Act Three Questions:

1. Who instigated the violence in scene one?
2. Who was the first person Romeo went to after killing Tybalt?
3. What did Friar Laurence have to say about Romeo killing Tybalt?

1. What does Juliet's willingness to still marry Romeo despite him murdering her cousin say about her character? What two contrasting themes does the decision highlight in the play?
2. Analyze scene five and the discussion between Juliet and her mother. What kind of insight does this scene give to Juliet and her mothers' relationship. What does the scene explain about both the women and who they are as characters? 

Imagine that after the balcony scene, Romeo and Juliet go somewhere and write in their diaries. Explain how you would stage this scene and write a 100 word diary entry for each of these two characters. Be sure that the entries are both creative and believable.

I imagine this scene as being Romeo on stage right and Juliet on stage left. I see Juliet on her bed lounging with her diary and Romeo in an alley or walking down the road. Both of them would be lit up slightly by a yellow toned light and the rest of the stage would be in the dark. While both of the characters would be in different places the scenes would seem as one. The two would be reading their entries separately, though their pauses would run seamlessly between each other. This scene would be staged to resemble how they are now one after the balcony scene. Though they are apart showing how they may never be together, their hearts and minds are synced. After the balcony scene both Romeo and Juliet are essentially lovestruck, floating on the idea of love. Their movements would be swift and smooth as opposed to sharp or dense. The two would have energy in their voices, but still a sense of calm displaying their affection in a soft way. As far as the diary entries go both would be filled with an excessive amount of romance and expressions of admiration. In addition, contemplation of whether or not to betray their families will be apart of the entry. Romeo being a romantic will not be afraid of the consequences as much a Juliet, whom is rational and will contemplate the issue a bit more.

Romeo:

With each step I take my heart beats a thousand times! I have never truly seen beauty until Juliet’s eyes were locked with mine. Her shimmering hair and bright simile have lifted my soul up to God. I am in love and I wish nothing but to be with my Juliet. When we marry tomorrow my life will begin, I can not wait another moment to see her. What can compare to Juliet? The sun and the stars show not even half as much allure and the ocean waves have no grace in comparison. I am not afraid to tell the world I love a Capulet, for when they see her glistening eyes they will too understand my fondness. Mother and Father may cry though I will not, Juliet is my love and from now on I will eternally be in bliss.

Juliet:

My cheeks are beginning to ache from my constant smile. I have never felt as though life had more purpose than to find and withhold love. I am filled with the joy of knowing tomorrow I will marry Romeo, whose name now holds a heavy meaning in my heart. As for the name Montague, I fear what mother and father will think. I confide in my Nurse to keep it a secret though all I want to do is declare my love as loud as I can. I want to share this endearment with everyone I see, I am saddened by the notion of never telling another. Nevertheless, I am beyond happy to have met my Romeo. I am certain our love will overcome our family's names, I am certain our passion will prevail.

Balcony Scene Variations and Analysis

When reading today's assignment I was initially uninterested thinking I would have to endure one scene four times, though after watching the variations, I realized that each scene truly was its own. All four interpretations were unique proving that all directors and actors have different biases, emotions and experiences that can change their perspective/analysis of the text. While watching the 1968 balcony scene, I was excited by the acting and line delivery of the actors. Both Romeo and Juliet seemed genuine and clear on the intent of the characters. I was a bit bothered by the fact that Juliet stayed on the balcony the whole scene and the two actors were essentially shouting at each other the whole clip. I was unimpressed by the way the characters were interacting, which made their love a little hard to believe, though I liked their acting individually. I really liked the "Gnomeo and Juliet" clip. The modern text was so cute and yet still somehow authentic to the Shakespearean intent. I thought the version did a good job of potentially telling the love story to a younger audience, though it somewhat made a joke of the play. The third clip I watched was the Royal Shakespeare Company version, this was by far my favorite interpretation and classic take on the scene. It was simple, believable and incredibly acted by the two artists. I loved the minimal set which allowed me to really focus in on the content. Though I know the scene and what it is about, I understood the language the most in this interpretation. The only piece of the adaption I question is the aggressiveness and somewhat forcefulness of Romeo when it came to the physical aspects of the scene. I was surprised that his movements and even line deliveries were so sharp, I always imagine Romeo as soft and sweet in this scene. While this take was different from what I have always seen, I did not mind it. Lastly, the 1936 George Cukor version was very interesting to me. It was simple and traditional, which I appreciated. I liked this clip because it showed how acting and text interpretation has changed so much over time and evolved to be what the 1996 version of Romeo and Juliet is or the modern spoofs of the play are today. Again, similar to the first clip, I dislike the idea of Romeo and Juliet being so far away from each other during the scene therefore I wish they were more face to face. Overall, watching all four clips reaffirmed an idea of Shakespeare being very free to interpretation and open to personal analysis.