This text exercise uses a different approach to explore the language by inviting students to create Romeo statues and reflecting on the physical aspect of the language. 

By asking students to embody the language we see how there are different aspects of Romeo that he shows throughout the whole play. You will need the Romeo Text Scraps Resource. 

• Arrange the students in a circle. 

• Ask each individual student to pick their own Romeo text scraps (found in resource). Discuss any unusual or challenging words. 

• Go round the circle and read each text scrap aloud. 

• Get students to find a partner.   

• Ask each pair to create two still images of Romeo that reflects each of the text scraps they’ve each been given. 

• Practice these 2 images in pairs. 

• Once the still images have been formed ask the students to speak their text scrap. 

• Label each pair A and B.  

• A’s take up position as their Romeo statues around the room.   

• The others form an audience.  

• Each audience member individually visits each Romeo in turn, at which point the Romeo statues come to life and deliver their line. 

• Swap over.  

• What do we learn about Romeo from this exercise? 

* The advantage of giving out text scraps to hear out loud a fuller range of quotes spoken by Romeo. The advantage of allowing students to choose is that a) they have more ownership and b) there’s more chance of different interpretations of the same text scrap, opening up a discussion about interpretational choices.   

We have now explored two key characters and are going to move on to look at a scene, Act 3 Scene 5. Watch the Scene in Performance in Erica Whyman's 2018 production. Watch the cast of 2010 production explore at how Juliet becomes increasingly isolated - from her mother, her father, and finally her nurse.

Once again we will ask students to read the text out loud and start to reflect on the rhythm of the language. 

Through the scene, students will analyse Lord Capulet and the relationship with Juliet in more detail by isolating his speech and discussing they each feel about each other at this point in the play.    

How does this help us understand Juliet’s position within society?  The exercise finishes with a written exercise creating a collaborative soliloquy from the point of view of Juliet. You will need the Scene Resource. 

• Arrange the students into a circle and ask them to read round Act 3 Scene 5 (found in resource) by changing the speaker with each character. 

• Introduced the students to the iambic rhythm, by clapping out 10 beats (De Dum, De Dum, De Dum, De Dum, De Dum). Watch RSC Voice Practitioner Nia Lynn explore Iambic Pentameter, together with RSC Actors. 

• The students clap the rhythm, finding the ‘heartbeat’ driving through the words, discussing the iambic pentameter as the rhythm of everyday speech.  

• Ask students to make up modern English iambic lines as compliments and insults. For example, ‘For breakfast I had eggs and toast and tea.’ 

• Returning to the scene, find lines that fit the rhythm, where does the iambic rhythm fit into the 10 beats and where does it not fit?  Discuss why the rhythm might not fit into those 10 beats?  What might this tell us about this character at this time? 

• Ask students to read the long speech of Lord Capulet in a circle punctuation mark to punctuation mark 

• Invite one student to represent Juliet and ask them to kneel in the centre of the circle.   

• The students remaining are asked to make a frozen picture of how Lord Capulet feels towards his daughter at the moment. How does Juliet feel when she is confronted with all these Lord Capulets? 

• Students choose one line each from Capulet’s speech and in turn speak their lines to Juliet. Ask the students to do this for a second time but now they approach Juliet in turn and say their line, making a gesture towards Juliet on that line, freezing in a statue around Juliet. 

• Ask students to repeat it for a third time. This time, Juliet must make eye contact with each students as they approach. Encourage students come in as quickly as they can after the previous person, building group energy, as if they are one person. 

• How does the student representing Juliet feel?    

Reflection  

• How has this work deepened our understanding of character and motivation?  

• Can this work contribute to our understanding of this scene in performance? 

• What are the learning opportunities in approaching a character as a whole group?