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