Mandy Manousos

May 4, 2005

Unit Project

Shakespeare Doesn�t Have To Be Scary!

The minute you mention the word Shakespeare to kids, they either freak out or get this glazed look on their faces. Shakespeare can be scary to young adults that have never had a chance to experience his works. But it doesn�t have to be! Many of Shakespeare�s plays have elements to them that relate directly to things going on in modern teenagers lives. A great way to get a class excited about Shakespeare is to put his play as something they can parallel to their own lives too. Then the text won�t seem so foreign to them.

Romeo and Juliet is a great �first� Shakespeare play to introduce to students. There are many elements that a high school class could relate to. Strife with parents, other groups of kids, suicide, peer pressure, deception and it consequences to teenage love. All problems teens deal with today. Showing your classes that they are not so different from teens of the past, is an effective way to make �Shakespeare� not such a nasty word. Through the activities presented in this unit, Romeo and Juliet will not become a chore to read but a fun experience for you and your class.

Before reading Romeo and Juliet:

1. Play the song I Would Die For You by Garbage; also have the words up on the board/transparency. Then ask the class to listen and pick out phrases that stuck out or that they liked. Then as a class discuss their choices, this should get a class discussion going.

2. Play the song Parents Just Don�t Understand by DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince. Ask the class to do the same activity (as above).

Discussion Questions:

a. Have you been passionate about something? What was it? Would you have done anything to make sure you attainted it? What did you do?

b. Have you ever disagreed with your parents? On what? Was it fair? Do you think they were right looking back on it? Did you do it anyway?

c. Have you ever been in love? What did that feel like? If not, what do you think it would feel like? Does love make people do crazy things?

Quotes:

1. Have the class look at the quotes on the over head have them pick their favorite. Have them write down their reasons why. What words stand out? What do they see when they read the quote?

To Start Romeo and Juliet:

A fun way to start the play off is to do �A Whole Class Oral Summary of The Play� (See attached). It will get the class involved AND also teach the plot of the play.

Read the first act out loud, assign parts, and make it reader�s theaters.

Tell the class as they read to write down any words or anything they don�t understand.

After finishing the reading, ask for the words that were not understood put them up on the board. One volunteer can look them up in the dictionary or Shakespeare glossary. This activity will teach them that this is what they have to do when reading Shakespeare. That they have to look up word they don�t understand. It will make the text a lot easier to understand.

Extending the Unit

Watch a modern version of Romeo and Juliet. West Side story is a good choice. It shares many of the same theme�s that are in Romeo and Juliet; parent child conflict, teen love, friendship and peer-pressure and suicide. According to Adolescent Literature, the classic themes are not introduced in West Side Story. Instead of fate and fortune, WSS uses hate and prejudice. The students can discuss why this was left out of this version. This is a good lead in to discuss Elizabethan feelings that one�s life is controlled by elements external to the individual. A very important issue that comes up in many of Shakespeare�s dramas.

Then ask the class to pick another version of Romeo and Juliet (see hand-out). Have them write critique on what this version was like. Was the director true to the original text? What was different? Did it work? What did you like or dislike?

Also included is a list of outside reading YA books following the theme of �young lovers�. I would include extra credit for reading one of these and doing a book talk presentation.

Wrapping Up The Unit:

I would ask the class how they feel about Shakespeare now. Do they still find it scary?

Also how do they feel about the story itself? Does it relate to them? Is this what modern teenagers face in their lives? Would they have acted the same if put in those situations?

How could Romeo and Juliet act differently so the end wasn�t as tragic? Or was it fate? That there was no way out?

Song Lyrics

Garbage - I Would Die For You Lyrics

I would die for you,

I would die for you,

I've been dying just to feel you by my side,

To know that you're mine.

I will cry for you,

I will cry for you,

I will wash away your pain with all my tears,

And drown your fear.

ah ah ah ah ah

ah ah ah ah ah

ah ah ah ah

ah ah ah ah ah

I will pray for you,

I will pray for you,

I will sell my soul for something pure and true,

Someone like you.

See your face every place that I'm walking,

Hear your voice everytime I?m talking,

You will believe in me,

And I will never be ignored.

I will burn for you,

Feel pain for you,

I will twist a knife and bleed my aching heart,

And tear it apart.

I will lie for you,

Beg and steal for you,

I will crawl on hands and knees until you see,

You're just like me.

Violate all the love that I?m missing,

Throw away all the pain that I?m living,

You will believe in me,

And I can never be ignored.

I would die for you,

(ah ah ah ah ah)

I would kill for you,

(ah ah ah ah ah)

I will steal for you,

(ah ah ah ah ah)

I?d do time for you,

(ah ah ah ah ah)

I will wait for you,

(ah ah ah ah)

I?d make room for you,

(ah ah ah ah ah)

I?d sail ships for you,

(ah ah ah ah)

To be close to you,

(ah ah ah ah ah)

To be part of you,

(ah ah ah ah)

Cos? I believe in you,

(ah ah ah ah ah)

I believe in you,

I would die for you.

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince - Parents Just Don't Understand Lyrics

You know parents are the same

No matter time nor place

They don't understand that us kids

Are going to make some mistakes

So to you, all the kids all across the land

There's no need to argue

Parents just don't understand

'parents' 24 lines, 734 characters.

I remember one year

My mom took me school shopping

It was me, my brother, my mom, oh, my pop, and my little sister

All hopped in the car

We headed downtown to the Gallery Mall

MY mom started bugging with the clothes she chose

I didn't say nothing at first

I just turned up my nose

She said, 'What's wrong? This shirt cost $20'

I said, 'Mom, this shirt is plaid with a butterfly collar!'

The next half hour was the same old thing

My mother buying me clothes from 1963

And then she lost her mind and did the ultimate

I asked her for Adidas and she bought me Zips!

I said, 'Mom, what are you doing, you're ruining my rep'

She said, 'You're only sixteen, you don't have a rep yet'

I said, 'Mom, let's put these clothes back, please'

She said 'no, you go to school to learn not for a fashion show'

I said, 'This isn't Sha Na Na, come on Mom, I'm not Bowzer

Mom, please put back the bell-bottom Brady Bunch trousers

But if you don't want to I can live with that but

You gotta put back the double-knit reversible slacks'

She wasn't moved - everything stayed the same

Inevitably the first day of school came

I thought I could get over, I tried to play sick

But my mom said, 'No, no way, uh-uh, forget it'

There was nothing I could do, I tried to relax

I got dressed up in those ancient artifacts

And when I walked into school, it was just as I thought

The kids were cracking up laughing at the clothes Mom bought

And those who weren't laughing still had a ball

Because they were pointing and whispering

As I walked down the hall

I got home and told my Mom how my day went

She said, 'If they were laughing you don't need the,

'Cause they're not good friends'

For the next six hours I tried to explain to my Mom

That I was gonna have to go through this about 200 more times

So to you all the kids all across the land

There's no need to argue

Parents just don't understand

Oh-kay, here's the situation

'parents' 68 lines, 2662 characters.

My parents went away on a week's vacation and

They left the keys to the brand new Porsche

Would they mind?

Umm, well, of course not

I'll just take it for a little spin

And maybe show it off to a couple of friends

I'll just cruise it around the neighborhood

Well, maybe I shouldn't

Yeah, of course I should

Pay attention, here's the thick of the plot

I pulled up to the corner at the end of my block

That's when I saw this beautiful girlie girl walking

I picked up my car phone to perpetrate like I was talking

You should've seen this girl's bodily dimensions

I honked my horn just to get her attention

She said, 'Was that for me?'

I said, 'Yeah'

She said, 'Why?'

I said, 'Come on and take a ride with a helluva guy'

She said, 'How do I know you're not sick?

You could be some deranged lunatic'

I said, 'C'mon toots - my name is the Prince =

Beside, would a lunatic have a Porsche like this?'

She agreed and we were on our way

She was looking very good and so was I, I must say - word

We hit McDonald's, pulled into the drive

We ordered two Big Macs and two large fries with Cokes

She kicked her shoes off onto the floor

She said, 'Drive fast, speed turns me on'

She put her hand on my knee, I put my foot on the gas

We almost got whiplash, I took off so fast

The sun roof was open , the music was high

And this girl's hand was steadily moving up my thigh

She had opened up three buttons on her shirt so far

I guess that's why I didn't notice that police car

We're doing ninety in my Mom's new Porsche

And to make this long story short - short

When the cop pulled me over I was scared as hell

I said, 'I don't have a license but I drive very well, officer'

I almost had a heart attack that day

Come to find out the girl was a twelve-year-old runaway

I was arrested, the car was impounded

There was no way for me to avoid being grounded

My parents had to come off from vacation to get me

I'd rather be in jail than to have my father hit me

My parents walked in

I got my grip, I said, 'Ah, Mom, Dad, how was your trip?'

They didn't speak

I said, 'I want to plead my case'

But my father just shoved me in the car by my face

That was a hard ride home, I don't know how I survived

They took turns -

One would beat me while the other one was driving

I can't believe it, I just made a mistake

Well parents are the same no matter time nor place

So to you all the kids all across the land

Take it form me

Parents just don't understand

http://www.seeklyrics.com

Quotes

You will never know true happiness
until you have truly loved,
and you will never understand
what pain really is
until you have lost it.
~ by Anonymous ~

True love cannot be found where it truly does not exist,
Nor can it be hidden where it truly does.
~ by Anonymous ~

I love thee, I love but thee
With a love that shall not die
Till the sun grows cold
And the stars grow old.
~ by Willam Shakespeare ~

So dear I love him that with him,
All deaths I could endure.
Without him, live no life.
~ by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet ~

I have loved to the point of madness;
That which is called madness,
That which to me,
Is the only sensible way to love.
~ by F. Sagan ~

A part of you has grown in me.
And so you see, it's you and me
Together forever and never apart,
Maybe in distance, but never in heart.
~ by Anonymous ~

Age does not protect us from love,
But love to some extent protects us from age.
~ by Anonymous ~

http://www.romantic-lyrics.com/romanticlyrics.shtml

ROMEO & JULIET

Small group and Whole Class Oral Summary of the Play:

Teacher: The minute this play begins, you know that there are two families in a town in northern Italy named

all: Fair Verona!

that hate each other, and that this hatred is old and bitter. Folks are yelling

all: Down with the Capulets!

and other folks are yelling

all: Down with the Montagues!

There is a brawl so violent that the Prince of the town has to come out and lay down the law.

#1: IF EVER YOU DISTURB OUR STREETS AGAIN,

YOUR LIVES WILL PAY THE FORFEIT OF THE PEACE!

Then we see Romeo wandering around and learn that he has been staying out all night and sleeping all day because he is

all: In Love!

with Rosaline, who does not love him back. And we meet "the boys" -- Romeo's friends Benvolio and Mercutio -- who are headed for a party at

all: The Capulets!

It's a masked ball, so they can sneak in wearing costumes and no one at the ball will know that they are from the hated

all: Montagues!

Benvolio is excited because going to this ball will give Romeo a chance to get over Rosaline.

#2: GIVE LIBERTY TO YOUR EYES. EXAMINE OTHER BEAUTIES!

When the boys arrive in disguise, Lord Capulet does not recognize them as his enemies

all: the Montagues!

and so welcomes them.

#3: YOU ARE WELCOME, GENTLEMEN! COME, MUSICIANS, PLAY!

It is at this party that Romeo first sees young Juliet. He does not realize that she is the daughter of his hated host. He is knocked out by her beauty!

#4: O SHE DOTH TEACH THE TORCHES TO BURN BRIGHT!

They dance. They kiss. Juliet says:

#5: YOU KISS BY THE BOOK

Only at the end of the party do they learn that the other is one of the "enemy."

But they don't feel like enemies. After the party, Romeo escapes from his buddies, climbs the wall into the Capulet family orchard, and speaks his famous speech:

#6: BUT SOFT, WHAT LIGHT THROUGH YONDER WINDOW BREAKS?

Juliet comes out on the balcony, and without knowing that Romeo is right below her, says:

all: O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?

Deny thy father and refuse thy name

And I'll no longer be a Capulet!

They talk passionately of love, but then Juliet hears her mother calling. Romeo says:

#7: WILT THOU LEAVE ME SO UNSATISFIED?

Juliet is no fool. She says:

#8. IF THAT THY BENT OF LOVE BE HONOURABLE,

THY PURPOSE MARRIAGE, SEND ME WORD TOMORROW.

You would think that marriage between these two would be unthinkable because of their family's feud

all: But Love is Love!

They enlist the help of Juliet's nurse and Friar Lawrence, a local member of the clergy who hopes their union will bring an end to the feud between the families. In secret, Friar Lawrence marries them.

But the families know nothing of this marriage and the feud continues. In the town square, Tybalt

all: A Capulet!

and a hot-headed cousin of Juliet's, comes looking for a fight with

all: A Montague!

Romeo's equally hot-headed friend Mercutio takes him on, saying:

#9: TYBALT, YOU RAT-CATCHER, WILL YOU WALK?

Tybalt yells back:

#10: I AM FOR YOU!

They fight. Mercutio dies and Tybalt flees. But look:

all: Here Comes the Furious Tybalt Back Again!

Even though Tybalt is Juliet's cousin, Romeo will not let his friend Mercutio die in vain. He kills Tybalt and regrets it almost immediately, lamenting:

#11: O, I AM FORTUNE'S FOOL!

The Prince

all: Of Fair Verona!

banishes Romeo to the nearby town on Mantua, but before Romeo leaves, he spends one night with Juliet. As he leaves, he says:

#12: THEN WINDOW, LET DAY IN, AND LET LIFE OUT!

But moments after Romeo leaves, Juliet's mother enters to inform her daughter that Lord Capulet has arranged for Juliet to marry an older man named Count Paris. She expects her daughter will be very happy with this news, telling her that:

all:

Early Next Thursday Morn,

The Gallant, Young and Noble Gentleman

The County Paris, at Saint Peter's Church

Shall Happ'ly Make Thee There a Joyful Bride!

But even though Juliet has been an obedient daughter in the past, she says:

#13: NOW BY SAINT PETER'S CHURCH, AND PETER TOO

HE SHALL NOT MAKE ME THERE A JOYFUL BRIDE!

Her father does not like his daughter's tone of voice at all. He says:

#14: HANG THEE YOUNG BAGGAGE! DISOBEDIENT WRETCH!

Juliet is desperate. She comes up with a plan and takes a potion so that she'll appear to be dead. That way her parents will put her body in their funeral monument and then Friar Lawrence will fetch her and take her to Romeo in Mantua.

As Juliet takes the portion she says:

#15: ROMEO! HERE'S THE DRINK! I DRINK TO THEE!

It works. Juliet's nurse and her mother Lady Capulet find her in the morning.

all: Alack the Day! She's Dead! She's Dead! She's Dead!

And they put her body in the family tomb, just as Juliet had planned.

Unfortunately, one small detail has been left out. Romeo has not heard of the plan! All he hears is that Juliet is dead.

Many people head for Juliet's tomb. Romeo, who stops to buy some poison, is going there to join Juliet in death. Friar Lawrence is going there to get Juliet and take her to Romeo in Mantua. Count Paris is going there to mourn for his almost-wife.

Paris gets there first. Romeo finds him there and kills him. Count Paris says:

#18: O, I AM SLAIN!

Then Romeo sees Juliet's body and takes the poison he has brought with him, saying:

#19: HERE'S TO MY LOVE. THUS WITH A KISS, I DIE!

Friar Lawrence arrives just too late, finding Romeo dead and Juliet just waking up. As usual, he has great advice for Juliet:

all: Come, Come Away.

Thy Husband in thy Bosom There Lies Dead

And Paris too. Come, I'll Dispose of Thee

Among a Sisterhood of Holy Nuns!

This does not sound like much of any idea to Juliet. Friar Lawrence leaves the tomb and Juliet decides to join Romeo in death. Since there is not enough left of Romeo's poison to kill her, she stabs herself, saying:

#20: O HAPPY DAGGER. THIS IS THY SHEATH!

Romeo and Juliet are found in the tomb by their feuding parents, who finally realize that their quarrels have gone too far. They vow to make peace, concluding sadly that:

all: Never Was a Story of More Woe

Than This of Juliet and Romeo

MOVIE SELECTIONS

Cast:	Rudolf Nureyev, Margot Fonteyn, David Blair, More
Director:	Paul Czinner
Category:	Music & Performance
Running Time:	2 hours 10 minutes
Language:	English
DVD Release:	11/30/1999
Brief Nudity, Adult Situations, Suitable for Children
Writer/director Paul Czinner, who in 1936 adapted Shakespeare's As You Like It to the screen, was the guiding force behind the 1966 feature Romeo and Juliet.

Running Time:	1 hour 25 minutes
DVD Release:	02/12/2002
The Lyon Opera Ballet performs Sergei Prokofiev's musical rendition of William Shakespeare's famous tragedy

Running Time:	2 hours 16 minutes
DVD Release:	10/19/2004
Experience one of the great romantic tragedies as Shakespeare's timeless tale comes to life on stage as never before. Featuring the talents of dancers Natalya Bessmertnova and Irek Mukhamedov

Cast:	Olivia Hussey, Leonard Whiting, Milo O'Shea, More
Director:	Franco Zeffirelli
Category:	Classics, Drama, Foreign
Running Time:	2 hours 18 minutes
Language:	English
DVD Release:	05/23/2000
Mild Violence, Adult Situations
Director Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet was touted at the time of its release (successfully, if the box-office receipts are any indication

Cast:	Blanche Baker, Esther Rolle, Frederic Hehne, More
Director:	William Woodman
Category:	Music & Performance
Running Time:	2 hours 45 minutes
Language:	English
DVD Release:	01/30/2001
Directed by William Woodman, this retelling of the classic Shakespearean tragedy not only features traditional period costumes and sets, but is known for giving the bard's words a style

Category:	Drama, Music & Performance, Romance
Running Time:	1 hour 52 minutes
Language:	English
DVD Release:	09/09/2003

Cast:	Leonardo DiCaprio, Claire Danes, John Leguizamo, More
Director:	Baz Luhrmann
Category:	Drama, Romance
Running Time:	2 hours
Language:	English, French
DVD Release:	03/12/2002
Violence, Adult Situations, Questionable for Children
The classic Shakespearean romantic tragedy is updated by director Baz Luhrmann to a post-modern Verona Beach where swords are merely a brand of gun and bored youths are easily spurred

This ballet version of Shakespeare's play is performed by the Boshoi Ballet with Galina Ulanova portraying Juilet

Cast:	Yuri Zhdanov, Galina Ulanova, The Bolshoi Ballet, More
Director:	Gennadi Rozhdestvensky
Category:	Classics, Music & Performance
Running Time:	1 hour 31 minutes
DVD Release:	12/23/2003

(http://www.blockbuster.com)