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Romeo and Juliet: suggestions for group discussions
Romeo and Juliet: suggestions for group discussions
Verna Brown
Formerly of UNISA
(Originally published in CRUX, February 1992)
The following are some multiple-choice questions that can be set for group discussions. Note that more than one answer may be appropriate – the aim of the exercise is to stimulate discussion.
A Romeo and Juliet’s love was doomed because:
1 fate was against them.
2 they were caught out by coincidence.
3 they were caught up in a violent society.
4 they wanted too much, too soon.
5 their love was too intense.
B Romeo should have:
1 been light-hearted like his friends and avoided trouble.
2 cut himself from his peers as they denigrated his love.
3 explained his position to them and asked for their support.
4 refused to fight on behalf of Mercutio.
5 sent Mercutio to woo Juliet by proxy.
C Juliet was viewed by her parents:
1 as a treasure to be protected.
2 as a potential source of grandchildren.
3 as no more than a child.
4 as a disobedient adolescent in need of discipline.
5 as a sexual pawn in the marriage market.
D The Capulets:
1 did their best for their child within society’s standards.
2 treated Juliet as a marketable property.
3 were to be congratulated on having produced a wonderful human being.
4 were more concerned about their status than their child.
5 were victims of a generation gap.
E Juliet’s nurse proved inadequate as a confidante because she:
1 had sex on the brain.
2 was too conventional.
3 thought that one man as good as another.
4 had always indulged Juliet.
5 enjoyed the vicarious excitement of the intrigue.
F The servants of the Montagues and Capulets:
1 were obliged to defend their employees’ honour
2 should have refused to take sides.
3 should have reported abuses to the authorities.
4 should have handed in their notice.
5 should have investigated the possibility of a ‘third force’.
G Verona’s society was violent because:
1 duelling was fashionable.
2 people were allowed to carry arms.
3 young men were indolent and hot blooded.
4 territories had not been properly demarcated.
5 the revenge instinct was strong.
H The Duke, to stop the violence, should have:
1 imposed the death sentence on offenders.
2 forbidden the carrying of arms and traditional weapons.
3 forced the Capulets and Montagues to attend a peace conference.
4 acknowledged his incompetence and given up his title.
5 invited a delegation from Rome to devise a solution for Verona.
I We are moved by the story because:
1 we identify with the young lovers.
2 they express themselves eloquently.
3 it need never have happened.
4 we mourn the tragic waste of two young lives.
5 society had not changed.
Goodnight Mr Tom: a project Some tips on pronunciation and the dictionary
Romeo and Juliet: suggestions for group discussions
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