"Romeo and Juliet" is quite possibly the most famous tragedy of all time and it is most certainly the most recognized of all the works by William Shakespeare. It is the most adapted play around the world by both theatre and film. The following is a script analysis of 'Romeo and Juliet' along with the essential facts and themes that coincide with this marvelous piece of literature. It's setting is in that of the city of Verona, Italy. In this city, there is a bitter rival feud between the two families that rule Verona, the Capulet and the Montagues(The Major Conflict). Another important conflict in the story is with Romeo and Juliet (man) against the two families (society). They defy the very principles that their families have raised them to believe out of the sake of love.
In between the feud is the prince of Verona, Escalus, who acts as the peacekeeper of the city and prevents the two families from causing chaos and bloodshed. Along with the prince are the two children of the families, both of which have no ill intent of the other despite what their families have taught them, Romeo of Montague and Juliet of Capulet. They both love each other unconditionally and with restrain; they don't care what their families think of their affair and fall completely in love with each other. To me, Romeo and Juliet both represent love, undying, unconditional, and eternal. The families represent division as they are divided against each other and hate each other for whatever reason. The climax of this play is reached when Romeo kills Tybalt in cold blood for killing his friend Mercutio. From that moment on Romeo is banished from Verona and Juliet is left to find a drastic way to reunite with him and to fight off marrying Paris and her stubborn father; the rivalry between the two families is fueled even greater with both sides of the family mourning their losses.
The resolution is when Romeo goes to see the body of Juliet thus breaking his banishment and possibly facing his death by the Capulets or even the Prince. The Final Action is reached when the Prince shouts to the public "ALL ARE PUNISHED!" in anger of the lives taken by Romeo and Juliet themselves and because their suicides came from the bitterness between the two families inability to accept each other and make peace on their own. Romeo's objective is to find a new love or a new spark in his life after his heartbreak at the start of the play with Rosaline. Juliet's objective is experience real love and to not have it brought to her, but for her to find it herself, which she does with Romeo. The Subject of the play is about love and fate. The Idea of the play is that in our search for love, we may have to defy our parents and society as love itself has no boundaries, but there are consequences that love can bring, some of which are more severe than can be imagined.
"Romeo and Juliet" is to me what it has been to millions of people across the world for centuries now, the greatest love story ever told. It hits a note on going against what society rules as wrong and chasing your love wherever it may take you. But it serves as a reminder to me to never fall to in love with someone for the end results could cost you your life and the lives of those you love the most. Yet at the same time, out of that could come something more. The ultimate irony of this play is that it was not the union of Romeo and Juliet that would bring the two families together as they and Friar Laurence had hoped for, but it was their death.
Works Cited
Felner, Mira and Orenstein, Claudia. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. New York: Pearson Education, 2006.
In my life, I believe the best possible structure for it would be in the climactic structure that we discussed in class before. I also believe that my life would fall under the category of comic-tragedy. The audience is my family, friends, co-workers, classmates and I. And I am the so-called’ hero’ of the story. A large ensemble of characters (based on real people in my life) would shape this play. Everyone has a part to play and a role in my personal life. Whether it is to hinder me or lift me up, they are the characters who have shaped me into who I am today. The point of attack, believe it or not, would be at the start of this year. This year, by far, has been the most defining year of my life. The exposition is when the actor playing me starts at school with four brand new, exciting classes which include Spanish I, broadcast news writing, oceanography, and dramatics 1 (acting). He entered these classes not knowing much or expecting much, and only took dramatics 1 and broadcasting to fulfill my 12-credit hour requirement so he would be covered for medical. What was strange about those two particular classes is how much they would change his life by the people he would meet. But it is worth while to note that before classes started he was completely fixated on going to UCF in the fall and majoring in film and he told everybody, “The last thing I want is a girlfriend.”
He takes the stage of my life itself as he walks through the doors room 103 in the acting studio. The light from above hits him and he enters and the first thing he always do is scan the room for any familiar faces that he might know or recognize so he wouldn’t feel completely alone. He found about two faces he’s seen before and sits by them and starts up small talk. He looks around the class and notices no one else, until the door opens and more students arrive just two minutes late and take a seat. He’s a little stunned at how ‘attractive’ this class is as there are at least four to six really beautiful girls in his class which is a record for all the classes he’s taken at Daytona State College. But, there is always one that captures you more than the others, one that steals your intrigue and fascination, and that one was named Andrea. He left that class intrigued, but still fixated on an education, not dating. Broadcasting class was yet another class filled to the brim with hotties from left to right. He was even more astounded when he met two more in his oceanography class; this semester was shaping to be the ‘best looking’ semester he’s ever taken. And as the weeks rolled on, he was doing well in all of my classes, but, in the end, the one class he had the most fun in and was able to express myself the best in was dramatics 1. The complications in this part arose in early March when spring break came and he had decided to ask Andrea on a date, but right when he was about to, another boy named Pete (the antagonist of this part of the story) came in and stole his thunder and made the first move. He felt defeated and said, “There goes another one.” Two weeks went by and for his improv speech, he gave a rant on social issues and his own personal beliefs and hatreds about society itself and from that moment on came a series of events that would alter his life forever. A week passed and it’s St. Patrick’s Day and he works up the nerve to ask Andrea on a date which she surprisingly accepts and acts quite excited about. He looks to the audience with a stunned face and says, “I know that the last thing I wanted was a relationship, but screw it! I like this girl.” They had decided to go see “The Last House On The Left” at ocean walk theatres and after waiting for about two hours and missing the movie, he started to think she bailed on me (this happened to him about three weeks prior by a girl he met at a bar… (Look at the audience) “Tip: never ever date girls you meet at bars!”), but she didn’t and they decided to just walk on the beach and talk about stuff. By the end of the night, they kissed (fireworks go off in the stage). She later told him that she always liked him more than Pete (He laughed at the undeniable irony). He then went on to tell his brother, his sister, and his dad, who have always wanted him to finally find a girl and tell them as soon as he did.
And as the weeks rolled by he was in bliss (cue the chipper/happy musical score) and everything seemed soo good. He was losing weight, eating healthier (courtesy of his girlfriend being a vegetarian), passing all of his classes, and he was never happier. They were rehearsing for a show for their acting class and their scene was from ‘42nd Street’ and after saying ‘no’ countless times, he agreed to do a kissing scene in front of an audience of people. But then they had their first ‘verbal’ fight (cue depressing music) and he felt lost, he felt confused, and he felt guilty. Then they made up and went on with the show. The show was a hit and they felt glad to finally be over and done with it. He was looking forward to the summer and spending it with her. After classes ended, however, they lost touch and drifted away (this is the crisis and it stays here for about three to five months). Shortly after, he realizes that his dreams of going to UCF were going to be delayed and the possibility of going into the film department and even being accepted into the school was becoming more and more distant. In that time, he would visit his dad in New York who was battling prostate cancer. He returned to work and school in the beginning of the fall semester and life seemed to get better again for him. That is until September rolled around when he received the news that his father passed away (the climax). He returned to New York, possibly for the last time, with his sister to bury their dad. At the funeral, he and his sister run into their brother Matthew, who has always been a recluse from them and has always harbored a deep jealously against them for being the more favored of the siblings. Although this time, they all seemed to push their differences aside for this one moment, this moment where they needed each other more than ever. Family is seen all around the funeral room. The reverend is seen standing close by. Flowers from all sides of the family arrive; from their father’s relatives to families of his ex-wives, flowers fill the room with their deep sympathy and love for a good man who’s gone from us. The following day was the actual funeral. It’s a beautiful ceremony decorated with the presence of the United States Marines and the Town of Newburgh police department honoring their fallen brother. ‘Taps’ is being played and three shots are discharged into the air. The audience remains in a state of silence and sorrow as this occurs.
They returned to Florida the following day. When he returned home, it seemed as though he had never lost his dad and he actually called his number a few times to talk to him only to realize that he wasn’t there to pick up the phone. It was soo strange and unreal to him that he was really gone. He had his friends, his brothers, his sister, and even Andrea to comfort him in this time. He was very surprised to know that she still cared about him after months of having hardly any contact. What made this even more significant to him is even though they never made it work out, she and him became even better friends then when they were dating. A large light encompasses them as they hug and tell each other, “I love you.” To hear her say that and know in his heart that she means it is a wave of relief and closure for him as he knows he feels the same way and maybe always has. The week passes and he is seen next at a hospital standing next to his friend Jessica who is only five months older than he is and has already become a mother. Her baby boy, Landon, is in her arms and as she passes her boy over to Wade (The lights dim to Jessica passing the baby to Wade), he holds him and a deep look comes over his face. In this moment, he realizes the beauty of life itself and how when one loved one’s life ends, a new one will come into this world and make it whole again. This revelation causes Wade to have newer, better outlook on life, one that promises hope and love in the coming years. He acts more prepared now than ever before because he realizes this will not be the first and only loved he will lose; there will be more and those times will be even harder, but as long as he and his sister recognize it and accept it, they can be prepared for it more than they were before.
(The denouement)It’s been over a month now since that day. It does seem to him that this past year has been one to remember and it seemed very structured as a play or dramatic series of events on his life. (The resolution) Now he is just picking up the pieces of a broken relationship that blossomed into a great friendship instead. He’s learning how to cope with the loss of his father everyday by living as a happy a life as possible. He’s continuing to go to class everyday and pass all of his examines and turn in all of his homework. He’s learned so much about the complexities and responsibility of relationships, even with one that ended soo soon. He’s obtained valuable lessons in how to help your body stay and remain healthy and to eat healthier. But out of all of these things he’s learned throughout this year, he has learned how to grow up and become a person that is truly his own. Taking what he’s learned from all of these characters and help shape him into the person he is today. He learned how to depend on himself and except his own mistakes and learn how to fix them and if he can’t fix them, he learns how to cope with it and learn from it for future reference. The most important thing he could possibly learn out of this entire year was to never compromise yourself. Never lose who you are no matter what may happen. Whether it’s a family lose, a break-up, or your dreams of going to school are getting bleaker and bleaker to the point of where you just don’t want to do it anymore, never give up who you are. The things I’ve learned this year have shaped me into a newer, better me…a more free me. It’s taught me that if you want to change, do it for yourself, not for someone else or for some type of social status you want to obtain. Never falter on yourself and remain ambitious in your pursuits. Keep those you care about, no matter what the past may have been, close to you; as William Shakespeare once wrote in ‘The Tempest’, “What’s past is prologue”. Life always goes on and finds a way, with the passing of another comes the ushering of the beginning of a new life.
I believe my life would make for an interesting play if it were to ever make it to the stage simply because this year alone had all of the elements that a successful play would need to be loved by the audience. It features a central character, the supporting characters, a stage that changes through time and adapts to the main characters experiences, a conflict, multiple complications, a climax, and a satisfying and cathartic resolution.
Works Cited
Felner, Mira and Orenstein, Claudia. The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. New York: Pearson Education, 2006.
Shakespeare, William. "The Tempest". 1610-1611. Jalic Inc. 2000-2009. Accessed on 03 November 2009. Jalic, Inc. 2000 - 2009. http://www.online-literature.com/shakespeare/tempest/3/
Italy. In this city, there is a bitter rival feud between the two families that rule Verona, the Capulet and the Montagues(The Major Conflict). Another important conflict in the story is with Romeo and Juliet (man) against the two families (society). They defy the very principles that their families have raised them to believe out of the sake of love.
