Romeo and Juliet This unit is designed for students at the Intermediate and Advanced Fluency Level.

A Tragic Pattern: How the Play is Built Tragedy: A narrative about serious and important actions that end unhappily. Usually ends with the death of main characters Sometimes innocent characters are affected Sometimes the main characters are responsible for their downfall

Shakespeare’s Tragic Plays Five-Part Pattern ACT III Crisis / Turning Point ACT II Rising Action ACT IV Falling Action a ACT I Exposition ACT V Climax & Resolution

Exposition (ACT I) Establishes the setting Introduces the main characters Explains background Introduces the characters’ main conflict

Romeo and Juliet (Exposition) Verona, Italy

Rising Action (ACT II) Consists of a series of complications Occurs when main characters take action to resolve their problems

Romeo and Juliet (Rising Action and Complications) Forbidden Love

Crisis or Turning Point (ACT III) Moment when a choice is made by one of the main characters that determines the direction of the action Upward = happy ending (comedy) Downward = sad ending (tragedy) Dramatic and tense moment when the forces of conflict come together

Romeo and Juliet (Crisis/Turning Point) Fight between Romeo and Tybalt

Falling Action (ACT IV) Presents events that result from the action taken in the turning point Events usually lock characters deeper into disaster With each event we see each character falling into tragedy

Romeo and Juliet (Falling Action) Juliet taking poison to avoid Paris at all costs

Climax & Resolution (ACT V) Highest point of emotional intensity of the story The greatest and final event that takes place (death) RESOLUTION: The loose parts of the plot are tied up and resolved Any questions are answered Signifies the end of the play

Romeo and Juliet (Climax) “ O happy dagger!”

Romeo and Juliet (Resolution ) “For never was there a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo.”