Romeo & Juliet

Diary Task
Name:______________________
TASK
1) Imagine that, after the Balcony scene, Juliet rushes to her bedroom to write
all about it in her diary. She has SO much to say that she writes two full
pages! Assume Juliet’s voice (yes, this means you must write with some sort
of Elizabethan affect and need to show an understanding of the way Juliet
speaks so far in the play, including patterns of imagery, symbolism and
attitude) and a conversational tone and write Juliet’s diary entry. Make sure
to use direct quotations from the play in your entry to refer to specifics of the
meeting between Romeo and Juliet and possibly to refer to Juliet’s feelings
about this meeting. Be specific and detailed. Swoon if you must. Edit well.

OR… •

2) Imagine that, after the Balcony scene, Romeo rushes home and locks
himself in his bedroom to write a diary about his feelings. He has SO much to
say that the words take up two full pages! Assume Romeo’s voice (yes, this
means you must write with some sort of Elizabethan affect and need to
show an understanding of the way Romeo speaks so far in the play,
including patterns of imagery, symbolism and attitude) and pay attention to
diction, rhythm, mood, etc and write Romeo’s diary entry . Make sure to use
direct quotations from the play in your song to refer to specifics of the
meeting between Romeo and Juliet and possibly to refer to Romeo’s
feelings about this meeting. Be specific and detailed. Bonus points if you
write and record or perform music with which the song will be performed.
Edit well.
Juliet’s Diary
At the end of the day they first meet (to end of Act2 Sc2)

 After the party (where they first meet), Romeo and Juliet
talk in secret.
 He’s her 1st boyfriend + she knows their families will never let
them meet.
 If he wants, she will marry him ... but there will be problems.

 Imagine that you are Juliet. Write down your thoughts

 Explain your feelings about your situation, problems and
relationships.

Make sure you cover:

The party – who was there, what did you wear, what
did you do
Loving Romeo – what happened; how do you feel?
The feud - how will the Capulets v Montagues war
affect you?
Relationships - with: Capulet, Lady Capulet, Nurse,
Tybalt, Paris
Romeo’s Diary

At the end of the day they first meet (to end of Act2 Sc2)

Your first task isto write Romeo’s diary entry after his secret
meeting with Juliet on Sunday night.

This diary entry should describe everything that has happened to

Romeo on this day.

Make sure you cover:

 Your feelings about Rosalind and why
you were unhappy this morning. The
fight between your friends and the
Capulets.
 What your friend Benvolio advised
you to do.

The party – who was there, what did you wear, what did
you do
Loving Juliet– what happened; how do you feel?
The feud - how will the Capulets v Montagues war affect
you?
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Key Quotes:Romeo
Unrequited love:
1.1 Ah me, sad hours seem long.

1.1 O brawling love, O loving hate

1.1 Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs

1.1 I have lost myself… This is not Romeo

1.4 Under love’s heavy burden do I sink

Fate

1.4 Some consequence yet hanging in the stars, … some vile forfeit of untimely death

1.4 But He that hath the steerage of my course Direct my sail!

Romantic Love for Juliet

1.5 Did my heart love til now? I never saw true beauty till this night.

1.5 O she doth teach the torches to burn bright!

2.2 Juliet is the sun

2.2 The brightness of those cheeks would shame those stars

2.2 Bright angel

2.2 With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls

 Juliet
Relationship with her parents and the nurse

1.3 Madam, I am here.

If looking liking move, I will endart my Eye. My will to your consent is but a part.

Romantic Love for Romeo

1.5 You kiss by the book

2.2 All my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay, and follow thee my lord throughout the world.

2.2 My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep.

Practical attitude to love

1.3 I’ll look to like, if looking liking move

2.2 How cam’st thou hither?
2.2 Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
2.2 O swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon
2.2 It is too rash, too unadvised, too sudden, too like… lightning
2.2 This bud of love… May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.

Love/Hate/Death

1.5 If he be married, My grave is like to be my wedding bed.

1.5 My only love sprung from my only hate!
 LOVE
•At the beginning of the play, Romeo portrays love as painful and depressing.
•Benvolio and Mercutio have a much more cynical view of love.
•The Capulets’ view of love is based on money, status and power. They do not believe in
love matches.
•Romeo’s attitude to love changes when he meets Juliet; he is happy and sociable
again.
•Juliet is more cautious about love and more practical than Romeo.
•Both Romeo and Juliet speak possessively about each other. This demonstrates how little
they know about each other and also their immaturity.
•Romeo and Juliet convince themselves that their love for each other rules all; ultimately
they die for it.

Depressed / confused about love

1.2 ROMEO: Under love’s heavy burden do I sink

1.5 My only love sprung from my only hate!

Romantic love

2.2 ROMEO: With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls

2.2 JULIET: My bounty is as boundless as the sea, my love as deep

Practical love

2.2 JULIET: O swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon.

1.4 MERCUTIO: If love be rough with you, be rough with love

1.3 LADY CAPULET: So shall you share all that he doth possess

Possessive love

2.6 ROMEO: Love devouring death do what he dare, It is enough I may but call her
mine.

5.2 JULIET: I have bought the mansion of a love but not possessed it
 CONFLICT
•The idea of conflict is central to the play. It has as much to do with hate as it does love.
•The play begins with the fighting between the families. We never learn the origins of
the fighting which makes it seem pointless.
•Tybalt embodies the theme of conflict. He is aggressive and proud – his obsession with
honour results in conflict with Romeo and Benvolio.
•Benvolio is the opposite; he worries about conflict and tries to prevent it.
•Capulet demonstrates conflict within families. He upholds the patriarchal tradition in which
men are superior to women. He commands Tybalt to at the party to avoid conflict but he
threatens violence against his daughter when she disobeys him, demonstrating his
aggressive side.

Aggression and violence:

1.1 PROLOGUE: From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,

1.1 TYBALT: Peace? I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee.

1.5 TYABALT: Now by the stock and honour of my kin to strike him dead I hold it not a sin.

Keeping the peace:

1.1 BENVOLIO: Part fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do
1.1 BENVOLIO: I do but keep the peace. Put up thy sword or manage it to part these men
with me.

1.5 CAPULET: Be patient, take no note of him… Make a mutiny among my guests!
 FAMILY
• Wealthy parents often spent little time with their children. Juliet is closer to the
Nurse and Romeo is closer to Friar Lawrence than their own parents.
• At the beginning of the play, Capulet seems like a caring and protective
father.
• Later in the play we learn that he is aggressive when he doesn’t get his own
way – he is prepared to disown Juliet because she disobeys him.
• Juliet’s mother begins to defend Juliet but ultimately follows her husband. It is
too risky for her to disobey her husband, due to the patriarchal society at that time,
men had power and status over women.

1.3 NURSE: What, lamb! What ladybird!

1.3 NURSE: I can tell her age unto an hour.

1.3 JULIET: Madam, I am here.

1.3 LADY CAPULET: Nurse, give leave a while… Nurse come back again.

1.2 CAPULET: She’s the hopeful lady of my earth.

1.2 CAPULET: Within her scope of choice lies my consent

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Write your diary entries here

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 Recount Writing
Diary Entry Checklist and Evaluation
I have: My best bits are:
included an introduction to set the scene and
create atmosphere
Chatty’ style-first person

used adventurous vocabulary to describe the

places where the events take place
□ Adjectives
□ Adverbs
□ Detailed vocabulary
□ Simile

written in the past tense

used personal pronouns: I, we, my, me

talked about important events I could have…

talked about feelings, reaction and opinions from
the writers point of view

used time conjunctions

used paragraphs to organise the events

used inverted commas to quote direct speech

100 Word Edit

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