The main characters in the scene are Romeo, Juliet, the nurse, Capulet and lady Capulet. The adults are Capulet, lady Capulet and the nurse. They behave differently to Romeo and Juliet as they are bossing her about and telling her who to marry when she’s the only one who can choose who to love. We can see the different behaviour when Juliet tells Capulet that she doesn’t want to marry Paris but Capulet insists and even threatens to drag her down the street like a criminal “I will drag you thee on a hurdle hither.” Juliet is just saying that she doesn’t want to marry someone she doesn’t love but the Capulet's take it as an insult and thinks she’s not conceited nor grateful for what’s she’s have “doth she not give us thanks.” “Is she not proud?”
The scene is set in Juliet’s bedroom. To film this scene a false back wall with cut outs for window lighting should come from behind the window to emphasise the coming of dawn. Romeo has to depart through the window. For sound effects bird song would be used because the couple are arguing over the bird being a nightingale meaning it was still night or a lark meaning it was the beginning of dawn. A side door is needed for the entrance of the nurse, mother and father.
To direct this scene I would aim the camera at Romeo then Juliet like a tennis match from left to right to left. Just before the nurse enters the camera will focus on the door then it will hurl open then Juliet will stand in front of Romeo to protect him just encase Capulet came in and wanted to hurt Romeo. Then the nurse comes in and Juliet looks relived puts her hand on her heart goes to speak but is cut off by the nurse saying that lady Capulet is on the way. When Romeo is descending down the ladder/ wall, the camera will watch Romeo climb down from Juliet’s eyes. At the time when Capulet is having a fit of temper he will be pacing up and down hastily to emphasize his rage.
The difference between the generations can be seen when Juliet rejects her fathers invitation to marry Juliet when he is just doing what he thinks is best for his daughter. Capulet doesn’t care that his daughter doesn’t love Paris but thinks that it would be a good transaction as Paris is the county, he cares for the high standings that marrying Paris would bring. When Juliet declared that she doesn’t want to marry Paris because she is too young as she cannot tell them the true reason the Capulet’s took it as an insult and thinks that she is ungrateful “does she not give us thanks.” “Does she not count her blessed?” The Capulet’s are very confused about why Juliet doesn’t want to marry Paris. The Juliet's parents are not hateful even though they seem so at the time, this is because they do not know about Romeo and that Juliet is in love. The Capulet’s are loving the father shows this by setting her daughter up for a very beneficial marriage. Capulet gets angry because he is confused about why Juliet doesn’t want to marry the county Paris.
To the Elizabethans this scene would have been outrageous because the daughter disobeyed the father and this was considered very disrespectful. The reactions would be different from todays as rebelling against parents is much more common. It would also been shocking because Juliet had sex before marriage and that was considered aberrant. Whilst today it’s considered acceptable. I think that Shakespeare intends to provoke the issues concerning the generation gap between lady Capulet, Capulet, nurse and Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare promotes the emotions of the fathers anger by threats “I will drag thee of a herdle hither.” Which he wouldn’t do because he loves her. On the other hand Juliet shows her determination by saying “if all else fail, myself have power to die.”
This scene affects the rest of the play as the nurse turns her back on Juliet, consequently Juliet swears never to confine in her again. It also affects the play as Juliet deceives her parents openly as an alternative of secretly