Getting your students to compare two video versions of "Romeo and Juliet" in an essay can be both educational and highly enjoyable. Both Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 version and Baz Lurhmann's 1996 version make for effective comparisons. Ask students to elaborate on differences and similarities. For example, while Zeffirelli's film holds true to the setting of the play, the text is more accurate in Lurhmann's adaptation.
Mercutio's Queen Mab speech is a central part of the play and an effective piece of text for students to learn. It is also a speech filled with imagery and vivid descriptions that students are sure to find fascinating. Challenge students to study and memorize this speech, while discussing its relevance to the play as a whole and the character Mercutio.
Ask students to form groups, rehearse and re-enact certain scenes from the play. Pick out a selection of the most important scenes, such as the Capulet party, the balcony scene and Mercutio's death, and assign a scene to each group. Encourage students to take on the role of their favorite character and act out the scenes word for word.
Talk about some widely known modern public figures with different, opposing backgrounds and circumstances. The differences can range from political beliefs, to religion, to class. Present them to your students and ask them to match these public figures together to form hypothetical relationships. Ask each student to compose a fictional account of what might happen if one of the relationships were ever to take place. Tell them to use the love story in "Romeo and Juliet" as a structure for their pieces.