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Romeo & JUliet

Calliope Theatre Company

Study Guide

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Romeo & Juliet

In this study guide, developed by professional educators and English-language

teachers, you will find printable worksheets as well as Pre- and Post-Performance

Activities and Discussion Topics. For students who are learning English, we have

also included key vocabulary so that your students will better enjoy our

performance. This study guide may be reproduced and distributed to students. It

can be found on our website www.calliopetheatrecompnay.pt

Calliope Theatre Company welcomes your opinion & suggestions on our

performances and Study Guides, so that we can continue to provide teachers and

students with the finest in-school, educational theatre experience.

We love hearing from students and teachers. Please encourage your students to leave a comment on our Facebook Group Page or write us

letters and tell us what you thought of the show!

Sincerely, Calliope Theatre Company

Welcome to Romeo & Juliet by Calliope Theatre

Company! Our touring production of Romeo & Juliet,

has been designed to “Educate, Enlighten & Entertain!”

Our professional actors, playing multiple roles, will

perform key scenes from Romeo & Juliet, bringing to

life some of the most famous and powerful language

ever written.

Calliope Theatre Company’s Romeo & Juliet is an

interactive performance and we encourage your

students’ participation. We will be asking a number of

your students to join us on stage.

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Romeo & Juliet TABLE OF CONTENTS

All of the Activities in our Study Guide may be copied and given to your students.

WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE……………………………………..………………………….. 4

THE GLOBE THEATRE …….………………………………………………..…..………..... 5

TO BE OR NOT TO BE…SHAKESPEARE (Video & Worksheet)………….……….…..… 6

CALLIOPE THEATRE’S ROMEO & JULIET - Synopsis………………………….……..…7

THEATRE VOCABULARY…………………………………………………………………7

BEFORE THE SHOW ACTIVITY – Who’s Who in Romeo & Juliet.......………….…….....8

ROMEO & JULIET – Key Points by Act & Original Text and Modern Translation………9-19

SHAKESPEARE INSULTS – Do You Bite Your Thumb at Me, Sir? ………….………….20

AFTER THE SHOW ACTIVITIES…………………………….………….…….…..…… 21-23

TEACHER RESOURCES………………………………………..…..……………….…… 24

ABOUT THE ARTISTS…………………………………………………………….………25

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Romeo & Juliet

William Shakespeare

For all of his fame, William Shakespeare remains a mysterious

figure. Very few documents from Elizabethan England

regarding him have survived and they tell us little about

Shakespeare the man.

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, in

1564 to middle class parents. Historians believe that

Shakespeare attended school in Stratford, which at the time

had an excellent reputation for teaching Latin and Classical

Greek. What is certain is that William Shakespeare never

attended university schooling, which has caused some of the debate concerning the

authorship of his works.

In 1582 at the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway They has their first daughter,

Susanna, in 1583 and then later, had twins. It is estimated that Shakespeare arrived

in London around 1588 and began to establish himself as an actor and playwright.

Shakespeare must have shown a great deal of talent since, by 1594, he was not

only acting and writing for the Lord Chamberlain's Men, but was also a managing

partner of the acting troupe. The actors and plays of Lord Chamberlain’s Men were

loved by royalty and the theatre-going public of London.

Shakespeare's company was the most successful in London in his day. He had

plays published and sold "penny-copies" to his fans. As far as we know, no other

playwright except Shakespeare had seen their works published and sold as popular

literature during their lifetime. Shakespeare’s success allowed him to purchase a

home and retire in comfort to Stratford in 1611.

Often called the "Bard of Avon" (or simply "The Bard") his plays have been

translated into every major language and are performed more often than those of

any other playwright. William Shakespeare's body of work will never again be

equaled in Western civilization. His words have endured for 400 years, and still

reach across the centuries as powerfully as ever.

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Romeo & Juliet The Globe Theatre

The original Globe Theatre opened in 1599 on London’s Thames River and was owned by a

number of actors, including William Shakespeare. Most of Shakespeare's plays were staged at

the Globe. In 1613, the Globe Theatre went up in flames during a performance of Henry VIII,

when a cannon, set off during the performance, ignited the theatre’s wooden beams and thatched

roof.

The Globe was a three-story, open-air theatre that could house up to 3,000 people. In front of the

stage, there was an area called the pit, where for only a penny, people could stand to watch the

performance. Because they stood on the ground for the entire performance, these audience

members were called the “groundlings”.

Often performances lasted over 3 hours, so the groundlings ate and drank throughout the show

and they often threw food at the villains in the play! (During the excavation of the Globe

Theatre, hazelnut shells were found preserved in the dirt!)

The three levels of seats in the Globe were more expensive. The Globe’s stage was raised off the

ground and there was a trap door for the actors. Large columns on either side of the stage

supported a roof and the ceiling. The area under this roof was called the "heavens." Another trap

door in the heavens allowed the actors, playing ghosts or spirits, to descend using a rope and

harness. The balcony housed the musicians or was used for scenes requiring an upper-space,

such as the balcony scene in Romeo and Juliet.

The new Globe Theatre opened in 1997 under the name "Shakespeare's Globe Theatre" and now

stages plays every summer.

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Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geev441vbMI and have students answer the following questions.

1.) When and where was Shakespeare born? ____________________________

2.) What was his occupation? _______________________________________

3.) Who did he marry and did they have any children? ___________________

_______________________________________________________________

4.) Where did Shakespeare move to in the late 1580s? ____________________

5.) What was the first name of his acting company? _____________________

________________________________________________________________

6.) What did you find interesting about The Globe Theatre 1599?

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

__________

7.) How many Shakespeare plays can you name?

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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Romeo & Juliet

CALLIOPE THEATRE COMPANY’S

Romeo & Juliet

William Shakespeare is going to start rehearsing his play ROMEO & JULIET, but

before the first rehearsal he needs to cast actors for the play. With help from Queen

Elizabeth I, Shakespeare has an audition to choose actors to play the important

roles of Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt and Mercutio. Shakespeare will then perform a

scene from each of the five acts in his play.

THEATRE VOCABULARY

The following theatre vocabulary appears in our presentation of Romeo & Juliet.

NOUNS

Act – a large section of a play

Actor/Actress – the people performing the play

Audience – the people watching a play

Audition – a trial to find actors

Cast – the actors who will perform the play

Director – the person in charge of rehearsing

Dresser – assistant who dresses the actors

Performance – A presentation

Part – role, character in the play

Play – a theatre piece

Playwright – the author of the play

Rehearsal – a session where actors practice the play

Role – a character in a play

Scene – a smaller division of an act

Tragedian – actor who specialises in performing tragedy

Script – The written text of a play

VERBS

To act –to perform a role in a play

To perform – to act in a play

To audition for a play

To cast a play –to choose the actors

To direct – to prepare the play

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Romeo & Juliet

BEFORE THE SHOW - WHO’S WHO IN ROMEO AND JULIET?

Match each character in the play with their description

1.) Romeo ____ a.) Romeo’s priest

2.) Juliet ___ b.) The ruler of the city

3.) Paris ___ c.) Juliet’s servant

4.) Lord Capulet ___ d.) Romeo’s best friend

5.) The Prince of Verona ____ e.) Juliet’s hot-blooded cousin

6.) Mercutio _____ f.) Juliet’s father

7.) Friar Lawrence _____ g.) Lord Capulet’s daughter

8.) The Nurse ___ h.) A Count who wishes to marry Juliet

9.) Tybalt ____

i.) Lord Montague’s son

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Romeo & Juliet In the following pages, we give you the original Shakespeare text used in our version of

ROMEO & JULIET. Alongside the text is a modern translation to enhance your student’s

enjoyment of the play. We have also included a brief description of the key points for

each act of the play. We suggest that students have the opportunity to read and act the

texts in class.

The Prologue Shakespeare

.

Two households, both alike in dignity

In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,

From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes

A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life,

Whose misadventured piteous overthrows

Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death-marked love

And the continuance of their parents' rage,

Which, but their children’s end, naught could

remove,

Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage –

The which, if you with patient ears attend,

What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to

mend.

Modern Translation

Two families, the Montagues and the Capulets,

both equal in money, status and respect, live in the

beautiful city of Verona, where our story takes

place.

A long-standing hatred between the families erupts

into new violence, and citizens of Verona stain their

hands with the blood of their fellow citizens.

Two unlucky children of these enemy families

become lovers and commit suicide.

Their unfortunate deaths put an end to their

parents' feud.

For the next two hours, we will watch the story of

their doomed love and their parents' anger, which

nothing but the children’s deaths could stop.

If you listen to us patiently, everything we’ve left

out of this prologue, we will work to show you on

stage.

Did You Know? In this famous Prologue, Shakespeare tells the whole story of Romeo & Juliet

before the play even begins! Yet for 400 years, audience members have remained to see the entire

play….hoping that the two lovers get away in the end!

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Romeo & Juliet

ACT I – Key Points

1. The Montagues and the Capulets are insulting each other in the streets of Verona

which soon leads to fighting. The Prince of Verona arrives and commands them to

stop. He declares that the violence has gone on for too long and if anyone is

caught fighting they will be punished.

2.) Romeo tells his friends that he is in love with Rosaline, but he is heartbroken

because Rosaline does not return his feeling.

3.) Paris, a young nobleman goes to Lord Capulet and asks to marry his daughter,

Juliet. Juliet says she will meet Paris at the party tonight and see if she could love

him.

4.) The Capulets are having a party and everyone in Verona is invited, except the

Montagues. However, Romeo and his friends attend the party wearing masks so

no one will recognize them. From across the room, Romeo sees Juliet, and

immediately falls in love. Forgetting all about Rosaline, he declares that he has

never been in love until this moment. Romeo and Juliet touch hands in a palmer’s

kiss and fall in love.

5.) The Nurse arrives and tells Juliet that her mother wants to speak with her.

Romeo asks the Nurse who Juliet’s mother is. The Nurse replies that Lady Capulet

is Juliet’s mother. Later, the Nurse tells Juliet that Romeo is a Montague and Juliet

is devastated.

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Romeo & Juliet Act I – Romeo & Juliet fall in love at the party

Shakespeare

Romeo:

Oh, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!

It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night

Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear,

Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!

For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.

If I profane with my unworthiest hand

This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this:

My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand

To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

Juliet: Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too

much,

Which mannerly devotion shows in this,

For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do

touch,

And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

R: Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

J: Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

R: O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do.

Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged.

J: Then have my lips the sin that they have took.

R: Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!

Give me my sin again.

Is she a Capulet?

O dear account! My life is my foe’s debt.

J: My only love sprung from my only hate!

Too early seen unknown, and known too late!

Prodigious birth of love it is to me,

That I must love a loathèd enemy.

Modern Translation

Romeo: Oh, she shows the torches how

to burn bright! She stands out against

the darkness like a jewelled earring

hanging against the cheek of an African.

Did my heart ever love anyone before

this moment? My eyes were liars,

because I never saw true beauty before

tonight. Your hand is like a holy place

that my hand is unworthy to visit. My

two lips are standing here like blushing

pilgrims, ready to make things better

with a kiss.

Juliet: Good pilgrim, you don’t give

your hand enough credit. By holding my

hand you show polite devotion. After all,

pilgrims touch the hands of statues of

saints. Holding one palm against

another is like a kiss.

R: Don’t saints and pilgrims have lips

too?

J: Only lips that they use to pray.

R: Well then, saint, let lips do what

hands do. Now my sin has been taken

from my lips by yours.

J: Do my lips now have the sin they took

from you?

R: Sin from your lips? You encourage

crime with your sweetness. Give me my

sin back. Is she a Capulet? Oh, this is a

heavy price to pay! My life is in the

hands of my enemy.

J: The only man I love is the son of the

only man I hate! I did not know who he

was, and I found out who he was too

late! Love is a monster for making me

fall in love with my worst enemy.

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Romeo & Juliet

ACT II – Key Points

1.) After the party, Romeo secretly returns to the

Capulet’s house to see Juliet. He climbs the

garden wall and sees Juliet on the balcony.

Romeo hears Juliet declare her love for him

and he then declares his love for her. They

decide to get married.

2.) Romeo goes to the priest, Friar Lawrence and tells

him that he loves Juliet. Romeo convinces Friar

Lawrence to marry them

3.) Romeo’s friends are looking for him and when they

find him they are surprised that he is no longer sad

about Rosaline. Juliet’s nurse then arrives and arranges

a meeting between Romeo & Juliet.

4.) Romeo & Juliet are secretly

married by Friar Lawrence.

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Romeo & Juliet Act II – Balcony Scene

Shakespeare

ROMEO: But soft, what light through yonder

window breaks?

It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.

It is my lady, O it is my love:

O that she knew she were!

JULIET: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou

Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name;

Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,

And I’ll no longer be a Capulet.

‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other word would smell as sweet.

ROMEO: I take thee at thy word;

Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptised.

JULIET: Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague?

If any of my kinsmen find thee here,

If they do see thee, they will murder thee.

ROMEO: Alack, there lies more peril in thine eye

Than twenty of their swords.

NURSE: Madam!

JULIET: By and by I come –

Tomorrow will I send. What a’clock tomorrow

Shall I send to thee?

ROMEO: By the hour of nine.

JULIET: Good night, good night! Parting is such

sweet sorrow,

That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

ROMEO: Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy

breast!

Would I were sleep and peace, so sweet to rest.

Modern Translation

ROMEO: But wait, what is that soft that light

in the window over there? It is the east, and

Juliet is the rising sun Oh, it is my lady,

Juliet. She is my love. Oh, I wish she knew

how much I love her.

JULIET: Oh, Romeo, Romeo, why do you

have to be Romeo? Forget about your father

and change your name. Or, if you won't

change your name, just swear that you love

me and I'll stop being a Capulet. It is only

your name that's my enemy. What is a name,

anyway? The thing we call a rose would smell

just as sweet if we called it by any other

name.

ROMEO: I believe you. Just call me your

love, and I will change my name.

JULIET: Are you not Romeo and a

Montague? If any of my family find you here

they will kill you.

ROMEO: One angry look from you would

be worse than twenty of your relatives with

swords.

NURSE: Madam!

JULIET: I'll be right there! Tomorrow I'll

send a message to you. What time tomorrow

should I send it to you?

ROMEO: By nine o'clock.

JULIET: Good night, good night. Leaving

you is such sweet sorrow that I will say good

night until tonight becomes tomorrow.

ROMEO: I hope you sleep in peace. I wish I

were Sleep and Peace, so I could spend the

night with you.

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Romeo & Juliet

ACT III – Key Points

1.) Romeo meets Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin, in the street. Tybalt challenges

Romeo to a duel. Romeo refuses to fight because he has secretly married

Juliet the night before.

2.) Mercutio, Romeo’s friend, cannot ignore Tybalt’s insults. Mercutio is so

disgusted by Romeo’s 'cowardice' that he fights Tybalt. As Romeo tries to

break up the fight, Tybalt kills Mercutio. Full of anger and grief, Romeo

finds Tybalt and then kills him.

3.) The Prince of Verona arrives and, on hearing the full story, banishes

Romeo rather than have him executed.

4.) Meanwhile, Juliet’s father, Lord Capulet tells her she is to marry Paris.

5.) Juliet pretends to agree and goes to Friar Lawrence for advice.

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Romeo & Juliet Act III – Death in the Streets

Shakespeare

TYBALT: Gentlemen, good den, a word with one of

you.

MERCUTIO: And but one word with one of us? Couple it with something, make it a word and a

blow.

TYBALT: You shall find me apt enough to that, sir,

and you will give me occasion.

MERCUTIO: Could you not take some occasion without giving?

TYBALT: Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford No better term than this: thou art a villain.

ROMEO: Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee

Doth much excuse the appertaining rage To such a greeting.Villain am I none;

Therefore farewell, I see thou knowest me not.

TYBALT: Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries

That thou hast done me, therefore turn and draw.

ROMEO: I do protest I never injuried thee, But love thee better than thou canst devise,

Till thou shalt know the reason of my love;

And so, good Capulet, which name I tender As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.

MERCUTIO: O calm, dishonourable, vile

submission! Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you walk?

TYBALT: What wouldst thou have with me? (They fight. Mercutio is hurt. Exit Tybalt)

MERCUTIO:I am hurt.

A plague a’both houses! I am sped. They have made worms’ meat of me. I have it,

And soundly too. Your houses! (Mercutio

dies.Enter Tybalt)

ROMEO: Now, Tybalt, take the’villain’ back again!

(They fight. Tybalt is slain.)

ROMEO: O, I am fortune's fool!

Modern Translation

TYBALT: Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'd like to

have a word with one of you.

MERCUTIO: Just one word? Put it together with something else. Make it a word and a hit.

TYBALT: You'll find me ready enough to do that, sir, if you give me a reason.

MERCUTIO: Can't you find a reason without me

giving you one?

TYBALT: Romeo, I do not like you so the only thing

I can call you is a villain.

ROMEO: Tybalt, I have a reason to love you which

is why I am not angry about your insult. I am not a

villain. I can tell that you don't know me, so goodbye.

TYBALT: Boy, I can't forgive the harm you've done

to me. Turn around and draw your sword.

ROMEO: I have never harmed you. I love you more

than you can understand. Until you know the reason,

be satisfied good Capulet—which is a name I love as much as my own.

MERCUTIO: This peaceful talk is dishonourable

and vile. Tybalt, you rat-catcher, will you fight me?

TYBALT: What do you want from me?

MERCUTIO: I've been hurt. May the plague curse

both of your families. I'm finished. May the plague strike both your families! They've turned me into food

for worms. I'm done for. Curse your families!

ROMEO: Now, Tybalt, I’ll make you a villain!

ROMEO: O, I am so unlucky!

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Romeo & Juliet

ACT IV – Key Points

1.) Juliet tells Friar Lawrence that she would rather

kill herself than marry Paris.

2.) Friar Lawrence creates a clever plan. He tells

Juliet to take a potion that will make her appear to be dead for two days. She will then be taken to

the family tomb to be buried.

3.) Friar Lawrence will then send a message to

Romeo who will then return to Verona. When

Juliet wakes up in the tomb, Romeo will be there and they can then escape and find a new home.

together.

4.)

4.) Juliet returns home and her father begins to

organize her wedding to Paris. Juliet goes to her room and drinks the potion.

5.) The next morning, the Nurse discovers Juliet’s

“body.” Juliet’s family believes she is dead and she

is taken to the family tomb.

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Romeo & Juliet Act IV – Friar Lawrence’s clever plan

Shakespeare

FRIAR LAWRENCE: Hold, daughter, I

do spy a kind of hope.

If, rather than to marry County Paris,

Thou hast the strength of will to slay thyself,

Then is it likely thou wilt undertake

A thing like death to chide away this shame.

JULIET: O bid me leap, rather than marry

Paris,

From off the battlements of any tower.

FRIAR LAWRENCE: Take thou this vial,

being then in bed,

And this distilling liquor drink thou off

No warmth, no breath shall testify thou

livest;

And in this borrowed likeness of shrunk

death

Thou shalt continue two and forty hours,

And then awake as from a pleasant sleep.

In the mean time, against thou shalt wake,

Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift,

And hither shall he come, and bear thee

hence

To Mantua.

JULIET: Love give me strength, and

strength shall help afford. Farewell, dear

father.

Modern Translation

FRIAR LAWRENCE: Wait, daughter, I

see some hope. If you've made up your

mind to kill yourself instead of marrying

Count Paris, then you'll probably be

willing to try something like death to solve

this shameful problem.

JULIET: O tell me to jump from the castle

tower rather than making me marry Paris!

FRIAR LAWRENCE: When you're in

bed, take this vial and drink the liquid in

it. Your flesh will be cold, and you'll stop

breathing. It will seem like you're dead.

You'll stay in this deathlike state for forty-

two hours, and then you'll wake up as if

from a pleasant sleep. Meanwhile, I'll send

Romeo word of our plan. He'll come here,

and will take you away to Mantua.

JULIET: Love will give me strength, and

strength will help me accomplish this plan.

Goodbye, dear Father.

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Romeo & Juliet

ACT V – Key Points

1.) The message from Friar Lawrence is not delivered to Romeo, who

is in Mantua. Instead, Romeo only hears that Juliet is dead.

2.) Romeo buys some poison from an apothecary and goes to Juliet’s

tomb in Verona.

3.) In Juliet’s tomb, Romeo meets Paris. Paris tries to arrest Romeo.

They fight and Romeo kills Paris.

4.) At Juliet’s side, Romeo drinks the poison and dies. Juliet wakes up

and seeing that Romeo is dead, kills herself with his dagger.

5.) The Prince of Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets arrive at

the tomb. As they grieve the death of Romeo and Juliet, they declare an end to their feud.

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Romeo & Juliet Act V – Juliet’s tomb

Shakespeare

ROMEO: O my love, my wife,

Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,

Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty.

Ah, dear Juliet, Why art thou yet so fair?

I still will stay with thee,

And never from this palace of dim night

Depart again. Eyes look your last!

Arms take your last embrace. Here’s to my love!

O true apothecary! Thy drugs are quick.

Thus with a kiss I die.

(Romeo dies. Juliet awakes.)

JULIET: What’s here? A cup closed in my true

love’s hand?

Poison I see hath been his timeless end.

O churl, drunk all, and left no friendly drop

To help me after? I will kiss thy lips,

Haply some poison yet doth hang on them,

To make me die with a restorative.

Thy lips are warm.

(Taking Romeo’s dagger.)

O happy dagger,

This is thy sheath;

there rust, and let me die.

(Falls on Romeo’s body and dies.)

PRINCE OF VERONA:

Where be these enemies?—Capulet! Montague!

See what a scourge is laid upon your hate,

That heaven finds means to kill your joys with

love!

Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things.

Some shall be pardoned, and some punishèd.

For never was a story of more woe

Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.

Modern Translation

ROMEO: Oh, my love! My wife! Death has

taken away your sweet breath, but it has not

yet ruined your beauty. Ah, dear Juliet, why

are you still so beautiful? I'll stay with you

and I will never leave this tomb. Eyes, look

for the last time! Arms, make your last

embrace! Here's to my love! Oh, that

pharmacist was right! His drugs work

quickly. So I die with a kiss.

(Romeo dies. Juliet awakes.)

JULIET: What's is this? It's a cup, in my

true love's hand? I see he has killed himself

with poison. How unfair! He drank it all,

and didn't leave any to help me. I will kiss

your lips. Perhaps there's still some poison

on them, to make me die. Your lips are

warm.

(Taking Romeo’s dagger.)

Oh, good, a knife! My body will be your

sheath. Rust inside my body and let me die.

(Falls on Romeo’s body and dies.)

PRINCE OF VERONA:

Where are these enemies? Capulet!

Montague! Do you see what a great evil

results from your hate? Heaven has figured

out how to kill your children, your joys with

love. Let’s go, to talk more about this

tragedy. Some of you will be forgiven, and

some will be punished.

For there was never such a sad story than

the story of Romeo and Juliet.

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Romeo & Juliet Do You Bite Your Thumb at Me, Sir?

Shakespearean Insults! Find yourself tempted to say #@%* too often? Elizabethan insults are much more fun. In groups,

choose an adjective from both Column 1 and Column 2 and then combine it with a noun from

Column 3. Choose the best six insults you can create, mixing them up from the different

columns. Then have your class vote on the best insult.

Begin each insult with “Thou" (you). For example: Thou Spongy Rat-Faced Foot

Licker!!!

Column 1 Column 2 Column 3

artless base-court apple-john

bawdy bat-fowling baggage

beslubbering beef-witted barnacle

churlish boil-brained boar-pig

clouted clay-brained bum-bailey

craven crook-pated clack-dish

dankish dismal-dreaming clotpole

droning dog-hearted codpiece

errant dread-bolted death-token

fawning earth-vexing dewberry

fobbing elf-skinned flap-dragon

froward fat-kidneyed flax-wench

gleeking flap-mouthed foot-licker

goatish fly-bitten fustilarian

jarring guts-griping harpy

loggerheaded half-faced hedge-pig

lumpish hasty-witted horn-beast

mewling idle-headed lewdster

pribbling ill-nurtured maggot-pie

puny knotty-pated malt-worm

qualing milk-livered mammet

rank motley-minded measle

reeky plume-plucked miscreant

spongy rude-growing pignut

unmuzzled sheep-biting ratsbane

vain spur-galled scut

venomed swag-bellied skainsmate

warped tickle-brained varlet

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Romeo & Juliet

AFTER THE SHOW – Discussion Questions

1.) All of the problems in Romeo & Juliet result from a feud between the

Capulets and the Montagues. Ask students to brainstorm a list of conflicts between groups of people, races, and countries of today

Discuss why these feuds continue.

2.) Romeo & Juliet go to Friar Lawrence for help rather than their

parents. Have a discussion concerning communication between

teenagers and their parents. Is it harder to communicate with your parents than with your friends? Why? What could teenagers and their

parents do to better communicate?

3.) How could Romeo and Juliet have avoided the tragic ending? What

could they both have done differently? What could the adults around them have done to prevent it?

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Romeo & Juliet

AFTER THE SHOW – Writing & Acting Activities

1.) Choose three adjectives to describe each of the following characters from

Calliope Theatre’s Romeo and Juliet:

Shakespeare

Romeo

Juliet

Queen Elizabeth

Friar Lawrence

Tybalt

2.) Choose one of the scenes from the play. Write and perform a modern version of

the scene. (Example: Romeo & Juliet are from feuding rival gangs or instead of two

feuding families Romeo & Juliet come from different races or religions.)

3.) Write and perform a short scene where Lord & Lady Capulet and Lord & Lady

Montague meet one month after the story finishes. Write a dialogue between them.

4.) Shakespeare often used oxymorons - Two opposing words next to each other which

seem impossible at first glance but actually are very true… As when Juliet says

goodbye to Romeo: Parting is such sweet sorrow. Have students make a list of 5 to

10 oxymorons. Examples: Slow speed, virtual reality, plastic glasses, ill fortune,

original copy (Many oxymorons can be found in advertising!)

From the 2013 Broadway production of ROMEO & JULIET with Orlando Bloom and Condola Rashad.

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Romeo & Juliet

Theatre features live on-stage actors. They have spent many

weeks rehearsing for the performance.

~ The audience is a very important part of the performance. The

success of the play often depends on the audience and their

enthusiasm and participation.

~ It is easy to identify with live actors. You can see how they

use their bodies and voices to convey different emotions.

~ Actors wear clothing and make-up to help create the

characters they play.

~ There is much more to most live performances than actors.

Special scenery, effects, lighting, music, costumes, and of

course, the audience add to the total experience.

ACTIVITY – Discuss & DRAW!

After reading the above, ask students to discuss some of the

theatre questions below.

1.) What was your favourite part of the play? Who was your

favourite character and why?

2.) What is the difference between TV and a live play? Which

do you like better and why?

3.) Draw a picture of a favourite scene or character.

4.) Design a programme cover for the play using the title, and

an illustration inspired by the play.

5.) Choose a character from the play and discuss things the

actors did to create that character. Why might an actor change

his presentation because of audience reaction? Would it be

easy to be an actor? What might you have done differently?

6.) Conduct an interview with a classmate pretending to be

one of the actors and find out the actor's feelings about being

on stage, memorization, rehearsals, costumes, audience, etc.

LIVE THEATRE!

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Romeo & Juliet

RESOURCES

Movies (Many of these may be viewed on YouTube.com)

Romeo and Juliet - Directed by Franco Zeffirelli. (Rated G)

Romeo & Juliet - Directed by Baz Luhrmann; (1997) (Rated PG13) Starring Leonardo Di Caprio

and Claire Danes, this film is retains the original Shakespearean dialogue, but is in a modern setting.

The Montagues and the Capulets are represented as warring mafia empires. The balcony scene is

highly recommended for students. However, other scenes not be appropriate for classroom use

because of violence.

Star Crossed – Amor em Jogo - Directed by Mark Heller. This Portuguese film created in

2009, recreates the Romeo & Juliet story in modern times with two rival football teams. Available from

Lusomundo in English and Portuguese

Shakespeare in Love (selected scenes) Directed by John Madden (1998) (Rated R) Please note:

This film contains many excellent scenes that convey the atmosphere of Elizabethan England. Many

sections, however, would not be appropriate for classroom use.

West Side Story - Directed by Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins. Music by Leonard Bernstein,

The story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid-1950s, in an

ethnic, blue-collar neighborhood. Originally a Broadway play, this musical explores the rivalry

between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds.

ON THE WEB

www.folger.edu/eduLesPlanArch.cfm?cid=1786 – The Folger Shakespeare Library’s Lesson Plan

Archive, dealing with every play, Shakespeare’s life and times, and the literary genres and conventions

of the time. It is an extensive resource for teachers, easy to access, and created by K-12 educators.

www.rsc.org.uk/home/default.aspx – Web site of the Royal Shakespeare Company.

www.Shakespeare.palomar.edu/timeline/timeline.htm – Shakespeare timeline

www.shakespeare.org.uk/content/view/13/13 – Shakespeare in Stratford

www.shakespeares-globe.org – The Globe Theatre

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/ - No Fear Shakespeare

25

Romeo & Juliet About the artists

Zoe Kaye (Girl, Juliet, Tybalt) originally from Herefordshire, U.K., received a

Distinction Certificate in her Performing Arts exam for L.A.M.D.A and studied

Children’s Theatre at Herefordshire College of Art and Design where she

performed in the Herefordshire Performing Arts Festival. After performing for

over 3 years with Avalon Theatre Company, Zoe is proud to be a co-founder of

Calliope Theatre Company.

Meg Thurin (Queen Elizabeth I, Romeo), originally from the United States, Meg

graduated from John Cabot University with a Bachelor of Arts and received her

postgraduate degree from the Istituto Arte Artiginato e Restauro, Rome, Italy.

Since moving to Portugal in 2009, Meg has worked with Avalon Theatre

Company, participated in various voice-over projects and has performed in a TV

sitcom pilot filmed in Lisbon. Most recently, Meg became the featured voice for

iClio's - JiTT Travel app guides for many major cities in Europe. Meg is a co-

founder of Calliope Theatre Company and looks forward to seeing the teachers

and students that she met during her 5 years with Avalon Theatre Company.

Matthew Lloyd (William Shakespeare, Prince of Verona, Paris, Nurse,

Mercutio, Friar Lawrence) Originally from England, Matthew worked with

The Ferndown Drama Group, Huntington Drama Group, Chesil Theatre and

the Royal Navy Theatre Association. He has acted in a variety of full-length

works including pantomimes and dramatic plays such as Wind in the Willows

(Toad) and Pygmalion. Matthew has directed such works as The Anniversary

and Steel Magnolias and has served as Stage Manager for a variety of theatre

companies. Matthew has an MBA from Cranfield School of Management.

After his 17 years in the British Royal Navy (including time spent with

NATO, Portugal), Matthew moved permanently to Cascais. Matthew is a co-

founder of Calliope Theatre Company.