Apart from the soft clicking of laptop keys, Room 311 was quiet and still. At the front of the room stood Upper School English Teacher Amber Bryant, paging through a copy of William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
The assignment, illuminated on the board, asked her Class 8 students to conduct a passage analysis of Romeo and Juliet’s Act 1, Scene 4. They were to highlight and identify a key literary device, considering how that device furthers the reader’s understanding of the passage’s meaning.
“Don’t forget to use the annotations in your book,” Ms. Bryant said. “And think about context,” she added, noting that students could use the full scene to analyze the snippet of passage they were given. “Who is the speaker here?”
After 10 minutes of independent work, Ms. Bryant drew the group back together saying, “OK, are you ready to dig in? Let’s think about the knowns and unknowns.”
A two-column list began to populate on the board as the class enthusiastically shared their assessments. What is known to the students is Mercutio is the speaker, he is a friend to Romeo, and is about to go into a masquerade ball that Romeo doesn’t want to attend. “The scene gets serious and dark,” one student said.
“Who is Mab?” asked Ms. Bryant, referring to a character’s mention in the passage.
“A mythological figure,” one student explained, drawing comparisons to Cupid, the other mythological being they have encountered in this play.
“I think Mercutio portrays her as an invader,” a second student added. Through her analysis of the text, she believes Mab possesses the ability to shift a person’s thoughts on love.
“Very well said!” remarked Ms. Bryant.
“Cupid is often depicted as being far away,” another student suggested, “Whereas Queen Mab is more in your face.”
The students then eagerly shared their list of literary devices, with mentions of diction, imagery, repetition, paradox and symbolism.
Their rich conversation continued as the scholars pulled out their Romeo and Juliet discussion guide. Turning their focus to the purpose of the Chorus in Act 2’s prologue, Ms. Bryant again encouraged students to share their thoughts.
“They’re foreshadowing events,” one scholar said.
Another added, “They set the tone.”
“They seem to be gossipy—kind of judgmental—but also have empathy for Romeo,” a third student piped in.
Ms. Bryant pushed the students to consider what views Shakespeare reveals through the Chorus about Romeo’s shift from loving Rosaline to Juliet. “What does he want his audience to understand about the nature of love?” she prompted.
Hands were raised high until the final seconds of the period. When it came time to go, Class 8 reluctantly packed up their things, eager to continue their robust discussion.
