Romeo and Juliet: Act V

Lesson Plan - Get It!

Audio:

At the end of Act IV, the Capulets discover Juliet supposedly dead in her bedroom on the morning intended for her wedding to Paris.

However, what do you think would have happened if Juliet told her mother she was in love with someone else? What would have happened if Romeo had told Lord Capulet that he was in love with Juliet? What if Romeo and Juliet simply ran away together?

In Act V, you will read the outcome of the plan and the fates of Romeo and Juliet, but what do you think will happen?

Before reading Act V, it is necessary to define some vocabulary from the scene, because Shakespeare was known to use a wide vocabulary in his plays. Using the following list, look up each word in a dictionary and write down the definition. You can use Dictionary.com or another dictionary of your choice:

Act V vocabulary

1. After writing down the definitions, choose eight of the words.
2. Using these eight words, write a brief speech that either Lord or Lady Capulet might have given when finding Juliet "dead" in her bedroom.
3. You can write it in a Shakespearean style (poetry) or in a modern style (prose).
4. Give a dramatic reading of the speech to your parent or teacher to check that the vocabulary words were used correctly in context.

Now that you have had your speech checked for correct usage, it is time to begin reading Act V. I recommend you use the following version of Romeo and Juliet, because it is a revised version that normalizes the spelling of words and includes line numbers. You can also use another version of the text as long as it is the complete, full text. The recommended text is:

• The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet from the Folger Shakespeare Library

Remember to read the act aloud so that you can hear the dialogue and emotion.

Once you have finished reading the act, move on to the Got It? section to assess your comprehension of the act.