Lord Capulet is a very dominant figure throughout the play and this scene in particular. At the beginning of the scene Lord Capulet starts by asking “... Have you delivered to her our decree?” this shows Lord Capulet as a domineering father, another example of this is later in the scene when he is arguing with Juliet he ends with the line “I’ll not be forsworn”.
When Lord Capulet first enters the scene, he appears to be in a good mood, expecting that Juliet is delighted with the news off her proposal from Paris. Once he finds that she has rejected the proposal, his mood changes very fast. His tone of voice and level of voice would now change, form a sympathetic mild voice to an ordering and almost shouting tone. “I will drag thee on a hurdle thither” he is trying to scare Juliet into doing as he wants. She will not marry as she is already married to Romeo but Lord and Lady Capulet do not know this and just think she is being disobedient. Lord Capulet then starts to insult Juliet by describing her as “tallow face!” and “wretched puling fool”, while saying these lines I feel that Lord Capulet should be standing very close to Juliet as if in confrontation. When threatening Juliet with physical violence I think he should be showing aggressive actions with his hands, as this will add drama and tension to the scene. The line “My fingers itch” could be accompanied by the lift of his hand into the air, which is then slowly closed into a fist with a slight look of regret on his face.
Lady Capulet, on the other hand, will not be as involved. She will stand at the side of Lord Capulet and stare at Juliet throughout. She will not be as loud as Lord Capulet but gives a cruel image of herself. She too shares Lord Capulet’s view on the marriage and is angry when Juliet rejects it. When Lord Capulet is shouting at Juliet, Lady Capulet tries to calm him down but not with any force. She asks “fie, fie, what, are you mad?” It is almost as if she is also afraid of Lord Capulet when he is acting how he is. When she says this to him she will take two steps back, this will help create tension and emphasise Lord Capulet’s anger.
I think that the most important character is this scene is Juliet, When Juliet is first introduced in this scene she is obviously upset and her mother can tell this. She assumes it is because of the death of her cousin Tybalt, but in truth, it is because her husband Romeo has had to leave. In this part it shows that Juliet is quiet intelligent, as she has managed to fool her mother about the true reason for the tears. When she turns down the proposal that her mother asks of her, she tries to remain respectful of her parent’s intentions “thankful even for hate that is meant love”. She is trying to please them with thanking them but she is not pleasing them, as she has not accepted their planned marriage. Juliet now resorts to pleading with her father “Good father, I beseech you on my knees”. The actress who plays Juliet will have to say this in a clear but scared voice; she would also have a tremor in her voice, as she is worried as she is not in a position to defend herself. Juliet would have tears running down her face, as she begs on her knees to Lord Capulet.
Now Juliet has been rejected by both of her parents, she turns to her nurse for comfort. However the nurse must respect Lord Capulet’s decision and this disappoints Juliet as she was hoping the nurse would be on her side. The nurse will not go against her masters for fear of a punishment, but she begs to give her opinion on the matter, even though Lord Capulet has told her to shut up, “May not one speak?” When the nurse speaks to defend Juliet she is told to hold her tongue. Whilst saying this, Lord Capulet pulls his face quickly towards the nurse in a threatening manner to remind everyone to treat him with the respect that he feels he deserves.
Next I will explain how I think Act 3 Scene 5 should be directed on stage. I will comment on parts that I would take out or include in the scene and a reason for doing so. I will also comment on stage directions and how different parts will be acted out.
I think the scene should begin just before Nurse knocks on the door of Juliet’s bedroom, in which Romeo and Juliet lay staring into each others eyes. The young couple have been jokingly disagreeing on whether it is dawn or not, but in this they are actually revealing premonitions of death. ‘I must be gone and live, or stay and die’ this is one of Romeo’s last lines to Juliet as he realises his situation. This line has an underlying truth because of the reference to death which actually happens later in the play.
As Lady Capulet approaches the door of Juliet’s bedroom, Nurse hurries to dress Juliet. All the other main components of the scene will be kept in. The first part of my scene will be Juliet hurrying in from the balcony, the nurse will then tend to her and inform her that her mother is coming. When Lady Capulet enters, she will be talking as she enters then once she has seen Juliet crying on the bed she will stop. Lady Capulet will then approach Juliet as if to comfort her and in an effort to cheer her up, she delivers the news of the marriage. Juliet will immediately look at her mother in the face and start her lines. When Lord Capulet approaches the door, Lady Capulet will get up and walk towards the door to show that she is on the side of Capulet and has not accepted Juliet’s reaction.
As Lord Capulet enters the lighting on stage will become brighter to bring focus to his power. As he delivers his first line he will be looking at Juliet expectantly as he is assuming she has accepted the wedding news. When Lady Capulet tells Lord Capulet that Juliet has declined the offer, Lord Capulet’s expression changes from a proud smile to an angry stare. His next few lines “soft, take me with…” see Lord Capulet turning from the proud father into the bully who demands respect.
Juliet’s father now will be acting violently and angrily. This argument with Juliet leads him to almost hitting her.
Juliet tries to get her father to understand her reasons, but her efforts are in vain and her words provoke him in to losing his temper even more. She will deliver these lines shouting at Lord Capulet as by this time she is distraught. Juliet is trying to use word play to calm him but Lord Capulet’s anger rises and he begins to shout at Juliet. I will get Lord Capulet to approach Juliet in a confrontational way with his arms raised, and this is when Lady Capulet gets concerned and she too attempts to calm him.
Lord Capulet should now distance himself from Juliet and start to pace around the stage.
Now is the time for Juliet to beg for forgiveness from her father. She gets off her bed, positioned centre of the stage, and drops to her knees in front of her parents.
Lord Capulet now delivers his lines dipping down occasionally towards the kneeling Juliet, to emphasise points he makes. When he says the line beginning with “my fingers itch” he will slowly close a fist above Juliet’s head. At this threat of physical violence, Nurse should approach Juliet and put her arms around her shoulders as if to protect her. This act is against Lord Capulet’s will and so enrages him to insult Nurse who begins to retreat. Nurse, in a shocked state, should then boldly deliver her lines but not loud enough for Lord Capulet to think she is confronting him.
Now the argument between Lord Capulet and Juliet continues, Juliet moves away by dragging herself along the floor and Lord Capulet follows her standing over her limp body. Lord Capulet must now raise his arm to Juliet. This will create a large amount of apprehension in the audience. The nurse will then approach again and the raised arm swings towards her face with great force. Whilst hitting her Lord Capulet will say his lines, getting louder as they approach an end “Peace, you mumbling fool!”
Lady Capulet now interferes, again with no force behind her words. Lord Capulet takes no notice and delivers his long speech directed at Juliet. I will focus the lights on Lord Capulet, as this is a particular moment of high dramatic tension. As his speech continues Juliet will start shaking her head in disbelief of what l her father is saying.
When Lord Capulet gets to the near end of his speech, the volume will increase and he will be using a lot of body language in the form of raising his arms and pointing at Juliet to show his anger at the fact that she disobeyed him. When his last line is said “trust to’t, bethink you” will be in a subtle, quiet voice, which is then followed by a sudden increase in volume “I’ll not be forsworn.”
When Lord Capulet exits he will slam the door behind him in frustration.
A soft light will then rise and focus on Juliet to create sympathy for her by giving the feeling that she is vulnerable and alone. This will be when she asks her mother “Is there no pity sitting in the clouds that sees into the bottom of my grief?”
This would be said in a very sorrowful voice. This line can be interpreted in different ways. In the case of Lady Capulet, it would be seen as another plea for forgiveness but it could also be seen as a plea to someone like God as form of praying.
Juliet also speaks of her death in this part of her lines “delay this marriage for a month, a week, or if you do not, make the bridal bed in that dim monument where Tybalt lies”. She has delivered her mother an ultimatum, although her mother appears not to care.
“Talk not to me, for I’ll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt, for I have done with thee.” This is the final line delivered by Lady Capulet in this scene. It is a very ‘cold’ line and would create a lot of sympathy for Juliet, as her own mother has disowned her. Exiting with this line makes the audience think badly of Lady Capulet. Once she has left, only Juliet remains in the room, the lights will slowly dim on her as she sobs alone on the floor. The only light will be a soft spotlight focused on Juliet as she says her last lines directed at the audience.
Over all in this play Act 3 Scene 5 has a very important role. It has moments of high drama and tension between Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, Juliet and the nurse. In this scene the author surprises us by revealing a completely different side to the main characters. He does this by showing us their true emotions; whether it is anger, love or desperation. The character of Lord Capulet is shown to be a man of great anger. All through the play he is portrayed as a loving father until in this particular scene when he is shown as menacing and controlling. He also appears to be very unsympathetic to his daughter’s wishes. Lady Capulet is shown in a similar way. She is a kind, caring woman throughout but again, changes in this scene. I also believe that Lord and Lady Capulet may feel that they are doing right by Juliet, and that it is Juliet who is in the wrong over the arranged marriage.
Juliet in this particular scene is shown as quite insecure and very fragile as her emotions become quiet clear both towards her parents and her husband, Romeo.
The reason I have chosen to portray this scene in the way I have is because I think it is necessary to show all the characters emotions as clearly as possible.
My reasoning for the use of body language, mainly by Lord Capulet, was to add impact and to emphasise different feelings in the argument between him and his daughter, Juliet.
Another part in the scene that has particular interest is nearer the end of the scene when Juliet realises that she does not have many options left about her proposed marriage to Paris, she then tries to seek help from her husband Romeo. However he cannot help her as he has been banished. Juliet then goes to Friar Lawrence for help “I’ll to the friar, to know his remedy, if all else fail, myself have power to die”. This bold statement then tragically becomes reality.
