Romeo and Juliet

Ideally recommended for Year 6

A tale of love and hate

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In Shakespeare’s play of Romeo and Juliet, two young people and their love for each other are destroyed by external forces in their own community. Why?

Shakespeare’s characters offer us an unparalleled spectrum of behaviours and attitudes that emerge from the human condition. From the charity and compassion of the Friar, to the apparent savagery of Tybalt, a huge range of differing emotions and attitudes are displayed.

We aim to use all these characters to learn more, not just about the world around us, but about ourselves.

The workshop uses the play as an inspiration to examine such questions

as :

  • What draws people into national, gangland and even domestic conflict ?
  • What conflicts have young people inherited from the adult world?
  • What have we learned or been taught to love and hate?
  • How can we deal with anger in ourselves and others?
  • Is violence ever justified?
  • What can break negative cycles and heal wounds between conflicting parties?
  • What is your passion? What do you hold most dear and how far would you go to protect that?

The tragic events of this play can be used to bring these issues to light.