About the scenesss

Our group is really "unique and creative" in adaptation I guess. Under the lead of Olivia, we will change the set of the play Romeo and Juliet. According to the project, we will make it into a comedy, irony, sarcasm and make it as a modern setting. We may not have that kind of ability to make the script changed into a comedy, (actually we are not allowed to change the script either). So play and act in a irony way is what we should do. Probably we can act it "fate" or in an opposite way? This is what we should discuss about. We can find more interesting characteristics from the play I believe. For example Romeo and his immature, Tybalt and his aggressive, Mercurtio and his funny of expression. 

The scenes that we will make are the Scene from the play 1.5 first meet, 2.2 balcony and 3.1the fight scene. The purpose of our play is to make these three scenes connected and funny in another way. For example, the way our main characters "immature" can be set as " Immature boy and a rebel hip-pop girl Juliet". There are so many ways and chance for us to find the "the point of funny" in modern sets. And also some kinds of Shakespeare's humorous. For example when Romeo always try to say "Tybalt I love you with your family name" but finally he finishes Tybalt's life. 

We have four people in the group: Ryan, Olivia, me Joseph and James. I will play Tybalt, James for Mercutio, Olivia for Juliet and Ryan for Romeo. The lines and the exact scripts we will discuss more tomorrow in class.   

Ideas of scenessssss

1. Mercutio and Tybalt's death 

I will talk about how their death brings up the bad ending of the play. The first bloody event. And it starts to push the play into a tragedy. 

2. Romeo and Juliet's death

It does make the string and the style of the play. Either a tragedy or a comedy. It can be transformed into a totally opposite one. 

3. belcony scene 

The evidence of how Romeo and Juliet fall in love for real. Why we see this as the point of the play into "burning point". Romeo and Juliet's love are being proved. 

The immortal tragedy

Romeo and Juliet is an eternal story. It is well known in every parts of the world, and it is famous by its sad tragic ending. A pair of young lovers, sacrificed with their lives for their blazing true love. This story is like a model of extreme love, and it brings up a doubt about if it is worth to sacrificed for love, for relationship. Maybe "born shiny like the flower in May, and die like the falling leaves in autumn" is some people's  personal belief. But here, I want to discuss about is Romeo and Juliet's tragedy  was the result of fate and uncontrollable forces, or was the outcome a result of circumstance and strong personalities? 

I believe it is the result of fate and uncontrollable force, but I think circumstance was responsible for the tragedy too. The play of Romeo and Juliet was written by Shakespeare in 1595. It was a great a time for the western world to make literature products. But it was a tough time for people to live too. Just two years before the play was written, there was a huge plague happened in Europe. Under the horror of the "black death", any plague that were happened are related to darkness, hopeless and death directly. So the shadow of plague is hidden in the play. I guess this is the reason why the ending was a tragedy in that play. 

In the play, the characters are symbolic too. Our main characters, Romeo and Juliet are young. Juliet is about 13 years old, and Romeo is only couple years older than them. Although at that time , people marry much more early than our modern days, but they are still too immature. They are too young to have a relationship, to fall in love and the most important part: too young to take the responsibilities that they should take. They thought love is a simple thing as the game they played when they were young, " pretending that they are couples, or family members". We can't look forward a pair of teenagers to manage their relationships well, even they are trying to get married. If you let me to make a metaphor about their behavior, I would say they are like the Adam and Eve who tried to eat the forbidden fruit. And unfortunately they got their punishment: death.

I would say from the setting of the play we can see this is a tragic play. "In the ancient city of Verona in Italy, there were two biggest, strongest families in there. They are enemy, for centuries. Their feud would be solved only by blood and death." And unfortunately, always unfortunately, the two poor young lovers are from the enemy families. It seems like it is impossible for them to get together, even there's no chance for them to meet and know each other. But dramatically, they did figure out all of the "impossibilities". Maybe only god, or Shakespeare knows how this happen. Especially in that time period, there was not any thing like "free love, free relationship" happened. Youths didn't have that much freedom for them to choose their partners. Even they "fall in love" with someone, but the only thing they can do is to follow what their family require them to do. 

For all the factors that was impossible to be happened, it must be a tragedy if something shouldn't be combined but it did. It was just like their destiny, they are born to be together, try to get together and die together. Just like the butterflies, they admire light, and want abandon to darkness forever. Yes, forever. There's only one way to be with the light forever: Bathing in the blaze, let the holy fire clean their souls, and give them freedom to love, in the immortality. 

Test questions

Who killed Tybalt? 

Who helped Romeo and Juliet to get married?

Which city and which country this story was set?

Which guy that the Capulets want Juliet to be married with?

Where did Romeo and Juliet first met each other?

Why Romeo and Juliet fall in love that deep? What do you think?

Why Romeo and Juliet couldn't have a good ending?

How Montague and Capulet get in peace after the young Romeo and Juliet died?

What do you think the role of the Prince in this play?

Do you think this is the true love for Romeo?

 What do you think about Romeo and Juliet as a whole, why is well known in the world? Why it was called "one of the best Shakespeare's play"?

Is the tragedy avoidable? And why?

Staging is interesting hmm

This is the first year that I learned about staging and acting scenes. I have no idea and also no experiences about how to progress but fortunately I always have awesome teammates.  So from my group when we are making acting scenes, and also from other groups I started to learn. 

I guess the first is how to write the scripts about our scenes. This is based on the rules of the scenes of what we are making. For example the first scene we did as group work is to act the balcony scene. We are required to use the modern language and set the scene in the modern world, which is similar to the movie we have watched during class. That one the language can be very easy, and we have more freedom to stage and set the scene, but we have to be really creative, which is kind of hard to make to adaptation better from the original one. The next one we did is about setting the scene in Cheshire Academy, which is kind of funny and interesting. But we are required to use the original text from the script of Romeo and Juliet. This seems so hard for me to make the scene. Because we need to be really familiar about the book, and also we have to edit the lines together as a whole to make it coherent. This is just like the work of director of movies.  

I have a hard time about making the scene with original text. Because I am so bad at the "Shakespeare's language ". They are hard to understand, and also memorize, even practice to read it more familiarly. It takes such a long time for me to read it clearly, smoothly and familiarly. Another part is about staging. I always forget to face the audiences during the scene. This is because I don't have that much experiences about acting I guess. It takes time, and I will pay more attention about it .

But for a scene, I guess I feel easier to act. Yes, acting. I mean I may not have the talent about acting, but I feel the experience about when we are acting is funny. I enjoy the time of it. Probably it also includes to read the scripts emotionally. I had the public speaking class from my English teacher last year, so I feel this is easy and definitely I can do it better. 

A good scene. I have watched some work which is amazing that was made by the drama actors, and also some good ones from our class. I guess one of the most important part is to make the setting more creative. We come to watch the play to enjoy, and a new, fresh and creative setting is excellent. I had the experience about the setting of the movie which we watched in class about Romeo and Juliet. I feel the director is talented about making creative scenes. I guess think more, practice more and focus more on the play can make me do better on it. We always can do better ideas and better choices, and it only takes us a little time to try. 

Handmade scene!

Tybalt comes in the gym. 

Benvolio:  Oh my god, here comes in their group.

Mercutio: Yea but who the hell cares about them those clowns.

Tybalt: Hey you guys! I guess I gonna talk a little bit with someone amount u right? 

Mercutio: Only talk a little bit with us? Oh come on bro aren't you bored as hell? Let's do "a little bit" more that men usually do. Stop talking this like a crying baby begging for candy. 

Tybalt: You know why I'm here, and you will know that  I am not afraid of that kind of stuff. 

Mercutio: Oh I hope you don't , or your mum will be worried about you. 

Tybalt: Mercutio, you brought Romeo came in our party and..

Mercutio: I don't care and I don't really know what you are talking about. This is United States and we are citizens we travel wherever we want. Would you like to continue telling me your poor reason or something like an excuse really making sense?

Benvolio: Oh guys chill. Did you just see those people coming around? Let's go talk in a silencer place and I'm sure we will have a better conversation. If we can't then better do not talk like that. I feel shameful that people are watching us like that.

Mercutio: Benvolio I am telling you. I can't care less about the others' watching. The only thing I care is how we figure out this stuff and I won't leave just like pretending nothing happened. 

Romeo comes in the gym

Tybalt: Oh here he comes my boy. I don't have to argue with you right now because that is my target.

Mercutio: Yo what do you mean your boy he's not following you like your nasty servants.

Tybalt: Romeo, you know what you have done, and my hate makes me see u as a totally dumb. Only for you.

Romeo: Tybalt, we don't have any matter with each other. I even don't know you well lol. I could not bear this before but now I have my reasons not to mind on you. And I'm not a a dumb as you said, it's too obvious you don't know me at all haha.

Tybalt: All right but you really did insult me and you made me mad successfully. You can't just escape me by those pale words.

Romeo: I am saying here that I never insulted you. And I mean we are in the same school. There's no point about we fight like enemies. So what about we just let it go?

Mercutio: Oh my god you words are making me throw up. Only fighting can make me feel better. Yo Tybalt, you coward do you dare to fight me?

Tybalt: You want me to fight with you?

Mercutio: Just stop wasting of time I am so bored right now. Are you waiting until my hands punch you in the face?

Tybalt: No problem. You wanna fight? Let's do it.

Romeo: Oh please Mercutio, stop fighting.

Mercutio: Yea boy, let's see what you got. 

(Fighting)

Romeo: Benvolio! Come in and stop them!  What are you waiting for! My brothers stop it! Seriously? Mr.Dykeman just mentioned that fight with each other is the damage of major rule of our school in today's morning meeting!

Mercutio: Oh god. I'm hurt. I'm dying! Is he alright to go without injured? 

Benvolio: Ah! You got hurt my bro?

Mercutio: Yup, just a little bit. But still hurting. Ugh damn it.

Romeo: Oh chill bro. It does not matter that much.

Mercutio: Yup. "It does not matter that much." Did you see the blood out there? Yea it doesn't really matter. My blood is cheap like water. And I will be all right tomorrow right? Hope you can possibly see me in the hospital but not even in the health center. Damn you! Why the hell you came in and stop it? You got me injured by that block!

Romeo: I was trying to be good!

Murcutio: Benvolio! Bring me to health center! I'm dying here. Ugh, damn you all. I am dying because of your nasty stuff.

Romeo: Sigh. He is my brother, but he's injured so seriously like that. Is that my fault? What makes me become so soft.. 

Deathhhhh

I think that Juliet was really excited and she was waiting for her "husband", her true love Romeo at that day. As we have talked about it, night includes the meaning of sneaky changes, mysterious things. And it truly happened. When nurse came and brought her the news about the banish of Romeo, and his crime about killing her cousin Tybalt. She felt sad at first, and curse on Romeo then she regretted. She loves Romeo much more than her cousin, obviously. But the dealth and the punishment of Romeo foreshadow that Romeo and Juliet would not have a good ending. The word death, includes her fair of, they won't see each other again.

In class writing writing night

Vampires wear pajamas in the darkness. 

Moonlight brings homesickness when nightmare comes.  

The modern Romeo + Juliet

I have read about the movie version of Romeo and Juliet, and the name is Romeo + Juliet. The movie is from the adaptation of Willam Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, as we all know. It was directed by Baz Luhrmann.  It was made in 1996, which surprised me a lot. Because this movie is a kind of creative adaptation. The language is still kept as original, but the setting is totally different. The stage of the two families Montague and Capulet are both set in America in the modern time, but not as the play in the ancient city of Verona in Italy.  So it is interesting to say that the actors talk with each other with all the ancient English words and scripts but in a modern city. They fight no more with blades --- but guns. Everything seems incompatible, but also incredibly funny when I actually watch it. They have made the best "environment" for the comedy part of the play by Shakespeare.    

I love the way that the director change the adaptation in such a creative way. I mean it helps a lot when I am watching the movie with a purpose of using it as an assistant to read the script of the play. When I was reading the script of the play, I could not understand the language and content of it. But when I was watching the movie of the new adaptation, they are acting with the original script which just makes me understand automatically. I would say this movie is one of the best tool for helping us to study the script. As a kind of adaptation,  they also made something new. For example, they changed some names of the characters in the movie. For example, Lord and Lady Montague  and Lord and Lady Capulet are given first names, which makes it more lively and realistic. The Prince was "transformed" into a new identity in the modern world: he becomes the police office, the captain. I always remember when he was in a helicopter with other policemen and broadcast to force the servants of both Montague and Capulet stop their fight, "drop their weapon from their bloody hands". He seems like has changed into a kind of lower "social level", but he is still powerful and the representation of law and fairness of the city. 

It was a question that we have gone over in class, and I want to use it to bring up my feelings about the amazing setup about the movie: How does the movie show that the Montague and Capulet are in the same level in the society and wealth, power but as a relationship of enemy against each other? I would just give one example. When the movie showed a scene about the view of the city, I can see on the sides of streets they have advertisements and stores that both of the two families have. And the one of the most obvious one is they have two major buildings of both Montague and Capulet. The buildings are not even far away with each other, but they are as tall, grand as each other's. 

A movie is made to tell story more lively. I guess it is the value of the movie, as a kind of media and performance. Couple of good scenes of the movie may let audience remember it for a long time. This is what we called classic. 

Citation: "Romeo + Juliet." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 04 Oct. 2015.

Shakespeare, William, Barbara A. Mowat, and Paul Werstine. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Washington Square Published by Pocket, 1992. Print.

Oh anger

Anger is a one of the most influential emotion in this world I guess. It always happened in news, in stories that how powerful anger is. For example we always can find in news that teenagers killing and as a cause of anger. Well, it seems like younger people have less control on emotions.  

We are always saying "Anger is evil". It is evil like demon. Because it leads people away from coolness  and do something crazy even out of control. For example killing in an accident. But in an another way anger will increase one's power, "wake him up". It always happened in the examples in battles. Commenders are always trying to wake up the soliders' anger. It is the large side. In a small side, I had experiences about when teenagers fight with each other. Anger may make others feel scared, or the angry people is hard to face or figure out. I may say anger is a kind of weapon, a "double-edged blade". It all depends on how you use it.