Monday, June 13, 2011

Romeo and Juliet Act 2, Scenes 1-3

213.

another great day in California! we went to an amazing place called Tribal Cafe where i had the most delicious pirate's chai ever with a wonderful egg, cheese, tomato, onion, and avocado breakfast sandwich. we ran some errands and saw some scenery before hopping on the subway to the Hollywood Bowl. Dad and i went to a production meeting while Grandma and Sean hung out. we did the touristy thing in Hollywood. then Sean and i ventured out to the Cineramadome to see Super 8. by the time we got home, Dad was almost finished making dinner and we all sat down together to enjoy a lovely meal. yay L.A.! i am super duper pooped and ready for bed! but first, i must get my Shakespeare on...


act 2, scene 1
Romeo doesn't want to leave because he wants to see Juliet again. when he sees his friends walking up, he hides in the darkness to avoid having to go home. Benvolio is looking for Romeo while Mercutio pokes fun at him. eventually the two friends leave.

act 2, scene 2
Romeo emerges from the shadows and sees Juliet at her window. he is mooning over her when he hears her mooning over him. (see quote below.) Romeo lets himself be known to Juliet, and the two flirt and flirt and flirt. Juliet is very upfront about her emotions, and explains that she doesn't want to play games. the Nurse starts calling for Juliet. Juliet has to keep running in and out to put off Nurse while she says her goodbyes to Romeo. Juliet tells Romeo that if he is serious about loving her, he should arrange for them to be married. she will send a messenger to him in the morning to get a yea or nay from him. mushy gushy goodbyes ensue.

act 2, scene 3
Friar Laurence is working in his garden, extolling the virtues of holistic medicine. Romeo enters, and right away Friar Laurence can tell that something is going on with him. he guesses that Romeo has been up all night with Rosaline. when Romeo reveals the truth, Friar Laurence is shocked. he feels kind of the way we do: that this is an awfully quick turnaround, Romeo! Friar Laurence agrees to marry them in hopes that this will help end the feud between the Capulets and Montagues.


these kids are nuts! i can't believe i ever took these scenes seriously. now i think it's kind of cute, but of course very immature. now that i think about it, the last time i invested any real time in this play, i was a teenager myself. so i guess it seemed less silly to me then. interesting how our perspectives change. i used to see this play as a love story, and now i see it as a cautionary tale.

Mercutio is crazy, yes? and terrible! ha! his sexual jokes and poking fun at Romeo are out of this world. i would love some insight on this character if anyone has something to share.

quote of the day:
'tis but thy name that is my enemy;
thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
what's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
belonging to a man. o, be some other man!
what's in a name? that which we call a rose
by any other word would smell as sweet;
so Romeo would, were he not Romeo called,
retain that dear perfection which he owes
without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
and for thy name, which is no part of thee,
take all myself.'
   -Juliet; act 2, scene 2

for tomorrow: the rest of act 2!

-rebecca may

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