Who do you like?

Now that you've heard the whole story I'd like you to reflect on all the people in the play: the Capulet family including Tybalt; the Montague family including Benvolio; Mercutio, Paris, Friar Laurence. Which one do you like the most? I assume you like someone because they think as you think or because they have some quality you admire. Explain your choice. What made you like this person? {You may, if you wish, say that you didn't like anyone in the play but you must tell me why.}

A letter from Romeo

After Romeo is dead they find a letter he wrote, that he apparently intended someone to find near his body. The Prince (chief of police and mayor of Verona all in one) read the letter. In lines 288-290 the Prince mentions it:
And here he writes that he did buy a poison
Of a poor pothecary, and therewithal
Came to this vault to die, and lie with Juliet.
That's all we know of the letter.
I would like you to pretend you are Romeo, in a hurry to go to Juliet's sepulchre and die, but wanting everyone to know what happened to you. Write a short letter to the people of Verona explaining whatever you think needs explaining.

Do you understand what he is saying?

Romeo is about to kill himself. Translate these passages into modern English for me:
1.How oft when men are at the point of death
Have they been merry, which their keepers call
A light'ning before death

2. Death, that hath sucked the honey of thy breath,
Hath no power yet upon thy beauty

3. Ah, dear Juliet
Why are thou yet so fair?

4. I still will stay with thee,
And never from this palace of dim night
Depart again.

5. Eyes look your last!
Arms, take your last embrace! and, lips, O you
The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss
A dateless bargain to engrossing Death!

If Juliet had awakened

Read lines 50-78. What happens?
Now imagine that Juliet wakes up at this point. She sees Romeo. She also sees Paris' dead body. What do you think she would have done at that point? Would she run off with Romeo? Would she be upset with him and want nothing to do with him? Explain why you think so. As always very short answers will not receive full credit.

Why does Romeo lie?

Read Act 5, scene 3, lines 1 to 44. Notice lines 28-32. Romeo lies to Balthazar, his servant.
Why I descend into this bed of death
Is partly to behold my lady's face,
But chiefly to take thence from her dead finger
A precious ring, a ring that I must use
In dear employment
You know a bit about Romeo and the situation he's in. Tell me why he isn't truthful with his servant. Minimum three sentences.

Who's to blame?

During the Middle Ages not much was known about germs or infection. People knew that once one person got sick there was a good chance his neighbors and friends would be similarly afflicted. The only remedy they could come up with was to lock sick people up in their houses until they either died or got better.
In lines 5 to 12 of this scene Friar John (the man who was supposed to go to Mantua to alert Romeo to the ruse that Friar Laurence had devised) tells of being locked in a house with sick people.
The result was that Romeo never got the message. I'd like you to assign blame for this (fatal) lapse. Who screwed up? And please explain exactly how you think this person screwed up.
Answers of one sentence or overly short answers will not receive full credit.

Romeo's dream

At the beginning of this scene, Act 5, scene 1, lines 5-9 Romeo tells us a little about a dream he had in Mantua. He's exiled and living in another city but he's happy and expects to see Juliet again soon. He says:
I dreamt my lady came and found me dead
(Strange dream that gives a dead man leave to think!)
And breathed such life with kisses in my lips
That I revived and was emporer.
But that's all he tells us. I'd like you to fill in the blanks of this dream. What exactly did he see, what was the place in his dreams like? Were there colors? What does an Emporer look like? Dreams are always different from real life. Describe Romeo's dream in detail. Minimum 50 words.

What is Friar Laurence thinking?

Read Act 4, scene 5, lines 1-64. The family discovers Juliet 'dead'.
You won't understand half the words but I think you can figure out their reaction to finding her dead in bed the morning of the wedding.
Now Friar Laurence shows up (with musicians!).
He says:
"Now heaven hath all, and all the better it is for the maid." (She's in a better place.)
"And weep ye now, seeing she is advanced?" (why are you crying if she's in heaven?)
"She's not well married that lives married long." (a long marriage makes you unhappy, anyway)
"Yet nature's tears are reason's merriment." (if you are sensible you'll be happy for her)

My question is: what is the Friar thinking as he says these things. Put yourself inside the mind of the Friar. Remember that he knows things he isn't saying. In quotes (i.e. use quotation marks at the beginning and end) tell me what the Friar is thinking as he speaks to the grieving family.

Juliet's fears

Read Act 4, scene 3, lines 14-59. Juliet is in bed ready to drink the potion that Friar Laurence has given her. Tell me what things she is worried about. List at least three things that she thinks could go wrong.

Murphy's Law

Murphy's Law says: "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong."
Look over Act 4, scene 1, lines 89-120. This is the Friar's plan to get Romeo and Juliet out of their problem, to allow them to live happily ever after.
Tell me five things that might go wrong with the Friar's plan. (Number them)

You can't tell them the bad news

Have you ever been in a situation where people expected you to do something but you didn't want to do it; and what's worse, you couldn't bring yourself to tell the other person or people that you didn't want to do it?
Either remember such a situation or make one up but either way be descriptive. What is it they expected you to do? What happened when you couldn't bring yourself to tell them you didn't want to do it? What advice would you give to other people who find themselves in a situation like this? (Using dialogue in stories often makes them more vivid.)
Answers that are overly short will not receive full credit. (How long is 'overly short'? I'm not sure but I know it when I see it.)

Arranged marriages

Are there circumstances under which you would approve of an arranged marriage?
1. What about Third World countries where customs are different from the US? Would you support laws banning arranged marriages in India or any number of Muslim countries?
2. Suppose your parents arranged a marriage with someone you'd never met but you knew the person was wealthy and smart and very popular.
What about the opposite? Should parents be allowed to prevent you from marrying someone if you are not 16?

You ingrate!

Has anyone in your family ever told you that you were ungrateful? that you should thank the lord for the life you have? that they had it harder than you and you should act like you are very fortunate to have what you have? that you are spoiled and not fully conscious of the blessings you enjoy?
Well read Act 3, scene 5, lines 139-169. Then write here what you would say to your mother and father if you were Juliet in her situation. Minimum for full credit is 60 words.

Exile

Romeo is exiled, never able to return to his home and family. Compare Romeo's situation to this one http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F01E6DA123BF93AA35753C1A9629C8B63&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=all
a US soldier who has voluntarily exiled himself to Canada rather than fight in the war in Vietnam.
How is this person's experience different or the same as Romeo's? How would you feel if you had to leave the US without the possibility of ever coming back?

Capulet and his daughter

Read Act 3, scene 4. Use Spark Notes or other websites to help you understand the language. Now tell me what you think this scene tells you about the relationship between Juliet and her father.

Separation

Juliet and Romeo are apart but both know of the Prince's sentence, that Romeo is to depart the city forthwith never to return. I'd like you to read two passages:
Act 3, scene 2, lines 97-127 and;
Act 3, scene 3, lines 29-51.
You will read first Juliet's reaction, then Romeo's. Compare the two. Is either person more unselfish? Does one seem more sincere than the other? Does one seem more griefstricken than the others? Write a short paragraph of, perhaps, 50-75 words commenting on the two lovers and their feelings about the impending separation.

Ten syllables

Let's see if you can count syllables. Please write 4 lines of poetry (they don't have to rhyme), ten syllables each line. Tell me something about the story of Romeo and Juliet so far (up to where the Prince exiles him).

In Romeo's defense

Can you remember a time when you were blamed for something, but you felt you were innocent. I expect Romeo feels the same way at this point in the story. Write a short defense of Romeo's behavior in the death of Mercutio. Write it as if you were Benvolio writing to explain the whole matter to Juliet (remember it was her cousin who was killed). Minimum 50 words.

Make a connection

Make a connection to Romeo and Juliet