Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, are a staple in high schools around the world. While this play is hundreds of years old, we can still appreciate the intense feelings of young love and youthful brashness. In today’s post, I’m sharing 6 engaging Romeo and Juliet classroom activities that will help this classic come to life in your high school English class.

Whether your students are experiencing Shakespeare for the first time or are already fans of his work, these activities will engage and inspire them. By exploring the themes, language, and characters in innovative ways, you can make the story resonate with modern audiences. Let’s dive into these six engaging activities to make Romeo and Juliet an unforgettable experience for your students!

Romeo and Juliet Pre-Reading Personality Quiz

Before diving into the timeless tale of Romeo and Juliet, why not spark your students’ interest? You can do this with a fun, FREE, and interactive personality quiz. This engaging activity helps students discover whether they would belong to the Montague or Capulet family based on 10 questions.

By using themes, character actions, and quotes from the play to see how they already feel, the quiz not only excites students but also introduces them to the language and themes of Shakespeare’s tragedy.

It’s the perfect icebreaker to set the stage for an in-depth exploration of Verona’s most famous feuding families. This activity fosters a personal connection to the characters. It enhances their overall reading experience.

Grab this FREE Romeo and Juliet activity HERE!

Queen Mab Activity for Romeo and Juliet

“O, then I see Queen Mab hath been with you.”- Mercutio in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Mercutio’s Queen Mab monologue is infamous. He uses vivid imagery to paint a picture of the ethereal faery queen. You can have students learn about the folklore and mythology behind Queen Mab here.

You can also have students create one-pagers here using Mercutio’s lines to help support their illustrations. They could do this with art supplies, making a collage, or even using AI to generate images of what they think she looks like!

Character Mask Project for Romeo and Juliet

Much of the play is about what happens when we hide things. Romeo and Juliet fall for each other while wearing masks. The mask makes Romeo bold and forward with a woman he does not know. It also hides who he is so that Juliet can fall in love with the real him.

This is the perfect time to add in a literary analysis and art project!

Distribute blank masks (or construction paper to cut their own) and art supplies to the students. Each student will create a mask that represents their assigned character’s personality and emotions. Encourage creativity and symbolism (e.g., Romeo’s mask might be romantic and dreamy, while Tybalt’s might be fierce and bold).

On the other side, have students write the things that this character may be hiding from the party goers or society in general.

If you would love to implement this activity with ZERO EFFORT, check out this product!

Identity & Names Activity for Romeo and Juliet

“A rose by any other word would smell as sweet. So Romeo would, were he not Romeo called, Retain that dear perfection which he owes Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name, And, for thy name, which is no part of thee, Take all myself.”- Juliet in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

Start with a discussion on the importance of names and what they signify. Ask students how their names affect their sense of self and identity. When reading this passage, discuss how Juliet’s idea that a name does not define the essence of a person.

Continue this discussion with students about how Juliet believes Romeo would keep his “dear perfection” even if he were called by another name by asking students to reflect on their own names:

• What do their names mean to them?
• How do their names influence how they see themselves or how others see them?

You can have your students create a one-pager activity in which they write about qualities or characteristics that define them beyond their names. Have them fill up the page with statements such as, “I am…” as well as symbols /images connected to their identity.

Have them put their names on the back and then create a walking gallery and number each one. Assign students numbers to corresponding one-pagers to look at. Can they guess who each one-pager belongs to without knowing the name?

After they have made their guesses as to who it belonged to, reveal the names. Did they guess correctly? What did they learn about this person?

Comparing Film Versions of the Romeo and Juliet Fight Scene

The fight scene of Romeo and Juliet is the pivotal turning point of the play. However, there are different interpretations of this scene and leads you to wonder which would Shakespeare have approved of?

For this scene, I love to have students analyze 2 different movie versions: the 1968 version by Franco Zeffirelli and the 2013 version by Carlo Carlei.

Both use the same dialogue. The words do not change. But, in Zeffirelli’s version, Mercutio and Tybalt are playful and having fun. Mercutio’s death is truly an accident. In Carlei’s version, Tybalt and Mercutio are both out for blood and both intend to kill the other.

Based on what students have learned so far about these characters, I ask them to determine which version they think Shakespeare would have approved of. You can ask students to provide evidence from earlier in the play to support their statement.

Shakespearean Language Activity: Romeo’s Words & Sonnet 18

Shakespeare was the original work smarter not harder guy! He took a lot of inspiration from mythology, existing poems, and even… himself.

Before Shakespeare was the official royal playwriter, he was paid for his sonnets. Have students read and analyze his sonnet 18 and then compare with Romeo’s final words to Juliet. Your students will see how not only is it similar in themes of love surpassing even death, but even some of the language is quite similar.

Introducing the Complete Romeo & Juliet Teaching Bundle

If you’re looking to make planning even easier, I now have a Romeo and Juliet Bundle that includes all the activities mentioned in this post—plus a full set of close reading activities for each act.

This bundle is designed to help high school English teachers bring Shakespeare to life with high-interest, standards-aligned lessons, creative literary analysis activities, and ready-to-use print-and-go materials.

Whether you need engaging pre-reading warm-ups, deep-dive textual analysis, character activities, writing tasks, or assessments, this bundle gives you everything you need to teach the play with confidence—while saving hours of prep time.

If you’re ready to streamline your Romeo and Juliet unit, you can explore the bundle HERE.

Final Thoughts and Additional Resources

Whether you are teaching Romeo and Juliet for the first time or the hundredth, I hope you found some great activities today. With all Shakespeare plays, I HIGHLY recommend watching an Act or a scene before doing a close read and then an activity. You can read more of why I feel this way in this Instagram post!

Here are some additional resources that could be helpful when teaching Romeo and Juliet!

MyShapeare.com– I especially love the mock character interviews and they clear up any confusion for students. There are also modern translations, study tools, and much more.

Shakespeare Uncovered by PBS– this has some great documentary short videos that give fantastic insights into the play as well as other teaching resources.

If you would love some character analysis graphic organizers, check these out! Looking for a good, skills-based final exam on Romeo and Juliet? I have one HERE! Or, you can grab my Romeo and Juliet bundle and get EVERYTHING!

Would you love some ideas on teaching A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Check out this blog post!

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