Romeo & Juliet Lesson 5: The Prologue - PowerPoint

In an engaging lesson designed for understanding the prologue of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', students are tasked with a series of objectives aimed at deepening their knowledge and application of this crucial piece of text. The lesson begins with the 'Prologue Problem', where students are challenged to reorder the jumbled lines of the prologue, paying close attention to the rhyming pattern to assist them. Once the lines are correctly arranged, the class explores the 'Prologue Perfection', examining the thematic elements introduced. Students are encouraged to identify and highlight positive and negative words, as well as references to pairs or twos, which are frequently mentioned in the prologue, indicating the play's central motifs of duality and conflict.

Furthering their comprehension, students engage in 'Extension Tasks' that require them to reflect on the information revealed about the two feuding families and the fate of the star-crossed lovers. They delve into the use of contrasts and opposites within the prologue, pondering why Shakespeare might have employed such techniques and what they suggest about the impending drama. Additionally, students analyze the prologue's rhyming scheme and the poem's style, discussing its appropriateness for the play's introduction. Language techniques used in specific lines are also scrutinized, enhancing their literary analysis skills. As a creative culmination of the lesson, students are invited to use their insights to write a blurb for a new edition of 'Romeo and Juliet', aimed at attracting a teenage audience, thereby bridging the gap between Elizabethan and contemporary contexts.