Showing posts with label romeo and juliet. Show all posts
Showing posts with label romeo and juliet. Show all posts
Sunday, November 18, 2007
Essay Topic
For my first essay, I will be analyzing how Shakespeare treats love in both The Taming of the Shrew, and Romeo and Juliet. I will explore the dichotomy of the act between two separate plays by the same author.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Queen Mab and Mercutio
Unrealistic Love
The Queen Mab speech is filled with meaning and understanding. In the beginning of the speech, Mercutio says that Queen Mab has been with Romeo; in his dreams. In this speech, Mercutio imagines a tiny world where Queen Mab lives and roams free. Queen Mab visits people every night and depending on how much she likes them, depends on whether she gives them a good dream or a nightmare. Mercutio uses this imaginative world of his as a way of explaining how people get their dreams. He explicates how people have nightmares and wake up in the middle of the night, frightened, but then go back to sleep knowing that they are safe, and that nothing has happened to them. Queen Mab sometimes gives people dreams of what they wish their world were like. In this speech, Mercutio is trying to show Romeo just how much his love for Rosaline is unrealistic, because Romeo knows that Rosaline will never love him.
Mercutio’s Personality
Act I Scene IV and the Queen Mab speech tell a lot about Mercutio and his personality. Mercutio cannot see Romeo’s love for Juliet. Mercutio is a bright, witty guy with a good deal of intelligence. In this scene, because Mercutio is such good friends with Romeo, he is able to softly mock Romeo without seriously offending him. No other character can do that because they lack the ability to see through the shallowness that individuals sometimes contain. Mercutio integrates multiple puns throughout his speech that make the piece ever so better. Mercutio is extremely brave, poetic, and humorous.
The Queen Mab speech is filled with meaning and understanding. In the beginning of the speech, Mercutio says that Queen Mab has been with Romeo; in his dreams. In this speech, Mercutio imagines a tiny world where Queen Mab lives and roams free. Queen Mab visits people every night and depending on how much she likes them, depends on whether she gives them a good dream or a nightmare. Mercutio uses this imaginative world of his as a way of explaining how people get their dreams. He explicates how people have nightmares and wake up in the middle of the night, frightened, but then go back to sleep knowing that they are safe, and that nothing has happened to them. Queen Mab sometimes gives people dreams of what they wish their world were like. In this speech, Mercutio is trying to show Romeo just how much his love for Rosaline is unrealistic, because Romeo knows that Rosaline will never love him.
Mercutio’s Personality
Act I Scene IV and the Queen Mab speech tell a lot about Mercutio and his personality. Mercutio cannot see Romeo’s love for Juliet. Mercutio is a bright, witty guy with a good deal of intelligence. In this scene, because Mercutio is such good friends with Romeo, he is able to softly mock Romeo without seriously offending him. No other character can do that because they lack the ability to see through the shallowness that individuals sometimes contain. Mercutio integrates multiple puns throughout his speech that make the piece ever so better. Mercutio is extremely brave, poetic, and humorous.
A Project!
Act III, scene 1 (lines 34-137) – The Duel
In this scene, a large confrontation occurs between a number of citizens in Verona. First, Mercutio challenges Tybalt to a duel. As the two argue, Benvolio suggests that they either withdraw to some other place to duel, or leave completely. Mercutio says that he and Tybalt won’t retreat for anyone’s pleasure, and then the two duel. As they duel, Romeo insists on stopping the fighting and jumps in the middle of the two. Then, Mercutio puts down his sword, but instead of doing the same, Tybalt blindly stabs Mercutio under Romeo’s arm. Mercutio is then on the ground, dying, saying how his wound is merely a scratch, but it is enough to kill him. Also, Mercutio constantly tells Romeo and Tybalt how much he despises their families and wishes the worst for them. Next, Romeo says that either he or Tybalt must go with Mercutio. Tybalt accepts the challenge, and the two duel. They fight and Tybalt is slain by Romeo. Finally, Benvolio tells Romeo that he must go, otherwise he will be sentenced to death for killing Tybalt.
We will use 4 clay figures to reenact the duel scene in Act III. Richard and I molded blocks of clay into figurines representing Romeo, Tybalt, Mercutio, and Benvolio. We decided Romeo was to have blond hair and blue eyes because he was very easy to fall in love with, and girls found him to be extremely handsome. We will give each of the characters different colored shirts so that they can be easily distinguished from one another. We then will position the figures as desired, depending on which scene we are acting out. We won’t be moving the characters around, but rather just adding the voices to them. We’ll be using a few lines that are actually in the play, but mostly that characters will be saying an interpretation of what is written in the play.
In this scene, a large confrontation occurs between a number of citizens in Verona. First, Mercutio challenges Tybalt to a duel. As the two argue, Benvolio suggests that they either withdraw to some other place to duel, or leave completely. Mercutio says that he and Tybalt won’t retreat for anyone’s pleasure, and then the two duel. As they duel, Romeo insists on stopping the fighting and jumps in the middle of the two. Then, Mercutio puts down his sword, but instead of doing the same, Tybalt blindly stabs Mercutio under Romeo’s arm. Mercutio is then on the ground, dying, saying how his wound is merely a scratch, but it is enough to kill him. Also, Mercutio constantly tells Romeo and Tybalt how much he despises their families and wishes the worst for them. Next, Romeo says that either he or Tybalt must go with Mercutio. Tybalt accepts the challenge, and the two duel. They fight and Tybalt is slain by Romeo. Finally, Benvolio tells Romeo that he must go, otherwise he will be sentenced to death for killing Tybalt.
We will use 4 clay figures to reenact the duel scene in Act III. Richard and I molded blocks of clay into figurines representing Romeo, Tybalt, Mercutio, and Benvolio. We decided Romeo was to have blond hair and blue eyes because he was very easy to fall in love with, and girls found him to be extremely handsome. We will give each of the characters different colored shirts so that they can be easily distinguished from one another. We then will position the figures as desired, depending on which scene we are acting out. We won’t be moving the characters around, but rather just adding the voices to them. We’ll be using a few lines that are actually in the play, but mostly that characters will be saying an interpretation of what is written in the play.
Romeo and Juliet
Actions are Greatly Affected by Emotion
Emotions are a part of life that affect a lot of what we do, and how we act. Throughout “Romeo and Juliet”, emotions have affected characters’ decisions a great deal. Firstly, Tybalt attempts to pick a fight Mercutio towards the middle of Act III. Tybalt insults Mercutio, and a duel between the two breaks out. Because Mercutio had his feelings hurt, and his family name threatened, he fought Tybalt gallantly. Unfortunately, Mercutio was stabbed by Tybalt under Romeo’s arm. Since Tybalt killed Mercutio, Romeo felt extreme sorrow for Mercutio. Romeo also felt outraged that Tybalt had done such a thing, and felt it necessary to duel Tybalt. Romeo killed Tybalt, but wouldn’t have had to had he not felt the deep melancholy and rage that he did. Later on in the play, towards the end, Romeo comes to the Capulet’s tomb, where Juliet has supposedly been buried. He finds Paris there, who had brought flowers to his soon-to-be-wife. At the tomb, Paris accuses Romeo of murdering Juliet. Because Romeo is so annoyed, and irritated by such false allegations, he duels Paris. Paris falls to Romeo’s sword. Romeo then examines Juliet, and proclaims that he cannot live without her. Romeo has felt such a deep depression, feeling the fear of continuing life without Juliet by his side, and in turn drinks poison and dies. Soon after, Juliet awakes and finds Romeo lying on the ground dead. Juliet too declares how it is not possible for her to live without Romeo. Because Juliet is so emotionally distraught, she stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger, thus killing herself. Emotion has played a key role throughout the entire Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, as many character’s decisions are based by it.
Emotions are a part of life that affect a lot of what we do, and how we act. Throughout “Romeo and Juliet”, emotions have affected characters’ decisions a great deal. Firstly, Tybalt attempts to pick a fight Mercutio towards the middle of Act III. Tybalt insults Mercutio, and a duel between the two breaks out. Because Mercutio had his feelings hurt, and his family name threatened, he fought Tybalt gallantly. Unfortunately, Mercutio was stabbed by Tybalt under Romeo’s arm. Since Tybalt killed Mercutio, Romeo felt extreme sorrow for Mercutio. Romeo also felt outraged that Tybalt had done such a thing, and felt it necessary to duel Tybalt. Romeo killed Tybalt, but wouldn’t have had to had he not felt the deep melancholy and rage that he did. Later on in the play, towards the end, Romeo comes to the Capulet’s tomb, where Juliet has supposedly been buried. He finds Paris there, who had brought flowers to his soon-to-be-wife. At the tomb, Paris accuses Romeo of murdering Juliet. Because Romeo is so annoyed, and irritated by such false allegations, he duels Paris. Paris falls to Romeo’s sword. Romeo then examines Juliet, and proclaims that he cannot live without her. Romeo has felt such a deep depression, feeling the fear of continuing life without Juliet by his side, and in turn drinks poison and dies. Soon after, Juliet awakes and finds Romeo lying on the ground dead. Juliet too declares how it is not possible for her to live without Romeo. Because Juliet is so emotionally distraught, she stabs herself with Romeo’s dagger, thus killing herself. Emotion has played a key role throughout the entire Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, as many character’s decisions are based by it.
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