Journalists, are your pens at the ready?

Imagine that you are journalists for the LA Times.

Create an article to be included on the front cover of the LA Times for Thursday 26 January 2012, the day that Tybalt and Mercutio died.

Interview at least 3 of  the following characters: Benvolio, the Nurse, Friar Lawrence, Prince Escalus, Mr. and Mrs. Montague, Mr. and Mrs. Capulet,  Juliette, a police officer, a witness.

Publish your article on this blog!

Be ready to read out your article to the class, and so enact the various interviews!

Write in everyday English, but do feel free to use direct quotes from the original text.

Deadline: 9pm on Wednesday 8 February, 2012.

And, remember, "the pen is mightier than the sword!"

Death and Friendship

Act 3, scene 1

Mercutio
I am hurt.
A plague o' both your houses! I am sped.
Is he gone and hath nothing.

Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.

Benvolio
Romeo get out of here. The citizens are around, and Tybalt is dead. Don't stand there shocked.The Prince will give you the death penalty if you get caught. So get out of here!

Task
Explain what has happened to make these two men speak so urgently.
Why was it important for the play that Mercutio die.... what were the consequences for both families?

Friar Lawrence (act 2, scene 2):

The sweetest honey is loathsome in his own deliciousness and in the taste confounds the appetite. Therefore love moderately. Love long doth so. Too swift arrives as tardy as too slow.

Task:
Explain what he's saying (eg : who is is talking to and what does he mean?)
React - Think about his words. Do you agree or disagree?

Capulet

Fulgencio Capulet, father of Juliet and Tybalt's uncle, is the patriarch of the Capulet family. He has a comanding character but can also be very friendly.  He is Montague's worst enemy even though they look pretty similar : they are rich but not aristocrates, are approximatively the same age and both have an only child. However, he doesn't have an important place in the story as we rarely see him. We also know that that he believes he know what is best for Juliet and wants to marry her to Paris, he seems to only have good intentions towards his daughter and can be very convivial, such as shown at the scene of the ball. When Tybalt saw Romeo, Capulet tried to calm him and  avoid problems.

How do you find Capulet, do you think he is a "good" character ? Do you have informations to add about him ?

Zhang Francis

Juliet's NURSE

Juliet's Nurse,

            Shakespeare created a loving and powerfull person, she will be Juliet's confidant and a good friend to her all during the play. She raised baby Juliet and now that she is a young woman she's trying to help her grow up in a difficult world. Sometimes the Nurse is maybe to close with the girl who is living a dangerous love, but she understands Juliet. She will be the only one, ecxept Friar Lawrence to know about their forbidden love. The woman has a strong personality and doesn't let anyone get in her way. She will “shou” and express out loud all of her feelings. Suddenly she tries to convince Juliet to marry Paris. Why? She want's her “protegée” to have a good and simple life, and she knows it will be impossible with Roméo. She has always been a Capulet’s servant, but Juliet’s health and happiness, will even make her cross the ligne between the Capulet’s and Montague’s war and she will be traped in this problem until the end of the play. The bond between Juliet and her is very strong, since her birth she’s been proud of her “almost little girl”. Her entire life is devoted to this young girl. She will also be the messenger between Juliet and Romeo, so we can see that the girl has entire faith in her. Even thought sometimes we get the feeling that the Nurse is a happy joking person (sexual methaphore, she encourage Juliet to have fun...) she also have great experience, and has been hurt by life since her husband and daughter have died, Juliet is her only family left so she protects and makes shure that she will have what she wants. What we have to know is that the Nurse is an important caracter, she is a messenger, a confidant and a protective woman in the play. I personnaly think that she is a great nurse, and that she raised Juliet well. I would like to be as couragous and strong as her (without beeing her)! 

Well please tell me what you thought about her and if my commentary was ok?!

Hannah FLECK SPE1

The Nurse.

The Nurse is on the capulet side, she is the personal servant, guardian (and nurse) of Juliet Capulet,

and has been here for her since she was born.

As the primary person to like, she is therefore Juliet's confidante, she is aswell one of the few people, along with Friar Laurence, to be made aware of the magic romance between Romeo and Juliet.

The Nurse is very open with her opinions, advice, and feelings with Juliet. When talking about Paris, she talks like a schoolgirl gossiping about Paris' looks:

 "A man, young lady! Lady, such a man as all the world--why, he's a man of wax."

She is constantly chattering,
some several quotes of the nurse :
pages 45: "No, he's a fine flower, truly, a flower."

pages 47: " Go, girl, look for a man who'll give you happy nights at the end of happy days."

pages 119: "If he says anything against me, I'll humble him, even if he were stronger than he is-"

 When the Nurse suggests that Juliet should forget about Romeo and marry Paris, she loses Juliet's trust and confidence. 

Juliet decides to seek the help of Friar Laurence, thereafter she no longer involves the Nurse in her secret plans. The Nurse plays a critical role in Romeo and Juliet. Her relationship with major characters and her part in the secretive romance of the two lovers causes the play's action to move quickly and in a powerful way.

Do you think that the nurse did the right thing to help romeo and juliet to get married ?

BENARROCH Alicia and OHL Derry

Prince Escalus

Prince Escalus is the ruler of Verona. In the movie he is an officer who judges the Capulet and Montague after the fight between their boys. He doesn't like criminals as we can see on this quote : "Rebellious subjects, enemies to peace, Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel" and he threatens any disturber of peace with death.


He only appears three times in the play.


To my opinion, Prince Escalus is quite important in the movie as he appears as an officer in order to prevent the Capulet and Montague boys from killing each other. For the movie he has a necessary role.
However I think he is useless in the play because he was originally a Prince and Princes don't arrest and judge people, they just sit in their throne and rule the whole country. For me this role has to be played by a troop commander and this would fit perfectly in the movie and make more sense.


Berkand ARI

Benvolio

Benvolio is a member of the Montague family. He is Romeo's cousin and a good and devoted friend to him . He wants Romeo to forget Rosaline. Even though he looks violent he is a peace maker and, at the begining of the play, he stops the fight between the Montagues and Capulets : "Your servants were fighting your ennemy's servants before I got here. I drew my sword to part them"

All along the play he helps and advises Romeo who is depressed and is moping about his sexual life. He's courageous and helpful. : "Be ruled by me. Forget to think of her"

I acted as Benvolio in class, and I liked the fact that he is thoughtful about the other characters in the play, but I regret the fact that  he doesn't appear so much.

I appreciate him because of his kindness . He cares about his friend , Romeo, and he questions him gently and learns that his problem is lovesickness.
Nevertheless , he is often violent but through it he is very affectionate which makes him a likable character.

" You can put out one fire by starting another. A new pain will make the onje you already have seem less. " , Benvolio (act 1, scene 2 )

Tim Guillot and Lea Conrath .

Tybalt

Tybalt is a memeber of the Capulet family : he is Juliette's cousin on her mother's side. He is a very violent charcater, always looking for a fight and has an easy trigger. He hates the Montague family like anyone would hate the devil. He is very protective towards Juliette and aggressive towards Romeo. He is fearless duting fights, arrogant and fahsionable. The pride of the Capulet is of a major importance for him : he is ready to give his life for honor. He always obeys his uncle though. I would not appreciate him as a friend, because of his violent temper and thirst for fight, though he would be a very loyal friend and ready to give his life for you.

Mercutio

Mercutio is Romeo’s best friend. He is kind of the opposite of Romeo : he is definitely not shy and loves partying. Paris, Juliette’s suitor, is very pretentious and Mercutio hates pretentious people. He thinks love is only about the sex and tries to convince Romeo about it. Mercutio is a funny character, he helps Romeo to have fun and focus on something other than the girl he loves. I like this character because he is like us, he is a little childish, loves taking risks and experiments dangerous things (drugs). Mercutio is trying to protect his friend as best as he can, he also dies to save Romeo's honor and life.


                                                                                                     Boussar Manon & Sperandio Tiphaine

What do you think of the Bazz Luhrmann adaptation of Romeo and Juliette?

Do you agree or disagree with the following critics:

1. James Berardinelli 
"Ultimately, no matter how many innovative and unconventional flourishes it applies, the success of any adaptation of a Shakespeare play is determined by two factors: the competence of the director and the ability of the main cast members. Luhrmann, Danes, and DiCaprio place this Romeo and Juliet in capable hands. And, while such a loud, brash interpretation may not go down in cinematic history as the definitive version of the play, hopefully it will open a few eyes and widen the audience willing to venture into any movie bearing the credit "based on the play by William Shakespeare."

2. IMDb User Review
"Danes does a great job playing the flirty Juliet. The movie follows the original script very accurately."

3. The bad reviews
" Baz Luhrmann has made a film that (a) will dismay any lover of Shakespeare, and (b) bore anyone lured into the theater by promise of gang wars, MTV-style."

Open Questions About Juliette

Do you like Juliette in the opening scenes, before she meets Romeo?

What do you think her attitude towards her parents? Should she be more respectful....

Open Questions About Romeo

Do you like Romeo in the opening scenes, before he meets Juliette?

Does he seem strong.. or weak to you? Can you find some quotations that show he is particularly strong.. or weak?

Why do you think Shakespeare chose to present him in such a 'lovesick' manner?

Open Questions About the Nurse and Friar Lawrence

Do the Nurse and Friar Lawrence give good advice?

Can you quote moments when they gave good and bad advice?

Open Questions about Prince Escalus

Did Prince Escalus deal with the Montague-Capulet feud fairly?

What is the role of leaders and of the justice system during such times of trouble?

Can you think of how politicians and leaders in our time haev reacted to riots, gang violence, and social protest?

open questions about Mercutio

 What purpose does Mercutio serve in the play, and how should the audience feel about his death?

Would you like a friend like Mercutio?

Is he really a good friend to Romeo?

Mercutio

Mercutio is a kinsman to the prince and Romeo's close friend.

He's a very funny character! Since the first time he appears in the film he makes us laugh, by wearing a silver dress and high heels. He's friendly even if he seems crazy...

He's an outstanding and interesting character.

He has a lot of imagination but can be quite hotheaded. For example, he doesn't agree with Romeo's vision of love, and isn't scared to say it. He's not romantic at all, for him love is just the affair of one night...

Romy, Zara and Rebecca

Montague

Montague is the patriarch of the Montague family; Romeo's father. He's Capulet's enemy. They hate each other for unexplained reasons. He doesn't seem very friendly. Unlike the Capulets, the Montagues are not an aristocratic family. With watching a short part of the film, Montague appears having a unimportant place in the story. Montague uses the quotation: 'he's like a flower bud that won't open itself up the world because it's been poisoned from within by parasites', acte 1, scene 1 to talk about Romeo, it shows that Montague loves his son.

Lightness vs. Heaviness

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

Starting in Act 1, Romeo goes of on his own a lot, and feels hopeless and is described as heavy by his family and friends. He also claims that he sinks under love's heavy burden. Then Romeo first sees Juliet and some of the heaviness seems to be lifted from him. Flying is effortless when Romeo is full of love, but when he's not in a good relationship, he is heavy and cannot lift himself off the ground. Once he meets Juiliet he begins to feel full of elation and able to fly. However, when he's going to see his love Juliet, he feels invicible, and will be able to do anything to be able to come and see her. Then he is banished and will never see her again, and he is crushed with an immense heaviness. He is crying to the Friar and feels as if he cannot fly, or be light enough to fly, because he is so sad. Meanwhile, Juliet is feeling the same because she must marry Paris and never see Romeo again. Lady Capulet tells Juliet that she will be relieved of heaviness, because she can marry Paris, while it's really the opposite. When Juliet fakes her own death, weight is lifted from her, because she feels secure in the Friar and the fact that she will see Romeo again. Romeo, is finally overtaken with so much heaviness, that he kills himself, to be with Juliet. Juliet awakes and is crushed by the same burden, so she takes her own life as well, so she may be with Romeo, in a place where there is no weight to bring them down.

Love and Death

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

The motif seen throughout the play Romeo and Juliet is love leads to death. The motif can be found in every act leading up to Romeo and Juliet's actual death:
                "Than death prorogued wanting of thy love"
This quote symbolizes that Romeo and Juliet continually say that they would prefer death rather than to be separated from each other.
Seen in Act 3, Romeo states that being separated from Juliet is worse than death. Romeo says, "Much more than death. Do not say "banishment""
In the prologue, the narrator says:
                     "A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life..."
                     "The fearful passage of their death-marked love."

The prologue foreshadows what is going to happen to Romeo and Juliet. The young Capulet and Montague love each other but they can't be together because of their family’s hatred. Romeo and Juliet's death can be traced back to the feud of the family. A connection to the prologue is found in Act 5 when Romeo expresses:
                       "Then I defy you, stars!"

This relates to the prologue because the two star-crossed lovers take their lives for each other. Romeo says that the stars defeated him with Juliet's death; therefore he will soon take his life for his love:
                     "That heavens finds means to kill your joys with love."
This quote reveals the true motif of Romeo and Juliet

Passion vs. Hate

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

The motif of passion vs. hate is seen throughtout the play to describe events and characters. It seems that everytime someone in the story is in love, some conflict occurs. For example, Paris confesses his love for Juliet in act 5, scene 3:
                     "O, I am slain! If thou be merciful, open the tomb, lay me with Juliet."

Although he implies that he loves Juliet, his love for her never mattered because she was in love with somebody else. Even though Paris always loved her, Juliet was never able to love him back. Another example passion vs. hate was a quote from Romeo in act 1 scene 1:
                    "Here's much to do with hate, but more with love.
                     Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate, O anything of nothing first created!"

 Romeo states that his love for Rosaline both hateful and passionate as if they enjoyed fighting and not being together. The statement is almost saying that hate adds more to love, or bad things always happen when love is involved. Another example is the the death of Lady Montague. Montague states in act 5 scene 3:
                   "Alas, my liege, my wife is dead tonight!
                   Grief of my son's exile has stopped her breath.".

This statement is one of the many examples of lives lost due to love and grief. All the characters in the story lost at least one friend or family member through either love and hate! Tybalt and Mercutio both died fighting over some unimportant and stupid conflict. Their deaths brought even more hatred between the Capulets and Montagues! Lastly, the death of Romeo and Juliet was due to passion. They killed themselves because of drama between the two families and accidental mistakes. Nobody's love was really able to be carried out because hate was in the way.

Happiness vs. Sadness

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

Happiness and sadness in Romeo and Juliet occur all through out the story. For what they are sad about and what they are happy for differ through out the story.

In the beginning Romeo was sad and Juliet was also sad. They where both sad because of love. Romeo was sad because the girl that he loved did not love him back, she hardly even recognized him. Juliet was sad because she was being made to marry someone she did not love. This is going on thgrough out the play. Notice how they are sad about different but simmilar things. Roemo is sad for not being loved by the person he loves.Juliet is sad for being loved by who she does not love.
In the middle of the play Romeo and Juliet where both happy. For they have found true love for each other. Romeo has totaly forgotten his old love and sorrows. Juliet forgets of the pressure to marry for now. Juliet now looks to the furture more brightly. Despite the fact that they found true love they are, sad to find out that they are of different familes and can not marry. The sadness that they are different familes is there through out the play.
ALso in the middle of the play after they find each other they have a hidden marriage with each other. This also brings a short period of happiness. This is quickly taken away when Romeo is kicked out of the city.
Juliet comes up with a master plan to fake her death. When Romeo hears that Juliet died he rushes to her grave to see if this is true. When he reaches her she still looks dead. He killls himself in order to be happy with her. When she awakens and finds him dead she kills herself in order to be happy with him. After there deaths there respective families reconcile and are joined in happiness of being together and in the sadness of lost children.

Health vs. Illness

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

                     "Within the infant rind of this weak flower
                      Poison hath residence and medicine power;
                      For this, being smelt, with that part cheers each part;
                      Being tasted, stays all the senses with the heart." (2.3)

Friar speaks to Romeo to tell him that too much of a good thing can be bad. Romeo and Juliet's love for each other is still young, but as it progresses it will become dangerous. He compares their love to a dangerous flower, and he says that the flower may be harmless at first, but he says that too much of it can kill just as too much of Romeo's and Juliet's love will eventually bring about an untimely death:

                           "Bid a sick man in sadness make his will." (1.1)

Towards the end of the play, Health vs. Illness act as a different motif, resembling Life vs. Death. When Romeo got the news of Juliet's death, he fell under an "emotional illness" (depression caused by her death) and traveled to the tombs in Verona to see his lover's body. When he saw her body, the last of his "illness" was finishing him. He was pushed to the breaking point and died (by killing himself with poison):
                  A dateless bargain to engrossing death!
                  Come, bitter conduct; come, unsavory guide!
                  Thou desperate pilot, now at once run on
                  The dashing rocks thy seasick weary bark!
                  Here's to my love! O true apothecary!
                  Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss I die." (5.3)

When she awoke and saw him lying there, she contracted the same "illness" and killed herself with Romeo's dagger:
                "Yea, noise? Then I'll be brief. O happy dagger!
                This is thy sheath; there rust, and let me die." (5.3)

Illusion of Love

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

The mottif that we selected is the illusion of love. How was Romeo able to switch his love from Rosaline to Juliet so easily? We believe that it is possible that Romeo never loved either of the two girls. The play says:
                  "And in strong proof of chasity well armed,
                  From love's weak chilish bows she lives uncharmed."

This quote means that Romeo only liked Rosaline for her beauty. Therefore, it is
not unbelievable that Romeo loved Juliet for the same reason. In fact, Benvolio said himself:
                     "Take thou some new infection to thy eye,
                      And the rank poison of the old will die."

Romeo saw Juliet and forgot about all his lusts for Rosaline.
Not even the adults in the story understand the concept of love. The Capulet parents try to convince Juliet to marry Paris. Lady Capulet, in an effort to persuade Juliet said to her:
                 "What say you? Can you love the gentleman?..
                Read o'er the volume of young Paris' face,
                 And find delight writ there with beauty's pen."

It seems like nobody in Verona knows what true love is.
What is love? Is love a sight or is it an emotion? Romeo forgets about Rosaline the second he sees Juliet, Lady Capulet wants Juliet to marry Paris mostly because of his looks, and Benvolio is the only character with a loose understanding of what is going on. All in all, we don't think that any of the characters are experiencing true love, just merely an illusion of it

Love vs. Hate

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

The motif Love vs. Hate is seen throughout the play Romeo and Juliet multiple times. For example: In Act I Scene V Romeo says:
                     "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight!
                      For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

Romeo is at the party and is seeing Juliet, his love, for the first time. He has not felt this way since he lost Rosaline. Them falling in love will later affect the story because they will fall so deeply in love that they will even kill themselves later on just to not have to live without the other one.
Another example of the motif Love vs. Hate is in Act I Scene I when Gregory, a Capulet, says:
                          "The quarrel is between our masters and us their men."


This shows the hatred between the Capulets and Montagues. It will later affect the story because it will be hard for Romeo and Juliet to meet and love each other.
But in the end, their love will bring together the Capulets and the Monatgues and they will see Romeo and Juliets love and get over their quarrels and be friends. Love always triumphs over hate

Peace vs. War

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

"Within this infant rind of this weak flower poison hath residence and medicine power."(2.3)
"With baleful weeds and precious-juiced flowers. The earth that's nature's Mother is her tomb.(2.3)
"The sweetest honesy is loathesome in its deliciousness and in the taste confounds the appetite."(2.6)
"Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilling liquor drink thou off; when presently through all thou vains shall run a cold and drowsy humor; for no pulse shall keep his native progress, but surcease; no warmth, no breath, shal testify thou livest."(4.1)
"A dram of poison, such soon-speeding gear as will disperse itself through all the veins that the life-weary taker may fall dead, and that the truck may be discharged of breath as violently as hasty powder fired doth hurry from the fatal cannon's womb."(5.2)

At the beginning of the play, herbs and other potions all seem harmless, although we know they can be deadly and fatal. As the play progresses, mentions of such things are used in a harmful and violent connotation. Their hardships and family feuds make them lean more towards the option of taking poison. When they meet and are together, they need the medicine to bring happiness. But as the fights and seperations bring more hardships and difficulties, poison seems like an only choice. Romeo and Juliet need to constantly choose between poison, to end all emotional pain and hardships, or medicine, to heal and bring peace.

Poison vs. Medicine

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

Inner Beauty vs. Outer Beauty

Discuss how the motif  is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

Throughout the story characters dont care about how people really are. if they are good looking, they just fall in love with their beauty.

This happened with Romeo and Juliet. Romeo see's juliet for the first time and instantly falls in love. this refers to when romeo said:
                "for i ne'er saw true beauty till this night".

He said this in act 2.he later learns that she is a capulet but he is a montague. the conflict between the familys intervenes with their relationship. they dont really know eachother, they only know that they are good looking. later in the story their relationship progresses because they dont care about their families conflict. they love eachother now for who they actully are and will do anything to be with eachother,no matter what their families think. this turns out to be disasterous for the two of them.

in act 2 friar had pointed out romeos mistake of loving juliet based on looks alone. he says:
                     "so soon forsaken? young mens love then lies not truly in their hearts but in their eyes."

Good vs. Evil

Discuss how the motif is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

There are many motifs in Romeo and Juliet but one of the most influencial and reoccuring ones is "Good vs. Evil."

                    "Part fools-Benvolio"
                   "Turn thee, Benvolio; look upon thy death-Tybalt"(1.1)
These quotes show that Benvolio,good, is trying to keep the peace but the fiery Tybalt,evil, is just starting up the fight again.

               "Tybalt the kinsmen to old Capulet, hath sent a letter to his father's house
               Romeo will answer it.-Benvolio"

Here Tybalt is trying to start something with the nonviolent Romeo demonstrates the Good vs. Evil motif. Tybalt and Mercutio are always getting in Romeo's head. This does not allow Romeo to focus/see Juliet which may and probably will cause Romeo's depression which may contribute to Romeo's suicide.

          "Nay gentle Romeo, we must have you dance.-Mercutio"
           "Not I, believe me.-Romeo"
Here Good vs. Evil is demonstrated because Mercutio, even though he is a Montegue like Romeo, is pressuring Romeo to do something that may not have been good at the time. This backs up my statement that throught the play, Mercutio and Tybalt are trying to get in Romeos head.

                 "Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here, shalt with him hence.-Tybalt"
This is the scene where Mercutio and Tybalt get in a fight and when Romeo is trying to stop them, the hate for each other(Good vs. Evil) had them continue fighting and eventually had Mercutio killed. This quote then descriibes the afterward of that fight when Romeo fight his cousin-in law Tybalt killing him resulting in Romeo's banishment. This last quote is a very special one because it shows the result of Good vs. Evil. "This letter doth make good the friar'swords, their coursenof love, the tidings of her death; and here he writes that he did buy a poison of a poor pothecary and therewithal came to this vault to die and lie with Juliet. Where be these enemies? Capulet, Montegue, see wht a scourge is laid upon your hate, that heaven finds means to kill your joys with love, and I, for winking at your discords too, have lost a brace of kinsmen. All are punished." This is the summary of Romeo's letter which tells of his love for Juliet, his wife.

The result of Good vs. Evil is shown here where two very important characters die because the overshadowing of evil over good did not allow them to be together. This is why Good vs. Evil is such an important motif

Light vs. Darkness

Discuss how the motif of light and darkness is seen throughout Romeo and Juliet.

The theme of light vs. darkness is very evident throughout Romeo and Juliet.

In Act 1, when the narrator is talking about Romeo and his depression over Rosaline, they say that he:     
                     "locks fair daylight out, And makes himself an artificial night."

The light is representing any glimpse of happiness while the darkness of night shows his depression.

Then in Act 2, once Romeo has moved on to Juliet, he compares Juliet to the sun. He's basically talking about how when she walks into view, she can light up a room. Romeo is out of his depression the moment he sees Juliet.

Later in Act 2, Juliet and Romeo see eachother again and again at the Capulet house. Romeo has a huge change of heart, and now the roles are reversed between day and night. They see the night as good because it's the only time they can see eachother. Anytime they're apart, they both get really sad & miss eachother almost instantly. The night is the best time of the day and the light is so much longer, so it's nearly unbearable.
When Romeo finds out he's being banished, and he goes to see Juliet one last time, Romeo is told he must leave Verona by morning. Juliet is trying to convince it is still okay, he doesn't need to leave yet. She talks about how it is not yet morning and the blessed night is still with them. She also says that Romeo is "the day in night."

So really, she's referring to the stereotype of day being good because of light. And then she refers to how he makes the night as good as day, and brings the "light" (not literally) to her evening.

Friar Lawrence

He is a Franciscan friar. This Catholic man wants peace for Verona therefore he doesn't belong to any group and he's a mediator of the conflict.

He seems to understand the "teen spirit": act 2, scene 2, he jokes with Romeo and they talk together free-fully about Rosaline, Juliet and love. He says :

             "Young men's love then lies / Not truly in their hearts, but in their eyes."

 Romeo can confide in him. He gives him wise advice. Even if it was before the opening scene, we guess that Friar Lawrence tried to soften Romeo's passion about Rosaline  inact 2, scene 3 :     

            “Thou chid'st me oft for loving Rosaline. F. Lawrence “For doting, not for loving, pupil mine.”

Friend to both Romeo and Juliet, he will help their love during the whole play always keeping in mind that their union could bring peace for good.  He marries them in secret (act 2, scene 6). He prays the heaven to help the two lovers and to make Verona peaceful. He doesn't only unite them because of his agenda for the city but also because he is worried of their too strong love and he doesn't want them to sin.  He announces :

                        "For, by your leaves, you shall not stay alone /

                         Till holy church incorporate two in one." (act 2, scene 6)

He also helps their love by putting off the wedding between Juliet and Paris.

As well as being a Catholic holy man, Friar Lawrence is also an expert in the use of seemingly mystical potions and herbs. This knowledge will let him help the lovers. When Romeo is banished out of Verona, he will manage to make Juliet run away with her young husband. Unfortunately for many reasons he will fail and the end will be tragic.

Before dying he reveals the truth about Romeo  and Juliet. (act 5, scene 3).

I think he is a necessary character of the play, I pretty much like him because he isn't selfish : he helps the others without thinking of himself. Furthermore I like the fact he doesn't reprimand Romeo for his sins.

Carmen.

Tybalt

Tybalt is a member of the Capulet family. He is Juliet's cousin. He is a violent character, pretentious and fashionable. He is very good at fighting, and hates Montagues. His violence and temper makes him impressive and feared by the Montague family:

                                  "Get me my sword, boy!"
                                  "So now turn and draw your sword!"
                                   "I'll fight you."

                                   "Romeo there's only one thing I call you, a villain!"

He is ready to give his life to defend the Capulet family's pride, and humiliate the Montagues.

We think Tybalt is a bad person, but he can be inspiring . I don't like the way he fights all the time though.

Juliette

                                                

                                                         

Juliet is a beautiful 13 year old girl. She's the daughter of the Capulet’s, an aristocratic family, enemy of the Montague family. She begins the play as a naive child who has thought little about love and marriage. She is promised to Paris but still falls in love with Romeo, who she meets during the Capulet party. Romeo is a Montague, so their love is forbidden and seems impossible.
Her nurse is her closest friend and confident, she's the one who has taken care of Juliet since she was born and replaces her mother who has never really been present for her.

Juliet seems very pure and sincere; however she still is a little too naive, as she trusted Romeo the first time they met. She doesn't really take notice about the fact that he is a Montague "What's a Montague? It is nor hand, nor foot, nor arm, nor face, nor any other part belonging to a man" (act 2 scene 2), even if he's one of her family's worst enemies.
On one side, she should show more respect towards her family, but on the other side her love for Romeo is so intense that she forgets about everyone else, even her own parents who we must say never really took care of her. Love troubles her vision, corrupts her judgment, and that shows

us how sincere she is: this 13 year old girl could give up her own family for her first and last love.
If I was Juliet, I think that I would have done the same, but only if i really was truly in love: just like her.
In the end we can say that this story shows us thow true love makes people do real crazy things...

Rebecca, Romy and Zara

Romeo

                                                                   

                                                                  Romeo and Juliette


This blog has been created so that the students from Cutherbertson High School in North Carolina and Pontonniers International High School in France can share their opinion about William Shakespeare's classic play "Romeo and Juliette".

Let us work well and discuss much for, afterall, Shakespeare is there to remind us of the importance of living our lives NOW: He that is strucken blind cannot forget The precious treasure of his eyesight lost.

Romeo and Juliet. ACT I Scene 1