Act II – PROLOGUE: A Close Reading Experience
Enter CHORUS
CHORUS
1
Now old desire doth in his deathbed lie,
And young affection gapes to be his heir.
That fair for which love groaned for and would die
With tender Juliet matched, is now not fair.
5
Now Romeo is beloved and loves again,
Alike bewitchèd by the charm of looks,
But to his foe supposed he must complain,
And she steal love’s sweet bait from fearful hooks.
Being held a foe, he may not have access
10
To breathe such vows as lovers use to swear.
And she as much in love, her means much less
To meet her new beloved anywhere.
But passion lends them power, time means, to meet,
Tempering extremities with extreme sweet.
Exit
* bewitched = to cast a spell over; to enchant, charm
DEFINITIONS:
Passion = Any powerful or compelling emotion or feeling, as love or hate; strong desire; lust
Conflict = A struggle or class between opposite forces
Control = The power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events.
CLOSE READING DIRECTIONS:
1. For the first read, you are going to read this passage through the lens of passion. Highlight words, phrases,
and lines that connect in some way to the notion of passion in PINK AND be sure to jot down what is being said
about passion or what is being learned about passion from the words you highlighted. Then finish with writing
what message about passion is being sent in this passage. Be sure to include the two lines that best
support your answer and explain why?
The message sent about passion is that passion is the fuel to love.
“But passion lends them power, time means, to meet.”
“That fair for which love groaned for and would die.”
2. For the second read, you are going to read this passage through the lens of conflict. Highlight words,
phrases, and lines that connect in some way to the notion of conflict in TORQUOISE AND be sure to jot down what
is being said about conflict or what is being learned about conflict from the words you highlighted. Then finish with
writing what message about conflict is being sent in this passage. Be sure to include the two lines that best
support your answer and explain why?
The message sent about conflict is that conflict can lead to love.
“But to his foe supposed he must complain, and she steal love’s sweet bait from fearful hooks.”
“Tempering extremities with extreme sweet.”
3. For the third read, you are going to read this passage through the lens of control. Highlight words, phrases,
and lines that connect in some way to the notion of control in YELLOW AND be sure to jot down what is being said
about control or what is being learned about control from the words you highlighted. Then finish with writing what
message about control is being sent in this passage. Be sure to include the two lines that best support your
answer and explain why?
The message sent about control is that love can control a person’s behavior.
“He may not have access ,to breathe such vows as lovers use to swear.”
“And she as much in love, her means much less to meet her new beloved anywhere.”