knife in order to take her own life in Friar Lawrence’s presence just three scenes later.

Can you name another instance of violence caused by love in the play?

Theme 3: THE INEVITABILITY OF FATEIn the Prologue to the play, the

Chorus states that Romeo and Juliet are “star-crossed”—that is to say that fate or astrology controls them.

Take a minute to write down inside your notes whether you believe in fate or not.

We’ll share your responses aloud in class.

Astrology: What’s Your Sign?Aries March 19th to April 18th Taurus April 19th to May 19th Gemini May 20th to June 19th Cancer June 20th to July 21st Leo July 22nd to August 21st Virgo August 22nd to September 21st Libra September 22nd to October 21st Scorpio October 22nd to November 20th Sagittarius November 21st to December 20th Capricorn December 21st to January 18th Aquarius January 21st to February 18th Pisces February 18th to March 18th

MotifWe can also find motifs within

Romeo and Juliet.Motifs are recurring literary

devices that can help to develop the play’s major themes.

Likewise, in a song, the motif is what you hear repeatedly throughout the song.

LIGHT AND DARK MOTIFRomeo’s monologue on the sun and the

moon during the balcony scene metaphorically describes Juliet as the sun. He talks about the “envious moon” and transforming the night into day.

After the lovers’ only night together Romeo is forced to leave for exile in the morning. Juliet, doesn’t want him to leave her room.

So, they both try to pretend that it is still night, and that the light is actually darkness: “More light and light, more dark and dark our woes.”

ESSAY ASSIGNMENTRomeo and Juliet

3-Paragraph EssayIntroductory paragraph

The introductory paragraph should include the thesis statement.

This is where the writer grabs the reader's attention. It tells the reader what the paper is about.

3-Paragraph EssayBody - Second paragraphThis paragraph should include the

strongest argument and evidence from the play to support your thesis statement.

The subject for this paragraph should be in the first or second sentence.

The rest of the paragraph elaborates your evidence.

3-Paragraph EssayConcluding – Third paragraphThe third paragraph is the summary

paragraph. It is important to restate the thesis and the

supporting idea in an original and powerful way as this is the last chance the writer has to convince the reader of the validity of the information presented.

It should also include a summary and a final statement that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come to an end.

3-Paragraph EssayYour assignment is to choose one

of the three themes or the motif in Romeo and Juliet and write a 3-paragraph essay using evidence from the play to show how that theme or motif exists in the play.

This assignment is due next Friday, November 21. Write it down in your planner.