C4.1 – 4.4 Close reading practice

1. Choose one of the following passages:

Moody Juliet?                          Murderous Romeo?                           Controlling parents?            Defiant Juliet?

Act 3 Scene 2                          Act 3 Scene 3                                     Act 3 Scene 4                      Act 3 Scene 5

Lines 73 – 95                           Lines 91 – 106                                    Lines 13 – 33                       Lines   69 – 102

2. Reading

Read the passage once. Read the passage a second time and highlight 15 words that interest you. Read the passage a third time and note your thoughts beside it.

3. Dig deeper

Using the class handout complete the following:

a) words and phrases: 

Diction: what words has Shakespeare chosen to use in this passage? Group and categorize them, either according to meaning or word type.

Language: has figurative language been used? Similes, metaphors etc?

What about stylistic devices? Have oxymorons, antithesis, hyperbole, puns etc. been used?

Overarching question: how do these words and phrases shape the meaning and the tone of passage?

b) character and plot:

How do the characters develop over the course of the passage? Do they change or stay the same? Do they reveal a new side to themselves? How do the characters interact? What does this passage reveal about the character?

How do the events develop in the passage? Do you gain more information or detail about an event?

c) structure:

Does the passage follow a particular structure such a sonnet or does it use rhyming couplets? Is there balance in the number of lines spoken? Or does one character have a greater voice than another or several?

How do particular parts of your passage relate to other parts of the passage?

How does your passage relate to the text as a whole?

d) Audience:

Whose point of view are you getting?

Is there more than one?

Think about how this scene might be different if another character was added in to give their perspective?

Why did Shakespeare include this passage? What do you think he was hoping to achieve by including it? If it wasn’t included how might the text be different? Evaluate if the text would be weaker or stronger without the inclusion of the passage.

e) Ideas and Themes:

Which themes and ideas are addressed in this passage? You may need to research the themes of Romeo and Juliet first.

35 coins