What, ho! I think I forgot to include a
pretty important piece of information…
Shakespeare’s Missing Soliloquy
The late William Shakespeare forgot to include a very important
piece of information when he wrote Romeo and Juliet. What
scene is missing? Your job is to be Shakespeare. Decide what
important soliloquy is missing in the play-- place this at a moment
in the story you feel needs a little more explanation or would
enhance the storyline of the play. However, your job is not to
rewrite the play, so do not create an entirely new plotline…
Finally, prepare to share your masterpiece with the class!
Stanza 1
Your introduction sets the scene and identifies the character. Do this in two lines in the
form of a rhyming couplet (two lines that include end rhyme).
Stanza 2
20 lines of plot: This should dictate to the audience the important scene left out by Shakespeare.
Content:
A. Select a missing scene to develop.
B. Be sure your character’s personality shines in their soliloquy.
C. Use Shakespearean and poetic devices
 Language and vocabulary
 Punctuation/capitalization
 Meter/rhythm
 Character personality
 Storyline continuity – do not make up an entirely new concept
 At least four (total) of the following:

Pun: Words with dual meaning “grave man”

Allusion: Reference to another famous piece of literature or history

Simile or Metaphor: You know these

Foreshadowing: Something that will happen later in the text

Oxymoron: Two contradictory terms: “heavy feather”

Personification: Giving an inanimate object human qualities:
“Thy dagger is my only enemy.”
D. Rhythm: 10 syllables per line: “Thy dagger is my only enemy.”
E. Meaning is not forced but is dictated by meter and rhyme (which means that every sentence
should not be 10 syllables. Sentences should be complex, Shakespeare-like, and should carry
on for multiple lines.)
F. Goal: 22 lines. Yours may be longer if necessary.
AESTHETICS: Please type your soliloquy and use MLA formatting. Be sure to include the act, scene,
and lines between which your soliloquy will take place. For once, however, you may be creative in
your font, color, and potential artistic choices.