Y10: Here is a copy of the original worksheets for the investigation into Act1 Scene 1: thought you might find them useful


Group A
-collaborative investigation: Act I Scene I of Romeo & Juliet

Key words: Patriarchy, bravado, sexism, objectification of women

Group chair: The management of this task is down to you: you could give questions to individuals or pairs in your group to work on simultaneously; you could get the whole group to contribute ideas and work through the questions one at a time, with one person taking notes; you could do a bit of both.

However, you must ensure all the questions are completed and you must ensure that all the comments are based on a quotation or quotations.


1. Bravado: How do the opening remarks of Sampson and Gregory establish that the young men of Verona are full of aggressive male bravado?

2. Sexism: How do the opening remarks of Sampson and Gregory establish that the young men of Verona have violently sexist attitudes?

3. Patriarchy: Look at the attitude to the riot shown by Lord Montague, Lady Montague, Lord Capulet and Lady Capulet. Comment on how the attitudes of the male and female characters differ.

4. Objectification of women: Look at Romeo’s comments about his ‘love’ for Rosaline. What is Romeo’s attitude to women, love and sex at this point in the play?



Group B
-collaborative investigation: Act I Scene I of Romeo & Juliet

Key words: Wordplay; pun; oxymoron

Group chair: The management of this task is down to you: you could give questions to individuals or pairs in your group to work on simultaneously; you could get the whole group to contribute ideas and work through the questions one at a time, with one person taking notes; you could do a bit of both.

However, you must ensure all the questions are completed and you must ensure that all the comments are based on a quotation or quotations.



1. Wordplay: How does the opening conversation of Sampson and Gregory show the competitive and aggressive nature of Verona’s young men?


2. Puns: Look at the puns or double-meanings in the opening dialogue between Sampson and Gregory. What do they tell you about the attitudes of Verona’s young men?


3. Oxymorons: Look at Romeo’s use of oxymorons when talking of his ‘love’ for Rosaline. What does Romeo’s use of oxymorons tell us about his opinions and state of mind?





Group C
-collaborative investigation: Act I Scene I of Romeo & Juliet

Key words: Foreshadowing; contrast; structure

Group chair: The management of this task is down to you: you could give questions to individuals or pairs in your group to work on simultaneously; you could get the whole group to contribute ideas and work through the questions one at a time, with one person taking notes; you could do a bit of both.

However, you must ensure all the questions are completed and you must ensure that all the comments are based on a quotation or quotations.



1. Structure: Why does Shakespeare choose to tell his audience in the Prologue that Romeo and Juliet do not survive? What does the Prologue add to the play?


2. Foreshadowing: How are later events in the play foreshadowed (hinted at) by events and attitudes in the opening scene?


3. Contrast: Look at how Romeo is described by his father in the scene, and how he describes his ‘love’ for Juliet. How does this contrast with the language surrounding Romeo’s love for Juliet (look especially at I.5.43 onwards, 2.2.2 onwards)