Decoding William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: Media in the Classroom

William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, is one of the most popular tragic stories to have ever been written and it is a play that is still studied in today’s classrooms. While it is important that the play’s text is explored, watching the play and experiencing it visually is equally important. Bringing the different adaptations of the play into the classroom was a very easy decision to make. Not only does this cater to visual students, but it also brings live, passion, and excitement into the English classroom. I used the 1996 adaptation of the play directed by Baz Luhrmann, and a stage performance from the Stratford Festival 2013. Students were first asked to read the party scene. Second, they watched the 1996 version, and third, they watched the Stratford stage performance. Students were asked to fill in what they understood, what helped them understand, and what they still had a question about. 

The movie adaptation and stage performance, alongside the original text, helped students explore and understand the scene better. With each clip, the students discovered a new layer of the scene that they had not before explored. The students also had a chance to compare and contrast the importance of picking the right cast and how different directors interpreted Shakespeare’s scene differently. They learned about different people may read the same lines and see something completely different. I believe that is the true magic in studying and teaching English. I asked the students to hand in their comment sheets at the end of class. The comment sheets, which included three columns of 'I understood...", "what helped me understand...", and "I still have a question about...", were gives a check mark for completion and a few comments/reactions, and answers to their questions if they had any. The following day, I took the time to begin the class by having a "what did you think" conversation with the students. At this time, and through conversation, I answered some of the questions that they had.

This was a great form of assessment because it tested students' ability to rationalise and interpret a scene from a play and a movie, and to compare and contrast the two. This is an exercise I would certainly repeat in future classes.