INTRODUCTION TO ROMEO AND JULIET
— Using a Film Clip from Shakespeare in Love
Subject: Drama/England: Romeo and Juliet;
Ages: 14+; High School Level;
Length: Clip: 40 minutes; Lesson:One and one-half to two 45 - 50 minute class periods.
Excerpts from the Complete Snippet Lesson Plan
Learner Outcomes/Objectives: Students will be primed to read Romeo and Juliet. The film clip and the introductory lecture will introduce them to Elizabethan theater and to the London of Shakespeare's time.
Rationale: When students feel that they know an author as a person, they will be more interested in reading what he or she has written. An introduction to the times in which a play was first performed is helpful in appreciating the artistry and meaning of the work.
Description of the Film Clip: "Shakespeare in Love" presents students with a brilliantly re-imagined world of the Elizabethan stage and Shakespeare's London. The movie presents an entertaining and accessible speculation about how the playwright could have labored over his words and conceits and, out of his own lost love, found the inspiration for Romeo and Juliet. Tom Stoppard's script cleverly mixes modern allusions, historical characters and events, passages from the play, borrowings from Christopher Marlowe, and visual puns. Students will be able to trace the parallels between the doomed love of Romeo and Juliet, and the impossible love of Will and Viola. Students will get a good sense of Elizabethan stagecraft.
The first 40 minutes of the movie are enough to provide most of the benefits of the film. This clip does not include the scenes which earned the movie its R rating. The film clip would probably be rated PG-13.
USING THE FILM CLIP IN THE CLASSROOM
Preparation
1. Review the clip and to make sure it is suitable for the class. Note any words that the class may not understand and use them in vocabulary exercises before showing the movie. Review the Lesson Plan and decide how to present it to the class, making any necessary modifications.
2. The film clip starts at the beginning of the movie. Cue the DVD to start after the coming attractions and the studio logos. Make sure that all necessary materials are available.
Step by Step
1. Vocabulary
Teach the class any vocabulary words necessary to appreciate the film. TWM suggests that the vocabulary include at least the following: groundling, prose, quil, rank, wordwright, chamber pot, and anon.
2. Introductory Lecture, Worksheet and Assignments
The complete Snippet Lesson Plan provides a short introduction, a worksheet, and assignments.
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Snippet Lesson Plans are based on short subjects or film clips. They are ideal for classroom use because the video segments are less than 40 minutes in length.
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Shakespeare in Love is an excellent introduction to Romeo and Juliet. The film clip suggested and the curriculum materials suggested in this Snippet Lesson Plan will assist teachers in using the movie to introduce the play.
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