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.