If you were to walk up to anyone on the street and ask them, “Who is the most famous writer of all time?” many people would most likely name William Shakespeare. He has thirty-seven plays to his name, but none of them are as loved and read as Romeo and Juliet.

While Romeo and Juliet might not be a novel, it certainly is a classic, earning it a place in the “Classic Novels Through Crosswords” series. According to ThoughtCo, it’s also one of the most frequently taught books in high school. See why with these Romeo and Juliet crosswords.

Examples of Romeo and Juliet Crosswords

Crosswords based on this famous play come with unique opportunities. Every crossword about a story can focus on characters and their quotes.

However, with a play, you can take it a step further. You can take quotes from the play, use them as crossword clues, then make the answer whoever said the quote. A crossword like this will help students comprehend the plot and each character’s involvement.

Then, plays also present the opportunity to separate crosswords by acts. Romeo and Juliet has four acts. These crosswords focus on each act individually.

Shakespeare plays also offer a great opportunity to teach vocabulary words. After all, he invented over 1700 words that we still use today. Use this list and the crosswords below as an opportunity to teach new words to your students.

Finally, don’t forget to give students crosswords about the bard behind the story: William Shakespeare. By understanding Shakespeare in his time, students will better understand the concept of Romeo and Juliet and its seemingly farfetched plot.

Making and Sharing Puzzles

Now that you’ve seen some samples of Romeo and Juliet crosswords, it’s time to make your own. Use these as inspiration, then add your own twist. You can add clues based on discussions you had in class. If your students acted out the play in class, match characters with the students who played them. There are many ways to make this older play feel new again.

A reminder to teachers throughout this blog series: you’ll want to make that your crossword can only be solved by reading the book and not through other materials. Add a couple of obscure references not covered by Sparknotes. Or, add staging notes Leonardo DiCaprio didn’t use in his movie adaptation.

As for sharing puzzles, you might want to introduce your crossword puzzle as review for a test or as extra credit. You can use crosswords as a pop quiz, too. If your resources allow it, have students make their own. Then, give them to the rest of the class to solve. You might even give a bonus to the student who makes the most challenging crossword!