I am going to look at each scene in which Romeo and Juliet appear together in the play and describe how I would like the characters to be presented on the stage.

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I am going to look at each scene in which Romeo and Juliet appear together in the play and describe how I would like the characters to be presented on the stage. I will be including; the way they speak to one another, there facial expressions, their gestures, their movement and actions, there feelings, pauses and silences, the effect of the language used on the audience, their costumes and where the scenes will be set.

Romeo and Juliet is about two families, the Montagues and the Capulet's. The two families are always fighting and after one especially bad fight the Prince orders them to stop fighting or face harsh consequences. The two families then agree a truce.

However at a party at the Capulet mansion Romeo (Son of Montague) meets Juliet (Daughter of Capulet) and the two fall in love. But the two of them don't want to tell their families in case of an increase of tension between the two of them.

Romeo and Juliet then get married by Friar Lawrence without anyone knowing. Unfortunately Tybalt (Son of Capulet) finds out and attacks Romeo. Romeos friend Mercutio (who is homosexual) then tries to help Mercutio but Tybalt kills him. Romeo then kills Tybalt in vengeance.

Romeo is then banished because he killed Tybalt and while he's away arrangements are made for Juliet to marry Paris (rich, attractive man). Friar Lawrence then helps Juliet by giving her a potion that will make it seem as if she is dead when really she is only asleep. The plan is for her to be presumed dead and therefore be put in her coffin. Romeo will then come back wake her up and the two can run away together. However Romeo does not get the message and goes back to find Juliet presumably dead. He then kills himself. When Juliet wakes up and finds Romeo dead she kills herself.

The play will be set in 20th century Manhattan, but will include certain tools from the Shakespearean times (i.e. Swords)

Need to input: Social and historical background

Act 1 Scene 1

In the first scene the Capulets and the Montagues have a third turf war involving six members of the two families. It will start on a busy highway but the most part of the scene will be shot in a café.

This is the opening scene and is therefore important in setting the scene for the rest of the play. The scene will open with Capulet's servants, Sampson and Gregory, joyriding down a highway on Mopeds. As they swivel in and out of the traffic they get spotted by a police car and a chase ensues. The chase leads to a bustling town centre and the Capulets weave in and out of various market stalls and eventually lose the police car down an alley way. Throughout the chase fast rock music will be playing and there will be a constant sound of sirens throughout. Gregory and Sampson will be wearing baggy jeans and leather jackets open at the front revealing their chests and with a Capulet logo on the back. They will both have a sword holsters on their left hand side and the handle of the swords will be white gold with the Capulet logo engraved on it. In this part of the scene Sampson and Gregory will be shouting loudly the whole time in order to hear themselves over the engine and they will be having fun so will therefore have expressions of thrill and enjoyment on their faces.
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Gregory and Sampson will then hide in a café and taunt each other about their ability to fight if trouble was to come in the form of the Montagues. Whilst taunting each other Gregory and Sampson will be continually doing impressions of each other and laughing loudly. They will constantly be laughing and joking throughout.

The Montagues will then enter in the form of Abraham and Balthasar. They will be wearing tight leather pants and leather jackets with a Montague logo on the back. As they swing open the doors Abraham will stub out a cigarette ...

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