Romeo and Juliet

Introduction

Romeo and Juliet is Shakespeare's most famous play and the most famous play in English. First produced on the London stage in 1595, the play has been a box office hit for over 400 years.

Guiding Question

The guiding question for your Romeo and Juliet project is simply: what can the play and its history teach us about the world of 17th-century England?

Questions

1. What facts do we know about Shakespeare's life?
2. Where did Shakespeare find the story of Romeo and Juliet, and how do his sources differ from the story that Shakespeare gives us?
3. Who was Queen Elizabeth I?
4. Including Mary, Queen of Scots, who were some other famous individuals during the Elizabethan Age?
5. What was the Spanish Armada?
6. What did Elizabethan foods and menus consist of?
7. What were some of the Elizabethan manners and customs?
8. What was the Globe Theater?
9. What were some of the other Elizabethan theatres?
10. What was the First Folio and what editions of Romeo and Juliet preceded it?
11. What was the stage history of Romeo and Juliet during the 16th century? 17th century? 18th century? 19th century? 20th century?

Internet Resources

Shakespeare Biography by All Shakespeare
A Boke of Gode Cookery
Index of The New Globe
Medieval Recipe Translations
Life in Elizabethan England: A Compendium of Common Knowledge
The Spanish Armada
Romeo and Juliet
Index of The Original Globe
Medieval/Renaissance Food Homepage
Romeo and Juliet Unit
Shakespeare Resource Center - An Encapsulated Biography

Peter Ritson, Teacher, and Andrew Quach, AP student, collaborated to develop this web hunt.

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