Queen Mab Poster

Mercutio’s view of dreams and love mark him as the perfect foil for Romeo’s romantic inclinations. After Romeo claims he “dreamed a dream” that foretells something will happen that night that will set things in motion that will lead to his death, Mercutio responds with his own views of dreams, views that involve Queen Mab. The Queen Mab assignment covers several standards. You can make minor changes to the assignment to cover additional standards.

• RL.9-12.1 Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.

• RL.9-12.2 Determine a theme or central idea of a text, how it emerges and is shaped and refined by specific details; provide an objective summary of the text.

• RL.9-12.3 Analyze how complex characters (e.g., those with multiple or conflicting motivations) develop over the course of a text, interact with other characters, and advance the plot or develop the theme.

• L.9-10.3 Apply knowledge of language to understand how language functions in different contexts, to make effective choices for meaning or style, and to comprehend more fully when reading or listening.

• L.9-10.5a Interpret figures of speech (e.g., euphemism, oxymoron) in context and analyze their role in the text.

Procedures

The handout explains the assignment. Use it for instruction. 1. Read Mercutio’s Queen Mab speech in Act 1, Scene 4 of Romeo and Juliet. 2. Discuss and/or annotate the speech. 3. Go over assignment instructions.

QueenCopyright 2016 – Trent Media Mab Directions: 1. Read through Mercutio’s description of Queen Mab. 2. As you read, highlight and number at least 10 physical features of Queen Mab, her entourage, or her accessories. 3. Create a “wanted poster” with a drawing of Queen Mab (as accurately as possible). 4. On the wanted poster, label the 10 features (numbers only) that you highlighted in the passage. Be sure to include the reward amount for her capture.

MERCUTIO: O, then I see Queen Mab Because their breaths with sweetmeats hath been with you. tainted are. She is the fairies' midwife, and she comes Sometimes she gallops o'er a courtier's nose, In shape no bigger than an agate stone And then dreams he of smelling out a suit; On the forefinger of an alderman, And sometimes comes she with a tithe-pig's Drawn with a team of little atomies tail Over men's noses as they lie asleep; Tickling a parson's nose as 'a lies asleep, Her wagon spokes made of long spinners' Then dreams he of another benefice. legs, Sometimes she driveth o'er a soldier's neck, The cover, of the wings of grasshoppers; And then dreams he of cutting foreign Her traces, of the smallest spider web; throats, Her collars, of the moonshine's wat'ry Of breaches, ambuscadoes, Spanish blades, beams; Of healths five fathom deep; and then anon Her whip, of cricket's bone; the lash, of film; Drums in his ear, at which he starts and Her wagoner, a small grey-coated gnat, wakes, Not half so big as a round little worm And being thus frighted, swears a prayer or Pricked from the lazy finger of a maid; two Her chariot is an empty hazelnut, And sleeps again. This is that very Mab Made by the joiner squirrel or old grub, That plats the manes of horses in the night Time out o' mind the fairies' coachmakers. And bakes the elflocks in foul sluttish hairs, And in this state she gallops night by night Which once untangled much misfortune Through lovers' brains, and then they dream bodes. of love; This is the hag, when maids lie on their O'er courtiers' knees, that dream on curtsies backs, straight; That presses them and learns them first to O'er lawyers' fingers, who straight dream on bear, fees; Making them women of good carriage. O'er ladies' lips, who straight on kisses This is she! dream, Which oft the angry Mab with blisters plagues,

For a complete list of lesson plans, check out the ELA Common Core Lesson Plans catalogue.

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