Today we looked at and discussed the roles of duality and dichotomy in Romeo and Juliet.
We passed back WordSkills tests today. If you were gone, you need to get yours. They were awesome!
1. Age and Youth Binary list. First, we made a binary t-chart for age and youth. Students added characteristics of the aged and the young to each side. Then, we listened to a short commentary on Prokofiev’s use of age and youth themes in his ballet Romeo and Juliet.
Listen for yourself here: Russian Valentine: Prokofiev’s Romeo and Juliet
Then, students added to their lists based on their listening.
2. Definitions of Duality and Dichotomy. Students wrote down these definitions if they didn’t have them yet:
Dichotomy: the division of the world into two opposing sides without overlap. For example, the dichotomy of church and state.
Duality: the necessary coexistence of two opposites within the same whole. For example, the duality of man is the state of having a mind and a body, which oppose each other, but also work together to form a complete human.
3. Practice with Binaries in Act II. Students chose a passage to analyze for its use of opposing language. In class, we completed all questions EXCEPT the diagram activity. Click here to download the passages: II.iii Opposites (choose one of the three only!).
HW: For tomorrow, finish answering the questions on the Opposites sheet (different for Standard and Honors). Then, read Act III, scene i of the play.
Absentees: Download II.iii Opposites (above) and choose one of the passages. Then print the page with the passage on it and the page immediately following it (you do not need to print all 6 pages). Complete the questions on the back. Do not make the diagram. We will do that in class.
ALEXA GARVOILLE 