How might Shakespeare have directed this scene to appeal to his whole audience Essay Example For Students

How might Shakespeare have directed this scene to appeal to his whole audience? Essay Act 2 Scene 2 is a well known scene in the play Romeo and Juliet. The theatre that the majority of Shakespeares plays were ad still are performed is called the Globe theatre. It was open in 1599 and is shaped as a wooden o. This obviously causes restrictions because of the stage being towards the centre, the audience who are seated at the sides would possibly be unable to see the productions clearly. The Globe seats approximately five thousand people and one thousand of these are groundlings the people who stand in front of the stage. The layout of the Globe would of effected how Shakespeare directed the play so you have to take many things into account which makes it more challenging. You will have to involve more poetic and symbolic language so the audience can understand whats taking place on stage; costumes will also play a very important part as they will help the audience be aware of what the characters are saying and how they feel towards each other (I.e. Juliet in an angels costume because Romeo believes she is a winged messenger from heaven) and dramatic devices like heights, themes and proxemics ( the spacial nature on the stage). Romeo uses many different metaphors and phrases to describe his new found love, Juliet. At the beginning of this scene, Romeo says Juliet is the Sun which suggests that he sees her as the mother of the universe and that she is a goddess. It could also imply that Juliet brought Romeo out of his depression in the darkness and lightened his world. On later lines, he describes her as a bright angel and a winged messenger of heaven . This indicates that Juliet must be so unreal in Romeos eyes and that she cant have been made on this planet. She must be an angel and Shakespeare has used this effect to show that she is very important because in his time, angels were seen as very important figures. For this scene, Juliet could be wearing an angel costume with magnificent wings and an angelic dress which makes her look important and goddess like. I believe this would be an ideal way of portraying how Romeo sees her. It will also hint to the audience that Juliet must be beautiful because she is being compared to an angel. However, there are numerous ways of dressing to put across the same image. The most powerful way of dressing her out of those options is in white and silk because it is very pure and illustrates the idea of her being a goddess. Ideally, she should be barefooted to show that she is delicate and angelic. The silk will capture any light that is exposed on stage and will make a shiny effect. Juliets position on the stage is very important because a minority of the audience will be unable to see her and her costume which is essential however the congregation will be able to gather that Juliet is an angelic figure due to the language Romeo uses. To show that she is thinking about Romeo, she could be pacing up and down the balcony above Romeo. By placing Juliet above Romeo, it demonstrates to the crowd that Juliet is dominate over him and she over rules all his thoughts. This is also displayed when they organise the wedding further on in the scene. Romeo will be looking up to her as though she really is his sun and his angel above him. On lines 33-48, Juliet talks aloud about her love for Romeo. She talks about the family names being the problem between why Romeo and Juliet can not instantly be united. Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? suggests that Juliet is questioning herself about why he is called Romeo (I.e. Montague) and that she wishes he was not part of the Montague family. It could also imply that she knows he would be the same person even if he were not called Romeo or a Montague, this message is also displayed when she says, Thou art thyself, though not a Montague. Juliet also says that Romeo would still be perfect even if he were not called Romeo. She then goes on to say, Romeo doff thy name, and for that name which is no part of thee, Take all thyself which displays that Juliet wishes Romeo could remove his name so they could be together. She believes names are not important; it is the reality underneath that is important. To display this to the audience, she will have to show that she is not bot hered about the name he has. Dancing at Lughnasa EssayRomeos last speech in the scene is very graphic. He states that he would like to spend the night with his love Juliet and with his head upon her breast. When you look further into this, you will understand that he will also have his head upon her heart as well. Before he has his last speech, Juliet and Romeo get interrupted by the nurse. To show the audience the effect of this, the actors playing Romeo and Juliet need to show tension every time they are interrupted. In Shakespeares days, talking in secret to a young gentleman was very much forbidden and in the modern society, it is not something that really bothers us. They need to show the apprehension between them to show that they know they mustnt be talking and that they are very close to being caught. Another reason for the nurses interjections is to give the audience reminders that the whole thing will soon end tragically. The nurse needs to have a stern voice when she calls for Juliet, but the two lo vers must not show any sign of panic because they do not know how it will end, obviously. A key moment in the scene involves Romeo and Juliet talking about arranging the marriage. During this moment, they get interrupted by the nurse which creates the tension. When Juliet returns from the Nurses call, she says, If they thy bent of love be honourable, Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, By one Ill procure to come to thee. This implies that if Romeos intentions are trustworthy then he must inform Juliet the next day so she can arrange for the meeting. At the start, Romeo is outside below the balcony alone. Romeo will be wearing a formal outfit as he has just attended the Capulet Ball. As he speaks, he says, O blessed, blessed night! I am afeard, Being in night, all this is but a dream. This would mean that the actor playing Romeo would look out into the audience and talk in a soft calm voice as he is at a risk of being caught and also because the dream he is in. At the Globe theatre, all plays have to be performed during the day because at night, the audience will be unable to see the actors on stage. Because of this, Romeo will have to enhance every word that is about the night time so the audience knows when about in the day it is set. In conclusion, there are many different factors you have to bear in mind when directing the play. The most important thing is the costume as they easily put across the message of what Romeo and Juliet think of each other. The positions on the stage are significant too. Juliet needs to be raised and placed in her balcony so the crowd gathered, know that she takes the initiative in the relationship and also helps them imagine her as Romeos sun and his angel (these figures are in the sky and above us all). Ideally, there should be no props or backgrounds on stage because this scene is all about the two main characters and having props will only draw away the audiences attention to the actors. There are certain words and phrases that need to be enhanced due to the lack of lighting and because they set the scene and the atmosphere.