Draft 3

Romeo and Juliet is the most widely read William Shakespeare play. It’s overwhelming themes of loyalty, family and love are no doubt reasons why. The characters and the journeys they lead allow for an exemplary piece of art to learn from.  When working with Shakespearean texts, the most important parts of the performance center on deciphering the intentions of language. This scene, 5.3, comes at a pivotal point in the play. Romeo must make the decision to live forever in agony without Juliet, or die to be with her. Romeo is a character that stands out from others through his extensive development throughout each act. My staging centered on Romeo as a character, aiming to highlight the change he has undergone throughout the play. Therefore, I used the text to find contrasting language showing Romeo’s growth, and in my body expressed this change and the passion that consumed him. While performing the final death scene, I focused on displaying the climax of Romeo’s change, as well as embodying Romeo’s love as motivation.

Romeo is a character with passion and excitement for anything new. In the play, he is a warm-hearted, adventurous spirit whose newfound love has dictated his every move. Romeo is introduced into the play as an innocent teenager, whose sonnets and overly dramatic language display his adolescence. For example, Shakespeare uses metaphors in Romeo’s text to symbolize his eagerness to understand love. When talking about his love for Rosaline, Romeo speaks in exaggerated and poetic language. This presents him as inexperienced with the concept of love.

“Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vexed a sea nourish'd with loving tears:
What is it else? a madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.”
(1.1.197-201)

This quote emphasizes “lovers’ eyes” a concept I interpreted as foreshadowing. I believed Shakespeare was alluding to Romeo being blind of what love is until he falls for Juliet at first sight. Using literary features such as foreshadowing and symbolism to understand the person Romeo was, allowed for a greater understanding of his change throughout the play. This was important to my scene because I had to show how Romeo grew from an innocent boy, to a man who has fallen in love and seen death.

In the final death scene, his language displays this change clearly. Romeo begins to speak in blank verse, which is completely without rhyme, instilling seriousness. This was different than the romantic poems Romeo spoke in during act one. The language in this scene also enabled an honesty, which did not translate through in the beginning of the play. “Death, that hath suck’d the honey of thy breath,/ Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty/ Thou art not conquer’d, beauty’s ensign yet/ Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,”(5.3.92-95) This line shows that while the content is beauty and love, the way Romeo speaks has become much darker. Words such as ‘suck’d the honey’ and ‘crimson’ show variety in tone of Romeo’s text. This contrast of Romeo in act one then act five displays the way Shakespeare uses language and style to show character development.

I showed this growth on stage by contrasting the character Romeo was first introduced as through my body and voice. To display the change, I focused on being unafraid of emotional vulnerability and embracing passion. On stage, I made many small details flourish into an arched theme of change. For example, I began my lines standing completely still, facing towards the audience. I thought this was important because it displayed Romeo’s disbelief of Juliet’s death. I tried to stand so still it seemed that Romeo was incapable of moving because of the pain he felt. I started lines soft, reiterating Romeo’s fear. On the lines, “Or did I dream it so?/ Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet,/ To think it was so?” (5.3.87-89) I grew louder and more frustrated in my tone. On these lines I broke my stillness and sharply reached out as if I was grasping for answers. After line 94, I slowly turned towards Juliet and began to breathe heavily. This showed Romeo’s cautiousness to see Juliet’s body. I theorized that once Romeo saw her, he knew he would finally have to accept her death.  This acceptance would drive the following emotion of the scene. When I did see Juliet, I ran over and yelled the line “O my love, my wife!” (5.3.100) with obvious heartbreak. All of these subtle acting choices performed the change discussed before.

Beyond showing Romeo’s change, I knew I needed to understand Romeo’s deep love for Juliet as something true to make his suicide genuine. Understanding Romeo and Juliet’s story past the romance and into the depth of Romeo’s inner conflict was of highest priority. I found that by honing in on the climate leading up to the moment, I could grasp the true essence of Romeo’s intense love for Juliet. Since the beginning of the play, Shakespeare has foreshadowed to the lover’s being true, but never finding peace together. For example, this foreshadowing can be found in act one; “My mind misgives/ Some consequence/ yet hanging in the stars/ Shall bitterly begin his fearful date” (1.4.106-107) Therefore, I knew that this scene was the peak of their love. I found this to be relevant of the character’s thoughts from the prologue which states “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, / Whose misadventured piteous overthrows / Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.” (Prologue, 6-9) This showed me Shakespeare’s emphasis on Romeo and Juliet’s inevitable physical distance, which I knew needed to be a theme of the performance.

To put this love to stage, my main focus was taking the literary themes, and then transforming it into a physical, as well as emotional, experience. I concentrated on using the insight I gained from analyzing the text to embody Romeo’s love discussed prior. The scene begins with Romeo off stage and Juliet center stage. This immediately sets the tone of the scene as the pair being separated. Despite this, Juliet’s texts centers around Romeo, instilling an idea of their souls being together. This choice proves a theme of the two being the ‘star-crossed lovers’. I wanted to do this to show how even through death, the two believe their love is everlasting.

Continuing, I often found myself using my body to show these themes of love and distance. For instance, by kneeling down next to Juliet for a majority of the lines, I was able to hold her physically close. This closeness portrayed love and intimacy, important pieces of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. I wanted Romeo to embrace his last moments with Juliet on Earth before taking his life to join her spirit. “O here/ Will I set up my everlasting rest/ And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars/ From this world wearied flesh.” (5.3.109-112) This line was where I showed Romeo’s final decision to die. I said the line with conviction and strength to exemplify Romeo’s willingness sacrifice. “The yoke of inauspicious stars” (5.3.111) was a line I explained as Romeo’s decision to forget his past and forgive the darkness of his life. Thus, I delivered this line compassionately. Knowing Romeo’s past with violence and feud, I understood that this forgiveness was a convincing factor to Romeo’s suicide, both for the audience and the character himself. I did not over dramatize this piece, but sought humanity from the audience to evoke authenticity. The most important place where I found a balance of drama and truth was when Romeo eventually drank the poison and died in Juliet’s lap. I imagined tearing up in complete despair to see his love dead. I slowly started to move Romeo towards suicide by exaggerating the lines with dramatic pauses. I also kept visual focus right on Juliet’s face. I had to find a medium between the emotion in my voice and the honesty in the movements. I also wanted to reveal Romeo second-guessing what afterlife would entail for him. Having Romeo second guess his faith was an intentional decision I made to add layers to Romeo’s death on stage. This drove home the theme of the lover's passion.

To display the previously discussed death scene climax and emotion, not only did I use my voice, but also my face and body. Body language and movements were a large part of the scene. I focused on how to move with a strong, relevant presence on stage. For example, in the moments of drinking the poison, I committed to moving very slowly to show Romeo’s contemplation. In the pauses I found moments to breathe and look up to the sky. I thought this showed Romeo’s fear but also his want for guidance. When holding Juliet I always was soft but simultaneously intense in my need to be as close as I could to Juliet’s body. My face was constantly changing depending upon the content of my lines. When speaking of Juliet’s beauty, for example, “And, lips, O you/ The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss” (5.3.122-123) I smiled and showed a sense of nostalgia in my face, as if Romeo was reminiscing of the joy he had with Juliet. Although when speaking of Romeo’s hate for death on lines 111-114, “Why art thou yet so fair?/ Shall I believe/ That unsubstantial death is amorous,/ And that the lean abhorrèd monster keeps/ Thee here in dark to be his paramour?” (5.3.111-114) I strived to show the disgust of death in Romeo’s face.

Romeo and Juliet is interesting to perform because it is a tragedy that focuses on change just as much as emotion. Understanding how Romeo grows up and learns to love in a way that leads to suicide is valuable for any actor striving to develop their script interpretation. The literary aspects of the text allow for the characters to be so extraordinarily deep. Therefore, while focusing on love and change to portray Romeo, I believe I grew as both an actress able to embody themes as well as characters, and a reader of literature holistically. The most interesting piece of this performance was how I initially had a hard time relating to Romeo. Eventually I was able to hone in on my own personalities that aligned with him. This helped me find Romeo in myself. I found my voice in the scene and freedom in my acting, which I value immensely. For the first time as an actor I paid close attention to the text analysis. I truly relied on my literary interpretation skills for most of my acting choices. This was highly liberating as it gave me a new perspective on finding truth in my acting. I looked closely at Shakespeare's writing and dug deep into the rhyme, patterns and word choice that made Romeo stand out. For the first time, I looked at a script as a piece of literature, not just acting lines.

Works Cited

1.     Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet: Original Text next to a Filmed Performance. New York: New Book, LLC, 2014. Print.

KRIK? KRAK! Background Knowledge

Edwidge Danticat

• Edwidge Danticat is a Haitian–American novelist and short story writer
• Her family left Haiti without her and her brother 
• Left Haiti for the US as a teenager and found her family
• When to Barnar and Brown, studied French and creative writing, her masters theis were her first book 'Breathe, Eyes, Memory' which told the story of a girl from Haiti

History of Haiti

• Christopher Columbus arrived in Haiti and claimed the land as 'little Spain'
• Haiti becomes a conoly of France with slavery 
• 1804 was the end of the Revolution and Haiti became an independent nation 
• 1915 US invades Haiti
• 1934 US withdrawls troops but kept fiscal control
• Dictatorship until 1990 when the first free election was held
• Current- vilolence from gangs and politics, supported by the President

Toussaint L'Ouverture

- Best known leader of the Haitian revolution, military and political

Boukman

- Another leader of the Revolution, black enslaved man who fought early in the war

1937, Dominican Massacre

President Rafael Trujillo wanted the Domican Republic to be very 'pure' and white so he gave the black Haitians time to leave and all those who didn't/couldn't were killed in a giant gencidal attack

Voodoo religion-  Orginated in African and the Caribbean, thought to be a religious mix of Catholic,  African and Native American trandtions and practices, no scripture or word authority, it is practiced around the world but not really recognized as an organized religion 

Duvalier (Papa Doc)

- Francois Duvalier was the president of Haiti from 1957-1971. He was elected upon a black nationalist platform and successfully prevented a coup d'etat in 1958 

Tonton Macoute

- a special operations unit created under the dictatorship of Papa Doc under Haitian parliamentary rule, Hatians named the force Tonton Macoute after a creole mythological 'bogeyman' who was known to kidnap children 

Jean Claude Duvalier (Baby Doc)

- Jean-Claude Duvalier, nicknamed “Baby Doc”, was the President of Haiti from 1971 until his overthrow by a popular uprising in 1986.  His father was Papa Doc, he improved US and Haitian relations immensely 

KRIK? KRAK! Notes

KRIK? KRAK! Notes


Chapter One: Children of the Sea


Book jumps right in, no  context or backstory just yet, right off the bat very poetic language
Referring to the reader or another unnamed character as ‘you’
A lot of imagery (mountains, smells, red ants)
Symbolism? (white sheets- innocence)
Rape/sexual assault culture
Is this is letter to a man’s past lover?
‘Soldiers not like humans’
Setting- Haiti
War going on where the woman is, man is gone on a boat, maybe fighting abroad?
They are late teens, early twenties
Man has no hope for his country
Man is heading to America
Man is much more educated than the woman, he does not seem happy, his language is very sad/defeatist
Gender roles, woman is oppressed by her society, man got leave
Violence, conflict, government- big themes so far
Butterflies- recurring symbolism
Baby is dead, women is only 15, raped by soldiers
‘Sea has no mercy’ dead baby in it, symbolism of Haiti w/ death
They are in love, but cannot be together... ‘Romeo and Juliet”??? separated by conflict??

Draft 2

Currently this is 2,125 words so I need help cutting it down...

Romeo and Juliet is the most widely read William Shakespeare play and it’s overwhelming themes of loyalty, family and love are no doubt reasons why. The characters and journey of the play allow for an exemplary piece of art to learn from. Romeo and Juliet is set in Verona, Italy in the 1500s during a time of conflict and violence. When working with Shakespearean texts, the most important parts of the adaptation center around deciphering the intentions of language. This scene, 5.3, comes at a pivotal point in the play. In this moment, Romeo must make the decision to live forever in agony without Juliet, or die to be with her. Romeo is a character that stands out from others through his extensive development throughout each act. My adaptation centered around Romeo as a character, aiming to highlight the change he has undergone throughout the play leading up to this moment. Therefore, I used the text to find contrasting language showing Romeo’s growth, and in my body expressed this change and the passion that consumed him. While performing the final death scene, I focused on displaying the climax of Romeo’s change, as well as embodying Romeo’s love as motivation. 

Romeo is a character with plenty of passion and excitement for anything new. In the play, he is a warm-hearted, adventurous spirit whose new found love has dictated his every move. Romeo is introduced into the play as an innocent teenager, who’s sonnets and overly dramatic language display his adolescence. For example, Shakespeare uses metaphors in Romeo’s text to symbolize his eagerness to understand love. Such as when talking about his love for Rosaline, Romeo speaks in exaggerated and poetic language, presenting him as inexperienced with the concept of love.

“Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;

Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;

Being vexed a sea nourish'd with loving tears:

What is it else? a madness most discreet,

A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.”

(1.1.197-201)

This quote shows the emphasis on “lovers’ eyes” a concept I interpreted during my character study as Shakespeare foreshadowing. I believed he was alluding to Romeo being blind of what love is until he falls for Juliet at first sight. Using literary features such as foreshadowing and symbolism to understand the person Romeo was, allowed for a greater understanding of his change throughout the play. Romeo has experienced monumental moments in his life such as marriage and murder, all which have shifted his perspective on love. This was important to my scene because I had to show how Romeo grew from an innocent boy, to a man who fallen in love and seen death. 

In the final death scene, his language displays this change clearly. Romeo begins to speak in blank verse, which is completely without rhyme, instilling a seriousness. This was different than the romantic poems Romeo spoke in during act one. The language is this scene also enabled an honesty which did not translate through in the beginning of the play. “Death, that hath suck’d the honey of thy breath,/ Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty/ Thou art not conquer’d, beauty’s ensign yet/ Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,”(5.3.92-95) This line shows that while content is similar of beauty and love in act one and act five, the way Romeo speaks has changed to be much darker. Words such as ‘suck’d the honey’ and ‘crimson’ show variety in the tone of Romeo’s text. 

This growth showed on stage by contrasting the character Romeo was first introduced as completely through my body and voice. To display the change occurring in Romeo while putting the scene to stage, I focused on being as unafraid of emotional vulnerability as possible and embracing the passion or Romeo’s love. To express this critical change on stage, I made many small details flourish into an arched theme. For example, I began my lines standing completely still, facing towards the audience. I thought this was important because it displayed Romeo’s fear and disbelief of Juliet’s death. I tried to stand so still it seemed that Romeo was incapable of moving because of the pain he felt. I started lines soft, reiterating Romeo’s disbelief. On the lines, “Or did I dream it so?/ Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet,/ To think it was so?” (5.3.87-89) I grew louder and more frustrated in my tone. On these lines I broke my stillness and sharply reached out as if I was grasping for answers. After line 94, I slowly turned towards Juliet and began to breathe heavily. This showed Romeo’s cautiousness to see Juliet’s body. I theorized that once Romeo saw her, he knew he would finally have to accept her death.  This acceptance would drive the following emotion of the scene. When I did see Juliet, I ran over and yelled the line “O my love, my wife!” (5.3.100) with obvious heartbreak and tragedy in my voice. This contrast of Romeo in act one then act five displays the way Shakespeare uses language and style to show character development. 

Beyond showing Romeo’s change, I knew I needed to understand Romeo’s deep love for Juliet as something true to make his suicide genuine. Understanding Romeo and Juliet’s story past the romance and into the depth of Romeo’s inner conflict was of highest priority. I found that by honing in on the tone of the death scene and the climate leading up to the moment, I could grasp the true essence of Romeo’s intentions. Since the beginning of the play, Shakespeare has foreshadowed to the lover’s never finding peace together. For example, this foreshadowing can be found in act one; “My mind misgives/ Some consequence/ yet hanging in the stars/ Shall bitterly begin his fearful date” (1.4.106-107) Therefore, I knew from the text that this scene was the climax of the drama. 

To show this climax, I had to know the importance of this scene in relevance to the complete story and embody it. I knew Romeo’s fear and love had to shine through, therefore I trembled throughout several lines. I believe this showed the emotional intensity of the scene. I imagined tearing up in complete despair to see his love dead. This is where I began to focus on Romeo’s intense love for Juliet. I slowly started to move Romeo towards suicide himself by exaggerating the lines with dramatic pauses and kept visual focus right on Juliet’s face. This reiterated the theme of Romeo’s pain and allowed me to bring more emotion to the scene. I also focused on allowing Romeo to live in his last moments with Juliet. Although I eventually showed a strong confidence in Romeo’s decision to kill himself, I believed it was important to still display Romeo’s grief. I also wanted to reveal Romeo second guessing what afterlife will entail for him. Having Romeo second guess his faith was an intentional decision I made to add layers to Romeo’s death. I did this by taking moments to hold Juliet close as well as look away from her to show the contrast of Romeo’s inner conflict.

Continuing the process of putting literature to stage, my main focus was taking the literary themes and style of the script, then transforming it into a physical, as well as emotional, experience. I concentrated on using the insight I gained from analyzing the text to embody Romeo’s change and love. The scene begins with Romeo off stage and Juliet center stage. This immediately sets the tone of the scene as the pair being separated. Despite this, Juliet’s texts centers around Romeo, instilling an idea of their souls being together. This choice proves a theme of the two being the ‘star-crossed lovers’. I wanted to do this to show how even through death, the two believe their love is everlasting. I found this to be relevant of the character’s thoughts from the prologue which states “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, / Whose misadventured piteous overthrows / Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.” (Prologue, 6-9) This showed me Shakespeare’s emphasis on Romeo and Juliet’s inevitable physical distance, which I knew needed to be a theme of the adaption.

I often found myself using my body to show these themes of love and distance. For instance, by kneeling down next to Juliet for a majority of the lines, I was able to hold her physically close. This closeness portrayed love and intimacy, important pieces of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship. I wanted Romeo to embrace his last moments with Juliet on Earth before taking his life to join her spirit. “O here/ Will I set up my everlasting rest/ And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars/ From this world wearied flesh.” (5.3.109-112) This line was where I showed Romeo’s final decision to die. I said the line with conviction and strength to exemplify Romeo’s sacrifice. “The yoke of inauspicious stars” (5.3.111) was a line I explained as Romeo’s decision to forget his past and forgive the darkness of his life. Thus, I delivered this line strong and compassionately. Knowing Romeo’s past with violence and feud, I understood that this forgiveness was a convincing factor to Romeo’s suicide, both for the audience and the character himself. I did not over dramatize this piece, but seeked empathy and humanity from the audience to evoke authenticity. The most important place where I found a balance of drama and truth was when Romeo eventually drank the poison and died in Juliet’s lap. I had to find a medium between the emotion in my voice and the honesty in the movements. I used the text to find beats and natural breathes. 

To display the previously discussed emotion, not only did I use my voice, but also my face and body. Body language and movements were a large part of the scene. I focused on how to move with a strong, relevant presence on stage. I decided where I felt Romeo had no choice but to move and committed to the motions. For example, in the moments of drinking the poison, I moved very slowly to show Romeo’s contemplation and in the pauses found moments to breathe and look up to the sky. I thought this showed Romeo’s fear but also his want for guidance. I strived to always move with purpose, and whenever I touched Juliet I made sure to devote energy to the movement. I believe this showed the passion and extremity of the moment which caused Romeo to move initially. This aligned with the emotion and passion I described before. When holding Juliet I always was soft but simultaneously intense in my need to be as close as I could to Juliet’s body. My face was constantly changing depending upon the content of my lines. When speaking of Juliet’s beauty, for example, “And, lips, O you/ The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss” (5.3.122-123) I smiled and showed a sense of nostalgia in my face, as if Romeo was reminiscing of the joy he had with Juliet. Although when speaking of Romeo’s hate for death on lines 111-114, “Why art thou yet so fair?/ Shall I believe/ That unsubstantial death is amorous,/ And that the lean abhorrèd monster keeps/ Thee here in dark to be his paramour?” (5.3.111-114) I strived to show the hate in my face and disgust of Romeo’s unfortunate situation.

Romeo and Juliet is interesting to perform because it is a tragedy that focuses on change just as much as emotion. Understanding how Romeo grows up and learns to love in a way that leads to suicide, is valuable for any actor striving to develop their script interpretation. The literary aspects of the text allow for the characters to be so extraordinary in their depth. Therefore, while focusing on love and change to portray Romeo, I believe I grew as both an actress able to embody themes as well as characters, and a reader of literature holistically. The most interesting piece of this performance was how I initially had a hard time relating to Romeo. Although, eventually I was able to hone in on my own personalities that aligned with Romeo which helped me find him in myself. I found my voice in the scene and freedom in my acting which I value immensely. For the first time as an actor I payed close attention to the text analysis. I truly relied on my literary interpretation skills for most of my acting choices. I looked closely at Shakespeare's writing and dug deep into the rhyme, patterns and word choice that made Romeo stand out.

Sample Paper Grading

Sample Paper 1- 15/20

Criterion A: 4

Criterion B: 6

Criterion C: 4

Explanation: I thought this paper had very good focus and organization. I thought that their set up and use of language allowed the piece to be understandable and gave the reader good insight to their process. The literary analysis piece of the paper was very well done. They had strong points which always were paired with relevant evidence. They went into the deep detail of Margaret as a character, and did a good job of explaining the importance of their textual analysis in preparing for the performance. My only critique of this part of the paper was there was a bit too much unnecessary summary. The acting part of the paper was also well done. The diagram of the stage was interesting and gave me a clear view of the scene. I am unsure if it was needed, but it was a nice specific. They went into detail of their emotions but they focused a bit too much on the audience and fellow actors rather than honing in on their personal body language/face. I would have liked to see more specific ideas of taking their literary analysis to stage, such as movements and facial expressions. Overall, I think the paper was very good but could have used more on the acting part of their process. I gave them a 6/10 because they had all the literary analysis needed, just not the information that explained how they put it to stage.

Sample Paper 2- 17/20

Criterion A: 5

Criterion B: 7

Criterion C: 5

Explanation: This paper did a good job of incorporating their acting and literary choices as single thoughts rather than two parts of the paper. This was a different approach but successful one in structure. The language and organization were great and I has no trouble reading the paper. While I thought the literary analysis of language, punctuation, rhyme etc. were all great, there was very little on their acting choices. Once in a while there would be explanation of how they showed the emotions they were grasping from the text, but not enough. They found a lot of great acting ideas from the text but never went on to explain how they adapted that to the stage. Apart from once or twice saying they kneeled down, very little movements/body language were discussed. This is why I scored it a 7/10 in criterion B. I appreciated how they had little no drop quotes and always took the time to explain their evidence. The student also gave close attention to language and Shakespeare's writing to find their character choices. I thought this was great. The only thing this paper was really lacking was specifics and details of acting choices.

Draft of Written Coursework #1

Romeo and Juliet is the most widely read William Shakespeare play and it’s overwhelming themes of loyalty, family and love are no doubt reasons why. The characters in the play and the journeys they follow allow for an exemplary piece of art to learn about both literary topics and performance skills. When working with Shakespearean texts, the most important parts of the adaptation center around deciphering the intentions of the language. This scene comes at a pivotal point where Romeo must make the decision to live forever in agony without Juliet, or die to be with her. Romeo specifically is a character that stands out from others through his extensive development throughout each act. The adaptation centered around Romeo as a character, aiming to highlight the change he has undergone throughout the play leading up to this moment in act five, scene three. Therefore, while performing the final death scene, I focused on displaying the climax of Romeo’s change, as well as embodying Romeo’s love as his motivation. I used the text to find contrasting language showing Romeo’s growth, and in my body expressed the love that consumed him.


Romeo is a character with plenty of passion, loyalty and excitement for anything new. He is a warm-hearted, adventurous spirit whose new found love has dictated his every move. Romeo is introduced into the play as an innocent teenager, who’s sonnets and overly dramatic language display his adolescence. Shakespeare uses metaphors in Romeo’s text to symbolize Romeo’s eagerness to understand love. For example, when talking about his love for Rosaline, Romeo speaks in exaggerated and poetic language, presenting him as inexperienced with the concept of love.


“Love is a smoke raised with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vexed a sea nourish'd with loving tears:
What is it else? a madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.”
(1.1.197-201)


This quote shows the emphasis on “lovers’ eyes” a concept I interpreted during my character study as Shakespeare foreshadowing. I believed he was alluding to Romeo being blind of what love is until he falls for Juliet at first sight. Using literary features such as foreshadowing and symbolism to understand the person Romeo was, allowed for a greater understanding of his change. This was important to my scene because I had to show how Romeo grew from an innocent boy, to a man who has not only fallen in love, but also seen death and disownment from his family. Romeo upon meeting Juliet has seen the realistic conflict in his world, thus making his love even more cherishable. He has experienced monumental moments in his life such as marriage and murder, that have shifted his perspective on love.


In the final death scene, his language displays this change clearly. Romeo begins to speak in rhyme and blank verse as the play becomes increasingly serious. This enables an honesty in his words. Romeo’s text begins to exhibit conversation and truth, thus making his suicide more understandable. This contrast of Romeo in act one then act five displays the way Shakespeare uses language and style to show character development. “Death, that hath suck’d the honey of thy breath,/ Hath had no power yet upon thy beauty/ Thou art not conquer’d, beauty’s ensign yet/ Is crimson in thy lips and in thy cheeks,”(5.3.92-95) This line shows that while content is similar of beauty and love in act one and act five, the way Romeo speaks has changed to be much darker. Words such as ‘suck’d the honey’ and ‘crimson’ show variety in the tone of Romeo’s text.


Beyond showing Romeo’s change, I knew I needed to understand Romeo’s deep love for Juliet as something truly genuine to make his suicide authentic. Understanding Romeo and Juliet’s story beyond the romance and into the depth of Romeo’s inner conflict was of highest priority. I found that by honing in on the tone of the death scene and the climate leading up to the moment, I could grasp the true essence of Romeo’s intentions and motivations. Since the beginning of the play, Shakespeare has foreshadowed to the lover’s never finding peace together. For example, this foreshadowing can be found in act one; “My mind misgives/ Some consequence/ yet hanging in the stars/ Shall bitterly begin his fearful date” (1.4.106-107) Therefore, I knew from the text that this scene was the climax of the drama. Understanding the importance of this scene in relevance to the complete story was a focus of mine in preparing for the performance.


When beginning the process of putting literature to stage my main focus was taking the literary themes as well as style of the script and transforming it into a physical experience. I focused on using the insight I gained from analyzing the text to embody Romeo’s change and love. The scene begins with Romeo off stage and Juliet center stage. This immediately sets the tone of the scene as the pair being separated. Despite this, Juliet’s texts centers around Romeo, instilling an idea of their souls being together. This choice proves a theme of the two being the star-crossed lovers. I wanted to do this to show how even through death, the two believe their love is everlasting. I found this to be relevant of the character’s thoughts from the prologue which states “A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life, / Whose misadventured piteous overthrows / Doth with their death bury their parents' strife.” (Prologue, 6-9) This showed me Shakespeare’s emphasis on Romeo and Juliet’s inevitable physical distance, which I knew needed to be a theme of the adaption.


To display the change occurring in Romeo while putting the scene to stage, I focused on being as unafraid of emotional vulnerability as possible and embracing the passion or Romeo’s love. This showed his change by contrasting the character Romeo was first introduced as completely. I began my lines standing completely still, facing towards the audience. I thought this was important because it displayed Romeo’s fear and disbelief of Juliet’s death. I tried to stand so still it seemed that Romeo was incapable of moving because of the pain he felt. I started my lines soft, reiterating Romeo’s disbelief. On the lines, “Or did I dream it so?/ Or am I mad, hearing him talk of Juliet,/ To think it was so?” (5.3.87-89) I grew louder and more frustrated in my tone. On these lines I broke my stillness and sharply reached out as if I was grasping for answers. After line 94, I slowly turned towards Juliet and began to breathe heavily. I did so by assumed Romeo would be very cautious to finally see Juliet’s body. I theorized that once Romeo saw her, he knew he would finally have to accept her death.  This acceptance would drive the following emotion of the scene. When I did see Juliet, I ran over and yelled the line “O my love, my wife!” (5.3.100) with obvious heartbreak and tragedy in my voice.


I trembled the next few lines as Romeo’s text centered on his confusion of Juliet’s incomprehensible beauty. I imagined tearing up in complete despair to see his love dead. This is where I began to focus on Romeo’s intense love for Juliet. I slowly started to move Romeo towards suicide himself by exaggerating the lines with dramatic pauses and kept visual focus right on Juliet’s face. This reiterated the theme of Romeo’s pain and allowed me to bring more emotion to the scene. I also focused on allowing Romeo to live in his last moments with Juliet. Although I eventually showed a strong confidence in Romeo’s decision to kill himself, I believed it was important to still display Romeo’s grief. I also wanted to reveal Romeo second guessing what afterlife will entail for him. Having Romeo second guess his faith was an intentional decision I made to add layers to Romeo’s death. I did this by taking moments to hold Juliet close as well as look away from her to show the contrast of Romeo’s inner conflict.


By kneeling down next to Juliet for a majority of the lines, I was able to hold her physically close. I wanted Romeo to embrace his last moments with Juliet on Earth before taking his life to join her spirit. “O here/ Will I set up my everlasting rest/ And shake the yoke of inauspicious stars/ From this world wearied flesh.” (5.3.109-112) This line was where I showed Romeo’s final decision to die. I said the line with conviction and strength to exemplify Romeo’s sacrifice. “The yoke of inauspicious stars” (5.3.111) was a line I explained as Romeo’s decision to forget his past and forgive the darkness of his life. Thus, I delivered this line strong and compassionately. Knowing Romeo’s past with violence and feud, I understood that this forgiveness was a convincing factor to Romeo’s suicide, both for the audience and the character himself. By displaying this love for all those in his life, and immense passion for Juliet, I believe I allowed his death to make sense in the play. I did not over dramatize it, but seeked empathy and humanity from the audience to evoke a sense of authenticity.


Body language and movements were a large part of the scene. I focused on how to move with a strong, relevant presence on stage. I decided where I felt Romeo had no choice but to move and committed to the motions. I strived to always move with purpose, and whenever I touched Juliet I made sure to devote energy to the movement. I believe this showed the passion and extremity of the moment which caused Romeo to move initially. When holding Juliet I always was soft but simultaneously intense in my need to be as close as I could to Juliet’s body. My face was constantly changing depending upon the content of my lines. When speaking of Juliet’s beauty, for example, “And, lips, O you/ The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss” (5.3.122-123) I smiled and showed a sense of nostalgia in my face, as if Romeo was reminiscing of the joy he had with Juliet. Although when speaking of Romeo’s hate for death on lines 111-114, “Why art thou yet so fair?/ Shall I believe/ That unsubstantial death is amorous,/ And that the lean abhorrèd monster keeps/ Thee here in dark to be his paramour?” (5.3.111-114) I strived to show the hate in my face and disgust of Romeo’s unfortunate situation.

Romeo and Juliet is interesting to perform because it is a tragedy that focuses on change. Love is a strong theme of the play, although I would argue, when performing change is more important to observe. Understanding how Romeo grows up and learns to love in a way that leads to suicide, is valuable for any actor striving to develop their script interpretation. The literary aspects of the text allow for the characters to be so extraordinary in their depth. Therefore, while focusing on love and change to portray Romeo, I believe I grew as both an actress able to embody themes as well as characters, and a reader of literature holistically.

I need more on the process (how it was portraying a boy and how I progressed) and a better conclusion of some sort.. I am stuck here as of now.

Sample 3 Grading

A- Analysis of literary features of the text (4)

• Too much summarizing
• Good analysis of literary features

B- Exploration of the chosen approach to the text (3)

• Really good literary features but barely any analyzing of the dramatic aspects

C- Use of language, structure (3)

• Some run on sentences and weird writing
• Not great organization 

Thesis Statement?

Therefore, while performing the final death scene, I focused on displaying the climax of Romeo’s change, as well as embodying Romeo’s love as his motivation. I used the text to find contrasting language showing Romeo’s growth, and in my body expressed the love that consumed him.

Written Coursework: Draft One

• critical analysis of literary features of the text 
• Themes
• Patterns
• rhyme
• Motifs
• Character development through the play as seen through the text
• How has Romeo changes and how is it visible in the words he uses (compare text from act one to now to prove how you were informed of his growth in relevance to this scene)
• comments on how aspects of the text have informed dramatic choices 
• How did his word choice (sharp, blunt vs. soft, sweet) inform your movements
• What were the moments?
• How did the dramatic choices in your body and voice shift throughout the process
• Why did they shift?
• analysis of the dramatic choices made in the realization of the text in performance
• How would an audience see this and understand it
• The importance of using the literary features to transfer to stage
• Were the literary features visible in your acting
• How so? Why?

Romeo is a character with an immense amount of passion, loyalty and excitement for anything new. Romeo is a warm-hearted, adventurous spirit whose new found love has dictated his every move. Therefore, displaying this love while still staying true to the obvious pain and grief in scene three act five was of highest priority when analyzing the scene. The adaptation centers around Romeo as a character, aiming to highlight the change and growth he has undergone throughout the play leading up to this moment. While the scene holds a strong theme of death, the live of Romeo was necessary to shine through the text he speaks before taking his life. Romeo gives strong insight to Shakespeare as a playwright, using several literary tools and stylistic choices. This role has forced me to look beyond the words of the play and into the the minds of the characters and the layers of their relationships. Portraying Romeo gave me a strong sense of his grief and showed me a darker side to love. This scene allowed me as both a reader and an actor to understand a character’s intentions behind the simple words. It also enabled me to explore mortality and love on a deeper level as motivations and characters within the narrative. When beginning the process of putting literature to stage, analyzing the characters, text and language all determine the success of the scene. The role of an audience and the depth of the acting motivations dictate the efficient portrayal. When working with Shakespearean texts, the most important parts of the adaptation center around deciphering the intentions of the language. This is done through the examination of words, rhythm, patterns and rhyme. Having all this is in mind, starting my endeavour to portray Romeo Montague in the final suicide scene was a unique challenge. My main focus was taking the literary themes as well as style of the script and transforming it into a physical experience.


The scene begins with Romeo off stage and Juliet center stage. This immediately sets the tone of the scene as the pair being separated and physically apart. Despite this, Juliet’s texts centers around Romeo instilling an idea of their minds and souls being together. This choice proves a theme of the two being the star-crossed lovers. I wanted to do this to show how even through death, the two believe their love is everlasting. I found this to be relevant of the character’s thoughts from the line….

Bushnell Review

As mentioned in my previous post I really enjoyed the piece we saw at the Bushnell. I especially enjoyed how it was a combination of art and history. In my opinion, what makes a play good is the story telling aspect of the narrative. The details of the story and what it centers around dictates the quality of the way it can be told to an audience. As an actress myself I enjoy watching pieces that have strong stories, such as 'Warriors Don't Cry'. The way the piece had multiple, intricate characters and a historically oriented plot allowed the piece to connect with audience. It connected with the audience because it related to our past and as Americans, very emotional parts of our history. The story is driven by its historical relevance to the audience. The way that the show is seen by the people watching it is influenced by the things we've learned since we were young in our American classrooms. This makes me question how the show would be viewed in another country or even by another American generation. It is interesting how a person's personal believes and experiences are so important when analyzing a piece as individuals with contrasting opinions. 

The show itself I believe was done very well, although there were a few distractions between the audience and the set. Personally, I was impressed with the actress's portrayal of all the characters but still a few times found myself struggling to stay engaged. While I was always eventually drawn back into the story, there were for sure low points where I could feel the tone of the room and the lack of engagement. All in all, I think the actress did a great job and obviously knew the show well. My only major critique was the microphone, I question why after four years of doing one piece the actress would not know the technical necessities, although she remained focused even beyond the mic problems which is impressive.

Warriors Don't Cry

Warriors Don't Cry was a powerful one woman piece centered around the themes of integration, perseverance and self worth. The piece was really interesting and I was so impressed by the actor's ability to captivate the audience all on her own. It was amazing how she was able to maintain her energy and stamina the whole hour without the support of anyone but herself. The story itself was both powerful and depressing. It made me think and challenged my perspective on the privilege of education. I think that the minimal set was really effective for the play, it was simple so the audience could focus on the content. The most interesting part of the show was the actors ability to encompass and embody so many characters. She was able to switch between the voices so fast and I could really see the characters as different people. The actress was a great story teller, she allowed me to see different settings and characters in the same scene which was something I find so impressive. Being able to expierence a peace of literature put to stage verbatim was a new and valuable expoerience for me as an actor, I enjoyed the show throughly.

Final Scene Reflection

Watch/review the video of your performance. What did you do well? What could you have done better? What was easy or hard? How well did you portray your character? How well did you adapt the literary features into your scene?

After reviewing my video I have realized the amount of growth that happened during this process. As I watched the video, I understand my intentions with each line and I am very pleased with the way I was able to convey my character. For the first time as an actor I really payed close attention to the text analysis and relied on my literature interpretation skills for most of my acting choices. I looked closely at Shakespeare's writing and dug deep into the rhyme, patterns and word choice that made this play so famous to begin with. I read the play as whole and strived to display character development through the entire scene. I believe I did a good job of this by the end of the project. Nadya and I were a great team, we worked well as ensemble and found ways to work off of each other's emotions. Both of us did a good job on re-working the staging and finding variation in our line delivery. I am very proud of our work even beyond minor flaws.

If I could have one more chance to perform this scene I would change a couple small things. In this clip, a lot of my movements are a bit 'jolted' or fast, I would try to add more variation in the way I moved rather than just the staging itself. I think I would also work on finding more truth in my sadness. While I am pleased with the emotion I brought, I wish I was a bit more truthful and less dramatic. I liked the way I drew out the death, but wish I had kept the poison in my hand so Nadya's line made sense.

Overall, I think I portrayed my character well. I had a hard time relating to how dramatic Romeo was at first, but I eventually was able to hone in on my own personalities that aligned with Romeo which helped me find him as a character. I think I found my voice in the scene and freedom in my acting which I value. Lastly, I am proud of how powerful the last few moments of the death were. Nadya and I both brought a lot of passion and emotion which I think viewers will be able to feel. Using the beats in the text allowed me to find a flow in my lines that came off very natural and I think we escaped the trap of 'simply reading lines'.

I am pleased with this scene and hope that next time I can grow even more as an actor. I truly appreciate that I always can find a new way to develop as a performer. This was my first time doing a full scene of Shakespeare, although it was challenging I found it really interesting and I would love to do it again. It forced me to pay attention to the literary aspect of plays, something I now know the importance of. This is a skill I will carry with me with every scene I do again and I am glad to have had this experience.

Romeo and Juliet Video

Link to YouTube- https://youtu.be/hG-7iOFY7I8

Fall Play Review

I attended the opening night of James Joyce's "The Dead" and really enjoyed the night! I was impressed by the acting, staging and really liked the 'in the round' set up of the black box. It gave the show an interesting intimacy, I liked how the actors used this to connect with the audience through eye contact. I also liked how the actors really expressed their emotions on their faces and their voices. I thought John Jiang and Sam Weed were outstanding in their roles, both showing a maturity and vibrancy on stage I have never seen before from them.

They connected well as an ensemble and the mix of comedy, sorrow and relationships all balanced well. Abby Zuckert's portrayal of Aunt Julia was really well done in subtly showing her death but not being obvious, it was truthful. My favorite part of the show was when Aunt Julia forgot the words to the song so Grace Green's character came up to her and began to sing with her. It was so sweet but also really emotional which I appreciated. All the actor's did such a great job and Mr. Aronson really put on an amazing show with the students.

I can tell they all worked hard and it showed in the show. The hours they put into the production showed as they seamlessly put on this large show. I was impressed by how well they all knew the lines and the text itself. They truly embodied their characters and worked so well as an ensemble. I think that the show itself was really intriguing. The script had many layers and told a unique story of family and the Irish culture. The metaphor of life being compared to a lake was really beautiful and encompassed the tone of the play. It was happy but also really sentimental. I really enjoyed it.

Log #3

Day 8:

These last few days have been mainly centered around blocking and staging with Nadya. The lines are memorized and focusing on how and where to move has been most important thus far. The staging of both deaths have proved to be challenging. How to fall without making it awkward or unbelievable has been an obstacle. Running it with Nadya on the stage will help with this. We were complimented on our levels and purpose in our movements, this will be important to sustain.

Day 9:

Day nine Nadya and I ran lines together to work on finding intent and patterns. Finding the rhyme and and rhythm in our lines has given insight into what our characters are trying to say. The patterns show Romeo's feelings and with each beat I have been able to 'chunk out' each thought.  Finding where the lines end allows me to understand when Romeo must pause or begin a thought again. It pieces together each different emotion and gives me the chance to show change and development in my acting.

Day 10:

In my notes after a run through I was told to analyze the emotion deeper so that I could add layers and change. Rather than being the same type of sad the whole scene, I need to find contrast. I did this by again going through the lines and finding movement and different thoughts. By doing so I have seen parts where Romeo is somewhat happy in this scene or nostalgic, pieces I would not have found if I just read the lines once. I also noticed Romeo's desperation and grief which has played a strong role in my portrayal. This text analysis shows me how vital literature and script is in understanding characters. Acting is not only centered around the words, but understanding where the words derive from within the author and character, then the actor.

Day 11:

This was another day for finding minor details with Nadya. As scene partners we have looked for little things we can add and take out to make our scene the best it can be. We have gone through the lines and movements and feel confident in our choices. Having the lines memorized has been intricate in our success as now the scene move freely and we can be present on stage rather than staring at the paper. This has been immensely liberating as an actor to be able to focus on my presence on stage rather than my words.

Day 12:

Finally most of the work left is solidifying our staging. Now that our acting is ready for performance, we must bring our bodies, props and stage to the same level. Nadya and I have ran the scene several times focusing on our arms, faces and steps all to ensure a smooth visual portrayal of the characters. We also have discussed the differences between our two character's movements, such as the way they walk and speak. We did this by analyzing the content of their lines and the change they have both undergone as characters.

James Joyce's "The Dead" 11/10/16

Log Entry #2

Prior to writing my logs I looked back on last week and realized how much this has helped to organize my thoughts and work.  I like it!!!

Day 4:

On the fourth day of scene work I began to really hone in on my movements and staging. I focused on communicating with Nadya on how to move with strong, relevant presence during the scene. I first started by annotating the script with different 'action verbs' to decipher what Romeo was trying to do/say/convey in each thought. This helped me to attach a movement to my words. Whether it be arms, hands, face or actually moving across the stage, I was able to use my body to show my motivations.

Day 5:

After presenting the scene to the class I went back into my script and practiced with my new notes. I worked towards trying to add more emotion and seriousness. I also thought about how to project and use an audience, as this was the first time with one. Most of the comments were on re-staging the ending and making it all more natural. I believe that Nadya and I must run the scene several more times to ensure we both are completely solid in our staging. Some of the compliments we received were about our variety in tone and infliction, I think that sustaining this will be good. Also, I think Nadya and I must work on becoming an ensemble. Even though we are doing two different monologues I think it will be valuable for us to connect as scene partners even though we may be dead during each other's lines. I would love to get advice on how to do this from my peers.

Day 6:

Day six was mainly memorization. I wrote my lines down several times and spoke them out loud, line by line for around 45 minutes. I found myself pacing and moving even without realizing it, showing me that I am a very physical learner. I also like to hear beats in my lines and find rhythm/patterns, which shows how much of an auditory learner I am. Using the other things I have passion for (music) to help me memorize has proved to be the most effective method for me. I have found that saying two or three lines to a consistent beat and then adding lines as I memorize allows me to learn the most, the fastest. I hope that the more acting I do, the better I will become at memorization.

Day 7:

Day seven has been mostly smaller details. I find small mistakes in what I have memorized and tweaks I want to add to my delivery with each run through. I also reviewed the comments of peers to add more additions to my acting. I watched other clips to learn more about other interpretations and portrayals. I have especially liked the Orlando Bloom version, I think he does a great job and I have thus far drew much inspiration from the clip. I think that at this point, final memorization and running the scene with Nadya will put us in good shape for performance.

Scene 5.3 Log

Day 1:

On the first day of studying scene 5.3 I primarily focused on determining who Romeo was as a character fundamentally. I began to read other parts of the book where I remembered pivotal changes, to attempt at fully grasping his development. I especially looked at the scene where Romeo killed Tybalt, and compared the two balcony scenes. This method allowed me to chip away at breaking down the layers of Romeo. I looked at the text of his scenes and patterns in is language to try an identity Shakespeare's intent in Romeo's motives/emotions. I also dug into Romeo's beliefs and morals as a human. I tried to understand his point of view in important scenes, and dissect his relationships with Juliet and Friar Lawrence. I did this by re-reading scenes and trying to use Uta Hagen's questions of 'what do I want' and 'what will I do to get what I want' to define Romeo's aspirations and/or reasonings.

Day 2:

The second day, I focused on staging and began the process of research. I watched several clips,  read adaptions and focused on Shakespeare as an author and how his biases/influences could shape Romeo's motives. I watched how others saw Romeo's movements in this scene and chose things that I felt aligned with my previous thoughts. I took notes on things I saw happen a lot, and analyzed the things I didn't like by asking myself 'why'. Reaching for inspiration from other actors often helps me to find my own interpretation by comparisons. As far as actual staging goes, I worked closely with my partner Nadya in analyzing the intent of Romeo and Juliet and attaching how we would move/walk in their positions to put actual stage directions to the scene. We went through the scene and annotated almost every line by attaching an action/adjective/active verb that gave our staging purpose.

Day 3:

Day three has been focusing on memorization. When I memorize Shakespeare I often try to memorize the images rather than the words. Shakespearean text is not the way I usually speak, therefore piecing ideas together is difficult. Thus, I must know what each line means and attach a motivation to it to follow my train of thought. Going back to images, I try to see my actions and how Romeo is standing or where is he is to memorize my lines. Using blocking to memorize lines helps me to know the words and understand the connection between my movements and my lines. Also, this method forces me to truly intertwine my movement, motives and text into one single idea or emotion. I think that memorizing lines fast is important to moving on with character work, though at the same time taking the moments to understand and memorize in a way that sets your acting up for success is crucial. I can often memorize my lines in a way that gets me caught in the words themselves rather than the meaning, this is dangerous and a mistake I do not want to make.

My scene is basically all monologue, the movements and reactions are primarily done with myself, therefore, I believe using Uta Hagen's theories to understand my motivations will be important. Romeo changes a lot in the monologue, there are small moments of reflection and fear that I believe using Uta Hagen's nine questions to interpret will be useful. I think asking myself what Romeo wants and what is in his way, even if it is before his death, I can grasp his intentions better. The questions will help me to define the physical changes in my character as the scene progresses. I want to use Uta Hagen's theory to use the text as a tool to display intentions, rather than rely on the text to show me the motivations. Questioning my surroundings will allow me to work in the limited set. The question 'what will I do to get what I want' will help me in understanding why Romeo kills himself, which is a heavy thing to analyze.

Consider your scene, your character's personality, the given circumstances, and the motivation for your character specifically. How will you portray this character and achieve this motivation?

This scene is very heavy. Romeo's lines all take place over Juliet's dead body and his text is very dark. He works his way through the monologue touching upon, love, his family and eventually ends with his own suicide. The whole timeline of the scene seems fast, but the writing provides clear moments of character change and decision making. Motivation is a big word for understanding Romeo's huge process of coming to terms  with killing himself. The majority of his motivation derives from his passion and love. The way he feels for Juliet consumes his whole body. It fills his brain so he can't think about anything else and clouds his judgment. I looked for intentions from previous scenes where he chose Juliet over family, honor and loyalty, it is a consistent theme of his love driving him towards change as a character. Romeo is driven by his emotions, he is rational but also very head strong. I have decided that dividing my scene into WHO/WHAT/WHEN/WHERE/WHY will allow me to clearly identify Romeo's intentions and understand both the mental and physical aspects of the scene.

WHO: Romeo Montague; head strong, impulsive, idealistic, not interested in violence. He is tall and probably handsome, though in this scene, he holds himself lower because of his fear. 

WHAT: Romeo has just found Juliet's 'dead' body and is in complete shock. He is scared and sorrowful beyond comprehension, he is hysterical but his words are slow as is still trying to understand his loneliness without her. He is frightened by the harsh cold of her skin and sickened at how he cannot look in her eyes or hear her voice. He holds a potion in his right hand the whole scene, he wholeheartedly believes he must die to be with Juliet again. He is willing to die to see his love again. 

WHEN: This scene takes place during the height of the feud between two families. The fact that Romeo does not seem fazed by what his death could mean for others gives insight to his motivations. He is not driven at all by his family, but only by Juliet.

WHERE: This scene is at the alter of the church. Juliet is laid in her coffin with flowers and candles, Romeo kneels beside her. This scene being in a church to me shows that one of Romeo's motivations must be his faith and belief in fate. He is also driven by the pure and holy love he see in Juliet, which to me can be associated with the church.

WHY: The why of this scene is the overall interpretation of the play itself. The love and death of these two 'star-crossed lovers' tells a stronger story of hope, compassion and love above all. This scene drives home those morals and reiterates the call of action to society (gender roles and dangerous social constructs).

To show these motivations in my body I will have to clearly the identify the changes in tone and theme of the text. I will have to look closely at the words and understand why Romeo felt compelled to say them. I will then have to physically portray the intentions through contrasted movements. When talking about hate, violence or death, the line delivery must be sharp and the physical movements fast. Although, when saying lines having to do with love or Juliet, I will be soft, swift and sensitive. Pauses to look at Juliet or simply leave room for suspended breathes with allow the audience to follow and feel the scene with me. Understanding the WHO/WHAT/WHEN/WHERE/WHY enables me to look closer at the intentions of Romeo beyond what is on the surface of the text.