Romeo & Juliet Lesson 20: The Marriage - PowerPoint

The twentieth lesson in a series on Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' focuses on the pivotal moment of the marriage between the two star-crossed lovers. This lesson aims to deepen students' knowledge and understanding of Friar Lawrence's character and to examine how Shakespeare uses the wedding to propel the story forward. Students are encouraged to refer back to their notes on Friar Lawrence and consider how their perception of him evolves during this act. The lesson invites students to analyse key phrases spoken by Friar Lawrence, such as "Violent delights have violent ends" and "The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness," and to discuss what these lines reveal about his views on love and life.

Additionally, the lesson includes a set of questions for students to answer, prompting them to think critically about Friar Lawrence's initial reaction to Romeo's marriage request and his reasons for agreeing to perform the ceremony. Students are also asked to identify phrases from Act 2, Scene 6, that foreshadow the tragic events to come and to consider the advice Friar Lawrence gives during the wedding service. The lesson concludes with a discussion on whether Romeo and Juliet are likely to heed Friar Lawrence's counsel and the reasons behind the students' opinions on this matter. This interactive session encourages students to engage with the text and consider the implications of the characters' decisions.