Full Draft #2

Romeo and Juliet is a vibrant and play by William Shakespeare that encompases a newfound passion facing the trials of status, circumstances, and “             “. Juliet is a character who transforms throughout the story, firstly representing an exaggerated version of a naive and innocent girl. After reworking Act II Scene II, I was able to delve into my interpretation of why Juliet reacts the way she does in each moment, as well as her raw personality and perspective. Portraying Juliet in this scene helped me to understand the details of her relationship, as well as how it transformed her as a character. With my interpretation of this scene, I was able to portray Juliet’s emergence and hesitation to become a woman through body language, eye contact, and deliverance of lines.

When reading and interpreting this scene of Romeo and Juliet, I recognized Juliet as a character battling with confliction. At the beginning of the story Juliet seems young and new to the love that is presented in front of her. By the end of the play she has stepped away from what has binded her by manifesting independence, and ultimately letting her soul chase the love that she craves. Meeting Romeo is the catalyst that drives Juliet into her ambivalence and emergence. I believe the crux of the play is when Juliet steps out onto the balcony, allowing herself to confess her love to Romeo. But in my analysis, the crux of Act II Scene II is when Juliet allows Romeo to take her hand and finally touch her, revealing that she truly wants to pursue their love, defining the goal for the rest of the play.

From the start of working with this scene, I felt that Juliet had a strong sense of back and forth feelings. It was important that I was able to show how Juliet juggles with the idea of independence in her mind. This scene allows the audience to understand Juliet’s specific feelings, since they are revealed in her lines. There are many moments where Romeo has to reassure Juliet, and make her feel comfortable, possibly making Romeo insecure in the beginning. When thinking about my performance, I wanted to emphasise the idea that Juliet never questions her feelings love, but her own abilities with the obstacles around her. There are many variables that Juliet considers and battles with until she ultimately makes the decision to trust, stepping away from her doubts, and leaving them behind.

The two protagonists are dancers in their metaphorical battle of trust and vulnerability. They react and interact with each other, testing the willingness to push boundaries. Romeo and Juliet create distance and closeness to each other with their words, demonstrating the emotional uphill battle through their language. When Juliet says “If they do see thee, they will murder thee.” (act. scene.) she promotes the start of negative imagery towards giving in to her love, pushing Romeo to make multiple attempts at winning her over.

When blocking this scene, I wanted to highlight the importance of offering and retreating the body. Romeo was set up downstage right, and Juliet downstage left. The characters were standing next to one another throughout the whole scene, moving away and towards each other depending on what was necessary for each moment. When Juliet said anything negative or doubted the circumstances of their relationship, I took a step back. When anything positive was portrayed or said of their love or willingness to be together, there would be a step taken forward. I put a lot of emphasis on Juliet’s hesitation throughout most of the scene, making the few moments she steps forward more obvious to the audience.

Juliet battles with her feelings of reluctance throughout the scene. There are many moments when Romeo willingly illustrates his love without hesitation and attempts to convince Juliet that their love is stronger than anything that can keep them from one another. With all of the inside feelings that Juliet faces of becoming independent, Romeo never falters to convince her that he is willing to give all of himself to her. The vulnerable way that Romeo reacts puts Juliet in a position to make the decision of what their relationship will be. This tips the scale for Juliet, weighing her more towards the idea of possibility, rather than questioning “what if?”

When bringing the moments to life, as well as the back and forth motion, I wanted there to be a clear offering of the body. When Juliet was in the midst of vetting Romeo’s effect on her future, he gave her multiple opportunities to completely agree to their love. Romeo reached out his hand to Juliet, as if he was asking for her trust, and at the same time reassuring his love to her through language. Juliet does not take his hand on two separate instances, stepping away from him when he offers it. This created an anticipation for the audience, waiting for Juliet to offer herself in the same way that Romeo was.

When going in depth of the scene, I realized that many of Romeo and Juliet’s

responses to one another were quick and natural. Both of the characters allowed themselves to be raw and revealing. I found that Juliet was less poised in her vocalization, defying the stiff nature that is usually expected of her. She reacted to Romeo’s affirmations of love in short, quick bursts when she was questioning it, as well as long, drawn out proclamations when she accepted it.

In my performance, it was crucial that my eyes spoke as loud as my words.

Even though the body was moving a certain way, the eyes could be telling a different story. Juliet knew she was in love with Romeo throughout the scene, so my quick reactions of stepping away from Romeo were combatted by where I was looking. Throughout most of the scene Juliet dances with the idea of their love, but never falters to keep a gaze, fully confronting Romeo with her eyes, and testing him on how much he will sacrifice. When Juliet says “O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon…. Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.” (Act. Scene. Line.) I stepped away from Romeo, but kept my eyes on him, watching for how he would react.

When interpreting how I should deliver Juliet’s lines, I found that her word choice defines the tone she should be using while speaking them. It is obvious that Juliet comes from high status based on her deliverance of language during colloquy throughout the play. The way Juliet reacts to Romeo when she is unsure versus when she is confident though, helped me to understand the underlying emotions that pair with her dialogue. When Juliet says “If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully; or if thou thinkest I am too quickly won, I’ll frown and be perverse…” (act. Scene. line.) it is important that the line is not said with exuding confidence, being that Juliet is in a more vulnerable place.

When performing, I attempted to deliver my lines with exaggeration on what is necessary to support my body language. When Juliet was nervous, I spoke with an apprehensive tone, slowing my words down. I wanted it to seem like Juliet was thinking about what to say before she revealed her feelings, which showed a reflective and tense nature. When she transitioned and let the strain off of her inner feelings, it was important that there was a clear release in her voice. I spoke in an accepting and light tone, as if Juliet lost the war against her veiled independence.

The crux of my performance was in Juliet’s last lines of the scene, which were edited as

“Wouldst thou withdraw it? For what purpose, love?

My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep; the more I give to thee,

The more I have, for both are infinite.

Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed.

If that thy bent of love be honorable,

Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow,

By one that I’ll procure to come to thee,

Parting is such a sweet sorrow,

That I shall say goodnight till it be morrow.” (act. Scene. line.)

Juliet refuses to accept Romeo’s offer of love multiple times when he vulnerably reaches his hand for hers. She would not take his hand throughout the scene, dancing with his emotions, and testing his trustworthiness. When Juliet says “the more I give to thee…” she puts her hand out to Romeo, defying who she is demanded to be, and turning towards her own future and decisions. The deliverance of this line was extremely important to what I created for this scene. The movement I put between the two characters and the suspense of Juliet’s personal peril was resolved in that moment. This scene is one piece out of an overcasting complete story. It was necessary to highlight the significance of the moment, as well as open a pathway for the rest of the lover’s journey.

Overall I feel that being able to bring this scene to life has taught me an immense amount, as I was able to complete all of the steps that go into creating a performance. I learned about what it means to create a dynamic between two characters that goes beyond their lines, which has helped me grow as an actress. The most difficult aspect of the performance was making sure that the blocking did not look stagnant and dull. If I could do this scene over again, I would have the characters step closer and further from each other much more. There were lines when I would stand stationary, creating a sluggish feel for my character. Being able to look back and see the final performance allowed me to see my ideas come to life from a different perspective. There are many layers that go into creating a full performance, and I am fortunate that I was able to bring to life a dynamic character with an intriguing story. Juliet never falters to be a compelling and powerful character. She enunciates herself as an individual, and by doing so creates an empowering relationship. Focusing on body language, eye contact, and dictation has helped me to develop Juliet as a full persona, rather than a character in one scene. Juliet goes through an overwhelming change as a character, and it was important when creating the performance to understand all the aspects of her personality, and reasoning behind her choices. Once I analyzed Juliet in more depth, I was able to make decisions as an actor that helped me portray her in a more realistic way.