Romeo Fight example essay topic

I am directing Act 3, Scene 1, lines 30-127. I have decided to set it in a school (Verona High) to appeal more to the younger audience. I am hoping that by doing this it shall make the scene easier to understand as it is set in a familiar environment. Also, by doing this I gained inspiration for costumes, scenery and stage directions. There are four main characters in this scene each with very different personalities. Mercutio is very sarcastic and the joker of the school.

I would suggest to the actor playing this part to be clear in his body language and facial expressions that he is being sarcastic. Also as a joker relies on the reactions of other people I would insure that the other Montagues would respond in this way, seeing the humour in what he says. When he says, "Ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man", the people around him think he's joking so giggles are heard as they think it is all an act. Benvolio is the sensible one who is keen not to get in trouble with the Capulets and so, when he says, "By my head, here comes the Capulets", he shows his sensibility and fear of them by indicating to go. When no one else follows he decides to stay with his friends. All the way through this scene he appears nervous if not for his safety but for his friends' as he is not the one getting involved.

Tybalt hates the Montagues with a vengeance and isn't afraid to go out of his way to show this. I see this character as a rather static and moody person so I would advise the actor to keep all emotion to a minimum so when any emotion is displayed it has a bigger impact on the audience. I also see Tybalt as being the popular captain of the football team type of guy - cool but conventionally cool. Romeo knows what will happen if he loses control so tries to keep his cool but when Tybalt keeps taunting him he loses control and does things he cannot believe he has done. He is ruled by his heart and it affects everything he does.

The reason he is trying in the first place is because he knows Tybalt is now a relative and doesn't want to cause more friction between the families. Because of this he is trying to be friendly and brotherly but it doesn't work. The two different families react in different ways to different people. When Mercutio is being his sarcastic self the other Montagues are laughing and cheering him on whereas the Capulets are glaring at him and looking down their noses at the Montagues.

Each family stands on their own side of the stage so it is obvious to the audience who is on which side. The Capulets are behind Tybalt on stage left and the Montagues behind Mercutio stage right. To show this scene is set in a school, I have decided to have the netting that surrounds a tennis court painted on the flats across the back. An advantage to performing this in modern times is that we have curtains so people can die on stage to make the story more dramatic. One thing I would keep from Shakespeare's theatre is the sloped stage.

This way some characters can be sitting or lying on a slope and the audience can still see them. My version being set in modern times means I have to use modern styles. The Montagues will all be 'grungers' wearing baggy jeans, baggy t-shirts and hooded jumpers. The Capulets will all be 'townies' wearing sports clothes and denim jackets. By doing this you can tell the difference between the two different families with it still looking natural.

The scene will open with the Montagues all lazing on the bank. By doing this there are instantly different levels, which makes the scene more interesting to look at. Tybalt would stroll on and talk pleasantly until Mercutio says, "Consort? What, dost thou make us minstrels?" At this, Mercutio jumps up and plays the air guitar.

I thought this, as minstrels would travel from town to town telling stories and playing music on an instrument like a lute. When Mercutio says, "Here is my fiddlestick... ". he puts up his fists, ready to fight, with Tybalt following. Benvolio then comes between them to stop them fighting. After Romeo has entered and Tybalt has said, "The love I bear thee can afford no better term than this.

Thou art a villain". Tybalt spits out his gum to show his disgust. At this, Romeo holds up his hands to show his innocence. Mercutio interrupts with his disbelief that Romeo is taking all this and when he says, "Good King of Cats... ". he bows low to Tybalt, his eyes still fixed on him.

With both the fights, they would be a typical school fight - hair pulling, kicking, punching etc. - with a crowd gathering around them shouting encouragement to the fighters. When Mercutio dies he is supposed to be killed under Romeo's arm so Romeo comes between them to stop the fight and while he is talking Tybalt pulls out a penknife from his pocket and stabs Mercutio. When Tybalt is killed, he and Romeo fight much the same as he and Mercutio did but the penknife falls out of his pocket so Romeo grabs it and stabs him. As soon as that happens there is silence as Romeo realises what he has done, the lights flash to indicate lightning and there are rain sound effects while everyone backs off stage leaving Romeo standing over Tybalt. I thought this should happen as with all films and plays it starts to rain when something bad has happened so this makes it more obvious to the audience.

The weather is also reflecting Romeo's remorse. That is where the curtains would close and the scene ends..