Romeo and Julietby William Shakespeare

Before, During, and After Reading Skills

Act II

Literary ResponseRomeo and Juliet Act II

 Read the play carefully and note the way the

characters interact with each other and the reasons behind their actions.

 Do you think that Romeo and Juliet have made the “right” decisions in Act II? What have they done that

you either agree or disagree with in Act II?

Is there anything you would have done differently?

Explain your thoughts and ideas and use evidence from the text to support your response.

Before Reading SkillsPreview and Predictions

• Examine the text features located throughout Act II.

(pages 842-869)

• Make a list of the things you “know” or “think you know” based only on the text features.

• Make a list of at least 3 things you want to know, but you need to read in order to find out.

• What major events do you predict will happen in Act II? What information supports your predictions?

During Reading SkillsStructure and Purpose of a

Drama

• The purpose of a drama is to entertain the audience and to present information/details about the characters.• The audience will learn about the

characters in several ways. Pay attention to the characters and try to keep them organized as you read.• You will be asked to create a

character chart to identify the characters and their character traits.

How do we learn about a character during a play?•What the characters say•What the characters do•What other characters

say about them•How other characters

treat them

Comprehension/Discussion Questions

Prologue page 843

1. Read the prologue and examine what information the author shares with us at the beginning of Act II.

2. How is this information given to the audience?3. Use your poetry skills to analyze the meaning

of the prologue.4. Translate the information into prose.5. What questions do you have after reading the

prologue?

Act II Scene 1843-845

A. Making Inferences – What is Benvolio’s tone here? Why would Romeo be angry at Mercutio’s remarks?

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Act II Scene 2845-853

A. Paraphrasing – Juliet does not know that Romeo is standing beneath her balcony. What has Romeo now learned about her feelings for him?

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Act II Scene 2845-853

Analyzing Visualspage 847

How well does this staging reflect Scene 2? Do you think this is what Shakespeare envisioned when he wrote the scene?

Act II Scene 2845-853

B. Making Inferences – Juliet is practical. She fears Romeo will be murdered. What is Romeo’s tone – is he also fearful, or is he reckless and elated?

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C. Analyzing Cause and Effect – The two lovers will repeatedly remind us that they prefer death to separation. What does this speech tell us of Romeo’s intentions? What might happen if he follows through on those intentions? What would happen if he doesn’t?

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Act II Scene 2845-853

D. Paraphrasing – What is Juliet making clear to Romeo here? Where does she show that she still fears he may be false withher?

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E. PLOT: Rising Action – What terrible event might Juliet’s words foreshadow?

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???Remember to read the sidebar information and

answer the ? boxes as you read each page.

Check for your understanding of the text.

The Language of ShakespeareHow is the language of Shakespeare’s Romeo and

Juliet different from the language we use?

Identify the character speaking and the character they are speaking to.

Explain the meaning of the important lines.

State the context in which these lines were spoken – what was going on in the play at the time?

Translate Shakespeare’s words into modern language.

? to ?To move is to stir, and to be valiant

is to stand.Therefore, if thou art moved, thou

run’st away.

Gregory to SampsonTo move is to stir, and to be valiant

is to stand.Therefore, if thou art moved, thou

run’st away.

? to ?What, art thou drawn among these

heartless hinds?Turn thee, Benvolio; look upon thy

death.

Tybalt to BenvolioWhat, art thou drawn among these

heartless hinds?Turn thee, Benvolio; look upon thy

death.

?Thou villain Capulet! – Hold me not;

let me go.

?Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek

a foe.

MontagueThou villain Capulet! – Hold me not;

let me go.

Lady MontagueThou shalt not stir one foot to seek

a foe.

? to ?Is love a tender thing? It is too

rough,Too rude, too boist’rous, and it

pricks like a thorn

Romeo to MercutioIs love a tender thing? It is too

rough,Too rude, too boist’rous, and it

pricks like a thorn

? to ?Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace!Thou talk’st of nothing.

Romeo to MercutioPeace, peace, Mercutio, peace!Thou talk’st of nothing.

? to ?Peace, I have done. God mark thee

to his grace!Thou wast the prettiest babe that

e’er I nursed.And I might live to see thee married

once, I have my wish.

Nurse to JulietPeace, I have done. God mark thee

to his grace!Thou wast the prettiest babe that

e’er I nursed.And I might live to see thee married

once, I have my wish.

? to ?I have rememb’red me; thou’s hear

our counsel.Thou knowest my daughter’s of a

pretty age.

Lady Capulet to NurseI have rememb’red me; thou’s hear

our counsel.Thou knowest my daughter’s of a

pretty age.

Your Favorite Lines1. Select a total of four lines from Act II

that you thought were important, interesting, funny, or odd.

2. Copy the lines, page(s), and character(s) involved.

3. Translate any words or phrases that need to be clarified.

4. Explain the meaning of the lines and what was happening in the play as the lines were being spoken.

Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene 3Pages 853-857

Page 853

1. Elements of Drama – How does the Friar’s soliloquy on page 853 help “set the stage” for this scene?

2. Characterization – Make a list of the details we learn about the Friar during this scene. What conclusions can you draw about him based on the things you read?

Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene 3Pages 853-857

Page 855

A. Plot: Rising Action – Romeo enters quietly, unseen by the friar. As the friar explains that his flower contains the power to heal as well as kill, why might the audience fear for Romeo and Juliet?

3. Making Inferences - What can you tell about the relationship between Romeo and the friar based on their dialogue?

Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene 3Pages 853-857

Page 856-857

4. Elements of Drama – In the exposition of the play, Shakespeare keeps Romeo’s intense love in perspective by letting the audience see how others regard him. What can we learn about Romeo’s “love” from how the other characters react to Romeo?

B. Analyzing Cause and Effect – Romeo has gotten what he wants, and he dashes offstage. Why do the friar’s last words leave us with a sense that danger lies ahead?

Juliet to RomeoMy only love, sprung from my only

hate!Too early seen unknown, and known

too late!Prodigious birth of love it is to meThat I must love a loathed enemy.

Benvolio to RomeoTut, man, one fire burns out another’s

burning;One pain is less’ned by another’s anguish;Turn giddy, and be holp by backwards

turning;One desperate grief cures with another’s

languish.Take thou some new infection to thy eye,And the rank poison of the old will die.

Romeo to BenvolioI fear too early; for my mind

misgivesSome consequence yet hanging in

the starsShall bitterly begin his fearful dateWith this night’s revels and expire

the termOf a despised life…

Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene 4Pages 857-863

Page 858

A. Analyzing Cause and Effect – Now that the play’s love story seems to be heading toward marriage, Shakespeare turns again to the feuding families. Why is Tybalt looking for Romeo? What do you think will happen when he finds him?

Page 860

B. Making Inferences – What does the loyal Mercutio think he has accomplished for Romeo by this game of wits?

Romeo and Juliet Act II Scene 4Pages 857-863

Pages 862-863

C. Making Inferences – What warning does the nurse give Romeo, and why do you think she does this?

D. Plot: Rising Action – The nurse becomes confiding as she rattles on and on. What trouble for Romeo and Juliet does she talk about? What is Juliet’s feeling for Paris now?

The Language of ShakespeareHow is the language of Shakespeare’s

Romeo and Juliet different from the language we use?

Identify the differences.Translate Shakespeare’s words into

modern language.Explain the meaning of important lines

from Romeo and Juliet.

My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words of thy tongue’s uttering, yet I know the sound.Art thou not Romeo, and a

Montague?

Sweet. So would I.Yet I should kill thee with much

cherishing.Parting is such sweet sorrow

That I shall say good night till it be morrow.

O she knew wellThy love did read by rote, that could

not spell.But come, young waverer, come go

with me.In one respect I’ll thy assistant be;For this alliance may so happy proveTo turn your households’ rancor to

pure love.

I have night’s cloak to hide me from their eyes;

And but thou love me, let them find me here.

My life were better ended by their hate

Than death prorogued wanting of thy love.

I should have been more strange, I must confess,

But that thou overheard’st, ere I was ware,

My truelove passion. Therefore pardon me,

And not impute this yielding to light love,

Which the dark night hath so discovered.

Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.

If that thy bent of love be honorable,Thy purpose marriage, send me word

tomorrow,By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,Where and what time thou wilt perform the

rite;And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll layAnd follow thee my lord throughout the

world.

Alas, poor Romeo, he is already dead: stabbed

with wench’s black eye; run through the ear with

a love song; the very pin of his heart cleft with the blind

bow-boy’s butt-shaft; and is he a man to encounter

Tybalt?

These violent delights have violent endsAnd in their triumph die, like fire and

powder,Which, as they kiss, consume. The

sweetest honeyIs loathsome in his own deliciousnessAnd in the taste confounds the appetite.Therefore love moderately: long love doth

so;Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

StoryboardA storyboard is a series of small

illustrations to tell a story.You will be creating a 9-box storyboard to

summarize the most important events from Act II.

Be sure to select the 9 scenes carefully and make your illustrations accurate and clear (use labels if necessary).

On the back of the storyboard write a 9 sentence summary of Act II.

Staging the SceneAn important part of reading drama is

the ability to visualize the scenes.As you read the scenes in Romeo and

Juliet, try to imagine how the scene could be created on a stage to

convey the setting to the audience.Select a scene from Act II that you

could “stage” for a production of Romeo and Juliet.

Illustrate how you would create the scene on a stage. Be creative!!!

CharacterizationWrite the character trait and a simple

but accurate definition.Place a + for positive trait.

Place a – for a negative trait.Identify which character(s) you think

demonstrate the quality in Romeo and Juliet.

Briefly explain what the character did that made you think he or she had

the trait.

Character Traits• Impulsive• Naïve• Witty• Vulgar• Prudent• Ineffectual• Presumptuous• Patient

Character Traits• Hotheaded• Passionate• Immature• Courageous• Comical• Adventurous• Tolerant• Sly

Character Traits• Dutiful• Ignorant• Coarse• Religious• Loyal• Affectionate• Rational• Rowdy

Define!¤ The character traits¤ The synonyms (or antonyms)

Connect!¤ The character traits, synonyms, and antonyms to demonstrate your understanding

Classify!¤ Use symbols to show the details about the words

Organize!¤ How could you group these words in various categories

Symbolize!¤ Create visuals for the words that most accurately describe your selected character(s)

Character Traits

Crude Clever ExpressiveFond Truehearted EnduringDauntless Responsible FutileImpetuous Mirthful SeriousEnlightened Green CunningHolligan Assuming SpiritualUncouth Nescient CholericSensible Noetic

Gregarious

Index CardQuiz Tomorrow on Act II!!!

You may use ONE 3x5 index card during the quiz.

No other materials will be available to you during the

quiz.Everything on the card must be

handwritten – no typed information.

• Which predictions were accurate?

• Which ones need to be changed/revised?

• Which questions did we find the answers to while reading?

• Which questions do we still not know the answer to yet?

• Do we need to any any new questions to look for as we read?

Predictions and Purpose Setting

Critical Thinking Questions