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Romeo & Juliet

Explore resources related to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

Overview

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare creates a violent world, in which two young people fall in love. It is not simply that their families disapprove; the Montagues and the Capulets are engaged in a blood feud.

In this death-filled setting, the movement from love at first sight to the lovers’ final union in death seems almost inevitable. And yet, this play set in an extraordinary world has become the quintessential story of young love. In part because of its exquisite language, it is easy to respond as if it were about all young lovers.

Most Popular Resources

Master Class: Teaching Romeo and Juliet

Teaching Resource

Master Class: Teaching Romeo and Juliet

What are the most essential, and eye-opening, things any teacher must know about Romeo and Juliet? What are wildly effective approaches to teaching it?
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Pre-reading: Tossing Words from Romeo and Juliet

Teaching Resource

Pre-reading: Tossing Words from Romeo and Juliet

Forget a slide deck on Shakespeare's life and times. Start Romeo and Juliet with the words in your students' mouths-- actively and joyfully!
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3-D Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet 1.1

Teaching Resource

3-D Shakespeare: Romeo and Juliet 1.1

Get out of the way and let your students create the opening scene of Romeo and Juliet. Here's how.
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Text Set: Maya Angelou Talks Back to Romeo

Teaching Resource

Text Set: Maya Angelou Talks Back to Romeo

Free resource

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Choral Reading: Juliet’s Soliloquy in Romeo and Juliet 4.3

Teaching Resource

Choral Reading: Juliet’s Soliloquy in Romeo and Juliet 4.3

A longtime Folger favorite lesson!
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Cutting a Scene: Queen Mab in Romeo and Juliet 1.4

Teaching Resource

Cutting a Scene: Queen Mab in Romeo and Juliet 1.4

Students do the work of directors and teachers everywhere: cut the strange, long, and imagery-rich "Queen Mab" speech!
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Pre-reading: Tossing Lines from Romeo and Juliet

Teaching Resource

Pre-reading: Tossing Lines from Romeo and Juliet

Students never forget this first day of their Romeo and Juliet unit!
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Cutting and Performing Scenes – Put Students in the Driver’s Seat!

Teaching Resource

Cutting and Performing Scenes – Put Students in the Driver’s Seat!

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Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient

Teaching Resource

Exploring Gender: Shakespeare’s Take on Chaste, Silent, and Obedient

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William Shakespeare and Gwendolyn Brooks: Processing Death

Teaching Resource

William Shakespeare and Gwendolyn Brooks: Processing Death

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This Illness is No Metaphor: Romeo and Juliet and the Plague

Teaching Resource

This Illness is No Metaphor: Romeo and Juliet and the Plague

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