Romeo and Juliet: The Theme of Love in Literature
and the Arts
The unit will use literature and music to connect with perennial themes
so dear to adolescents and to the rest of us: love, sacrifice, and the
creation of art based on that. The activities above have multifold purpose:
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to instill appreciation for the literary and artistic masterpieces, arousing
the imagination and creativity of the young reader.
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to encourage students' creation of literature and arts, such as short stories,
poems, theatrical fragments, and artwork.
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to integrate the presentation of literature and arts with the study of
cultures and societies, within the understanding that tolerance and multiculturalism
are the spirit of true art.
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to teach the New York State English Regents' tasks using literature and
the arts.
The students will be involved in every aspect of this project. Their feelings
and reactions will be central in this approach. We will present literary
works, rhetoric and style, and art appreciation units; we will use the
knowledge to respond to the specific tasks of the English state exam. The
students' production will count heavily in performance assessment and in
the continuous development of this teaching unit.
Overview of Activities
I. Discussion
about love
Readings: Students' stories published in the school magazine.
II.
What do poetry, music, and the visual arts say about love?
Readings: Plato (Symposium), Shakespeare (Sonnets), Dickinson, F. G.
Lorca and other Spanish language poets; classical and modern music; visual
art.
III.
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
Readings: the play, the movies (Zefirelli, Di Caprio, and Shakespeare
in Love)
IV.
Orpheus and Eurydice
V.
West Side Story
Readings: the script of the musical.
VI.
Regents Assignments