Introduction
Welcome to your introduction to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet!
In this Webquest, you will gather background knowledge on Elizabethan England, Shakespeare, and his play, Romeo and Juliet.
The tale of these two "star-crossed lovers" is one that is still relevant to us today. Before we read the play, it is important to develop a solid foundation on all things Shakespeare. Learn and enlighten yourself!
*Be sure that the information that you write is accurate. You will be quizzed on it!
Task
YOUR TASK: Complete the webquest.
- Answer all of the questions using the links provided for each section.
- Be sure to answer all parts of the question.
Process
PART I. William Shakespeare
Go to this site: http://www.biography.com/people/william-shakespeare-9480323
Watch the video and read the information below it to answer questions 1- 4
"For never was a story of more woe
Than this of Juliet and her Romeo."
- William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, 5.3
1. What do you think this quote means?
2. When and where was William Shakespeare born?
3. Where is it believed that Shakespeare was educated?
4. Who was Shakespeare married to and what were the names of his children
Click on page two of the same website.
Read the information and answer questions 5-7.
5. How many plays and how many sonnets did Shakespeare write?
6. What was the name of Shakespeare’s theater in London and when was it built?
7. What was the original name of Shakespeare’s theater group and what was the name changed to when King James I became a patron?
8. What were the four types of plays that Shakespeare wrote?
Give an example for each one!
Part II. Elizabethan England
Go to the website below to answer questions on Elizabethan England:
http://elizabethan.org/compendium/9.html
Read the information and answer questions 9-10
9. What does the word “betrothal” mean?
10. Name three marriage and betrothal customs.
On the same website, click “More Wedding Customs.”
Read the information under “more wedding customs and the contract, dowry” to answer questions 11-12.
11. What color should the bride’s dress be?
12. What is a dowry?
Go to the website below to answer questions on Actors, Action & the Audience:
http://www.uni-koeln.de/phil-fak/englisch/shakespeare/70.html
Read the top three lines and then skip down to the last paragraph to answer questions 13-15
13. How many actors were in each play?
14. How many women actors did they have in each play?
15. What would the audience do if they did not like the performance?