Romeo and Juliet

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

“I loved you first: but afterwards your love”

• a 14-line sonnet by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
• a love poem; a traditional, classic example of iambic pentameter

“A Short Story of Falling”

• a contemporary example of iambic pentameter by Alice Oswald
• compare and contrast with Shakespeare’s use of iambic pentameter (See Paired Text Extension for Activity 1)

Beneatha’s monologue

• from A Raisin the Sun, a 1959 play by Lorraine Hansberry
• connects to themes of identity and gender relationships
• compare and contrast with Juliet’s monologues (See Paired Text Extension for Activity 2)

“Six Reasons Shakespeare Remains Relevant 400 Years After His Death”

• A USC professor offers insights on Shakespeare’s timelessness and reach.

The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah

• YA novel in which Mina, a teen refugee girl from Afghanistan, and Michael, son of staunch members of an anti-immigrant group, try to withstand the outside forces trying to prevent their romance
• connects to the themes of feuds and rivalries, secrets, love’s complexities, young versus old