romeo and juliet creative writing examples

1001 Writing Prompts About Romeo and Juliet

March 18, 2021

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Romeo and Juliet are arguably the most popular and influential star-crossed lovers in literature. They are so well-known that even though it had been centuries since Shakespeare wrote the tragic play, people from around the world still make adaptations of it—from books and short stories to film and even web series. In fact, there was even a fantasy anime called Romeo x Juliet made in 2007, loosely based on the Shakesperian play. What’s more, there was also a British-American animated movie released in 2011 called Gnomeo and Juliet that portrayed the iconic couple as garden gnomes.

The characters’ popularity is no surprise though because a lot of people enjoy stories that highlight eternal love even though they end in tragedy.

If you are interested in making your own version of Romeo and Juliet, you might find these writing prompts helpful:

What would things have been like if the 2 families were on friendly terms?
Give Juliet a boyfriend
How would Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet be different if they both lived?
What if Juliet did not store the poison in her mouth?
Who is your favorite character in romeo and juliet?
Romeo hates Juliet’s family
Write a novelization of what happened after the ending of the play
Why did Romeo and Juliet fall in love with each other anyway?
Write an alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet
What if instead of Romeo and Juliet, Mercutio ended up married to Tybalt?
What if their families got along?
Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?
1. Write Juliet’s letter to Romeo.
Which character represents you? Write a scene that you would live out in the play from that character’s point of view.
Write from Romeo’s perspective.
What if others weren’t chasing Romeo and Juliet?
Write a sequel about the next generation
What is Juliet’s point of view?
What if Tybalt was killed by a different person?
Write about whether or not Juliet should’ve listened to nurse
What would Jesus say about Romeo and Juliet?
What if Romeo and Juliet ran off to Las Vegas instead?
What if Juliet was a guy?
Write a letter as Juliet to her cousin Benvolio
What if Romeo was paralyzed?
Write about Verona without gangs
What if instead of Romeo and Juliet, the star-crossed lovers were Brad and Angelina Jolie-Pitt?
Write a love story between a vampire and a human
What if Juliet died?
Write about what happened to Mercutio and Benvolio after the play
What happens if Romeo and Juliet lived happily after?
Write a Romeo and Juliet story from the point of view of a minor character
How do you solve this eternal slang match that is to be or not to be questioned? Write a scene where they both change their minds.
Write from the point of view of a minor character
Write an ending where Romeo and Juliet live and they end up sitting in their home through the window watching their neighbors.
Write a interpretation of the balcony scene
A Kiss of a Book lover’s Dream
It is in Verona, Italy that we find the protagonists of Shakespeare’s timeless tale, Romeo and.
What if Tybalt survived and became a monster like he was before Romeo killed him?
Use at least one of these prompts to start your essay.
Write a happy ending for Romeo and Juliet where they live happily together
Write a poem about the balcony scene of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
What if Juliet had not been forced to drink the potion and had accepted her fate?
Write an alternate ending to Romeo and Juliet.
What if gangs fought over turf?
Write a future Romeo and Juliet
Write a funny version of Romeo and Juliet
Write a love story for Juliet.
Write a modern twist on Romeo and Juliet.
Write a secret crush poem.
What if Romeo and Juliet were in The Hunger Games?
What if Romeo and Juliet were from a rival school
Romeo dresses as Juliet for Halloween
Write a scene in which Romeo breaks up with Juliet
Reread Romeo and Juliet and black out all the lies. Add more lies.
What if Romeo married Mercutio?
What if Romeo didn’t die at the end?
Write a moment in Romeo and Juliet in the style of an epic poem
Where is Romeo Juliet and Paris buried?
What does Romeo need to go on after the death of Juliet?
I’ll practice, plan, and see you soon with some not-so-short short scenes in Italian about Romeo and Juliet!
Any other ideas? Please comment below. Thank you.
Write about a person who makes a Romeo and Juliet seem tame
What if it was Romeo and Courgette?
Write about trouble in paradise
What if Romeo and Juliet had children?
Different Families
What if Romeo and Juliet Were Vampires?
Write a Utopian view of romeo and juliet?
Have Romeo and Juliet meet in a bar in the present day.
Write a happy ending for Romeo and Juliet
Do we ever see Romeo, alone, in the book?
Write a sequel to Romeo and Juliet
Anyone can edit this list to come up with guidelines for act four two, so that all know what to expect to pay a service to two, see should there be more than one attempt or should all be tried on writing the first poem.
What if Tybalt didn’t care about his family’s feud?
What if maybe Mercutio died in Romeo’s place?
Write about the roles of family and friends in modern day Romeo & Juliet
Write a sequel or prequel.
Alfie slowly turned from the crestfallen Georges Pagot, and went for a walk above Rochegaderre to look out at the beautiful ocean. He sighed and punched a giant squid.
Write a parody about the balcony scene or about how one of the two families convinces their child to marry someone different.
Write a rap/hip-hop song about Romeo and Juliet.
Dare your child write a paragraph about Romeo and Juliet as if the characters were real people and came to see a therapist because they just couldn’t work it out.
Write another ending to Romeo and Juliet
Write a short story that loosely matches the plot of Romeo and Juliet
What if the Friar betrayed them?
What if Romeo was Juliet?
What if Petruchio and Kate were the star-crossed lovers?
Do a new spin of Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo and Juliet went on a murder hunt?
What if Romeo snuck in through a window?
Write about a day in the life of Romeo and Juliet before or after the play of Romeo and Juliet occurred.
Write a story about a sister or brother rivaling each other in love
Write a Romeo and Juliet expanded universe where they live on. You can do whatever you want with this.
Why didn’t they happily ever after happen the first time?
Write an essay about how annoying you find Romeo and Juliet
Write a modern love story that parallels Romeo and Juliet
Write a scene that would have happened if Romeo and Juliet’s parents would have just listened to them in the first place.
Write an alternate ending to R&J – what if Romeo was ok with the duel? Write one.
Would Romeo fall in love with someone else? Write a short story about it. Write about Romeo and Juliet taking a road trip across America. Write a modern day Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo and Juliet decided to move to Nogales instead?
What if Romeo and Juliet had owned a Blackberry and a hot English accent?
How would Romeo have reacted if somebody told him about his relationship with Juliet?
Romeo and Juliet fighting comically
What if Romeo and Juliet were siblings?
If Romeo and Juliet were siblings or first cousins?
What if parents weren’t featured in the play?
Write a biography as if it was Old French with iambic pentameter, speeches and all
Who missed being an actor just before starring as Romeo and Juliet?
Write a descriptive love scene as part of the love affair of Romeo and Juliet
You have a choice to write a tragedy about family feuding and forbidden love, or the best Bromance ever. What do you choose and why?
Write a Romeo and Juliet from a different point of view.
What if instead of killing themselves, they ran away together?
Write a sequel to the play
Write a sequel to april twice if you are a woman script
How did Romeo and Juliet get connected?
Write a romeo and juliet myth
How does this story relate to your life?
What if Romeo was dumb?
Write about your interpretation of the play.
Other amazing sites
Write a different ending to “Romeo and Juliet.”
Write a story about the nurse, Felice
Write about the funeral.
How much money could both families make if they held a six month wedding that included two funerals and a wedding?
Write a new ending for Romeo and Juliet
What if Juliet’s nurse didn’t take a drink at the Capulet’s party?
If Romeo had crashed into Juliet rather than the tree?
Why do we call them “star-crossed lovers”?
What if Juliet was stronger than Romeo?
Write about Romeo and Juliet from somebody else’s perspective.
What if Romeo didn’t think about avenging Mercutio’s cruel death?
Copy the Romeo and Juliet characters into a modern setting
What if Romeo didn’t really love Juliet?
Explain why you want to teach Romeo and Juliet
Write a raunchy screenplay version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’
How would a girl react when her father forces her to become a “guest” at the Capulet’s estate?
Write a comedy/revision of Shakespeare’s “Romeo & Juliet” by Paking
Write a short story about what happened after the play ends!
Write a modern day romeo and juliet with an unfaithful lover
Write a story from Romeo’s point of view
Write a follow-up scene that wasn’t included in the play or movie.
What if Romeo found out that Juliet was actually a dude?
What if they used a double?
What if Romeo and Juliet were teenagers now?
Write an argument between Benvolio and Tybalt
Write about different couples’ relationships
Write a romantic scene with the detective in the play.
Write a scene about the star crossed lovers overcoming a conflict.
What if Romeo and Juliet got revenge on the Capulets and Montagues?
What if Romeo and Juliet were played by the same person?
One boy, One girl Apart.
Write a modern day Mercutio story
Imagine you’re Romeo and write a break-up letter in iambic, pentameter, to Juliet.
Write a spin-off about one of the side-characters in Romeo and Juliet
Write a bonus scene of romeo and juliet!
Rewrite the play from the fathers point of view.
8. Using this line of thinking, prescribe to me the greatest contemporary novel written in Marathi
Write a love story with the same characters as Romeo and Juliet but set it in Vegas
What if Juliet stopped eating lettuce?
Write one of the street scuffles that happen between the rival families.
And many, many more. If you want your description and reviews displayed here, you can opt to get the free listing for your website on the Christian-romance-books-blog .
Add modern technology to the leads.
How would Shelbie and Paris react if Romeo and Juliet didn’t do so?
How have young people in the last couple decades rebelled against their parents in the same similar ways that Romeo and Juliet rebelled against theirs 500 years ago?
While traveling through the woods their car breaks down. They start walking and come to a long winding driveway. This leads to a large house and a party going on. It is to raise scholarship funds for local students.
Write about Romeo and Juliet as old people
Where does Romeo and Juliet take place?
What if Romeo was actually a werewolf?
What if Jaques and Mercutio survived?
What if Romeo had to win Juliet’s parents’ blessing?
Which character is most like you?
What if Romeo had a twin brother named Aaron and Luise had a twin sister named Olivia?
Write about the modern orgy scene
What if Romeo and Juliet’s first kiss wasn’t what they expected?
What if Romeo and Juliet were brothers and sisters?
Juliet, why did you drink the poison?
What if Romeo and Juliet got married and lived happily ever after with a baby?
Write about how these two met
What if Juliet woke up?
What if Romeo wasnít Italian, he was African American?
Take one of the minor characters and create a story about them
The Shakespeare’s Juliet BBC Television Movie
Write a scene between Juliet and one of the parents
Change the type of person Romeo and Juliet were
Is there a new Romeo and Juliet in your high school?
Write a love poem to another person in Juliet’s place.
What if Romeo went to a different high school?
Write a dialogue between Juliet and Romeo’s parents with each parent believing that the other is responsible for their children’s deaths.
What if Romeo went looking for Juliet?
Write about the first day that Romeo and Juliet met
What would the world look like if they didn’t die?
Describe a time when you felt so angry you weren’t sure what to do
What if one of them went off to war – and then died?
Write a Shakespearean version of Fight Club.
Write a poem about their lives after the play.
Looking more like a king than a prince!
What if Paris killed Romeo?
A Romeo and Juliet dream sequence
What if one of the rival families kidnapped Juliet and asked for a ransom, but then Romeo saved her?
Did Romeo get to go to the prom?
Write an alternative ending to Romeo and Juliet
What is one thing you would change about romeo and juliet?
What if Romeo had met Juliet at the ball instead of her?
The following is a list of writing prompts based on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Write about a Romeo and Juliet you know
What if Shakespeare was your grandpa?
Write another ending to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
“Verona Beach”
What if they lived happily ever after?
What would you have done if you were in Romeo & Juliet’s place?
Write a scene where Romeo and Juliet challenge Paris to a game of football
Visit the Romeo and Juliet category page for even more writing prompt ideas.
Write about Laura and Dante
What do you think really happened between Romeo and Juliet after their deaths?
What if Romeo and Juliet watched reality TV before they fell in love?
Write a sequel to Romeo and Juliet.
What if Romeo and Juliet were sworn enemies?
Write a new ending to Romeo and Juliet
Being that this is a SHAKESPEARE REVIEW we have to get to my thoughts on the movie adaption!
Write a Romeo and Juliet plot-twister
Take the bad guy from Romeo and Juliet and rewrite it without the supernatural elements and see how differently the story will play out.
What if Romeo and Juliet were 15-17?
Write “The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet” from Mercutio’s point of view.
What if Juliet doesn’t get to take her potion?
What are some interesting things you notice about Romeo and Juliet?
Write a scene in which Romeo deserts Juliet
Write the conversation Juliet had with her mother that leads to Juliet faking her death and climbing out the window.
What if Juliet didn’t drink the poison?
Romeo attends cheerleader tryouts and thinks he’s going to get cut.
The Most Interesting Love Story of All Time
What if the Capulets and Montagues were like the Hatfields and McCoys?
WORD STRENGTHS
Write a love story between Romeo and Juliet’s parents.
What if Juliet’s dad grew marijuana and MacBeth grew cannabis?
How could Romeo and Juliet serve in the military?
Write a piece inspired by Inside/Out
The fall out of their relationship
How would Romeo and Juliet be different if they were alive today?
Write an alternate ending.
What if Tybalt and Juliet were secretly lovers?
What if Romeo had decided that Juliet was a little far for him?
If Romeo and Juliet had smartphones?
What if Juliet killed herself?
How would the plot differ from Shakespeare’s story?
How would you change the ending to the play?
Write a story about why Romeo and Juliet died.
What if they did?
What if Romeo and Juliet were computers?
Write the story from another person’s point of view
What if Romeo and Juliet were a couple of bitter old people?
Write a love sonnet to your favorite book
What would happen if Romeo himself killed Tybalt?
Juliet’s dad thinks it is inappropriate for Romeo to call Juliet by her first name. Who does he think he is though, his daughter is at the crux of the entire familial conflict, she’s the one who’s been impregnated by a lothario who can barely keep his name straight. It’s to laugh.
What if Juliet was disappointed by Romeo?
If Romeo and Juliet are alive today, how would they plan to meet?
Write about a moment in Romeo and Juliet.
What if Romeo and Juliet met differently?
Write about an alternate ending
Write a poem about Romeo and Juliet
What advice can Juliet give to Romeo?
Write about the characters when they are older.
Romeo and Juliet’s deathbed monologues
What if Romeo never met Juliet?
What if Romeo met Juliet after she died?
How might things have changed if Romeo was 16 and Juliet was 14?
What if Romeo and Juliet were still alive today?
You have been forced to choose love as your theme for a play.
Write about Shakespeare failing math.
Write a verse novel…
What if Juliet was already married to Paris?
A woman sees her family fighting and can only take so much and escapes to Rome where she falls in love with a man whose family happens to be fighting with her family as well. The title of the movie is ” Capulet and Montague “
Write about a character of any age from about 13 till about 16 or 17?
Write a tragedy using modern technology/setting.
Compare and contrast Romeo and Juliet to William Shakespeare to today’s teens
Write a sequel to the “Romeo and Juliet”-type relationship you selected the prompt for.
Write about “what happened next?”
Write a story about Romeo and Juliet in middle school
Did Romeo and Juliet have any children?
Write the Dr. Seuss version of Romeo and Juliet
What if Juliet woke up from “O Romeo, Romeo!”
What if Tybalt didn’t die? Write a story imagining things from his point of view, trying to get revenge against the Capulet family.
Write about Romeo as a homeless person
How would things be different today if Romeo and Juliet hadn’t died?
Break into conversation about the story of Romeo and Juliet.
Make a short film about Romeo and Juliet
What if Nero found out about the affair?
How would Romeo react to Juliet Act 3, Scene 5?
How would the story have turned out if Romeo and Juliet were alive today?
rewrite the ending of romeo and juliet
Write a story of why Juliet committed suicide
Have you ever stolen anything, if so do you feel bad about it?
Describe the theme of Romeo and Juliet in a present-day setting.
Write about a character that has never loved anyone or anything
How would the movie play out if it was in Modern times?
Write a parallel play to Romeo & Juliet, so they both play it and they watch each other’s play
What if Friar knows nothing?
Write a tragedy where Romeo and Juliet survive
Write a love story between two pets
Write a story about a vampire child hungering for a sip of human blood
You could write from a different character’s perspective
What if Romeo returned to sing a romantic duet with Juliet? In Act 5 of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare, Romeo hastens to the Capulet’s tomb to visit Juliet there. Exhausted from days of travel, loneliness, and anguish … he tenderly opens the door to their resting place and walks inside. It is dark with only a little moonlight providing the only light … just enough so that Romeo can make out the two graves. Here he talks to his sweet Juliet and he hears her answers back in a sort of echoey way. He tries to embrace her, embracing only air. Then … Romeo wipes his tears and kisses Juliet’s lips … drawing blood again for himself, tasting and drinking his own love’s blood. Here the romance is not only deep but individual … Romeo talks with Juliet … he hears and sees her and feels her presence… Juliet is a real breath-of-life character here. She lives in the tomb with Romeo … reality disappears and
What if Romeo had been fat? What if Juliet had been skinny? Would they still have gotten together in the play?
After the balcony scene, what if Romeo and Juliet remain beneath the balcony?
Write a monologue for Romeo to Juliet
What if Juliet and Romeo were brother and sister?
What if the tomb scene took place in a seedy motel today?
What if it was all an act?
Write a serious, epic and more traditional story in the style of the play.
How would the lives of either Romeo or Juliet differ if they hadn’t died in each of these hypothetical scenarios?
How would Romeo and Juliet have grown up?
Write seven reasons why that is a stupid idea
Write an alternate ending for Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo had a twin?
What if Romeo was a jerk?
Write about the differences between Romeo and Juliet and Emma and Mr. Knightly or Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.
Why do you think we still study the story of Romeo and Juliet?
Write a summary of how Romeo and Juliet could have ended
What did Juliet have in mind in the scene where she’s making a potion and Romeo comes in?
Write your own ending of romeo and juliet
Write a scene involving someone other than romeo and juliet that happened during Act 2
What if Romeo met Juliet when they were an old married couple?
How would you rewrite Romeo and Juliet if they were jocks?
What if Romeo and Juliet never met?
What if Juliet didn’t take the potion?
Write from Romeo’s perspective
What if Romeo and Juliet ended up together, but Daggett was kidding?
Write about the story from one character’s point of view.
Write about your favorite moments from Romeo and Juliet.
What if Shakespeare didn’t write his play?
Romeo and Juliet are modern day high school students.
Write the missing book scene.
Write a companion piece to Romeo and Juliet
Write about Juliet and her parents
Write about Romeo and Juliet’s kids meeting.
Write a song about it
List things that are double-edged swords
Make it a wedding and describe how hot it was in there
How would the world be different today if Romeo and Juliet had a happy ending?
Is Romeo gay?
What if Romeo was bisexual?
What if Romeo and Juliet were superheroes?
What if Romeo was gay?
Have both Romeo and Juliet die at the end of your short story.
Explain why Romeo and Juliet should still be together.
Write a script for a play based on Romeo and Juliet.
What if Romeo was betrayed by someone?
How would your family react to you marrying someone already in a relationship?
Write a fantasy story with Romeo and Juliet characters and creatures.
Write a tale in which Juliet is “forever thirteen” and deals with the grown-up troubles first hand.
What did they do after they got married?
Write about a family feud
Make up a character for Romeo to fall in love with.
In this form, you are writing a letter to a dead person, only it will be a person that has still been alive at one time. The page linked above has the table you will fill out. Next is a blank form for you to write on. And finally a worksheet for you to fill out, too. At the end, there is an analysis of Anne Frank’s diary.
What if Shakespeare didn’t write Romeo and Juliet?
Write the story of Romeo and Juliet’s children
Write a 100 word controversy
What if Romeo and Juliet had a happy ending?
What if Romeo and Juliet are reincarnated?
How do you get around those pesky deaths in the prologue?
Bree Bolton of the “Notting Hill Review” called it a “fun and creepy modern day retelling”.
What if Juliet was only pretending to die?
Write a story that starts off a day in Romeo and Juliet’s life.
What if there was a mix up on the days it was supposed to take place? Write about the results.
How would Juliet tell her parents about Romeo?
Write a journal entry as someone related to someone in the story romeo and juliet
Write a romeo and Juliet scene from a different character’s point of view.
What if Juliet drank the potion and became immortal?
What if Romeo and Juliet became superheroes?
Write a sequel to Montague and Capulet
What if Mercutio and Benvolio were Romeo and Juliet’s friends?
Write a goodbye letter to the characters of Romeo and Juliet
Write a better ending to Romeo and Juliet
Write a modern day Juliet and rewrite the balcony scene.Have them meet in the parking lot and drive straight to Vegas?
What if Romeo and Juliet was set in space?
How would the play be different if you changed it into a musical?
Write a multi character version of Romeo and Juliet with the Starcrossed Series characters
What if Shakespeare wrote
What if Romeo and Juliet fell in love with other people?
Write a story about Jaques
What if Romeo and Juliet were high school students?
How does Mercutio die in the movie?
What happens between the famous balcony scene and the end?
Write a science fiction hijinks version of Romeo and Juliet, where everyone ends up happily ever after.
What if Romeo didn’t smash Tybalt’s head in?
What if Romeo discovered he was gay?
What if Mercutio had lived instead?
What if Tybalt didn’t die?
What if Romeo and Juliet met 20 years later, how do they still feel about each other?
What happened next?
What if Juliet rocked it and became a Bounty Hunter and tracked down people like her and Romeo?
What if Romeo and Juliet didn’t say anything on the balcony?
Write a scene where Romeo and Juliet aren’t named Romeo and Juliet.
What if the story of Romeo and Juliet was a tragedy to be recorded by Gildeon” Gloudsbard, the greatest storyteller of Ankh-Morpork and hero of his time?
What if these families lived on the same street today?
What if Romeo went to the Capulet party? What if Juliet had a friend like friar Lawrence?
What if Juliet didn’t drink the poison?….
What if Romeo was an editor at a publishing house? What happens?
What if someone other than Romeo killed Tybalt?
What if Lord and Lady Montague were gay?
Romeo and Juliet of Old Drunk City
Write how Romeo and Juliet met.
Write a scene of Romeo and Juliet from Paris’ POV.
Write a story according to what you see in Sonnet 73
Write about the real romeo and juliet
A Nurse’s Guide to Romeo and Juliet …
Write a Romeo and Juliet story from a parallel universe.
What if Romeo and Juliet were actually robots?
What if Romeo didn’t follow Juliet into the tomb and she died all by herself?
What if Romeo was a bitch? What if Juliet was a player?
Write about a time on the street you could have met Romeo or Juliet
What if Romeo and Juliet wasn’t a tragedy?
Write a secret diary entry from Romeo or Juliet.
Write about a sibling of Romeo and/or Juliet
Explain to your child just what exactly what is going on with Hamlet
What if Romeo was killed by Juliet?
What if Romeo didn’t listen to his family and instead went with Juliet?
Why do you think Shakespeare didn’t include Romeo’s lines during the balcony scene?
What would you do to make Romeo and Juliet jealous?
What if Dr. and Mrs. Capulet joined the marriage?
Write a 30 second commercial for Romeo and Juliet just after…
Write about a group of lovers during a time of war, or during a reign of terror
What if there was a third Shakespearean character?
Write an alternative ending
Write a funny take on both families trying to decide who gets to marry their child.
What’s the one line Shakespeare forgot to include in Juliet’s famous speech?
What happened to Romeo and Juliet after Act 5?
Write a scene in which Romeo and Juliet speak to one another before they actually meet.
How about if Olivia was the one to fall for her cousin?
What would the timeline of Romeo and Juliet have looked like had their relationship lasted?
What if Juliet was the Prince/Princess?
Write a twisted take on the play “Romeo and Juliet”.
Write a scene where Romeo and Juliet take a road trip across the country?
Write a poem or song about Romeo and Juliet
Write a parody of Romeo and Juliet
Why do you like or loathe the “Romeo and Juliet”?
Where is Friar Lawrence buried?
Are Romeo and Juliet bad people?
Write a dating website ad about Romeo and Juliet you’d post on Craigslist
What was a romantic tragedy like before Romeo and Juliet?
What if Romeo and Juliet were framed?
Write about a time in your life when you experienced first love. Add new scenes from romeo and juliet and so on.
Write about your interpretation of what happened between Romeo and Rosaline.
What if Juliet didn’t drink the poison and pretended to die and ended up with Romeo?
What if Romeo and Juliet were teenagers in the 60s?
What if Romeo and Juliet lived in different countries?
Write a post rock epic music number
Write a telenovela version of Romeo and Juliet
“Juliets” is a play on the words that end the famous line in romeo and juliet
Write the next 10 lines of Romeo and Juliet after”… and fair is foul, and foul is fair…”
What would happen if Romeo and Juliet woke up from their death seamless slumber?
Romeo meets Juliet’s mom
Write a children’s version of this play
Write about a high school version of Romeo and Juliet?
What if Romeo decided not to commit suicide? Would he live happily with Juliet?
Write about how Romeo and Juliet met for the first time.
Write a story from one of the character’s viewpoints.
What if Romeo wasn’t so sad after Juliet died?
How would Romeo and Juliet have been different if it was set in the present?
Write a scene about Romeo and Juliet’s parents
Would Romeo and Juliet have survived in this current decade?
Why was Mercutio killed? What does this reveal about sword fighting in Shakespeare’s time?
Write about an affair between Rome and Juliet.
Write a modern script for the play, Romeo and Juliet .
Write a scene from a Romeo and Juliet movie
Write a love story in six words
What if either Romeo or Juliet had siblings? If so, what would it be like?
What if Romeo didn’t have a driveby shooting death?
Write a modern and/or erotic version of Romeo and Juliet.
What’s the ending to Romeo and Juliet?
What if Romeo was a voyeur?
You can fuel your brain with an extra dose of creativity by playing with…
Write about Romeo and Juliet’s children.
Write a telegram message to Juliet from Romeo
What if Romeo didn’t drink the drug, and decided to spend his life with Juliet?
Plot the movie Romeo and Juliet you’d make.
Is there still such a thing as true love, and if you believe so then what can be done to achieve it?
Jealousy is always a fun topic
Write a novelization of an alternate ending of Romeo and Juliet
Write a story about a supporting character from Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo and Juliet died peacefully in their sleep at age one hundred?
What if Romeo and Juliet had competed for Miss/Mr. Right?
List all the ways Juliet is smarter than Romeo.
Write a story from Juliet’s point of view. What if Romeo wasn’t real?
What if Romeo and Juliet as animals?
What if Romeo and Juliet lived Happily Ever After?
What if Romeo and Juliet went to a high-school prom?
Write a story where William hears about what is going on behind his back!
Write a play with two starring characters only
Romeo and Juliet beg the prince to make them husband and wife
Write a love story inspired by Romeo and Juliet but with different young…
Write about Romeo and Juliet’s summer fling
What if the play was more modern like how William Shakespeare actually wrote the play?
What if Romeo and Juliet ended up together?
Write from the perspective of a villager or citizen of Verona.
What if everyone lived happily ever after?
Write a true account of the afterlife of Juliet.
Write a secret ending to Romeo and Juliet
Write a link to Romeo and Juliet in this day and age.
Write a short story beginning with “Juliet was so bored…”
Write an angsty scene between Romeo and Juliet.
Write a sad story. Then turn it into a happy story.
Teenage love
Write a scene from the perspective of Romeo’s cousin who wants Juliet for himself.
What if the families never met?
What if Romeo and Juliet were looking around the cemetery next to Friar Lawrence’s Friar’s barn?
What if Romeo and Juliet were really vampires from across the tracks?
Write a historical drama of Romeo and Juliet
What was the real reason for the feud?
What if Romeo and Juliet survived?
When you set up your board, make sure it is interesting and enticing for the reader to pick up your book. At least be able to interest one person in your novel.
What if Romeo and Juliet were alive today?
After the wedding, write a short story about how Juliet feels about her new husband. Ask yourself, does she love him? Why?
What if Romeo was gay? What if Juliet was a guy?
Explain why the story of Romeo and Juliet has been so popular for the past 400 years.
The Montagues and Capulets decide to start afresh. Their kids fall in love with each other. Write about that.
What would happen if Juliet was a man?
Write a love letter to your crush
Write a scene where Juliet talks about Romeo’s untimely death.
Create a resolution to their story.
Why did Romeo choose Juliet?
Write a dialogue between Romeo and Juliet
Write a story where the two main characters are perfectly happy with the circumstances of their relationship.
Write about a modern day girl who kills herself over the lack of a guy
What if Romeo had come first?
Write a modern retelling of Romeo and Juliet.
What if Mercutio didn’t die?
Write a parody of the end of Romeo and Juliet
Write an alternate ending
Below is a list of elements you should expect to find in a Wuthering Heights essay.
Now that you have finished writing for today you can rely on your selected writing prompt and begin to write.
How would their story end?
What would happen in a modern version of Romeo and Juliet?
Write a story where their parents don’t die because of the feud
What would Shakespeare say to his/her audience?
Romeo and Juliet are time travellers. What is the future like?
If Shakespeare had lived would he have been murdered like Romeo?
Write a fantasy story approximately a Juliet in a modern-day setting
Write a parallel remstar story with…
Write a piece from one of Mercutio’s points of view.
What if Romeo didn’t fight Tybalt?
Write about a version of Romeo and Juliet in which Tybalt and Mercutio are the main characters
Write a fictional story about the origins of Romeo and Juliet
Write a short story for Valentine’s Day
Write the reconciliation scene of Romeo and Juliet
Someone gets stabbed and someone gets shot.
What are other ways Romeo and Juliet’ could have ended?
Write a love poem from Juliet’s perspective
What if Juliet lived with her parents and Romeo with the Montague family?
What if one of the families betrothed a child to a family that they had a feud with?
Write an alternate ending to the play.
Just survive a school shooting
What if Mercutio was sleeping with Juliet all along?
A Romeo and Juliet Story
Write a post-apocalyptic vision of Romeo and Juliet
In what way would Romeo be used as a verb and suggest that he is a seasoned lover and great Romeo?
Write a new ending using the text of the play, but have them kill each other
Write a different ending to Rome…
Was anyone else involved in the feud between the families?
What if the nurse had brought Romeo in to see Juliet before she was pronounced dead?
Write about Romeo and Juliet on their wedding day.
Write your own dialogue between Romeo and Juliet
Re-write an original story different countries use to make it modern
Why is death so important in the two tales?
Write about your relationship with your significant other inspired by the witty love story of Juliet and Romeo
Write a prequel to Romeo and Juliet
What would have happened had there never been a Romeo and Juliets?
What would it be like to read Romeo and Juliet for the first time?
What if Juliet was still alive?
What if Romeo was killed in Paris?
Write a love poem/song using Shakespeare’s language, but about food.
Write about a candlelit Shakespeare recital!
What if Mercutio was the main character for the story…
What if it was Romeo’s birthday and Juliet came to surprise him?
What if Juliet was actually a man?
Write a cinderella juliet
Romeo and Juliet was ‘a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.’ Discuss.
Write what happened the morning after they got married, but they both woke up with a huge hangover.
What if Romeo hadn’t been banished?
Write a poem that could have been what Romeo said at the beginning of Act 1, scene 1, when Friar Lawrence interrupts his eight lines with “There is no time to lose.”
Describe the relationship between Juliet and her Nurse.
Write a love poem about someone you haven’t told you’re in love with.
Write one true sentence.
Who do you think did the killing?
Create a modern day version of an antagonist in Romeo & Juliet
What if Romeo and Juliet were preteens?
Write about Juliet as “The Tragedy Queen Writing all Wrongs”
Alternate endings to Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo kills Juliet’s cousin Tybal?
Write a scene where Juliet says no to Romeo.
What if there were a sequel to Romeo and Juliet?
What if one or both of them was immortal?
Write a romeo and juliet reenactment
What if Romeo and Juliet still liked each other, but were from the McCarthy trial?
Write about the star-crossed love between a geek and a cheerleader Write about the star-crossed love between a zombie and her boyfriend
Write a modern day Romeo and Juliet story. This can be done by anyone. The requirements of the story is that Romeo and Juliets parents are both alive, the two main characters are not related in any way, they are not made for each other, there is a impediment that keeps them from their love and other than being called Romeo and Juliet, no more mention is made of Shakespeare’s characters or story .
What if Juliet lied to Romeo?
What if Romeo and Juliet were the happy couple?
9. Write a story where “Dead! Dead! Dead!” is the refrain that repeats
What if Romeo and Juliet only got married to please their parents?
Write about someone who commits suicide before or after the main character of Romeo and Juliet dies.
Write about Romeo and Juliet’s first date
Write a verse sonnet about being left over from a boy and a girl
Write about your very own St. Valentine.
How would you solve Romeo’s and Juliet’s problem?
Write about the leading up to the ending, write it from another character
What modern play is Romeo and Juliet most similar to?
My favorite scene in Romeo and Juliet is when…
What if the roles were reversed – Romeo was the Capulet, Juliet was the Montague?
What if Mercutio was a vampire?
How would the audience look at Romeo and Juliet differently if they didn’t die and were stuck together for eternity?
Write the Romeo and Juliet sequel
What would you name the baby that resulted from the union of Romeo and Juliet?
Create a love triangle involving any members of the famous love duo.
What if Romeo and Juliet lived?
Write about what your parents would have done if you had dated someone from school out of caste?
Introduce a new character to the tale.
Translate Romeo’s soliloquy into Shakespeare’s native language, or any language.
What type of job did Romeo have?
How would the play play out if Romeo and Juliet didn’t die?
Write a romance sequel to Romeo and Juliet
Shakespeare Theme
Do you get the same “shipping” vibe as me? If so tell me about it!
Write a poem about Romeo, Juliet, and a chainsaw
Write a modern love story about two people of different social status
What If Romeo didn’t go to Tybalt?
A collection of monologues that illustrates the relationships in Romeo and Juliet.
Write Slight Romeo!
Write a tragedy based on a pop star
Write about a romeo and juliet you would hate to have control of you.
Write a remake of the balcony scene but make it PG13
Write a scene in which Romeo trips on a rock and bumps his head
What if the Friar planned to rescue Romeo?
Write an essay about how the spirits of Romeo and Juliet visited their families to correct their mistakes
In the 1990s a BBC mini-series was done called Shakespeare’s Women. These films were all set in the time that Shakespeare’s plays were set in. In Romeo and Juliet Julia Worsley played Juliet. Fill in the Juliet from Shakespeare’s Women form to get writing today!
Write about someone finding a diary that belonged to a rich, Renaissance teenager.
Juliet and Romeo went into hiding after death. What was their life like?
Write a love ballad to Julius Caesar
Or if you just found a way around it?
What if Juliet was killed before they could get married?
Create a happy ending to Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo was still a criminal, other things have stayed the same?
Bring a modern day character into the play
Write a series of sonnets
Write about love gone wrong.
What if the prince did not soothe Juliet’s death?
What if Romeo wasn’t Romeo? Write this version as carefully as you wrote the first
Write a non-heterosexual version of Romeo and Juliet where most of the dialogue is lifted directly from the play…
Here are the settings descriptions of my five prompts!! !
Write a story in which Romeo commits suicide.
Write a love letter using the writings of romeo and juliet
What if Juliet and Romeo figured out a way around their families’ disapproval?
What if Romeo was really ugly?
What if Romeo and Juliet had twins?
What if Romeo didn’t go to the party with his friends?
Write a story of how Romeo … Read more
Write a poem
Write an alternate version of the play
Write an Act 4 excerpt from Romeo and Juliet
Explain how Romeo could look like a bust?
What if Romeo and Juliet were tweens?
What if Romeo and Juliet were older?
Write a follow up by another character
Write about a modern day couple who were secretly nicknamed and compare it with the relationship between Romeo and Juliet.
In another life, Romeo would battle for Juliet
Write about someone you know that commits suicide
Write an AU where Romeo is the one who gets Juliet’s lips stained
The following is a list of questions related to writing. Here are 29 questions about the romeo and juliet love theme, plus a free handout with my favorite responses. The questions are designed to get your mind thinking in a productive way about Rosemary and Grave questions related to reading, writing and literature.
What if Romeo and Juliet turned out to be from opposing sides of a war?
What if Romeo and Juliet had/had gotten a divorce?
Write about a cornier than thou Romeo.
Juliet’s Autopsy Report
Explore the similarities/differences between Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet Edit Sample Edit
What would Romeo and Juliet be like if they were from the future?
What if Romeo and Juliet were cat lovers?
Write another scene from Act 1 of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet that didn’t make it to the big screen.
Write a story called More that’s not in this book
If Shakespeare were alive today, what would he be doing?
What if the characters of Romeo and Juliet were zombies?
Write a star-crossed lovers story with a different ending.
Write about your favorite Shakespeare play
Write a poem that rolls the play inside out, so that Juliet’s the one who’s “crazy” about Romeo and Romeo’s just curious about her.
Write about Romeo and Juliet living happily ever after.
Write a sad holiday poem about Romeo and Juliet.
Write about a reverse Romeo and Juliet
What is your favorite part of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet?
Find more Romeo and Juliet prompts at the bottom of this page.
What if Romeo and Juliet couldn’t be together?
What if Juliet had some magical power?
Write a play about someone trying to rewrite Romeo and Juliet
Write five snarky things about Romeo and Juliet.
Write a compilation of short stories that explore the lives of Romeo and Juliet after the events of the play, what these might be would depend on how the play ended.
Write a Christmas story where we find out that the people we want to be happy, are the people who enjoy their lives at Christmas the most?
If Romeo and Juliet joined a sports club, which sports would they play?
Why is Romeo jealous?
How angry would the families of Romeo and Juliet be if they were alive today?
Write from another character’s perspective—Mercutio’s view, Tybalt’s view
Write about Romeo pulling a prank before Mercutio dies.
Write a cyberpunk or future world version
Have each student write an essay about the prompt. Make sure to discuss the importance of using actual text from the play as a reference.
Write a romeo and juliet poem that is just one sentence
What if they had a baby? What would that look like?
How does Romeo and Juliet fit in a modern world?
What if the play was more of a comedy?
You Caught Me In An Open Mood
Write about why you think one of the parents wouldn’t let the lovers be together?
What if Romeo were gay and instantly fell in love with Mercutio?
Write a scene from the play with your own take on Romeo & Juliet’s first meeting
Write about an alternate ending to the play Romeo and Juliet
What would you change in Romeo and Juliet?
Write a fantasy romance involving Romeo and Juliet
What if instead of ending with a kiss, it ended with a slap in the face?
Write a scene where the two lovers kiss for the first time.
Juliet is the genius of the family, Romeo is the famous artist, who sends his paintings to museums. One painting in particular, raises eyebrows so Juliet flees her own father and turns to Romeo. Romeo accompanies her to a secret town where discoveries about possibly about her family are made.
Write a very short story! Use only 1 – 5 sentences
What if Romeo and Juliet had a home birth?
Write a secret love language of Romeo and Juliet
Write about Rebecca – the theme of a woman stuck in her father’s house
What if Romeo was the one to die?
Write a love triangle/quadrangle with outside factors threatening the relationship.
If you do something creative with these prompts, leave a link in the comments section to show off what you have written.
Use one character to describe the emotions of the other.
Write a scene you wished had been in the play.
What if Romeo and Juliet spoke in old English? What if they spoke in a different language?
Write a play from the villain’s point of view
Write about your favorite scandalous moment of the play
What if Romeo was good with weapons
Romeo and Juliet
Write about The Capulets fighting against the Montagues
What if Romeo and Juliet were a rock band?
How is Romeo like you and how is he like me?
Write about the Nurse’s death
What if Romeo killed Tybalt instead of Mercutio? What if Juliet killed Tybalt instead of killing herself?
What if Romeo and Juliet started in modern day?
Write your own Romeo and Juliet sequel
Write a story from Tybalt’s perspective. What was he actually thinking?
Write a scene where Romeo comes to Juliet’s bedroom after the party.
Write a disabled Romeo and Juliet
How has modern warfare influenced the story of Romeo and Juliet?
Write about a conversation between Romeo and Juliet
Write a Hater version of Romeo and Juliet
What if in the next chapter, the nurse wakes the lovers up and they look at each other and apologize, feeling like it was just a dream?
What if the characters in Romeo and Juliet weren’t named Romeo and Juliet?
Your Tweets. They will be your downfall.
Write about the famous sword-fight between Romeo and Tybalt
Write a funny poem about romeo and juliet
Write a poem using a contemporary setting and language
What if there wasn’t a couple named Romeo and Juliet
List ten things you don’t know about love
Is Romeo truly in love with Juliet, or are they just in love with the idea of love?
and some more Romeo and Juliet related writing prompts, including a love story check out this great resource.
Compare Romeo’s home life to Capulet’s loyalty to Rome
Write a letter between Romeo and Juliet
Write from the perspective of one of the parental figures
Write a romance book featuring Romeo hiring a detective to find out if Juliet is dead or alive.
What if Taylor Swift’s song was all about Romeo and Juliet?
A mashup, using elements from other stories
Write your own play – with Romeo and Juliet and funny bits!
Write a modern day death scene
What happened after Juliet woke up?
Write a love story about someone else in the play
Write a romeo and juliet short story
Write a book of poems centred on Romeo and Juliet.
What if Romeo killed Tybalt?
Write about the night at the Capulet’s party.
Detail your most memorable experience while acting out line from Romeo and Juliet
Express yourself in ways like the Capulet and Montague did. Ideas include writing letters, poems, or composing music.
What if Romeo was Juliet’s tutor?
What would have happened if Romeo was killed?
Have a talk with Romeo about Juliet
How would past characters affect a present timeline?
Write a story from Romeo’s point of view.
Write an alternate ending where everything changes.
Write a science fiction version of Romeo and Juliet Write a fantasy version of Romeo and Juliet
Write a poem about love
Write a sequel to Romeo & Juliet
Insert name here and write a story about Romeo and herself.
Satisfaction
What if Romeo and Juliet saved their love for marriage?
What if everyone lived? What then? How about Juliet leaving Romeo and moving away? Or Romeo getting with the Nurse? Or Tybalt getting together with Mercutio? Or the Prince?
What if Romeo wasn’t a Capulet?
What has Romeo and Juliet taught you?
Write an alternate history of romeo and juliet
Write about a great war that has broken out, it’s called Romeo vs Juliet.
Compare and contrast Juliets suicide to Romeo’s
Imagine a story where Romeo is a klyntar and Juliet is a Skrull. Write the story explaining how they met, how they fell in love, and how the other person died.
Write a story about how Romeo and Juliet met
Write a scene from Romeo and Juliet from a different character
Write a love story based off your horoscope
Write about a modern Romeo and Juliet.
Write a unique conclusion to Romeo and Juliet
Flannery O’Connor uses character stereotypes to show that conventional prejudices aren’t always on point. In an exercise, try switching characters and personalities between the play and its characters, in an attempt to “blur” the lines between who should be paired with whom.
What would Romeo be like as an adult?
What does Romeo look like?
What if Romeo got Jodie pregnant and they ran off into the night?
What if Romeo and Juliet didn’t hate each other? How might their relationship have changed if they had become friends and less than friends?
The Shakespeare Society Romeo and Juliet are so good at romance!
Write your own version of romeo and juliet
What if Romeo was Juliet’s brother and he loved her but he couldn’t tell her?
What if a public transit disaster occurred on the day of a Romeo and Juliet Romantic Reunion?
What if the Prince banished Romeo from Verona?
Imagine Romeo and Juliet if they lived in modern times.
Write a dystopian Romeo and Juliet
Write one of Shakespeare’s sonnets from Romeo’s point of view
Write a speech about what Juliet did wrong and what she did right
Write about a romantically challenged teen.
Toni Parsley is an online writer and blogger. She loves to write on various topics such as health, fitness and beauty. When she is not writing, she loves to play and watch football. She is an avid fan of Real Madrid.
Write two alternate endings
Learn More About Romeo and Juliet
Write a novel from a side character’s point of view
Ok! Time for another Monday . . .
Write about the happiest moment for a modern day Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo decided to stay with Tybalt?
Write about how Romeo and Juliet first met
Write a short version of romeo and juliet
Describe the setting or surroundings where the story took place
Write a scene which makes Simon and/or Leah seem anything other than evil
Write about Romeo or Juliet in their late life.
What do you say to someone you hate every time you see their face?
Write a Shakespearean character’s obituary
Did Romeo really love Juliet?
Write a parent point of view about the events of Romeo and Juliet
What if Juliet ran away from home and the rest of the tragic story in the play didn’t happen?
Write a scene in which Romeo and Juliet are secretly in love.
What if Romeo was a girl?
What if Paris was the one who died?
Write a crime thriller based on Romeo and Juliet
Write an original scene from “Romeo and Juliet”
What if Romeo and Juliet weren’t lovers?
Write a scene from Romeo and Juliet that isn’t between Romeo and Juliet
Write a comedic version of Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo was awful at playing games?
Write a historical or contemporary Romeo and Juliet
Write a poem for Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo and Juliet were hillbillies?
If Romeo was a swearing drug dealing thug?
Write a serious version of Romeo and Juliet
Write a story of a near death Juliet, and write about her transformation after the suicide attempts
If Juliet didn’t sleep at night, what would she do?
What if Romeo were the daughter and Juliet were the son?
Write a zombie version of Romeo and Juliet.
What if Tybalt lived?
Write a shorter story about Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo never wanted to leave Rome?
What if Mercutio was in love with Juliet? What about Romeo?
Romeo and Juliet was not primarily a love story or a tragedy. Revise the piece of writing to emphasize an element of your choice.
In a dystopian world, the government decides that all teens have to be married or sent to a form of forced labor. Romeo and Juliet chose to rebel and have an affair in secret by pretending they’re married.
Write Romeo and Juliet as a couple who love each other, but they are brothers and sisters and can’t marry
Write about the drive-by Romeo and Juliet
Write your own first meeting between Romeo and Juliet
Write about poison ivy
Write a letter to Juliet from Romeo.
Romeo and Juliet in a different era?
What if the houses ended up fighting instead of the lovers?
What if Tybalt was the tragic hero?
If Romeo and Juliet had had a dog, would the events of the play have transpired the same way?
What if Romeo was not allowed to marry Romeo, instead he married the daughter of a wealthy Sultan? What if the two families are sworn enemies as a result of the mutual loathing between their fathers?
Write a good Romeo and Juliet in summary form.
think something like, ” love the haters” – making fun of haters – haters get mad or hate, and fall in love
What type of person is Juliet? What type of person is Romeo?
Write a story from the point of view of a minor character.
When you are done jotting down your ideas you might be ready to start a formal written analyze of Romeo and Juliet.
What if Romeo and Juliet fought?
What if Romeo and Juliet’s parents came from a country where it was customary for 16-year-olds to get married?
What if Romeo and Juliet became friends/acquaintances in school?
What if Mercutio didn’t die at the end?
What was Romeo like growing up?
Write a Romantic tragedy on a modern day setting in which it is still terrible.
What if Romeo was not a Montague and Juliet was not a Capulet?
What if Romeo was Romeo because Juliet was Juliet?
What if Romeo and Juliet were actually descendants of D&D?
What if Romeo or Juliet had to die but didn’t?
Write a funny one-liner
What if Romeo and Juliet hadn’t met and Romeo was in love with a different girl?
In writing a tragedy similar to Romeo and Juliet, how would you confront the heroic quality of Romeo?
Write how you think the story would’ve gone if Mercutio had lived.
Write a modern day romeo and juliet short story
Write a scene between Romeo and Juliet’s parents to show why they don’t go along with their children’s decision of marrying each other.
What if the stars never crossed?
Write a modern day rendition of Romeo and Juliet
Write a modern day Romeo kissing a guy Juliet
Write a post-apocalyptic Romeo and Juliet
Write a story from Tybalt’s p.o.v.
What if Paris was Juliet’s gender fluid cousin?
Write an alternative ending for Romeo and Juliet
What if Juliet was pregnant?
Write an anti baby books based off of Romeo and Juliet
Write a news report about Romeo and Juliet
Write a short play in iambic pentameter!
What if the Capulets and Montagues had online feuds?
What if they were shipwrecked?
Describe a perfect person like Romeo and Juliet
Write a gothic Romeo and Juliet
How would The Graduate be different?
What if Romeo and Juliet had really cool friends who wanted to rebel with them but tried to talk them out of it?
Write your own final scene with your own version of Romeo and Juliet
Tell us what happened when Romeo and Juliet got married.
Write about a surviving Romeo or Juliet
If Romeo was her gardener, would they fall in love?
What if Romeo survived the fight and hid?
Write a scene from a play by William Shakespeare. Very unique in that it is noted as being written without any punctuations. We have yet found a play with a strict run-on sentence.
Write an event in the book from Juliet’s point of view.
Write a story set after Romeo and Juliet
Write about Romeo’s side of the story
Write the Romeo and Juliet story, only with two sets of parents who hate each other.
Who were Romeo and Juliet’s parents? How did they meet?
Write a Romeo and Juliet poem
Write a different ending for Romeo and Juliet
Write a futuristic Twilight-type love triangle
Write about a Romeo and Juliet from a different country with different cultural customs
Write about Shakespeare as one of the characters
What if Romeo was a time lord?
What if someone else died instead of Romeo?
What if Romeo and Juliet lived through the night?
Write a crime series set in Rome
How do you feel about Romeo and Juliet’s relationship?
Write the story of the Nurse who loved Romeo
You’re not writing about Romeo and Juliet…
What if Tybalt had killed Romeo?
Write about Romeo and Juliet’s first meeting
Write from Juliet’s point of view
Write about why you like Shakespeare.
Write a love story where Romeo is an android and the Capulets are the government
Write a sequel to Romeo and Juliet set 20 years in the future
Write a murder mystery using Romeo and Juliet.
Write something about the bard himself – William Shakespeare.
Write the plot of the play-Romeo and Juliet
Imagine a Romeo and Juliet TV show
Who was Juliet in love with?
What if Romeo and Juliet were astronauts?
Write an additional scene that did not make it into the final draft of Romeo and Juliet.
What if we were able to follow along with Romeo and Juliet?
What if Juliet had woken up Romeo instead of both of them dying?
Juliet’s side of the story
Write about jealousy in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Write a scene from Romeo and Juliet other than the balcony scene.
Write about your favorite line or quote from Romeo and Juliet
What if Romeo and Juliet knew about destiny?
Write about Romeo and Juliet doing something outrageous to get themselves together more quickly
What if Romeo and Juliet lived in the modern world?
What is the climax of your story?
Is Juliet cold when she thinks of Romeo dying?
Write fanfiction.
What lessons can be learned from the story of Romeo and Juliet?
Write a scene about Juliet and her nurse in Act 1 that doesn’t involve Romeo.
Write a story about a character who thinks Romeo and Juliet are a perfect play. Hilarity ensues.
Romeo and Juliet- by George Bernard Shaw
Romeo absent from the first scene of the play – observed by the audience, but unseen by other characters
Who picked the name Romeo?
Write a modern day Romeo and Juliet who have never heard of them
What if Romeo and Juliet had Facebook?
What was Juliet’s life like without Romeo?
Write a poem about the balcony scene in romeo and juliet
What if Romeo was smarter, or Juliet dumber? Who do you think would win the balcony scene in a battle of wits?
Why do the Capulets hate Juliet so much?
Write a parody of Romeo and Juliet as zombies
These 46 Shakespeare Vocabulary Worksheets are fun to use in literacy centers or small groups. Each worksheet includes a prompt and a poem, an idiom, and other activities that require students to use and practice Shakespearean language. Useful for the new Common Core curriculum, these are a great parent-teacher helper. Learn more about the author and the book, and receive the ebook for FREE!
Romeo and Juliet cries when he sees Tybalt killed
Writing a logline is an exercise designed to help a writer identify the target audience, begin writing the screenplay and generally write a good, clear narrative for the movie.
Write a modern day cave scene
What if Romeo and Juliet were mad at each other?
What is Romeo’s deepest fear?
Did Romeo and Juliet need to die? Write any reason that Romeo and Juliet did or didn’t need to die.
Marriage between Romeo’s family and Juliet’s family is into ruin. Write how they describe themselves in the first page.
Romeo went after Tybalt. Tybalt dropped his blade. When Romeo’s blade pierced Tybalt’s chest, Tybalt died.. Watch what happens
Write a funny scene from Romeo and Juliet.
What if Romeo went to rehab instead of meeting Juliet?
What if Reynardo had gotten to see Romeo and Mercutio fight Tybalt?
What if you are Juliet and there’s another Romeo?
How would it have ended if they were real?
What if Romeo and Juliet were still alive, what kind of lives would they live now?

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The Daring English Teacher on Teachers Pay Teachers Secondary ELA resources Middle School ELA High School English

10 Activities for Teaching Romeo and Juliet

romeo and juliet creative writing examples

Romeo and Juliet is one of those classic pieces of literature I think everyone has read. Even students who haven’t read the Shakespeare play have probably heard of the story or will relate to the plot as it has been retold in various films and literature. If you need some fresh ideas before you start this unit, read on.

Here are 10 activities for teaching Romeo and Juliet

1. relatable bell ringers.

If you’re going to focus on a Shakespeare play, you must go all in. Immersing students into a unit from start to finish is such a perfect way to help students understand a topic in-depth. Start off each class with these Shakespeare Bell Ringers . Each one includes a famous Shakespearean quote and a quick writing prompt. Students will explore various writing styles based on the quote.

2. Character Focus

Help your students identify and organize characters with these graphic organizers . This resource has two sets for almost every character in the play. Students will identify characters as round or flat, static or dynamic, and other basic qualities. This will also require them to provide textual evidence. The second organizer focuses on tracing emotions and motivations throughout the play. It’s a creative way for students to organize the play’s characters and is also a great resource for ESL students and struggling readers.

3. Get Interactive

I can remember interactive notebooks becoming all the rage. And while the paper notebooks are creative, a motivator for some students, and it’s generally pretty easy to put an interactive spin on old ideas already at hand. Having a digital version is just one more layer to add something unique to the interactive notebook. My digital notebook resource can work as its own unit and includes analysis activities covering characters, symbols, major events, writing tasks, and response questions. Digital notebooks are great for classrooms trying to limit paper use, use more technology, prepare students for tech demands, and for any classes that need to work with mobile options.

4. Engaging Writing Tasks

Help students understand and analyze the play by giving them unique writing assignments. Have students explore different writing styles, analyze universal themes, and study character development. My Writing Tasks resource does all this and more. Each act has its own unique writing assignment, and I’ve included brainstorming organizers for each. You’ll be able to use this with differentiated instruction, and there are several additional resources and organizers included.

5. Read “Cloze”ly

Prep passages for students to summarize to help them understand events from the play. This is an ideal activity for review, comprehension, or even assessment. Cloze reading is an ideal way to help students understand what is happening. Cut your prep time down by using this resource, with 6 passages ready to use AND written in modern-day English. Use as an individual assignment or collaborative activity.

6. Use Office Supplies

Increase student engagement with hands-on activities using sticky notes. You can use various colors to coordinate different aspects of study (literary elements, major events, character development, etc). It’s an easy and quick way for students to organize thoughts and notes, and the bits of information can be manipulated and moved around for different assignments. Students can gather relevant information for various essays, or can organize their sticky notes in a way that makes sense to them (by topic, or chronologically, as an example). Check out my Sticky Note Literary Analysis activity that includes 12 sticky note organizers.

7. Make Use of Bookmarks

There are many creative avenues when it comes to bookmarks. Have an activity where students pick a favorite quote, draw a scene, or draw what they know about the play prior to reading (they can use the back to draw after reading the play). Consider a foldable version like this one where you can jam-pack a variety of questions, vocabulary, literary analysis and more. These are foldable, interactive, fun, engaging – and it saves you time passing out one activity to be used throughout the play.

8. Plan an Escape

Escape rooms live up to the hype. Challenge your students with a fun and engaging review escape challenge. Have students work together in groups to complete collaboratively and spark authentic discussion. This escape room activity includes 40 timeline events to sort from the play correctly.

9. Don’t Forget Vocabulary

Vocabulary is an important aspect of understanding any work, but Shakespeare is on a whole other level. In addition to reading an older version of English in poetic form, students must grasp key vocabulary to understand the play more deeply. Engage your students with hands-on activities to learn vocabulary, whether that be through graphic organizers, visual dictionaries, or word puzzles. Check out my ready-to-print vocabulary packet that includes word lists, puzzles, organizers and quizzes for the entire play.

10. Practice Annotations

Start at the very beginning with an engaging activity for the prologue. This will allow students to explore the Shakespearean language and the set-up to the drama that is Romeo and Juliet’s tragedy. Using this resource , students will read and annotate the prologue, be introduced to Elizabethan English, and have context and background information before reading the play. Students then will rewrite the prologue in modern-day English following the same sonnet form. I love having students explore language, and this activity fits perfectly into the unit.

If you’re starting fresh with activities to fill a unit, or you’re looking to refresh your tried-and-true activities, check out my 5-week unit plan for Romeo and Juliet here . It’s full of goodies including a pacing guide, pre-reading activities, bookmarks, vocabulary, passages, writing tasks, essays, review activities, and more.

Put a new spin on the classic tragedy by refreshing your activities and finding new ways to present to students. Just a few simple updates and changes can keep students engaged and help them relate to the material. I love seeing what others do in their classrooms, so please share your favorite ideas in the comments below.

Is Teaching Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet Still Revelant?

In an earlier blog post , I discuss if teaching Shakespeare is still relevant.

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Romeo and Juliet Creative writing Act Two Scene 2

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A Creative writing lesson based on Act Two, Scene 2 of Romeo and Juliet. The lesson was taught to a less able year 8 group, but could be slightly adapted for key stage 4. We have read the scene and watched a few different versions of it. The aim is to rewrite the scene in an exciting new setting in modern prose, including dialogue and description.

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June 30, 2020.

Freytag’s Pyramid: Examples of the 5 Elements for this Classic Narrative Structure

by Joe Bunting | 0 comments

Most great stories, whether they are a Pixar film or a novel by your favorite author, follow a certain dramatic structure.

When you’re getting started with writing, understanding how the structure works is difficult. Even if you go back and analyze your favorite books and films, it can still be hard to structure your own stories. That's where Freytag's Pyramid structure can help.

Freytag's Pyramid is one of the oldest dramatic structures. Developed by Gustav Freytag in the mid 19th century, this structure has become so ubiquitous, many of the best writers have used it to write their own stories, even if they didn’t know it was called Freytag’s Pyramid.

In this article, we’re going to look at Freytag’s Pyramid. I'll share what it is, give examples of how to use it, and share whether it would be helpful to use as you structure the plot of your own stories. We'll also look at how to use Scapple, a great piece of book writing software , to structure your stories based on Freytag's Pyramid.

First, though, if you want to learn more about plot and how to structure your story, check out my new book, The Write Structure , on sale for $5.99 (for a limited time!). It helps writers like you make their plot better and write books readers love. Click to get the book .

What is Dramatic Structure? What is Freytag’s Pyramid? Freytag’s Pyramid Plot Diagram How to Understand Freytag’s Pyramid Freytag’s Pyramid vs. Modern Dramatic Structure The 5 Elements of Freytag’s Pyramid: Introduction Rising Movement Climax Falling Action Catastrophe Example of Freytag’s Pyramid: Romeo and Juliet Should You Use Freytag’s Pyramid? Bonus: Writing Quotes from Freytag’s Technique Freytag’s Pyramid Creative Writing Exercise

What is Dramatic Structure?

Dramatic structure is an idea, originating in Aristotle’s Poetics , that effective stories can be broken down into elements, usually including exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution, and that when writers are constructing a story they should include these five elements.

What is Freytag’s Pyramid?

Freytag’s Pyramid is a dramatic structural framework developed by Gustav Freytag, a German playwright and novelist of the mid-nineteenth century. He theorized that effective stories could be broken into two halves, the play and counterplay, with the climax in the middle.

These two halves create a pyramid or triangle shape containing five dramatic elements: introduction, rising movement, climax, falling movement, and denouement or catastrophe.

Freytag’s Pyramid Plot Diagram

The pyramid, sometimes called Freytag’s Triangle, is best visualized in the following diagram:

How to Understand Freytag’s Pyramid

Gustav Freytag originally formulated Freytag’s Pyramid in his 1863 book Freytag’s Technique of the Drama , and over the last more than 150 years, it has become one of the most commonly taught dramatic structures in the world, finding its way into thousands of classrooms and writing workshops .

Here’s the original plot diagram (found on page 115 of Freytag’s Technique ):

The plot diagram from the original translation of Freytag's Pyramid of the 1863 version of Freytag's Technique of the Drama.

The plot diagram from the original translation of Freytag's Pyramid of the 1863 version of Freytag's Technique of the Drama .

I think many of us have a kind of vague sense of this narrative structure, even if we were never formally taught it.

However, one thing I realized after actually reading Freytag’s Technique is that the structure that I learned doesn’t actually conform to how the German novelist thought of it. It surprised me that many of the terms Freytag used are different than the way it has been subsequently taught.

For example, many articles on Freytag’s Pyramid use the term “denouement” to describe part of the story structure. The word denouement, however, never appears in Freytag’s work (not even in the original German).

On top of that, I found that many of the concepts differ radically from how we generally understand them today.

Below, I’ve tried to summarize Freytag’s Pyramid based on how I understood it in Freytag’s Technique , while also including modern interpretations. But if you’re interested in this subject, it would be worth reading his book on your own.

The 5 Elements of Freytag’s Pyramid

Here are definitions for the five elements of Freytag’s Pyramid:

1. Introduction

The introduction contains both the exposition and “exciting force”:

Exposition . This is a scene in which no major changes occur and the point is to introduce the main characters, time period, and tone, and set up the “exciting force.”

Exciting Force . Freytag also calls this the “complication,” and other frameworks call it the “ inciting incident ,” when some force of will on the part of the protagonist or an outside complication forces the protagonist into motion.

2. Rising Movement

Now that the chief action has been started, the story builds in action toward the climax. Any characters who have not as of yet been introduced should be introduced here.

(Note that many people call this the “ rising action ,” but Freytag calls it rising movement.)

In Freytag’s framework, the climax occurs in the middle of the story .

In this framework, the climax can be thought of as a reflection point. If things have gone well for the protagonist, at the climax they start to fall apart tragically.

Or in a comedy, if things have been going poorly for the protagonist, things start improving.

The author should, according to Freytag, put his or her best effort into the writing of this scene, as it is the moment that carries the story as a whole.

The way that Freytag himself talks about this in Freytag’s Technique of the Drama is much less simplistic. The climax is still the point at which the story reflects and afterward becomes the mirror story, the counter-play.

But rather than just focus on the fate of the protagonist, Freytag thinks about the climax as the scene or group of scenes in which the fullest energy of the protagonist is portrayed, whether for good or ill, pathos or pride. After the climax, whatever ambition the protagonist showed is reversed against himself, and whatever suffering she endured is redeemed. In other words, the energy, values, and themes shown in the first half are reversed and undone in the second half.

As Freytag puts it, “This middle, the climax of the play, is the most important place of the structure; the action rises to this; the action falls away from this.”

4. Falling Action

In the falling action , things continue to either devolve for the protagonist or, in the case of a comedy, improve, leading up to the “force of the final suspense,” a moment before the catastrophe, when the author projects the final catastrophe and prepares the audience for it.

As Freytag says, “It is well understood that the catastrophe must not come entirely as a surprise to the audience.”

But just after this foreshadowing, there must be a moment of suspense where the slim possibility of reversal is hinted at.

“Although rational consideration make the inherent necessity of his destruction very evident . . . it is an old, unpretentious poetic device, to give the audience for a few moments a prospect of relief. This is done by means of a new slight, suspense.”

5. Catastrophe or Denouement

Freytag was chiefly focused on tragedy, not comedy, and he saw the ending phase of a story as the moment of catastrophe, in which the main character is finally undone by their own choices, actions, and energy.

After the catastrophe is a moment of catharsis, where the action of the story is resolved and the tension releases as the audience takes in the story's final outcome.

While Freytag never uses the word “ denouement ” in his own framework, people interpreting him have used the term to describe endings with a happy result for the protagonist.

Freytag’s Pyramid vs. Modern Dramatic Structures

Freytag's pyramid was invented nearly two hundred years ago, before the invention of the radio, film, and television transformed storytelling. So it's not surprising that plot structure theory has advanced since then.

There are four main differences between Freytag and modern story structure theory:

1. Freytag's pyramid is great for tragedy. Modern theories are more universal.

Freytag was chiefly interested in one type of story: the tragedy. He thought it was premier form of storytelling. All the novels and plays he wrote were tragedies, and nearly all of the stories he studies in Freytag’s Technique are tragedies.

This caused him to create a story structure framework particularly suited to a specific dramatic arc, a tragedy (specifically an Icarus Story arc, which you can learn about here ), but one that isn't very helpful for anyone writing a story with a happy ending.

So while Freytag’s Pyramid certainly can be helpful for writers, especially those writing tragedy, his framework is much less universal than The Write Structure , Story Grid , or even Save the Cat , all of which better describe a wider variety of stories.

2. Modern theories place the climax later in the story.

One of the core differences is the term “climax.” Freytag’s framework puts the climax in the middle of the story, where it works as the stories major turning point.

For a traditional understanding of three-act story structure —as found in Story Grid or Save the Cat —what Freytag calls the climax is instead called the “midpoint.”

See the diagram below for an example:

The climax in these frameworks occurs at the end of either the second or third acts, and often is one of the last scenes of the story, taking the location of Freytag’s catastrophe.

3. Plot Elements

Freytag wrote the first major breakdown of story structure in modern history, an amazing accomplishment.

But since he was so influential, he also gets credit for a lot of plot elements he didn't invent and never even used in the first place, like denouement (he used the term catastrophe), resolution (same), rising action (he used the term rising movement), and more.

Since then, the common story structure terms have slowly morphed into something Freytag would find unrecognizable. Worse, the new terms are still taught as “Freytag's pyramid,” even though they don't resemble his original theories.

Take a look at the differences below:

*While there are many variations of this, these are the plot points most often taught.

Note too that we don't include the falling action in The Write Structure framework. Here's why.

While many of these differences are minor, some of them have major implications (like the difference between Freytag's version of “climax” and the modern version of climax).

For now, just notice how these terms have morphed since Freytag.

4. Freytag used a five-act structure, while modern writers use three-act structure.

“Let a play which would be inquired after, and though seen, represented anew, be neither shorter nor longer than the fifth act,” said the the Roman playwright Horace in the first century B.C.

During the enlightenment, as writers and philosophers like Freytag were dredging up these old Roman texts, five acts became the standard

The problem is five-act structure really doesn't make much sense, at least in the way that Freytag advocates (with essentially three tiny acts and two giant acts).

You can learn more about Freytag's five-act structure and why you shouldn't use it here . For most writers, a three-act structure is a much better choice.

The greek philosopher Aristotle even seems to advocate for a three-act structure in his Poetics treatise, giving the first ever recorded story structure tip, and saying, in short, that a story should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. Not exactly a profound insight, but hey, it's better than nothing!

Example of Freytag’s Pyramid: Romeo and Juliet

Let’s break down how Freytag’s Pyramid actually works using an example, in this case one that most people are familiar with and Freytag himself used, Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet :

To better understand how the five act structure works, I’ve also created an annotated version of Romeo and Juliet.

In this document, you’ll be able to click through the table of contents, exploring each act, and seeing where it ends and where the next act begins. You’ll also be able to spot the exciting force and the force of the final suspense.

Explore Romeo and Juliet annotated with the five act structure here »

Then, below I'll talk more about how each section of Freytag's Pyramid works in the play below.

Introduction

We start by getting a sense of the rivalry between the Montagues and the Capulets. As Freytag says, “an open street, brawls and the clatter of swords of hostile parties.”

Then meet the important characters , including Romeo who is getting over an infatuation with another girl; Mercutio, Romeo’s bestie; and Tybalt, the Capulet attack dog and cousin to Juliet.

We also meet Juliet, her parents, and her nurse.

Exciting force: Romeo and his posse decide to attend the Capulets’ ball.

A few notes about the introduction:

The introduction is pretty short, especially compared to the rising movement.
No major changes occur here until the exciting force.
The exciting force should be a major change, but Freytag found it to not be strong enough in Romeo and Juliet . He says, “If the exciting force is ever too small and weak for him, as in Romeo and Juliet , he understands how to strengthen it. Therefore, Romeo, after his conclusion to intrude upon the Capulets, must pronounce his gloomy forebodings before the house.”

Rising Movement: The Couples Meet, Get Married, Then Get Into Trouble

Freytag identifies four stages in the rising action:

Stage One: The masked ball. Includes Juliet preparing for the ball, Romeo with his posse before sneaking into the ball, Tybalt’s anger at the Montagues being present at the ball, Romeo first seeing Juliet, Romeo and Juliet’s first conversation, and finally Juliet’s debrief with her nurse.

Stage Two: The garden scene. Includes Romeo’s friends looking for him and Romeo and Juliet’s conversation and decision to get married.

Stage Three: The marriage. Includes four scenes leading up to Friar Laurence marrying the couple and their post-.

Stage Four: Tybalt’s death. Romeo runs into Tybalt. They fight and Tybalt is killed.

A few notes about the rising action:

The rising action covers a lot of ground, from the meet cute to the marriage to the major complication in Tybalt’s death.
For some reason, Freytag totally skips over Mercutio’s death, which I found surprising. Mercutio is the man!
Personally, if I were putting this play into a three-act structure, I would end act one with the garden scene and begin act two with their preparations for marriage. But that’s me. The point, though, is that this approach differs from the way most people look at a three-act story structure today. In fact, Freytag was more interested in a five-act structure.

Juliet urges Rome to flee and Romeo says goodbye to Juliet.

A few notes about the climax:

The climax is relatively short, with just one major scene.
The climax occurs toward the middle of the play (slightly right, maybe ⅗ of the way through the story).
Honestly, it’s not that climactic. Today, most writers would probably call the final death scene the climax, not this scene. Instead, we would call this the midpoint, a turning point leading up to “the dark night of the soul.”
This is when the counter-play begins. In the first half, the play, the lovers unite. In the counter-play, the lovers separate, until ultimately, they are separated by death.

Falling Action

Romeo is in exile. Juliet’s parents force her into an engagement with Paris, and to avoid it, Friar Laurence helps her fake her own death. Believing his wife is dead, Romeo leaves exile after purchasing poison to end his life from an apothecary.

Force of the final suspense: Romeo faces Paris in the graveyard and kills him, and enters Juliet’s tomb. Friar Laurence enters the graveyard behind him.

A few notes about the falling action:

Even though this section makes up a large amount of the story, Freytag doesn’t concern himself very much with it. In fact, while every other step in the pyramid has its own section, Freytag doesn’t even bother creating a section for this, as if he assumes that the scenes in the Falling Action will write themselves.
Freytag does focus on the force of the final suspense, though, and sees it first as a foreshadowing of the final catastrophe and then a momentary possibility of reversal.
Catastrophe

Rome discovers Juliet, apparently dead, and gives a final speech before he kills himself with poison. As he is dying Juliet wakes up from her pretend death to discover Romeo dying. They share a final kiss. Juliet ends her life with Romeo’s dagger.

Friar Laurence arrives too late to save them. Then the Prince, the Montagues, and the Capulets join them and the Prince condemns their rivalry and calls for a final peace.

Some notes about the catastrophe:

The catastrophe section, like the climax, is quite short, with just the actual catastrophic scene and one scene of fallout from the event.
Today, most writers would call this scene the climax of the story.

How to Use Scapple to Plot and Structure Your Story with Freytag’s Pyramid

One of my favorite ways to plot and structure my stories is through Scapple , a piece of book writing software made by the creators of Scrivener.

To give you a sense of how to use Scapple to structure the plot of your story, here's a video demoing Scapple by plotting Romeo and Juliet using Freytag’s Pyramid:

Freytag's Pyramid: Using Scapple to Create Your Plot Structure [Story Structure Tips]

Interested in checking out Scapple? You can learn more about it here .

So that's it. Romeo and Juliet in Freytag's Pyramid plot diagram created on Scapple.

If this is something that you would like access to, we have a link to Scapple in the description.

This is a tool I personally use when I'm structuring my stories, and I think it could definitely help you with your own writing.

There's a free trial as well, and I think it's only like $18, so it's a pretty good deal. I would definitely recommend it for your creative writing.

You can download Scapple here.

Should You Use Freytag’s Pyramid?

I think Freytag’s Pyramid is most helpful if you’re writing tragedy and if you want a framework to help you think through your story from the perspective of two separate halves with a central scene in the middle that acts as a reflection point.

However, for most stories, you'll want to use a more flexible, universal framework like Story Grid or The Write Structure .

You can learn more about Story Grid and its five commandment in our Crisis guide or from the Story Grid book.

Beyond just the pyramid, though, I found much of Freytag’s Technique of the Drama to be a fascinating methodology and study of storytelling. The way he understood plot and story structure was unique and challenging, and once I got over some of his major cultural pitfalls, I got a lot out of reading it.

All that’s to say, if you can handle reading a text that was written in the mid 1800s, check it out. You can read Freytag’s Technique of the Drama for free here .

Bonus: Writing Quotes from Freytag’s Technique

Here are some of my favorite writing quotes from Freytag’s Technique of the Drama :

“The poet of the present is inclined to look with amazement upon a method of work in which the structure of scenes, the treatment of characters, and the sequence of effects were governed by a transmitted code of fixed technical rules.”

“When the poet has once thus infused his own soul into the material, then he adopts from the real account some things which suit his purpose.”

“For thousands of years the human race has thus transposed for itself life in heaven and on earth; it has abundantly endowed its representations of the divine with human attributes. All heroic tradition has sprung from such a transformation of impressions from religious life, history, or natural objects, into poetic ideas.”

“The dramatic includes those emotions of the soul which steel themselves to will…, also the inner processes which man experiences from the first glow of perception to passionate desire and action, as well as the influences which one’s own and other’s deeds exert upon the soul; also the rushing forth of will power from the depths of man’s soul toward the external world, and the influx of fashioning influences from the outer world into man’s inmost being; also the coming into being of a deed, and its consequences on the human soul.”

“An action, in itself, is not dramatic. Passionate feeling, in itself, is not dramatic. Not the presentation of a passion for itself, but of a passion which leads to action is the business of dramatic art; not the presentation of an event for itself, but for its effect on a human soul is the dramatist’s mission. The exposition of passionate emotions as such, is in the province of the lyric poet; the depicting of thrilling events is the task of the epic poet.”

“Through this linking together of incidents, dramatic idealization is effected.”

“What history is able to declare can be to the poet only the frame within which he paints his most brilliant colors, the most secret revelations of human nature.”

“The structure of the drama must show these two contrasted elements of the dramatic joined in a unity, efflux and influx of will-power, the accomplishment of a deed and its reaction on the soul, movement and counter-movement, strife and counter-strife, rising and sinking, binding and loosing.”

Get The Write Structure – $9.99 $5.99 »

How about you? What questions do you have about Freytag's pyramid? What dramatic structure framework do you follow in your writing? Let me know in the comments .

Let’s practice using Freytag’s Pyramid with this creative writing exercise :

Outline a tragedy using Freytag’s five elements:

Introduction (including the Exposition and Exciting Force)
Rising Movement
Falling Force

Write one or two sentences for each event.

Take fifteen minutes to write. When you’re finished, post your outline in the Pro Practice Workshop for feedback. And if you post, be sure to give feedback on at least three other writers’ outlines.

Happy writing!

Joe Bunting

Joe Bunting is an author and the leader of The Write Practice community. He is also the author of the new book Crowdsourcing Paris , a real life adventure story set in France. It was a #1 New Release on Amazon. Follow him on Instagram (@jhbunting).

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Romeo and Juliet

William shakespeare, everything you need for every book you read..

Welcome to the LitCharts study guide on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet . Created by the original team behind SparkNotes, LitCharts are the world's best literature guides.

Romeo and Juliet: Introduction

Romeo and juliet: plot summary, romeo and juliet: detailed summary & analysis, romeo and juliet: themes, romeo and juliet: quotes, romeo and juliet: characters, romeo and juliet: symbols, romeo and juliet: literary devices, romeo and juliet: quizzes, romeo and juliet: theme wheel, brief biography of william shakespeare.

Historical Context of Romeo and Juliet

Other books related to romeo and juliet.

Full Title: Romeo and Juliet
When Written: Likely 1591-1595
Where Written: London, England
When Published: “Bad quarto” (incomplete manuscript) printed in 1597; Second, more complete quarto printed in 1599; First folio, with clarifications and corrections, printed in 1623
Literary Period: Renaissance
Genre: Tragic play
Setting: Verona, Italy
Climax: Mistakenly believing that Juliet is dead, Romeo kills himself on her funeral bier by drinking poison. Juliet wakes up, finds Romeo dead, and fatally stabs herself with his dagger.
Antagonist: Capulet, Lady Capulet, Montague, Lady Montague, Tybalt

Extra Credit for Romeo and Juliet

Tourist Trap. Casa di Giulietta, a 12-century villa in Verona, is located just off the Via Capello (the possible origin of the anglicized surname “Capulet”) and has become a major tourist attraction over the years because of its distinctive balcony. The house, purchased by the city of Verona in 1905 from private holdings, has been transformed into a kind of museum dedicated to the history of Romeo and Juliet , where tourists can view set pieces from some of the major film adaptations of the play and even leave letters to their loved ones. Never mind that “the balcony scene,” one of the most famous scenes in English literature, may never have existed—the word “balcony” never appears in the play, and balconies were not an architectural feature of Shakespeare’s England—tourists flock from all over to glimpse Juliet’s famous veranda.

Love Language. While much of Shakespeare’s later work is written in a combination of verse and prose (used mostly to offer distinction between social classes, with nobility speaking in verse and commoners speaking in prose), Romeo and Juliet is notable for its heady blend of poetic forms. The play’s prologue is written in the form of a sonnet, while most of the dialogue adheres strictly to the rhythm of iambic pentameter. Romeo and Juliet alter their cadences when speaking to each another, using more casual, naturalistic speech. When they talk about other potential lovers, such as Rosaline and Paris, their speech is much more formal (to reflect the emotional falsity of those dalliances.) Friar Laurence speaks largely in sermons and aphorisms, while the nurse speaks in blank verse.

13 easy, engaging lessons for Romeo and Juliet

by mindroar | Aug 22, 2021 | blog | 0 comments

Looking for lessons for Romeo and Juliet ? Are you teaching Romeo and Juliet in high school and desperately looking for activities and resources for the Shakespearean tragedy? Check out these 12 Romeo and Juliet teaching resources.

Pre-reading lessons

1. shakespearean insult lesson.

If your students are unfamiliar with English from the Elizabethan era, it can be a steep learning curve. And it can make it difficult to teach Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet .

Students often feel intimidated by the language and find it hard to get into. And if you’re teaching one of Shakespeare’s plays for the first time, you can feel intimidated yourself. I know I was when I first started!

A great way to overcome this fear factor is to have some fun activities for teaching Shakespearean language and the specific play you will be teaching.

One of my favorite ways to start any unit about Shakespeare is by having a Shakespearean Insult Lesson (see h ere for my blog post about it and here for my digital and in-class lesson ).

Not only is the Shakespearean insult lesson lots of fun, but it also helps reduce the fear factor of Shakespearean language.

2. Watch a video about Shakespeare and his plays

Another great way to introduce students to Shakespeare and his plays is to watch a short video about Shakespeare’s life and his tragedies.

There are heaps of videos around, but some of my favorites are the Crash Course videos: this one , which is all about Shakespeare’s life, and this one , which is about Shakespeare’s tragedies.

Both videos are short and sweet, less than fifteen minutes. The video about Shakespeare’s tragedies covers King Lear in more depth, so you can also stop the video at about eight minutes and fifteen seconds if you’re short on time.

These are also great activities to set as homework because they are short and easy to get into. Plus, if you had to choose between a video and solving algebraic equations, which would you choose?

The videos are funny and engaging, and they use illustration, a presenter, and quotes to delve deeper into Shakespeare’s life and plays. That series also has a video about Shakespeare’s comedies, just in case you teach any of those too.

If you’re looking for a worksheet to go with the videos, check out our Shakespeare life and plays bundle on TPT.

While reading lessons

Now, once you’ve introduced Shakespeare, gotten your student more comfortable with his language, and begun reading Romeo and Juliet , you’ll probably be wondering what other lessons for Romeo and Juliet you can use in class.

1. Romeo and Juliet Crash Course Literature videos

The Crash Course Literature series also has two videos specifically about Romeo and Juliet . Again, I rate these highly as they’re short, entertaining, and cover important content such as plot, characters, and themes.

If you’re looking for worksheets for these, we have some too. Check out the Romeo and Juliet mini bundle , which has worksheets for both of the videos.

Be warned that the videos do have plot spoilers though, so if your students don’t already realize that R+J die, you may want to hold off until you’ve read the whole play.

2. Romeo and Juliet Text Messaging Activity

This great lesson by The English Teacher’s Pet asks students to choose a scene from the play and recreate the scene through text messages on Romeo’s phone. And the best part? This lesson plan for Romeo and Juliet is free.

This Romeo and Juliet activity includes an explanation of the activity and a model answer, an evaluation sheet, and a text-message printable worksheet for students to write on.

3. Read some comics

These comics by David Rickert give an introduction to the main events of each act and have activities that explain an important concept or literary device.

Using comics is a great way to take away that fear that students often have of not understanding Shakespearean language. As an added bonus, the visuals in comics help with comprehension.

4. Learn about the characters using body biographies

These body biographies by Danielle Knight of Study All Knight are another great lesson for Romeo and Juliet . In the activity, students analyze characters from the play in an engaging way. In completing the projects, students have to:

find direct quotes
analyze how the character has changed (or stayed the same)
explore the characters’ inner thoughts/feelings
analyze the characters’ values and beliefs
explore the characters’ strengths/weaknesses
identify the characters’ goal/s in the play
describe what the character/s look like
choose the characters’ best accomplishment/s
identify symbols
and describe the characters’ background, family, personality, and conflict

5. Using Romeo and Juliet to learn how to integrate quotes and paraphrasing in literary analysis

This lesson helps students understand how to quote and paraphrase in literary analysis using Romeo and Juliet quotes. Included in the lesson, useable in both print and digital, are:

a scaffolded introduction with examples of how to integrate quotes
independent practice with rubrics
suggested answers
an editable homework task and quiz
bellringers for the play

6. Romeo and Juliet photo booth printable props

This Romeo and Juliet activity would be a great way to get students to revise the play as they go. At the end of each scene, students could do a fun comic-book style photo-booth scene summary that they act out, write dialogue for, and then print and put in a comic-book template .

It would not only be fun, but it would also help students identify the important elements of each scene and remember what happened in the plot of the play.

After reading lessons

So you’ve finished reading or watching Romeo and Juliet , and now you come to the pointy end where you need to review before an assessment task. These great Romeo and Juliet review activities are sure to be a hit with your students.

1. Digital escape room review

This digital escape room review by Gamewise is a great no-prep escape room that is paperless and completely online. You just buy the game, give students the link and password, and set them loose.

Even better, for students to get to the completion page, they need to answer all of the questions correctly.

The game covers topics such as:

the plot of the play
the main characters in the play
language and technique analysis
close reading of Romeo’s soliloquy in the tomb

2. Escape room review for Romeo and Juliet

If you prefer your students to do a paper-based escape room, this one by Nouvelle ELA can be used as an escape room with clues hidden around the room. Or it can be used as a breakout box, with students remaining in their desks to complete the tasks. It covers elements such as:

figurative language
plus, it can be increased in difficulty using ‘You’ve been poisoned’ cards

Romeo and Juliet movie lesson plans

If your students are going to watch a video version of the play, this lesson for Romeo and Juliet helps students compare the Baz Luhrman movie adaptation to the play.

This film to play comparison by Visual Thinking Classroom is a great Romeo and Juliet movie lesson plan because it includes a no-prep instructional slide deck, as well as scaffolding to help students compare the original play to the Baz Luhrman adaptation.

The Romeo and Juliet movie lesson plan also helps students focus on important elements such as characters, story elements, and important moments in the play.

Romeo and Juliet entire unit lesson plans

Now, maybe you’ve read through all of the Romeo and Juliet lesson plans so far, but what you’re really after are Romeo and Juliet unit lesson plans for a whole unit instead of individual lessons. If so, keep reading.

1. Laura Randazzo’s Romeo and Juliet unit lesson plans

This five-week Romeo and Juliet unit of lesson plans contains the following:

a calendar with suggested pacing and activities
scene-by-scene study questions in both PDF and Google Drive versions
life in Elizabethan England team speech activity including many topics and a rubric
a lecture and craft activity about Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre
a Shakespearean comedy presentation about puns and oxymorons
a presentation about the power of tone and line delivery with interactive activities for 27 students
Shakespearean sonnet lecture and creative writing activity
one-question quizzes to hold students accountable for reading
Shakespearean slam contest
art assignment to illustrate Mercutio’s Act 1, Scene 4 monologue
an Act 2 prologue activity
plot timeline to review play’s chronology
quote review challenge
50-question exam using matching, true/false and quote identification
in-class end-of-unit essay prompts

2. The Daring English Teacher’s Romeo and Juliet Teaching Bundle

This final resource with lessons for Romeo and Juliet is this differentiated teaching bundle by The Daring English Teacher. This bundle includes writing prompts, cloze activities, character analysis, and vocabulary.

But one of the best things about this product is that it is easy to differentiate – the one unit of work enables you to run Romeo and Juliet ESL lessons but can also be adapted to suit other learners too.

Want more English lesson and resource ideas?

Hopefully, the resources listed above have been helpful for your lesson plans for Romeo and Juliet. If you are an English teacher, you may be interested in my other blog posts with lesson ideas and resources for other texts, including:

12 excellent teaching resources for Macbeth – make Macbeth easy
Teaching Lord of the Flies: 12 awesome activities & wonderful worksheets
How to improve research skills when you have NO time
5 awesome free resources to teach Shakespeare
Fun, engaging, and easy Shakespearean insults lesson you have to try
9 quick and easy study skills lesson plans for high school

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Romeo And Juliet: Imaginative Response Writing Task - The Secret

Subject: English

Age range: 11 - 18

Resource type: Worksheet/Activity

Last updated

14 September 2018

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This is a writing task that can be used any time when teaching the play ‘Romeo and Juliet’. It fits any exam body.

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OCR Entry Level English Assessment Revision Resources

This bundle contains a series of resources designed to be used when preparing pupils for the OCR Entry Level English qualification. The units can be taught with the classic texts 'Of Mice and Men' and 'Romeo and Juliet'. However, they are also great stand alone activities on a variety of topics and themes. They are an excellent source of revision activities that can be used in the classroom, or given to the pupils as homework.

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COMMENTS

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Romeo and Juliet both use the imagery of stars, moons, and suns to emphasize that their love is not earthbound or ordinary, but the play always reminds us that in fact, the stars are not on the lovers' side. For Romeo, "Juliet is the sun" (2.2.). Her eyes are " [t]wo of the fairest stars in all the heaven" (2.2.).
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It's true that Romeo and Juliet have some spectacularly bad luck. Tybalt picks a fatal fight with Romeo on the latter's wedding day, causing Capulet to move up the wedding with Paris. The crucial letter from Friar Lawrence goes missing due to an ill-timed outbreak of the plague. Romeo kills himself mere moments before Juliet wakes up.
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Romeo and Juliet Writing Prompts
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pptx, 2.9 MB. A formally observed outstanding lesson on creative writing, using Romeo and Juliet as the stimulus. The lesson mainly covers the manipulation of word classes and the correct use of commas. The lesson is fully differentiated to stetch/challenge the more able and at the end of the PPT you can find alternative tasks and help sheets ...
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15 Writing: choose three metaphors from Act 3 Scene 5 and annotate them with the ground, tenor and vehicle. Writing: Find three examples of foreshadowing from the Prologue to Romeo and Juliet. Write one paragraph on this question: How does Shakespeare use foreshadowing in the Prologue?
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Romeo and Juliet is one of the world's famous love stories, but its fame developed more from its tragedy than romance. These prompts are designed to make you think about how and why Shakespeare represented love in his play. To help your class, you might want to add some Twinkl resources to your star-crossed lovers' lesson.
Romeo and Juliet: Suggested Essay Topics
Suggested Essay Topics. 1. How does the suicidal impulse that both Romeo and Juliet exhibit relate to the overall theme of young love? Does Shakespeare seem to consider a self-destructive tendency inextricably connected with love, or is it a separate issue? Why do you think so?
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Romeo and Juliet empathetic student responses bundle. Varied set of resources including: 1) A guide to what empathetic writing is, with lots of clear slides showing how to plan the task, write convincingly and in the right style. 2) Thorough 'Write a diary for Juliet' worksheet 3) Anonymous marked sample student response to this task to give ...
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Topic #2: Feminism. Women in the time of Romeo and Juliet are expected to follow orders. Men control society. Juliet, however, defies this role. She is flirtatious with Romeo, and the two even kiss. Juliet proposes marriage to Romeo and defies her parents' wishes to marry another. Explain Juliet's role as a feminist.
Romeo & Juliet Writing Games & Activities
File previews. pdf, 6.82 MB. These 15 fun writing games and activities will foster a creative approach to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and also keep your students happy and engaged during even dire emergencies, such as Friday afternoons. The found poetry, one pager, and dice roll story will occupy a considerable portion of three classes ...
13 easy, engaging lessons for Romeo and Juliet
4. Learn about the characters using body biographies. These body biographies by Danielle Knight of Study All Knight are another great lesson for Romeo and Juliet. In the activity, students analyze characters from the play in an engaging way. In completing the projects, students have to: find direct quotes.
Romeo And Juliet: Imaginative Response Writing Task
Romeo And Juliet: Imaginative Response Writing Task - The Secret. Subject: English. Age range: 11 - 18. Resource type: Worksheet/Activity. File previews. docx, 192.45 KB. This is a writing task that can be used any time when teaching the play 'Romeo and Juliet'. It fits any exam body.