Romeo and Juliet

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. Brainstorm film and book titles in which an ongoing conflict exists as the story opens (such as war, oppression, or disaster). Which of those titles involve realistic, historical settings and conflicts?

Teaching Suggestion and Helpful Links: As students brainstorm popular titles of books and movies, point out those in which a real-life conflict occurs in a real historical or contemporary setting (Hidden Figures, The Book Thief, Casablanca, Out of the Dust, Number the Stars, etc.) Make the connection to Shakespeare, who also drew from “real history” for inspiration.

• A University of Calgary research group site explains the historical blood feud between families that creates ongoing conflict in the streets of Verona at the start of the play.
• A cultural site article describes the homes commonly attributed to the historical families of Romeo and Juliet and offers photos of Verona’s architecture.

2. Can you guess at three or four of the biggest differences between daily life in the late Middle Ages/early Renaissance and life today?

Teaching Suggestion and Helpful Links: Though Shakespeare did not specify the year in which it takes place, Romeo and Juliet is frequently presented with a late medieval or early Renaissance setting.