Romeo and Juliet Act 1 Scene 5 Director Notes.

Authors Avatar
Shakespeare's

Romeo and Juliet

Act 1 Scene 5

Director Notes

You will be playing the part of Romeo in my adaptation of Act 1 scene 5 of 'Romeo and Juliet'. In order to play the part effectively it is vital that you understand a number of things about Romeo's character and the play and how I wish you to act the role.

To summarise the narrative so far you need to understand the themes presented to the audience in the first Act of the play. The themes have been tragedy, fate and love. Throughout the first act the audience have explored the setting of the play which is in Verona, a romantic, catholic city that strongly reflects many of the key themes in the play. Information regarding the characters, location, period of time and family life necessary to effectively understand the play in its true context.

Shakespeare's England was Elizabethan England and therefore the audience should be aware that the play will be reflective of the period of time it was written in. Women in Elizabethan times were often unattainable and withdrawn from the men and marriage was not commonly about love. Therefore Juliet is justly concerned when the nurse tells her Romeo who she loves is "The son of your great enemy." Juliet's concerns are not only because of the feud between the Montague's and Capulet's it is also because women had little control over who they married.
Join now!


Courtship was the process commonly practised in Elizabethan times between noble men and women at a time when people rarely married for love. Marriage was viewed as a business proposition as great fortunes could be at stake through inheritance. The economics of marriage were ingrained into society so emotional and physical desires of a man or women were less important this was reinforced by religion at the time as it was thought people should have control over their desires.

The church had a significant impact on the behaviour of people at that time. People were expected to ...

This is a preview of the whole essay