YEAR 10 ENGLISH
Practice Question
“Shakespeare had an amazing genius for capturing and revealing who we are. My
job is just to re-reveal it.”
(Baz Luhrmann)
Discuss how Luhrmann re-invents Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” for modern
audiences
Suggested Scaffold for Extended Response (Romeo  Juliet)
INTRODUCTION
Introductory Paragraph
Clearly state your thesis (your main line of argument) and make sure it addresses the Essay Question. BRIEFLY
introduce the key scenes you will use in the essay, perhaps highlighting their main focus / ideas. (A solid paragraph of about
5 – 6 lines).
MAIN BODY
Second Paragraph – FIRST KEY IDEA SHAKESPEARE’S TEXT (close scene analysis)
POINT –
A topic sentence that introduces your main point (or points) about SHAKESPEARE’S
scene.(About 1 – 2 sentences and no more).
EVIDENCE –
Provide textual evidence (quotations) from the text to support your main ideas.
Describe the language devices / techniques used by SHAKESPEARE to represent your ideas.
(Write about 7 – 8 lines; try to use at least 3 great examples).
ANALYSIS -
Discuss what it is that we, as the responder, learn from this scene. You might even suggest what
the scene contributes to the overall effect of the play. (About 3 – 4 lines).
LINK -
Introduce / discuss the MAIN difference between SHAKESPEARE’S scene and
LUHRMANN’S version (About 1 – 2 sentences)
Third Paragraph - FIRST KEY IDEA BAZ LUHRMANN’S SCENE
POINT –
POINT – A topic sentence that introduces your main point (or points) about LUHRMANN’S film
version of scene. (About 1 – 2 sentences and no more).
EVIDENCE –
Provide evidence from the film to describe the scene including film devices / techniques used by
LUHRMANN to represent ideas. You must include references to camera angles / camera shots /
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sound / music / lighting / setting / costuming etc where appropriate.(Write about 7 – 8 lines; try to use at
least 3 great examples).
ANALYSIS -
Discuss what it is that we, as the responder, learn from this scene. You might even suggest what
the scene contributes to the overall effect of the film. (About 3 – 4 lines).
LINK -
Summarise the differences between SHAKESPEARE’S text and LUHRMANN’S version of
the scene. (About 1 – 2 sentences).
Fourth Paragraph - SECOND KEY IDEA YOUR CHOSEN SCENE FROM
SHAKESPEARE
POINT –
A topic sentence that introduces your main point (or points) about your chosen scene from
SHAKESPEARE’S text.(About 1 – 2 sentences and no more).
EVIDENCE –
Provide textual evidence (quotations) from the text to support your main ideas.
Describe the language devices / techniques used by SHAKESPEARE to represent your ideas for
your chosen scene.(Write about 7 – 8 lines; try to use at least 3 great examples).
ANALYSIS -
Discuss what it is that we, as the responder, learn from this scene. You might even suggest what
the scene contributes to the overall effect of the play. (About 3 – 4 lines).
LINK -
Introduce / discuss the MAIN difference between your chosen scene from SHAKESPEARE’S
text and LUHRMANN’S version of your chosen scene. (About 1 – 2 sentences).
Fifth Paragraph - SECOND KEY SCENE LUHRMANN VERSION of your chosen scene
POINT –
A topic sentence that introduces your main point (or points) about the LUHRMANN version of your
chosen scene.(About 1 – 2 sentences and no more).
EVIDENCE –
Provide evidence from the film to describe the scene including film devices / techniques used by
LUHRMANN to represent ideas. You must include references to camera angles / camera shots /
sound / music / lighting / setting / costuming etc where appropriate.(Write about 7 – 8 lines; try to use at
least 3 great examples).
ANALYSIS -
Discuss what it is that we, as the responder, learn from this scene. You might even suggest what
the scene contributes to the overall effect of the film. (About 3 – 4 lines).
LINK -
Summarise the differences between SHAKESPEARE’S text and LUHRMANN’S version of
your chosen scene. (About 1 – 2 sentences).
 Concluding Paragraph
Summarise your essay, focusing on the main differences between the text and Baz Luhrmann’s film version of the
prescribed and chosen scenes from ‘Romeo and Juliet’. You might like to use a quotation from the play that might
encapsulate a central idea or impression you presented in your response. (Write about 3 – 4 lines).
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