Students in Mrs. Lantz’s 9th grade English Language Arts class recently turned their classroom into Verona, Italy for Lord Capulet’s Annual Masquerade Feast, a fun, creative way to wrap up their study of Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet!

As part of the project, students designed symbolic masks inspired by characters from the play. Using colors, symbols, and artistic details pulled directly from the text, each mask reflected a character’s personality, choices, and role in the story.

Students also created themed food and drink items connected to important characters, scenes, and themes from the play. Some creations included “Romeo’s Poison” drinks and heart-shaped treats representing love and relationships.

To go along with their projects, students wrote analysis cards explaining how their ideas connected to specific scenes, symbolism, themes, and character motivations in Romeo & Juliet.

The masquerade feast gave students a chance to bring the play to life in a hands-on way while building a deeper understanding of characterization, symbolism, and literary analysis.