Sunday, June 19, 2011

Romeo and Juliet Act 3, Scenes 3-5

210.

what a day! what a day! we rehearsed at the Hollywood Bowl all day- Gloria Estefan, Andy Garcia, and Cirque du Soleil. loooonnng day. best part was when they needed a stand-in for Helen Mirren so i got onstage in front of that podium, mic on, JumboTrons on, and introduced Cirque du Soleil. when i exited, the main stage manager said, 'are you an actress? that was REALLY good. i'm serious.' hahaha awesome. eat your heart out helen. but i digress...


act 3, scene 3
Romeo hides in Friar Laurence's call. he is scared of what his punishment will be for killing Tybalt. Laurence delivers the news: Romeo is vanished from Verona. Romeo completely freaks out. to him, there is nothing outside of Verona. he wants to die if he can't be in Verona and he can't be with his Juliet. the friar tries to calm him down, but it doesnt work. Nurse comes in, delivering the news that Juliet is likewise aggrieved, and Romeo gets even more hysterical. the only thing that calms Romeo down is their plan to bring Romeo to Juliet's room that night. tomorrow, he will leave for Mantua.

act 3, scene 4
Juliet's parents discuss marriage with Paris. things have gotten crazy with Tybalt's death, and Paris hasn't had time to woo Juliet. the Capulets make a deal with Paris that he can marry Juliet next Thursday. they will talk to her about it the next morning.

act 3, scene 5
Romeo and Juliet, after having spent the night together, say goodbye at Juliet's window. at first Romeo is anxious to get away before he's caught and Juliet begs him to stay. as lovers do, however, their positions flip as Juliet realizes it really is getting to be daytime. Juliet urges him to leave as Romeo tries to stay. the two finally say goodbye, and as Juliet looks down on Romeo, she has a prophetic moment. (see quote below.) just as Romeo leaves, Lady Capulet comes in to tell Juliet about her upcoming marriage to Paris. Juliet is shocked, and refuses to marry him. when her father comes in, she tells him the same. he cannot beLIEVE that his daughter would do this to him. he is very angry. very. if she does not marry Paris, she will be completely disowned, a curse to them, no longer their daughter. when he leaves Juliet begs her mother for help, but her mother turns her back on her. when she leaves, Juliet asks Nurse for advice. the Nurse suggests that Juliet go ahead and marry Paris. will no one help and understand Juliet?


okay i want to make sure i have this timeline straight:
Sunday: Capulet throws a party. Romeo and Juliet fall in love.
Monday: Romeo and Juliet get married. Romeo kills Tybalt. Capulet agrees Juliet will marry Paris on thursday. Romeo and Juliet consummate the marriage.
Tuesday: Romeo leaves for Mantua. Juliet refuses to marry Paris and is disowned.
is that right? that's intensely fast.

for some reason, this is where the play changes for me. i stop seeing them as foolish kids, and start seeing them as tragic figures. perhaps it is that moment where Juliet foresees Romeo's death? Juliet's father disowning her feels so unjust. (and poor Romeo apparently cant even go to his parents for help.) Romeo is gone, her parents have turned their backs on her, and Nurse doesn't understand her. she is utterly alone. she's only 13 years old, and she has this huge burden on her shoulders. Romeo's banishment, although it sucks, is completely justified. he killed someone. but then things start to get completely unfair. and awful. and they stay that way til the end. so for me, this is the transition. what do you think? i think Shakespeare is a genius.

quote of the day:
'o God, I have an ill-divining soul!
methinks I see thee, now thou art below,
as one dead in the bottom of a tomb:
either my eyesight fails, or thou look'st pale.'
-Juliet; act 3, scene 5

for tomorrow: act 4

-rebecca may

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