Written Coursework

Chosen Extract: Act 2 scene 1 and Act 3 scene 5

Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is a play that tells the love story between Romeo and Juliet. The first balcony scene, act 2 scene1, was extremely beautiful; it seems great to see their love exchanging. However, since Romeo and Juliet were so young, I first started to doubt about their love to each other. After reading the second balcony scene, which is Act 3 scene 5, I found that Romeo and Juliet’s love wasn’t so stable that it was changed by Romeo’s banishment and their desperation. Thus, I acted in Romeo’s perspective and used intensive emotion, opposite tones, two music styles and contrasting color costumes to stage the balcony scenes to show how desperation changed Romeo and Juliet's love and ultimately caused the tragedy.

The performance has two parts; one part showed Romeo and Juliet’s love and one part showed Romeo and Juliet’s depression. In Act 2 scene 1, I acted tenderly to show my love to Juliet. The first part of the whole scene was bright. There was a big table with some red and yellow artificial flowers. We set the table as the balcony. Behind the table, there was a window also decorated by some flowers to be the room. Juliet was standing behind the window and I was coming from another door on the left of the window. Both characters were wearing red because it’s a passionate color. It told the audiences about how they dropped in love deeply and so that it would gave a huge comparison when audience see the second part of the scene. Also, the background music was relaxed and lively to suit a background based on happiness.

In the start of the scene, the two lovers showed as their love was much more important than everything, such as their identity and their family. In line 3, Romeo said, “It is the east and Juliet is the sun”. It showed that he was faithful to Juliet at first in case to show the difference in the second balcony scene. I hold my hand, and pointed to Juliet’s window to show Romeo’s yearn for Juliet’s love. When Juliet asked Romeo to banish his identity as a Montague, I was anxious and rushed to Juliet’s sight to say, “I take thee at thy word” to show Romeo’s attention on Juliet’s sweet request. Then, Romeo swore how he loved Juliet in line 112, “Lady, by yonder blessed moon I vow”. However, Juliet was anxious by the variable of the inconstant moon. Then, Romeo started to promise again and again tirelessly. Swearing for several times didn’t bother him at all. It’s a clear contrast to the second part that Romeo asked to leave when Juliet begged him to promise. He has been so patient in this part, when his love to Juliet hasn’t turned sour yet. I pretended there’s the moon on my left and turned to it to bless. Then, I turn back to Juliet and stare at her to praise her beauty and asked for the exchanging of love. The first balcony scene was truly beautiful for both characters at this point.

Even when they were about to leave, Juliet and Romeo had hanged out so long together; it made a big comparison to the second scene. When Juliet first left for hearing some noise, I stared her until she left and then I felt shorted-winded. After Juliet had left, Romeo said, “Being in night, all this is but a dream” (line 147). It showed how happy he to found that the generous night brought him Juliet’s love. By showing his happiness, I walked around, kept whispered and use my hand to show how excited Romeo was exaggeratedly. I also touched my heart to show how it speeded up when Romeo thought he find his “true” love. An interesting point in this part is Juliet has left for several times and returned to Romeo for many times. When Juliet left, Romeo just stayed and waited for Juliet quietly. When Juliet returned, he continued expressing his love. In the whole process, he has never being out of patience. However, how Romeo behaved in the second part of the scene showed how unstable his patient and love was. Still, I acted exaggerated by holding Juliet’s hand for every time that she was about to leave. Even though Romeo didn’t speak any lines to ask Juliet to stay, I expressed he wasn’t willing to see Juliet’s left. By returning to balcony again and again, Juliet also showed that she’s not willing to leave. I emphasized the line “A thousand times the worse to want thy light” (line 165) to show how much Romeo wanted to stay with Juliet. Even after Juliet totally left the stage, Romeo still stayed there and loathed to leave. He even didn’t want to have any sleep and he wanted to rush to Friar Lawrence’s cell to make sure that Juliet could marry him. I acted extremely exciting and talked as a stammer person. It helped me to show that Romeo was too emotional and happy that he even lost his ability to talk. I moved around quickly and keep scratching my hair to show that Romeo was thinking about what he should do next could help him to marry Juliet the fasted.

The other part of the performance is Act 3 scene 5, the second balcony scene. In this scene, the tone was totally changed that I acted truly depressed and frustrated. This part of the scene was dark; even though the over all setting of the balcony didn’t change at all, the performers changed their color. Both characters were inside the room when the scene started, and I was going to leave to another door when the scene about to end. I wore in black while Juliet wore in white. Both of them are grave colors to imply their dark future. Black also showed constrain and the strong indefinite of his future with banishment. The unchanged background can show the difference between costumes more clear. For music, I put a slow music and it’s inanition to emphasize the desperation in case to give a big contrast in comparing the first and second balcony scene.

The desperation brought by the banishment changed Romeo to be angry and impatient very soon, and I acted impatiently as well. In the start of Act 3 scene 5, Juliet asks Romeo to stay by telling him the day hasn’t come yet. However, Romeo should be frustrated and he soon says, “It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale” (3.5.6-7). It showed that Romeo wouldn’t say any words sweet any more but tell the cruel truth. Their love has changed that Romeo cared less about Juliet’s feeling than his own future. I was holding Juliet’s hand when the scene started, but then I shook her hands away to show that I was tired to please her. I raised my voice when I said it was the lark to show the audience that what Juliet thought was childish and Romeo wouldn’t change his mind to leave. Then, when Romeo says, “Come death and welcome. Juliet wills it so. How is ’t, my soul? Let’s talk. It is not day”, it means that he’s being ironically to show his anger and he thinks Juliet doesn’t care about his life or she will let him go (3.5.24-25). To show his anger, I was nearly roaring to my partner and I was speaking extremely loudly and the actress of Juliet showed like the crazy Romeo scared her a lot. Compare to the first balcony scene with full of love voice and sweet, the start of the second balcony scene was darker and full of quarrel and desperation.

Then, when Romeo leaves Juliet, the condition is really similar to the first time with his language, but also with different attitude. They have been saying a thousand times of goodbye in the first balcony scene, and they also say thousands of times of goodbye in the second balcony scene as well. Romeo is keep-saying goodbye in this scene: “Farewell, farewell. One kiss and I’ll descend” (3.5.42); “Farewell. I will omit no opportunity” (3.5.47-48); “Dry sorrow drinks our blood. Adieu, adieu” (3.5.59). However, it’s not showing their love, but tells how Romeo wants to leave Juliet in a hurry. Juliet asks Romeo to stay and asks to hear love all the time, but Romeo just talks briefly to cope with her. Then, I acted like I was totally bored by Juliet and I was impatient to interrupt her some times even. When I said to give her the last kiss, she moved her lips to me. However, I actually just held her hand and put it down even without touching it by my lips. I wanted to emphasize that Romeo’s mind was already took by the desperation and it wasn’t left any space to think about Juliet. Thus, the difference in the attitude of the second balcony scene showed how desperation changed both Romeo and Juliet’s love.

To conclude, since the desperation changed Romeo and Juliet, it made them to be crazy and depressed. Then it forced them to do crazy things such as drink the poison or double suicide. If Romeo did show his care more about Juliet more about the second scene, then they wouldn’t be so desperate or feel guilty about each other. Then, it wouldn’t force them to die. In summary of the whole scene, I tried hard to think in a young man’s perspective and showed his frivolous and frustration. I think I did a good job in showing how desperation causes the tragedy by performing Romeo. Admittedly, desperation can change people, not just for love, but the whole life.