Blog #5

  I will act Juliet in Act IV Scene 1 with Marinda who is going to portray Friar Laurence. In this scene, my character, Juliet, shows the audience many significant changes within her personality. In order to highlight this kind of transition, we cut out Paris’ scene. And in the following paragraphs, I would like to analyze her personality as well as her motivation more detailed, which is related with the ways of how to portray Juliet. 

  Many changes were made by Juliet throughout the whole play, and Act IV Scene 1 is presented as a crucial point for Juliet’s transition. Before that, the image she builds up is an innocent and obedient girl, who never rebels her parents or makes any decision by herself. However, within the process of falling love with Romeo, she was “forced” to mature. Blinded by her passionate love, she secretly marries Romeo, and openly disobeys her father despite his threat to disown her. Her growing maturity was acted in a rapid pace. And, in this scene, her mature figure was completely created: her own decision to accept Friar’s “unknown” vial at the risk of her life highlighting a brave Juliet, who is willing to defy her family and taking the responsibility for the person she loves. Nonetheless, under the strong exterior Juliet has been trying to become, her fears about following Friar’s plan also was described as her saying, “Give me … O, tell not me of fear” (4,1,121)!, and “Love give me strength! And strength shall help afford” (4,1,125). Since Romeo is far away from her at that moment, and he cannot figure out a solution with Juliet together without knowing the upcoming marriage, Juliet has to meet those struggles alone. Thus, her inner world is indeed very complicated while facing such severe situation that forces her to make a decision. 

  In order to portray Juliet’s “mature” personality more vividly, I would like to exaggerate her body language, and make full use of any props. Be more specific, I would magnify my feelings through actions from the beginning — “knock” at the door. Instead of a “knock”, I would make it like a “bang”. Because Juliet must be on the verge of collapse at that given moment. She is in total isolation; everyone is trying to persuade her to marry Paris even the Nurse. All those anxious, helpless and despair feelings could be reflected from her, and those will directly lead her to be in panic which would be displayed through her behaviors. And then, her feelings would gradually reach a climax when she becomes suicidal and says “be not so long to speak, I long to die, if what thou speak’t speak not of remedy” (4,1,67). At this moment, I will not only point my knife to myself but also to Friar in order to exaggerate Juliet’s feelings and portray a more emotional side of her, which is what I learn from the 1996 adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Until the end, the instability of her mood was still kept when she describes her fear, even though she might tries to persuade herself to be brave within her minds. For the last sentence, “love give me strength! And strength shall help afford” (1,4,125), I can say this like whisper, encouraging myself to face the struggle. 

  All in all, the character Juliet not only experiences complex transition but also enormous mood swings within this scene. In order to vividly portray a Juliet, I would tell the audience her feelings through “exaggerate” or “emotional” actions with the best use of props.