Act 2 scene 2 line 1-52
The scene is set in a small garden, with a few bushes and perhaps a fountain. There is a house, of which one of the windows is Juliet’s, but there is no balcony. It is quite minimalist, though there are some plants, but only one window, with a muslin curtain which flutters in the wind as the window is open.
Romeo appears, dressed on the same clothes as he wore at the party, but without the mask. He wears a sword and a feathered hat. He appears to have been drinking alcohol and so is slightly intoxicated. But this is only shows through his slightly slurred speech and unbalanced walk. He walks around, up and down and in circle as if very agitated. And then starts to talk (he jests….wound), still unaware of the window, and is walking around, kicking at the pebbles and dirt on the floor. A flickering light then appears at Juliet’s window, and Romeo stumbles away from it shielding his eyes (even though it is not very bright we can attribute this to his tipsiness) puts his hand to his sword as if expecting to have to draw it quickly, for a fight, and hides behind a bush, although it does not offer much cover. He first seems worried and angry, and speaks quickly (but soft…breaks) but then as he realises it is Juliet’s room his face relaxes and his speech slows. He points at the window as he says “arrive fair sun” gently and tenderly, but then speaking quite aggressively and he contorts his face as he makes a violent gesture at the moon. He spits out the words “sick” and “pale” with disgust, but then looks back up at Juliet’s window, and says “that thou…..than she” whilst he stumbles out from the bush and cranes his neck to get a glimpse of Juliet, whilst running to his next bush as a hiding place. He sits here and completes his speech, pointing to his own clothes when he talks of “vestal livery”.
