Romeo and Juliet Wedding Activity - Wedding Speeches and Vow Writing Act 2
After reading Act 2, invite your students to reimagine Shakespeare’s tragedy with this immersive Romeo and Juliet Wedding Activity. Instead of the secret ceremony that takes place in the play, students envision an alternate Verona where the wedding is a public celebration attended by family and friends. Students step into the roles of key characters and craft wedding speeches or vows that reflect each character’s personality, relationships, and perspective on the marriage. This creative writing task requires students to draw directly from the text, using dialogue, motivations, and character traits to shape authentic, voice-driven speeches. The result is a memorable classroom experience that blends literary analysis with performance and creativity.
This is included in a unit plan:
→ Romeo and Juliet Unit
Included in this Romeo and Juliet Wedding Activity:
➡️ Romeo and Juliet Wedding Speech Invitations: Build excitement with ready-to-print wedding invitations announcing the “wedding that never was.” These invitations can be distributed ahead of time to generate anticipation and help set the tone for the immersive experience.
➡️ Romeo and Juliet Wedding Presentation: Use the included presentation to introduce and guide the entire lesson. The slides provide background on traditional wedding speeches and vows, revisit the context of Romeo and Juliet’s secret wedding in Act 2, and clearly explain the expectations for the writing assignment. The presentation also serves as a script and structure for the classroom wedding, helping you facilitate the ceremony smoothly from beginning to end.
➡️ Romeo and Juliet Wedding Speech Writing Assignment: Students choose from five possible speeches that could have been delivered at a public wedding. Using the included pre-writing graphic organizer, students analyze their chosen character’s personality, motivations, loyalties, and relationships before drafting their speech. Students select relevant text evidence to inspire tone, word choice, and message. Clear speech requirements are provided to guide structure and length. After drafting, students revise and practice delivering their speeches aloud in preparation for the classroom wedding ceremony. Below are the choices of speeches:
- Romeo or Juliet’s vows
- Mercutio’s Best Man Speech
- The Nurse’s Speech
- Lord or Lady Capulet or Montague’s Parent Speech
- Friar Lawrence’s Speech to the Couple
➡️ Teacher Introduction and Conclusion Wedding Speeches: Pre-written teacher speeches are included to open and close the ceremony in a traditional format. Use the introduction to welcome guests (your students) to the celebration and frame the alternate reality of the play. Conclude the ceremony with the provided closing speech to wrap up the event in a cohesive and memorable way.
If you like this, you'll love this resource:
→ English Bell Ringers Vol 3
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