The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet - Approachable Shakespeare for Teens!

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In a close reading of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, students will have the opportunity to be exposed to the brilliance of Shakespeare without feeling intimidated or nervous about the language and the content. This play is usually one of the first Shakespeare plays presented to young people due to the themes of love, friendship and fate. 

In this class, students will read the play and discuss topics related to all drama and other topics that are specific to Shakespeare's plays. 

Week 1 - Introduction to the play with an historical background and summary, as well as a biographical study of the author. Students will also get to introduce themselves to their classmates and provide their own impressions of what they may encounter while reading this play based on their understanding and/or prior experiences with Shakespeare.
***Read for Week 2 - Act 1

Week 2 - Topic for class is Plot. Students will learn about Plot and the Plot Line. I will ask students to make a plot diagram of the drama's action as we move through the entire class, to share on the last day of the course.
***Read for Week 3 - Act 2, Scenes 1 - 3

Week 3 - Topics for class are: Themes, Symbols and Motifs. Students will learn what these terms mean as well as discuss how they are represented, so far, in the play.
***Read for Week 4 - Act 2, Scenes 4 - 6

Week 4 - Topic for class is Character. Students will pick their favorite character and create a character study in class to present to one another.
***Read for Week 5 - Act 3, Scenes 1 - 3

Week 5 - Topic for class is Shakespeare's Vocabulary. Now that students have spent some time reading, we will discuss patterns in his vocabulary as well as reflect on the challenges of reading these words.
***Read for Week 6 - Act 3, Scenes 4 & 5 and Act 4, Scenes 1 & 2

Week 6 - Topic for class is Conflict. There are several conflicts in this play and students will be asked to identify those conflicts and discuss the characters involved as well as how these conflict may resolve, or how these conflicts create the necessary vehicle for the evolution of the plot.
***Read for Week 7 - Act 4, Scenes 3 - 5

Week 7 - Topic for class is Genre. The genre, generally speaking, for this play is tragedy. We will define the word, genre, as well as go deeper into more specifics about what this play represents, presents to its readers, as well as what other genres it could be labeled. We will also compare it to modern-day works (film, television and theatre) to show how its relevance still lives on today.
***Read for Week 8 - Act 5

Week 8 - Last Class! 
Students will discuss their plot lines as well as provide their reflections on the play, its themes and meanings as well as what they've learned over the time that we spent together.