unit 1-4 - Unit 4
UAL - Level 3 PaPA - Acting Pathway - Unit 1 - 4
~Ilonka FloraUnit 4 Contextual awareness
Romeo & Juliet
Language -
William Shakespeare's language is often difficult for us modern readers to understand most of the time, but some of his words or sayings which he has invented are still said today and we are familiar with them. some of the 1600 common words that Shakespeare has invented includes satchel, fashionable, addiction, and gloomy, in fact here's a list of more.
So, even though the language may be hard to grasp, if you're performing Shakespeare you must know the words you are saying in order to deliver it to the audience in the right context. This way you can convey meaning to the audience. There are jokes, puns (even in death - Mercutio ''Look for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man''), insults and sayings that if you don't deliver them properly with the right intention, then it will not be perceived well by today's audience. So in order to make Shakespeare relevant in 2017, I think it requires a couple of skills like emotional depth, and consistency but most importantly knowing the language in order to translate it through, actions ( gestures, mimes and facial expressions). Our feedback from the Shaw theatre performance was that we were able to keep the audience engaged throughout the thirty minutes because we had the energy at the same level constantly, whilst also helping and guiding the audience with understanding what we mean when we say lines such as
We were able to do this because we honestly understood what we were saying it, so we delivered it with conviction, we believe it, so the audience does also. Most of the play (90%) was in a verse style whereas the rest (10%) was in Prose ( Ordinary Form ). Most of his words were opaque, meaning they had a deeper and complex meaning to them rather than just stating what it is. It's quite cryptic, but that is what poetry is, it's art. Poetry has the power to shorten a story into a well described and symbolic stanza. Through poetry, Shakespeare was able to express the corners of his mind using his intense emotion and imagination, and today his work is still open to individuals' own interpretations. In the 1500's the language used was Middle English ( words such as thou and thee) to Early Modern English- which was partially introduced by Shakespeare.
William Shakespeare's language is often difficult for us modern readers to understand most of the time, but some of his words or sayings which he has invented are still said today and we are familiar with them. some of the 1600 common words that Shakespeare has invented includes satchel, fashionable, addiction, and gloomy, in fact here's a list of more.
''Examine other beauties''OR
''what fray was here?''
We were able to do this because we honestly understood what we were saying it, so we delivered it with conviction, we believe it, so the audience does also. Most of the play (90%) was in a verse style whereas the rest (10%) was in Prose ( Ordinary Form ). Most of his words were opaque, meaning they had a deeper and complex meaning to them rather than just stating what it is. It's quite cryptic, but that is what poetry is, it's art. Poetry has the power to shorten a story into a well described and symbolic stanza. Through poetry, Shakespeare was able to express the corners of his mind using his intense emotion and imagination, and today his work is still open to individuals' own interpretations. In the 1500's the language used was Middle English ( words such as thou and thee) to Early Modern English- which was partially introduced by Shakespeare.
Themes of Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet share many kinds of themes and ideas, one of the most focused themes are young love and hate. This play focuses on high and intense emotions constantly, the most passionate emotions being Love and Hate, these are both contrasting in their own ways, but one can destroy the other very easily, such as Romeo curing his lovesickness for Rosaline by falling for Juliet, he completely forgets about her. Another huge example is the big brutal fight that takes place after Romeo and Juliet had just been wed.
Love can be perceived differently to other people in this play, It could be seen as pure love - no strings, just what the heart wants, or it could be seen as a childish, blind and shallow feeling called infatuation. Bringing in the other main theme, death and Tragedy, this may either contradict or support these points. Why? Well, their deaths could prove that the love that the two hearts had for each other was true or this could show that they were too young to know what love really was and it was all for nothing because it cost them their lives. In addition to this in the beginning of the play Romeo is in love with another girl- Rosaline, in fact, the reason he even met Juliet at all was because he knew that Rosaline would be at the ball!
I think that this is William Shakespeare showing his idea of love in this play- that love is fickle. Other Directors have removed this detail in their production, it could be that they have a different outlook on love...how could Romeo claim to be in love with Rosaline, but after seeing a beautiful girl he completely moves on.
Death and Tragedy follow the Montagues and the Capulets constantly, along with rivalry, even those who associate themselves with them e.g. Mercutio, Tybalt & the servants.Nahum Tate has adapted the play and has changed the ending, where Romeo and Juliet both live and we get to see a glimpse of a happier ending for these two.Other Romeo and Juliet plays have removed the bittersweet ending where Capulet and Montague such as Peter Brook's 1947 production, Maybe because it took their children's lives for them to create some sort of peace. But after the children's death, they would have had a new kind of peace. The rivalry is what drove them to their deaths, Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, Lady Montague and Mercutio. It makes me question, were they ( Romeo and Juliet ) ever in love? I ask this because there were many reasons indicating that these two do not belong together, The rivalry, Romeos love for Rosaline, Juliet's marriage proposal from Paris, all these reasons just made these two want to rebel, they wanted to have what they were forbidden from having, e.g Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. Therefore it could be said that it was an act of rebellion and also a need to feel independent in their own choices.
Romeo even directly speaks to heaven when he says
Romeo and Juliet share many kinds of themes and ideas, one of the most focused themes are young love and hate. This play focuses on high and intense emotions constantly, the most passionate emotions being Love and Hate, these are both contrasting in their own ways, but one can destroy the other very easily, such as Romeo curing his lovesickness for Rosaline by falling for Juliet, he completely forgets about her. Another huge example is the big brutal fight that takes place after Romeo and Juliet had just been wed.
Love can be perceived differently to other people in this play, It could be seen as pure love - no strings, just what the heart wants, or it could be seen as a childish, blind and shallow feeling called infatuation. Bringing in the other main theme, death and Tragedy, this may either contradict or support these points. Why? Well, their deaths could prove that the love that the two hearts had for each other was true or this could show that they were too young to know what love really was and it was all for nothing because it cost them their lives. In addition to this in the beginning of the play Romeo is in love with another girl- Rosaline, in fact, the reason he even met Juliet at all was because he knew that Rosaline would be at the ball!
I think that this is William Shakespeare showing his idea of love in this play- that love is fickle. Other Directors have removed this detail in their production, it could be that they have a different outlook on love...how could Romeo claim to be in love with Rosaline, but after seeing a beautiful girl he completely moves on.
Death and Tragedy follow the Montagues and the Capulets constantly, along with rivalry, even those who associate themselves with them e.g. Mercutio, Tybalt & the servants.Nahum Tate has adapted the play and has changed the ending, where Romeo and Juliet both live and we get to see a glimpse of a happier ending for these two.Other Romeo and Juliet plays have removed the bittersweet ending where Capulet and Montague such as Peter Brook's 1947 production, Maybe because it took their children's lives for them to create some sort of peace. But after the children's death, they would have had a new kind of peace. The rivalry is what drove them to their deaths, Romeo, Juliet, Tybalt, Lady Montague and Mercutio. It makes me question, were they ( Romeo and Juliet ) ever in love? I ask this because there were many reasons indicating that these two do not belong together, The rivalry, Romeos love for Rosaline, Juliet's marriage proposal from Paris, all these reasons just made these two want to rebel, they wanted to have what they were forbidden from having, e.g Adam and Eve and the forbidden fruit. Therefore it could be said that it was an act of rebellion and also a need to feel independent in their own choices.
Another theme that is stressed in the play is fate. From the beginning of the play the sonnet has already told you the outcome, 'it's what's written', like destiny. Romeo and Juliet's death was certain from the beginning. Examples of the play are“Lady Capulet: How stands your disposition to be married?Juliet: It is an Honor that i dream not of.” (Act 1, Scene 3)
"A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life''
"Some consequence yet hanging in the stars"This line also refers to the stars, it's a celestial element and this is linked to astrology which predicts the future. The two protagonists are described as 'heavenly' throughout the play as if the angels watch them knowingly. these words used throughout the play foreshadow what is to come.
Romeo even directly speaks to heaven when he says
''Is it even so? then I defy you, stars!''This is just when he has just found out that Juliet is dead, he seems to understand what is going, or does he? If he did then why did he commit suicide... I think what he thought was written in the stars was that he would live on heartbroken, so he wanted to 'defy' that and took his life due to it being too painful to live without Juliet. It's extremely ironic how that played out. This whole play is an ironic roller coaster, everything contradicts everything. It truly is a heavy and striking masterpiece. The many symbols of this play include roses, poison, light and darkness. Roses signify love and romance, I think it reflects the delicateness of love and life itself. Juliet mentions roses in the famous line:
''A rose by any other name would smell as sweet''She is referring to Romeo as the rose, and that it doesn't matter that Romeo is from her families rivalling house, the Montagues. Poison is used as a lethal weapon to put both Juliet into a coma-like sleep and to kill Romeo. The poison may have been literally used in the play, however, there was another kind of poison that you could not see with your eyes but feel; the feud between the rivalling tow families. It is what sparked everything in the end, it was the catalyst.
societal context
the contrast, the difference what would have happened today?
During the Elizabethan era (the mid-late 1500s) Shakespeare's plays would be performed in the Globe where the public would pay to stand and eat or pay more to be seated. The theatre back then wasn't a controlled environment, actors really needed to grasp for the public's attention and if they weren't entertaining or able to convey any meaning to the audience, the food being sold would be thrown at the actors performing, quite embarrassing if you ask me. The poor would usually stand, in the centre, where there was no roof, so if it were to rain they would get soaked.
Romeo and Juliet were one of the most popular plays (Then and now too), however, society was not open to women's rights, therefore, it was illegal for any women to take part in plays, Juliet was played by a teenage boy. Today of course women are able to portray the feminine aura that Juliet is described to have. However in the Elizabethan times, women were viewed as dependent on men, everything in their lives was revolved and controlled by men, their loveless and arranged marriages, constant birth giving, and due to this their life expectancies were cut short. A woman would have no choice but to obey their fathers, no matter their wishes. Today society is so much more different, we have feminists who speak out about killing misogyny, and who empower each other instead of stepping over each other like women have been doing to each other through the norms of society. Women were so powerless back then (ironic how the ruler of Britain around these times was a woman) that they would not inherit their father's business, and money, it would always be the son whether they are the eldest or youngest.
Society at the time was also unhygienic due to bathing being more complicated than it is today, there was the Bubonic plague which was caused by rats that became ill and this was passed on to humans by fleas. This plague killed 1/4 of London's population.Today it differs whether someone is hygienic or not but overall, comparing London today to the 1500s, we cleaned up very well! Houses were crammed and streets were narrow due to the expanse of the metropolis, it was filled with a different kind of diversity that we know of today... They had merchants, prostitutes, courtiers, beggars, actors, spies and more. At the time it is said that as the economy was growing, foreigners from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands were migrating there. The Thames was the lifeline of London, 'twas the transport and trade connection from London to other countries and regions, however, and this a huge, however, the river was surprisingly no taken care of, it was clogged up full of waste ( A great place to get an infection quick) and on top of that the severed heads were put on display along the bridge. In conclusion, London really stank. It is said that London at this time inspired many artistic ideas that were conjured up in Shakespeare's imagination, not necessarily happy ideas but a more twisted, murky and ironic one.
the contrast, the difference what would have happened today?
During the Elizabethan era (the mid-late 1500s) Shakespeare's plays would be performed in the Globe where the public would pay to stand and eat or pay more to be seated. The theatre back then wasn't a controlled environment, actors really needed to grasp for the public's attention and if they weren't entertaining or able to convey any meaning to the audience, the food being sold would be thrown at the actors performing, quite embarrassing if you ask me. The poor would usually stand, in the centre, where there was no roof, so if it were to rain they would get soaked.
Romeo and Juliet were one of the most popular plays (Then and now too), however, society was not open to women's rights, therefore, it was illegal for any women to take part in plays, Juliet was played by a teenage boy. Today of course women are able to portray the feminine aura that Juliet is described to have. However in the Elizabethan times, women were viewed as dependent on men, everything in their lives was revolved and controlled by men, their loveless and arranged marriages, constant birth giving, and due to this their life expectancies were cut short. A woman would have no choice but to obey their fathers, no matter their wishes. Today society is so much more different, we have feminists who speak out about killing misogyny, and who empower each other instead of stepping over each other like women have been doing to each other through the norms of society. Women were so powerless back then (ironic how the ruler of Britain around these times was a woman) that they would not inherit their father's business, and money, it would always be the son whether they are the eldest or youngest.
Society at the time was also unhygienic due to bathing being more complicated than it is today, there was the Bubonic plague which was caused by rats that became ill and this was passed on to humans by fleas. This plague killed 1/4 of London's population.Today it differs whether someone is hygienic or not but overall, comparing London today to the 1500s, we cleaned up very well! Houses were crammed and streets were narrow due to the expanse of the metropolis, it was filled with a different kind of diversity that we know of today... They had merchants, prostitutes, courtiers, beggars, actors, spies and more. At the time it is said that as the economy was growing, foreigners from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands were migrating there. The Thames was the lifeline of London, 'twas the transport and trade connection from London to other countries and regions, however, and this a huge, however, the river was surprisingly no taken care of, it was clogged up full of waste ( A great place to get an infection quick) and on top of that the severed heads were put on display along the bridge. In conclusion, London really stank. It is said that London at this time inspired many artistic ideas that were conjured up in Shakespeare's imagination, not necessarily happy ideas but a more twisted, murky and ironic one.
Source:
https://www.rsc.org.uk/romeo-and-juliet
https://seedsandfruitsessays.wordpress.com/2014/12/19/the-fake-love-of-romeo-and-juliet-by-nichole-urena/
https://cdn2.rsc.org.uk/sitefinity/education-pdfs/themes-resources/edu-romeoandjuliet-themes.pdf?sfvrsn=4
https://prezi.com/shgf1s4r5yz8/shakespeare-historical-and-social-context/
https://www.bl.uk/shakespeare/themes/context
https://www.cliffsnotes.com/literature/r/romeo-and-juliet/critical-essays/major-symbols-and-motifs
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