“To a girl?”
“To a marmoset”
This tells the audience that throughout the play the two boys will not be very serious characters.
The other reason for the gender switch could be because “Romeo and Juliet” was focused more on Romeo, who was a male Montague, so to even it out, “After Juliet” is about a female, Rosaline, who is a capulate. Hence why there are more Capulates in “After Juliet” then Montague’s
A dramatic device is a device used by the author to have an affect on the audience. Dramatic devices are used to keep the audience engaged in the play and make them want to keep watching. This essay will focus on the dramatic devices used in the play “After Juliet”. Firstly I will look at the Drummer and what part he plays in “after Juliet” as being a dramatic device. I will also look at the possession of Bianca by Juliet, how strong language is used to lighten the mood and the PA’s monologue near the start of the play.
The drummer is a character in the play who is present throughout however a non-participant. His role in “After Juliet” is like an on-stage director, controlling the action and at times hurrying along things. Right from the beginning of the play the drummer is portrayed as being in control.
“The drummers click click clicks. Benvolio edges into the sunshine….”
When the drummer clicks the action continues showing to the audience that he has some control over the actions of the other characters. Another example of when this happens is later on in the play where Benvolio is about to have an intimate moment with Rosaline.
“He touches he face so gently. And for a moment she lets him, responding even. Almost nuzzling her cheek into his palm.
The drummer click, click, clicks. Rosaline backs off.”
Again, the drummer interrupts the moment showing he is in control of the situation and is controlling it the way he wants to. By doing this he acts as a dramatic device; when the action of the play is taken place it puts the audience into a false sense of security, making them think (for example) Benvolio and Rosaline will get together but tears apart the moment by the click, click, click. The drummer may cause the audience to feel confused too. They never know why he is there and why he does what he does. As a result of the confusion the audience would want to watch to find out the purpose of the drummer. Though the play wouldn’t suffer much harm if the drummer was gone, he still manages to entice the audience. Therefore the drummer is a successful at being a dramatic device.
During the play Bianca gets possessed by her deceased cousin, Juliet. Juliet says that she doesn’t want Rosaline to take Romeo’s love away from her by kissing him.
“Don’t let her take the taste of my lips from his mouth.”
The reason this I in the play is that so far in “After Juliet”, is that Juliet is portrayed as being a spoilt brat by Rosaline.
“You were too small, too pretty, too rich, Too thin, and too much for me to cope with. “Spoilt” is the work which springs to mind Though I don’t want to speak ill of the dead.”
This lead to Rosaline being jealous of Juliet and when Juliet stole the heart of Romeo this made Rosaline feel ever more resentful towards her. When Rosaline tells of the story where, as a child, Juliet stole here doll from her.
“You wanted my favourite doll. And of course you got it” and then goes on to blame Juliet for the death of Romeo…
“Then having taken him You let him die. If you’d swallowed the friar’s poison earlier You would have wakened And my love would still be alive.”
This makes the audience sympathise with Rosaline and get them on her side. Later, Bianca is taken over by Juliet’s spirit or some supernatural activity allowing Juliet to speak through Bianca. It allows Juliet to say her last words and tell Rosaline to keep away from Romeo. After Juliet has finished the audience are meant to feel more sympathy for her rather then Rosaline. Audience reaction would be shocked as they wouldn’t expect the dead to talk at any point in the play. This is an effective dramatic device as the audience are enlightened to Juliet’s pain which is caused by Rosaline fixated about Romeo.
Two characters of the play act as a “Comic Relief” and lighten the otherwise dismal mood. Gianni and Lorenzo are two relaxed guys. They capture the attention of the audience with their light humour and strong language.
“After the day. In the night. I did. I made love.”
“To a girl?”
“To a marmoset.”
“A marmoset?”
“To a girl. To a girl.”
There is further confusion between the two when Lorenzo tells of his night with a girl called Juliet. Gianni though he was talking about Romeo’s Juliet. This kind of light humour mixed with the bad language makes the audience feel more relaxed and should make them laugh. There is a feel good factor about these two characters. Without them the play may have dragged on for some of the audience. Macdonald has tried at other points in the play to use the drummer to move along the story and stop the characters ramblings. However, at this point the drummer doesn’t interrupt showing that it is essential to the play.
Finally, the PA. As said earlier in the essay, “After Juliet” is the modern day continuation of William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. The PA’s role in “After Juliet” is to briefly inform the audience of what has happened so far and tell them what is going on when the play is started.
“The wiser sort Prince Escalus calls to councell streyt That a trial may be held in front of the populace”
This is essential to some people as they may have not see or read the original therefore would not know about the death of Romeo and Juliet. The speech also informs the audience about what is going to happen.
The PA is just like the Prologue is Shakespeare original. The PA is a moderately successful as a dramatic device because he allows the audience to engage in the play from the start, without having to know anything prior to viewing it.
In conclusion, Sharman Macdonald uses dramatic devices in “After Juliet” many times. The most effective one I looked at was The Drummer, a pivotal character in the play and one which makes the biggest impact. The reason for this that he controls what goes on. Juliet’s present in “After Juliet” is also a good dramatic device as it is quite shocking and surprising to have Juliet in the play, considering she’s dead. Gianni and Lorenzo are two characters in the play which aren’t too essential, however act as a good dramatic device. The PA acts as an informer about what is going to happen and sets the scene. His part in “After Juliet” is a small one and not vital to the play, however his small speech may help a few members of the audience understand they play.
Personally, I didn’t enjoy reading the play. I felt it didn’t do any justice to Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Unlike the original, “After Juliet” didn’t seem to cover much.
