Romeo and Juliet - Capulet's Dance Scene - Act I Scene V- Discussion and Activities
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Activities for teaching and learning Romeo and Juliet
Act 1 Scene 5 A Hall in the Capulet’s house.
Section 1
Introduction Discussion: Do you believe in love at first sight?
Discussion and Role-play:
What makes people feel like they are falling in love at first sight?
Describe a scene where this happens: beach, party, on a bus etc
Act out the scene.
Read from the beginning till “For I never saw true beauty till this night”
Romeo goes to this ball and he sees Juliet across the dance floor. It is as
if he is hit by a flash of lightening. Juliet’s beauty stands out in the
crowd. Romeo uses beautiful language (vivid metaphors and similes) to
express how striking she is. Describe/Explain the three
metaphors/similes.
Creative Writing:
Now create some of your own metaphors or similes for a man/woman who
feels love at first sight. Use Shakespeare as a model and don’t be afraid
to be creative and daring.
Examples:
Oh, she doth teach the nightingale to sing
Oh she doth teach a diamond to twinkle
It seems she sparkles like a dewdrop,
catching the first rays of the morning sun
She is a high spirited horse in a herd of dull dingy donkeys
Write a short story/ an opening paragraph to a short story which ends:
“For I never saw true beauty till this night”
Section 2
Tybalt, a member of the Capulet family, discovers to his horror, that
Romeo - one of the hated Montegue clan, has “gate-crashed the party. He
is ready to use his sword to guard the family honor and cause a riot at
Romeo and Juliet - Capulet's Dance Scene - Act I Scene V- Discussion and Activities
the dance. Capulet, Tybalt’s uncle tells him not to disturb the peace at
any cost.
Read from Tybalt: “This, by his voice should be a Montague”
Pupils read this dialogue trying to show the mood and attitude of Tybalt
and Capulet.
Write and read and act:
In pairs, reduce the dialogue to one or two words for each line of text.
Try to keep the same mood. Read reduced dialogues.
Example:
Tybalt: Montegue!
Rapier
covered…face
scorn
honor
dead
Capulet: Kinsman!
Section 3
Romeo stands next to Juliet and he begins talking to her. He charms her
immediately.
Writing and role play:
List 5 good/bad opening lines to begin a conversation with a member of
the opposite sex that you are attracted to: Choose one or two of these
lines and carry out a role play of how the conversation proceeds
Example
Student 1: Excuse me, but don’t I know you from somewhere?
Student 2: That is the oldest line in the book! Can’t you think of
something more original?…
Read from Romeo: “If I profane with my unworthiest hand this holy
shrine shrine…” till Juliet: “You kiss by the book.”
Romeo claims to be a pilgrim. Juliet is the saint that he is worshipping.
List all the vocabulary included in this religious theme.
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Romeo and Juliet - Capulet's Dance Scene - Act I Scene V- Discussion and Activities
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Example: profane, shrine, sin
Find and discuss:
Does Juliet encourage Romeo to continue? What part of the dialogue
supports your view?
Romeo and Juliet kiss each other in this scene. However, it is a process.
Point out the stages in physical contact until Juliet says: “You kiss by the
book.” Quote the lines from the text.
Here is a modern version of the text in this section. Read this and the
original Shakespeare. (Taken from http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/love-in-the-arts/romeo.html)
The speeches in Shakespeare are far too artificial for modern taste, but if read
sympathetically they are revealing and even moving. However, the religious imagery used
by the pair should not deceive you into thinking that this is a pious or even solemn
exchange. This is a quick-witted bout of flirtation in which both sides are equally
smitten, as is made clear by what follows, but in which Juliet plays the proper young
girl's role of dissecting Romeo's "lines" as fast as he can think them up. The religious
language is more blasphemous than pious. The following modern rewording may convey
(feebly) the meaning of the exchange more clearly so that you can go back and enjoy
Shakespeare's beautiful language as he intended it.
Romeo (holding her hand as they dance): "You are like a shrine enclosing a holy relic, and
I would be unforgivably uncouth to touch it with my unworthy hand except that I am
ready to "kiss away" the damage I have done." (In other words: "I love holding your
hand; may I kiss it?")
Juliet (probably amused, but cautious, teases him): "There's nothing wrong with your
hand (I like it!), and handholding while we dance is quite legitimate; but you're being a
little too bold in wanting to kiss me. If you're really a pilgrim, you should greet me only
with your hand, as 'palmers' do."
Romeo: "Hey, even holy pilgrims are human: they've got lips. Please let me kiss you."
Juliet: "Pilgrims use their lips for praying, not kissing."
Romeo: "Fine, so I'm praying to you to let me kiss you. If my prayer isn't answered I
may lose my religious faith."
Juliet: "Well, if I were a statue of a saint you were praying to, I might just grant your
prayer although I'd remain motionless." (In other words, "I won't kiss you; but yes, you
can kiss me.")
Romeo: "Stand still while I kiss you." (He kisses her lips.) "Just as a pilgrim might kiss
the statue of a saint in hopes of receiving forgiveness for sins, so your acceptance of my
kiss undoes any sin I committed by holding your hand."
Juliet (thrilled and amused at the same time): "So you claim to have gotten rid of your
sin by kissing my lips. Now I've got the sin. What are you going to do about that?"
Romeo: "You want me to kiss you again? Great!" (Kisses her again.)
Juliet: "You don't really need all this artificial argumentation to justify kissing me, you
know. Let's get serious."
Romeo and Juliet - Capulet's Dance Scene - Act I Scene V- Discussion and Activities
Section 4
Read from: Nurse: “Madam, your mother craves a word with you.”
Both Romeo and Juliet discover that their love for each other is an
impossible love because Juliet is a Capulet and Romeo is a Montague.
Find the line(s) where Romeo expresses this and the lines where Juliet
expresses this.
From a different angle
Choose to illustrate any of these lines:
ROMEO O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright!
It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope's ear;
CAPULET You'll make a mutiny among my guests!
You will set cock-a-hoop!
JULIET …For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,
And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.
JULIET My only love sprung from my only hate!
Too early seen unknown and known too late!
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