Make-Up Work Opportunities

Directions: This make-up must be approved by the teacher before doing it.The response to one or several of these tasks will have to exhibit some effort in order to receive a passing grade and much effort to receive high grades. There will be a late penalty of ten points attached to this work, as this is work in lieu of missing assignments. Complete sentences and paragraphs are necessary. Do your best work.

1. As was pointed out, and was cinematically portrayed by Zeffirelli a bit amusingly, the loss of both Romeo and Juliet really hinged on one man and a mule. The message sent by Friar Lawrence to Romeo about Juliet’s deception of appearing dead to escape marriage to Paris was fatally delayed by Friar John, a messenger, and his mule. Simply, Balthasar, Romeo’s servant, sees Juliet being put in the Capulet crypt and tells Romeo she is dead. With no message from Friar Lawrence to explain the situation, Juliet appears to be dead to Romeo, and he kills himself at the perceived loss of his young wife.

Write Friar Lawrence’s letter to Romeo ( the one that didn’t get to Romeo on time). Describe the plan to help Romeo and Juliet as the Friar would have written it. 

2.A casting director is responsible for selecting the right person to portray each character in a play or movie interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. Choosing the right actor is a complicated process. It involves finding a person with the right age, personality, looks, speech patterns---even gestures and voice. 

    

    Imagine that you are selecting characters for Romeo and Juliet. Choose two modern-day actors to portray the lovers. Explain why the actors fit the characters in the play.

    You may prepare a poster or chart with pictures of the actors. Then on this chart, list the traits shared by the actors and the characters in the play.

3. Friar Lawrence could be considered responsible in some way for the deaths of these two teenagers, Romeo and Juliet. As a legal aide for the firm of Joe Borenstein Law Offices (located in Verona, Maine) you have been given the job of collecting evidence in a criminal trial and civil suit against Friar Lawrence. 

• Come up with a list of witnesses that would offer incriminating evidence against the Friar. Why would they serve your case?

• What testimony could they give that would serve in a case against him proving that he was responsible for the deaths of these two minors.

4. For the music lovers and afficianados among us. Many composers have been inspired by the story of Romeo and Juliet. For example, Tchaikovsky, Berlioz, and Gounod wrote music based on Shakespeare’s play. Leonard Bernstein, a 20th century American composer and famous conductor of the New York Philharmonic for 40 years, wrote the score of that 1961 classic West Side Story, that we saw part of in the auditorium. When that broadway show was made and subsequently made into a film that was considered  an updated version of the play.

  

    Find at least two musical pieces based on Romeo and Juliet. In writing, explain how the music matches the events and mood of the play. Explain the feelings and emotions the music creates for the listener. If possible, arrange to play some of the music for your classmates.

5. Design costumes for the actors. Do research for information on the kind of clothing worn by men and women during the 1300s in Italy. From authentic sketches and descriptions, draw models of dress during that period. You can make illustrations or even paper doll replicas of people in different costumes. Explain these costumes thoroughly in writing. 

6. Imagine you are a reporter for the daily newspaper Verona Daily News. It is the morning after Romeo and Juliet’s double suicide. Your task is to cover their tragic deaths in a three-paragraph news story. 

    The following is a model for organizing your report:

     First paragraph: Begin your article with a brief firsthand report of the actual events. What happened? Where? When? To Whom? How? Mention only the most important facts.

     Second paragraph: Give more details about the event. Who discovered the bodies? What did that person observe? Who told the authorities? What steps have the authorities taken to investigate the deaths?

      Third paragraph: What information has been gathered about the two who died? What led up to the deaths? Who are the survivors?

       Be sure to provide a striking headline for your news story.

7.Write a three-paragraph essay based on one of the topics below. Come up with an opinion and a set of ideas to present. Select the topics you you feel strongly about.

Follow this design or form for your essay.

First paragraph: State your feeling or opinion. (This is your central idea or your thesis). Be sure to give the name of the play and its author in this paragraph. Make your introduction lively so that your reader will want to continue. This will be a short paragraph, probably about three or four sentences.

Second paragraph: Give some proof or examples that support your opinion. This paragraph should be about five or six sentences long.

Third paragraph: Now summarize your argument and restate your thesis in a strong and new way. This paragraph should be four sentences long.

Topics:

a. The Prince is concerned with the five tragic deaths of young people in Verona. It is his job top decide the fates of the people involved. He says some will be pardoned while others will be punished. Taking on the role of the Prince, decide who gets pardoned and why and who gets punished and why for the deaths. Explain how you will sentence each person. Should the offender be punished or pardoned?  

b. Choose one of these themes that have been associated with Romeo and Juliet and explain what you learned about the topic from the play. Use evidence from the play to explain your ideas.

• the power of love
• the importance of acting with caution and reason
• the effects of fate or chance
• the effects of prejudice and bigotry