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….