Planning an essay on the role of fate in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet'
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can plan an answer to a question on the inevitability of fate in Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
Key learning points
- Arguably, Shakespeare presents fate as inevitable throughout ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
- Act 5, Scene 3 reinforces the idea of fate being inevitable through Romeo and Juliet’s deaths.
- Using single paragraph outlines can be an effective way of creating a plan for an analytical essay.
- Considering the writer’s intentions allows us to think about how the text connects to the ‘bigger picture’.
Keywords
Fate - the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power
Inevitable - certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented
Inauspicious - unlucky, ill-omened, unfavourable
Intention - a purpose or goal; aim
Common misconception
That people generally believe in free will and always have.
In Elizabethan England, people typically believed that fate controlled their lives - they believed they did not have free will.
Teacher tip
It would be useful for pupils to share their thoughts on Shakespeare's intentions as it will really elevate their writing if they can confidently consider this.
Equipment
You may wish to have a copy of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' for this lesson.
Content guidance
Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
Depiction or discussion of mental health issues
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.In Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', Romeo and Juliet's fate is to ...
Q2.In Act 1, Scene 2 of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', Benvolio attempts to remove Romeo's melancholia by convincing him to attend __________ ball.
Q3.In the prologue of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', Romeo and Juliet are referred to as " -crossed lovers".
Q4.In Act 1, Scene 4, of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', Romeo has a dream that attending Capulet's ball will ...
Q5.'The development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power' is the definition of which word beginning with 'f'?
Q6.'Certain to happen and unable to be avoided or prevented' is the definition of which of the following?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.'A purpose or goal; aim' is the definition of which word beginning with 'i'?
Q2.In Elizabethan society, people largely believed in which of the following?
Q3.Complete the quotation from Act 5, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet': "shake the yoke of inauspicious ".
Q4.In Act 5, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', Juliet refers to herself as which of the following?
Q5.In Act 5, Scene 3 of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', Romeo decides to kill himself to change his destiny. Why is this ironic?
Q6.'Unlucky, ill-omened, unfavourable' is the definition of which of the following?
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Planning an essay on the role of fate in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 English lesson on: Planning an essay on the role of fate in Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet', download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 English lessons from the Romeo and Juliet: exploring the role of love and fate unit, dive into the full secondary English curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.