A set of instructions to students doing a mock trial for an English or Theater class. The goal of the trial is to determine if Friar Laurence is guilty of performing an illegal marriage.

1. Romeo and juliet
mock trial
instructions

2. The Concept:
You will get to participate in a mock trial, where we decide
whether or not Friar Lawrence should be punished for marrying
Romeo and Juliet. Everyone in the class can take part as either
witnesses or jury. The goal is to apply your knowledge of
annotation, persuasive speaking, and of course, the story of
Romeo and Juliet to make compelling legal arguments.
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3. 1.
The players
Who is doing what?
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4. The lawyers
The Defense
The Defense intends to
prove that the marriage was
legal under the CRIMINAL
PROHIBITIONS ON THE
MARRIAGE OF MINORS
ACT (a fake law made up
for our class).
The Prosecution
The Prosecutor intends to prove
that Friar Lawrence performed
an illegal marriage because he
married two minors without
their parent’s consent.
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5. Lord Capulet
His goal with his testimony is to
prove that The Defendant, Friar
Lawrence, was guilty of
performing an illegal marriage.
Ghost Juliet
Her goal is to prove that your
marriage to Romeo was your choice
and Friar Lawrence was respecting
your wishes, while your father
threatened you with death and
disownment if you refused.
The witnesses
The Nurse
Her goal is to prove that, although
she originally supported Juliet's
marriage to Romeo, it wasn't
helpful to Juliet.
Friar Lawrence
As the defendant, he is trying to
prove that his decision to
marry Romeo and Juliet was
lawful and justifiable.
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6. The Defendant
The charge against the Defendant, Friar
Lawrence is that he knowingly violated the
CRIMINAL PROHIBITIONS ON THE
MARRIAGE OF MINORS ACT
Whoever violates this law shall be guilty of a
misdemeanor of the first degree, which is
punishable by up to 6 months in jail and/or a
$1,000 fine.
As a priest, Friar Lawrence may be expelled
from his order if he has a criminal record,
causing him to be essentially homeless.
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“I am the greatest, able to do least,
Yet most suspected, as the time and
place
Doth make against me of this
direful murder;
And here I stand, both to impeach
and purge
Myself condemned and myself
excused.”

7. “
So shine the heavens upon this holy act.
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8. The facts of the case:
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1. After Romeo killed Tybalt, The Defendant, Friar Lawrence hid
him in The Defendant’s cell, then told him to go to Mantua.
2. Juliet came to The Defendant and threatened to kill herself if
The Defendant didn’t stop her parents from forcing her to
marry Paris.
3. The Defendant gave her a potion to fake her death and wrote to
Romeo, telling him to meet Juliet in Capulet’s tomb.
4. Friar John told The Defendant he couldn’t get the message to
Romeo so The Defendant went to the tomb and discovered
Romeo and Paris dead.
5. In the tomb, Juliet awaked and The Defendant promised to hide
her in a convent, but then a noise scared The Defendant away.
6. When The Defendant returned, Romeo and Juliet were dead.

9. 9

10. The Statute
CRIMINAL PROHIBITIONS ON THE
MARRIAGE OF MINORS ACT
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11. CRIMINAL PROHIBITIONS ON THE MARRIAGE OF MINORS
ACT
▣ The purpose of this act is to protect the integrity of
the family and the independent rights of minor
children.
▣ Prohibitions:
▣ No officiant shall perform the marriage of a
minor child without the consent of the child’s
parent, unless such minor child has first been
determined to be emancipated and such
determination was in the minor’s best interest.

12. What does “Emancipated”
Mean?
An emancipated person is under 18, who has the same legal
rights as an adult.
The trial depends upon your proving whether or not Juliet
could legally be considered emancipated, and thus, her
marriage to Romeo was legal.
The statute grants emancipated status to children who:
▣ Demonstrate the ability and capacity to live independently,
▣ Express the wish to become emancipated.
▣ Have a difficult home environment, especially if there is a risk of violence or
harm to the minor child,
▣ Whether the marriage of the child promotes a union that is beneficial to
society,
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13. Defense
Is Juliet able to make her
own decisions?
Would Juliet’s union benefit
society?
Was Juliet’s home
environment safe? If not,
would getting married help
her escape it?
Questions to consider:
Prosecution
Can you collect testimony
from enough people to
prove that Juliet wasn't
emancipated?
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14. 3.
Structure OF The Trial
Let’s start with the first set of slides
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15. Day 1: Legal Arguments
1 2 3
Split class into two
groups- Defense
and Prosecution
Annotate the
Statute- look at
the purpose of the
law and find
points that back
up your
arguments.
Make questions to
ask the witnesses.
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16. Rhetorical Triangle
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Pathos
Appeal to
emotions.
3
Logos
Use of facts and
logic to justify a
position.
2
Ethos
The speaker’s
credibility, whether
experience or expert
testimony or
knowledge.
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17. The Arguments Are all designed to influence the
Jury.
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The Jury
The Defense
Witnesses
The
Prosecutor
The Judge
The Jury
The Prosecutor
Bias
The
Defense
The
Witnesses

18. Day 2: The Trial
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1. Jury Instructions- The Judge
2. Opening Statements- Prosecutor and
Defense Lawyer
3. Witness For the Prosecution- Lord
Capulet
4. Cross-Examination- Lord Capulet
5. Witness For the Defense- Ghost Juliet
6. Witness For the Prosecution- The Nurse
7. Cross-Examination- The Nurse

19. The Trial- 2
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8. Defendant’s Testimony- Friar Lawrence
9. Cross-Examination- Friar Lawrence
10.Witness for the Prosecution- Lady
Capulet
11. Cross-Examination- Lady Capulet
12. Closing Statements- Prosecutor and
Defense Lawyer
13. Post Trial Instructions- Judge
14.The Verdict- Jury
15. Weighing In- Judge

20. Rhetoric
the art of effective or
persuasive speaking or
writing, especially the use of
figures of speech and other
compositional techniques.
Cross Examination
Questioning of a witness
conducted by the lawyer for
the opposing side
Bias
Prejudice in favor of or
against one thing, person,
or group compared with
another, usually in a way
considered to be unfair.
Let’s review some concepts
Loaded Term
A term that has a
powerful connotation.
Rhetorical Question
A question posed by the
speaker, but not answered
by them because its answer
should be obvious to the
listener..
Repetition (In rhetoric)
The repetition of a word or
phrase so it sticks in the
listener’s head.
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21. But let your fair eyes and
gentle wishes go
with me to my trial...
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22. Credits
Special thanks to all the people who made and
released these awesome resources for free:
▣ Presentation template by SlidesCarnival
▣ The Hon. Anne Taylor, for writing the
statute, and her expert legal advice.
▣ Ms. Kellner for helping me design this
project.
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