And the moral of the story is . . .

Discuss your reactions to the play as a whole. Now that you have actually read through the entire play (and please do not respond until you are finished–for those in Black Forest League, I have extended the due date of this discussion), reflect upon the way the play surprised you or made you ponder.  How do the personality flaws or strengths lead the characters to take the actions they do? What makes the play so timeless? How does it relate to contemporary life?

Oh what a tangled web . . .

In this post, discuss your feelings about Friar Lawrence and the Nurse–can an argument be made that it is really all their faults Romeo and Juliet are in the mess that they are in? Or do you think Friar Lawrence and the Nurse are innocent victims of the situation? Support your thinking with specific examples.

Psycho-analysis of Juliet’s personality

Using the skills you learned from our Anne Frank unit, analyze Juliet’s personality. Do you feel that she is an accurate representation of women in general or do you feel Shakespeare is unfairly portraying women? Or, do you feel that Juliet is a worthy subject for Romeo’s attention and more women should aspire to be like her?

Here are some things to consider:

1) Her ability to banter words with Romeo

2) The way she found out who Romeo was

3) The way she covered her self-reflection about finding out he was Romeo from the nurse

4) The way she tells Romeo to leave, then come back, to vow, then not to vow, to leave–to stay, and then forgets why she calls him

5) The fact that she essentially tells Romeo that if his intentions are good, they should marry

6) Her impatience when she sends the nurse to find out about the wedding details