5.22.18+and+5.23.18

Review end of Act 2, Sn. 2: Sn. 2: > > > > > > > > > > > >
 * After Romeo (who was hiding beneath her balcony) reveals himself to Juliet after she asks the famous question “What’s in a name?”, Juliet begins questioning the authenticity of Romeo’s love. She admits that he’s heard all her thoughts about him honestly. If they were in a more traditional setting, she would have been more coy and guarded about her feelings, but because she didn’t know he was listening, she said exactly what was in her heart. Now, she’s worried that she can’t trust his declarations of love--is he as honest as her? Basically, she’s asking a big question: How do we know that love is true?
 * Romeo swears his love is true, first by comparing it to the moon.
 * Juliet says, don’t swear by the moon, as it’s “inconstant” since it changes shape throughout the month. She doesn’t want their love to be like that. Ultimately, she says, don’t swear by anything. She starts to worry that, while she loves him, this business is all too rushed and “unadvised”. She compares their love to “lightning, which doth cease to be / Ere one can say “It lightens” aka, she questions if there love is as quick as lightning, which strikes and is gone as fast as you can point it out.
 * She says, let’s give this time, and maybe our love will continue to flower next time we meet.
 * Romeo asks if she’ll leave him so “unsatisfied”.
 * Juliet asks what she could to do to make him happy.
 * He says, make promises of love to each other.
 * Juliet says, I did that already, when I didn’t even know you were there. But, she says, I wish I could take it back just so I could give it to you again. Juliet hears the Nurse calling, and leaves.
 * While she’s inside, Romeo wonders to himself if, since this is all happening at night, this is all a dream, and one that is too good to be true.
 * Juliet returns, and says if he’s serious about their love, and his aim is to marry her, then he should send word to her tomorrow through a messenger she’ll send to him. He should tell her messenger when/where they’ll marry. She promises that if he does want to marry her, she’ll “lay” all of her “fortunes at his feet and follow” Romeo forever.
 * Nurse is calling Juliet, so she’s rushed in and out of the room, but ultimately comes out one final time and asks Romeo what time she should send a messenger. He says, 9AM.
 * They exchange some final words expressing their love for one another, and then finally part.

Comparison of two interpretations of the balcony scene from the Zeffirelli movie, and the Luhrmann version.

Journal: Movie Comparison/Discussion Which interpretation do you prefer, and why? As you write, consider: > > > > > >
 * 1)  What differences did you notice?
 * 1)  How do you feel about the ways that Romeo and Juliet were characterized in each version? Does one version have better characters than the other?
 * 1)  Does a movie/stage version have to be true to the text--why or why not?
 * 1)  Why might Luhrmann have made the changes that he did?
 * 1)  What themes/conflicts did you notice in both clips?
 * 1)  How is the feud amplifying their feelings? Does the fact that they discover their love is ‘forbidden’ or ‘dangerous’ push them deeper into the relationship?

One reason we’re spending time on this is because you'll be doing a final performing piece and will be the actors/directors and have to make choices about how best to set your scene. I want you to apply your ideas about this scene to your own work.

Read: Summaries of Act. 2, Sn. 3-6 Watch movie version

HW: Work on final project. I recommend photocopying your scenes and annotating your lines by next class.