'Romeo and Juliet': exploring Juliet's agency in Act 5, Scene 3
I can explain Juliet’s agency in Act 5, Scene 3 of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
'Romeo and Juliet': exploring Juliet's agency in Act 5, Scene 3
I can explain Juliet’s agency in Act 5, Scene 3 of ‘Romeo and Juliet’.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- Potentially, we might see Friar Lawrence’s offer of a nunnery as representing how limited women’s choices were.
- Arguably, Juliet asking permission to die undermines her agency in the scene.
- We might see Juliet’s death as fulfilling her destiny which could contradict her agency.
- Arguably, Juliet’s posthumous presentation is decided by men.
- This might reveal how ultimately women’s agency is undermined by men.
Keywords
Agency - the capacity of an individual to act independently from others and to make their own free choices
Fate - the development of events outside a person's control, regarded as predetermined by a supernatural power
Posthumous - happening or continuing after one's death
Common misconception
That everyone believes we all have control over our life and decisions.
If you believe in fate, then you believe that our life is predetermined and our decisions ultimately don't matter.
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: 'Romeo and Juliet': exploring Juliet's agency in Act 5, Scene 3, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 11 english lesson on: 'Romeo and Juliet': exploring Juliet's agency in Act 5, Scene 3, 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: Juliet and female agency unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
You may wish to have a copy of Shakespeare's 'Romeo and Juliet' for this lesson.
Content guidance
- Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
- Depiction or discussion of sensitive content
- Depiction or discussion of mental health issues
Supervision
Adult supervision required
Licence
Lesson video
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