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Warm Up 2

Romeo and Juliet

Writing Prompt: Good story tellers always know it’s important to move the plot forward. Why do you think that ability is so important?

Your answer should be at least 5 sentences in length. Be prepared to share aloud with the rest of the class.

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Tragedy Plot Chart Worksheet

Romeo and Juliet

A tragedy is a narrative about serious and important actions that end unhappily. Usually a tragedy ends with the deaths of the main characters. In some tragedies the disaster hits totally innocent characters; in others the main characters are in some ways responsible for their downfall. Shakespeare’s tragic plays usually follow this five-part pattern:

Act I: The exposition establishes the setting, introduces some of the main characters, explains the background, and introduces the characters’ main conflict.

Act II: The rising action consists of a series of complications. These occur as the main characters take action to resolve their problems.

Act III: The crisis, or turning point, is the moment when a choice made by the main characters determines the direction of the action: upward to a happy ending, which would be a comedy, or downward to tragedy. This turning point is the dramatic and these moment when the forces of conflict come together.

Act IV: The falling action presents events that result from the action taken at the turning point.

Act V: The final and greatest climax occurs at the end of the play – usually in tragedy, with the deaths of the main characters. In the resolution, loose parts of the play are tied up and it ends.

Act I:

Exposition

Act V:

Climax and resolution

Act II:

Rising action or complications

Act III:

Crisis or turning point

Act IV:

Falling Action

Tragedy Plot Chart

Romeo and Juliet

Directions: Fill out the tragedy plot chart below as we read through, watch, and listen to Romeo and Juliet. Write about what happens in the play that creates the exposition, rising actions, crisis or turning point, falling action and final climax and resolution. Your completed plot chart is due at the end of the Unit when we take the unit test. Make sure you save this sheet in your folder, and do not lose it, as information from this sheet will be on the final test.

Act III: crisis or turning point

Act II: Rising action Act IV: falling action

Act I: exposition Act V: final climax and resolution