The first significant part of this scene is Capulet’s opening speech, where he welcomes his guests and encourages them to dance. He says, “You are welcome, gentlemen! Come, musicians, play,” as he tries to get the party started, and in my version he would say this with sweeping hand gestures to include everyone into the group. He is in a cheerful, jovial mood, which is shown by his light-hearted manner as he teases the ladies – “will now deny to dance? She that makes dainty, She, I’ll swear, hath corns; am I come near ye now?” This is because he believes that Juliet will marry Paris, and the purpose that he held the party for was for them to meet.
In my version of the scene, Capulet would be a large, red-faced man in his fifties, laughing and joking with his friends, and he would say his lines cheekily to show that he is entering into the party spirit and trying to get the others to do so as well. He would be wearing a brightly coloured Hawaiian shirt and holding a cocktail glass, to make it seem to the audience like he is excited about the party and is in a cheerful, relaxed mood. I have noticed that the more affluent, powerful characters in the play speak in rhyme, whereas the less important ones do not. This suggests that they are better educated, and symbolises more ordered thoughts than those of the poorer characters. However, when Lord Capulet is under the influence of alcohol, in Act One Scene Five, his speech loses its pattern and rhyme scheme. This shows that his thoughts are not as complex as they usually are and helps to convey his relaxed, jovial mood to the audience.
Romeo first catching sight of Juliet is the next important part of the scene, and I would have Juliet dancing with Paris, smiling and looking content because I think this would evoke the greatest emotional response in the audience. I want them to feel that Romeo has no chance of being noticed by someone as beautiful as Juliet, and to show that Romeo feels this way too he should say his dramatic monologue, with the lines, “O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night, Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!” in a lovestruck, helpless voice. This means, put simply, “She is brighter than fire itself” and the comparison to a “rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear” suggests that she is rare, exotic and stunning. The whole of Romeo’s soliloquy is full of rich, opulent imagery, especially, “snowy dove” and, “touching hers, make blessed my rude hand,” which both associate her with the idea of a heavenly being, too holy for life on Earth.
In Baz Luhrmann’s 1997 screen version of ‘Romeo and Juliet’’, Juliet is wearing an angel’s costume and Romeo is wearing the outfit of a knight, as the party is a masked ball where the guests come in fancy dress. This symbolises Romeo’s feelings of Juliet being a heavenly being, and the idea of Romeo being Juliet’s ‘knight in shining armour’, and I think it is a very effective piece of imagery. In my version, I would also like Juliet to be wearing an angel’s costume, except a more modern one; for example, a miniskirt with gold sequins all over it, a black strap top, glittery gold wings and black tights, carrying a sparkly wand. Juliet would be a young girl, aged around fourteen, with golden hair, big dark eyes and a heart-shaped face. Romeo would be older, around seventeen, with dark hair and eyes, and he would wear a silver knight’s costume with a mask made to look like a helmet to cover his face. This adds to the sense of mystery surrounding him, and should make it more believable that Juliet doesn’t realise who he is until they have fallen in love.
The next key moment in the original play is when Tybalt, upon hearing the voice of Romeo as he describes Juliet’s beauty, realises that he is a Montague and should not be at the ball. However, I think that this example of theatricality is rather unbelievable, so in my version I would like Romeo to lift his mask from his face in order to view Juliet better as she dances with Paris, and at that moment Tybalt will recognise his face. Tybalt will be a small, agile man dressed as a cat burglar, because I think this reflects his secretive, revengeful nature.
Tybalt complains to Lord Capulet that “this is a Montague, our foe” and says, “I’ll not endure him,” which shows that he does not want Romeo to get away with this humiliation that Romeo has caused to the Capulets by turning up uninvited “to scorn at our solemnity this night.” However, Lord Capulet is feeling content and relaxed, and does not agree that Romeo should be publicly removed from the party, and says, “I would not for the wealth of all the town, Here in my house do him disparagement.” This basically means that he does not want to cause an unpleasant scene at his party, so asks Tybalt to ignore Romeo and enjoy the party without worrying about him. However, Tybalt refuses to ignore him, and ends up swearing to get revenge: “I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, Now seeming sweet convert to bitter gall.”
When Tybalt says this, I would have a subtle change in the lightness of the hall to make it darker, more threatening, and Tybalt would be side-lit to show that he is plotting against Romeo. The camera would film a close-up of his face, and the party music would be dimmed to make way for some dark, threatening chords. This would show the audience that it is not an empty threat and should make them feel worried about Romeo’s fate. The Elizabethan audience for which the play was written would have felt that Tybalt deserved to get revenge on Romeo for his intrusion on the Capulets’ party, as honour was considered very important at the time. However, a modern audience might feel uneasy on Romeo’s behalf because they would want everything to go well, and not really understand the seriousness of revenge in those days.
Then the screen will switch to show Romeo, who will silently take Juliet by the hand and lead her out of the sight of the others. I think Shakespeare wrote this switch between storylines to create a diversion, to distract the audience from Tybalt’s promise to get revenge, and I would like to capture this effect again in my version. As Romeo flirts with Juliet, he uses a lot of religious imagery, such as, “Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?” to which Juliet replies, “Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.” Juliet is saying that pilgrims do not kiss; they touch hands, then Romeo says, put simply, “but don’t pilgrims have lips too?” Juliet replies that they do, but they are lips for use in prayer, not kissing. She appears to feel that Romeo is being too forward and tries to put him off slightly. The audience would probably feel the same, that this was shocking and shameful, if they did not use religious ideas and imagery to fuel their conversation. The references to holiness and the Bible somehow mute the intensity, making it seem more acceptable to the Elizabethan audience for which it was intended. In my version, the two lovers would speak their lines gently and lovingly, with the muffled sound of Kylie Minogue’s It’s In Your Eyes in the background. This is because this is a song that I think reflects this part of the scene, especially the line “I can't think of a single thing, Other than what a beautiful state I'm in.” It is a typical party dance track that I think will fit in with the modern theme of the film. When they kiss, the screen will be lit with a soft pink light to symbolise love.
One the most important parts of the play is when Romeo and Juliet discover that they are from enemy families, as this is where an Elizabethan audience is supposed to realise that their love can never really work, because of family honour. Upon hearing the fact that Juliet is a Capulet, Romeo exclaims, “Is she a Capulet? O dear account! My life is in my foe’s debt,” and Juliet says, “My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, and known too late!” We as a modern audience would probably not understand this so clearly, but by the facial expressions and tones of voice used by the actors, I would ensure that the audience understands how important it is.
Near the end of the scene, Juliet says to her Nurse, “Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed.” This is deeply ironic because although Romeo is not married, her grave does end up as her wedding bed. A modern audience would be likely to know the story already, and would probably recognise the irony in this line. To an Elizabethan audience, who may be watching the play for the first time and might not know the plot, this is a subtle hint of the tragedy that follows.
Act One Scene Five sets up the tragedy of the play, as it is where Romeo and Juliet meet, Tybalt swears revenge on the Montagues and the lovers discover that they are from enemy families. It is a vital part of the play and it helps to collect it into a whole. This scene is extremely effective, and I think the main reason for this is the beautiful imagery and language used by Romeo and Juliet. Many of these lines have become famous, especially, “Did my heart love till now? forswear it, sight! For I ne’er saw true beauty till this night,” which Romeo says as he catches his first glimpse of Juliet.
‘Romeo and Juliet’ is an extremely enduring play, as it combines love, hatred, revenge and honour into one of the most famous and popular plays in history.