Directing Act 3 Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

Directing Act 3 Scene 1 of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet In this essay I will be directing act 3 scene 1 in the illustrious

"Romeo and Juliet" written by Shakespeare. This segment of Romeo and

Juliet will be intended for a contemporary audience at the infamous

globe theatre. In this essay I will be covering a number of points

e.g., I will talk about the differences of the audiences from 1590 and

an audience of today, the story, staging of the play and about the

characters.

Act 3 scene 1 is one of the most important parts in the play; there

are numerous things which arise: Tybalt comes across Romeo's friends

Mercutio, and Benvolio in a public square whilst they were searching

for Romeo. It is also a very hot day and they are easily provoked,

tempers then fly and a fight arises between Mercutio and Tybalt. Romeo

then enters the scene as they fight. Tybalt tries to provoke Romeo

into fighting, but he has just married Juliet and was in a joyous

mood, so Romeo does not retaliate to his insults. Mercutio takes it

upon himself to defend Romeo and attacks Tybalt. Romeo tries to

intervene in the fight, but Mercutio is cut by Tybalt and dies.

Seeking revenge, Romeo kills Tybalt. And then flees to Verona.

Romeo and Juliet was written in 1590 for an audience of that time,

whilst I will have to direct for the modern audience of today however

there are many things which both audiences find appealin...

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...e very friendly while his facial expressions

should always be happy however, as the action continues and Mercutio

dies he should be filled with rage and the audience should see this.

Tybalt, the Capulet enemy, plays an interesting role in this scene as

he is seen as the villain the audience may even feel sympathy towards

him when he is dying however, ultimately it is Tybalt who kills the

much loved Mercutio the actor should portray him as a confident,

fierce, arrogant and impulsive person. His costume should be a dark

colour to reflect the malevolence of the character.

All in all I have made many different changes to the play; I have made

adjustments to make the play more exciting and relevant for a modern

audience. E.g. instead of the sword fighting I will use guns, the

costumes will be more of a modern style etc.