1. How does literature help us better understand ourselves?
Romeo and Juliet
By William Shakespeare
How does literature help us better understand ourselves?

2. What does Romeo and Juliet have to say to a teenager of today?
On a sheet of notebook paper, Write your name, today’s date, the period and “Thinking About Romeo and Juliet” 2. As we move through this activity, copy each of the following questions, and write your answer to each one. 3. When we look at other answers, add to your own responses.

3. Why Do We Read/Write Stories, Poems, Books, Plays…?
An Author’s Reasons
Communicate feelings
Pass on history
Provide entertainment
Share ideas
A Reader’s Reasons
Validate own feelings
Pass classes
For fun (entertainment)
Understand new ideas

4. Why do you think Shakespeare is still read today? (1)
It is required by teachers
His plays have been around for a long time
Action, plot is interesting
Strong characters

5. Why do you think Shakespeare is still read today? (2)
More ideas:
His plays talk about life and our ability to control our own destiny.
Other writers and elements in our culture refer to his stories; need understanding of them to understand our culture, stories…even newspaper articles/TV shows/movies.

6. Why do you think Shakespeare is still read today? (3)
And still MORE ideas:
They help us see our own relationships in strong dramatic terms and help us to better understand ourselves and those around us.
Shakespeare is a master at creating new words that we still use today.
Quoting Shakespeare

7. What experience do you have with Shakespeare?
Have read
Midsummer Night’s Dream
Romeo and Juliet
Hamlet
Poems (Sonnets)
Saw
Live play
Movie based on Shakespeare’s play
420 feature-length films have been made based on his plays and poems (according to the Guinness Book of Records).
Example movies based on Shakespeare’s plays:
She's the Man (Twelfth Night), The Lion King (Hamlet), Romeo+Juliet (with Leonardo DiCaprio), West Side Story (Romeo and Juliet)

8. What Do You Want to Know? Why do they talk funny?
How do you understand what they’re talking about?
Do R&J both die in the play, too?
Why is this play so famous? What is so good about it?