Take Two...

In the play Romeo and Juliet written 1597 by the English playwright William Shakespeare,  the two protagonists; Romeo and Juliet undergo strong character changes that ultimately cause the gender characteristics portrayed, to make their genders seem inverse. As the play was first published in the late 1500s there are certain ways that men and women are portrayed. However in the relationship between Romeo and Juliet the roles of men and women evolve in a way that they are flipped by the end of the play. In order to explore our analysis my group decided to stage the famous Balcony scene, Act II Scene II in which both characters portray the gender characteristic appropriate to their actual gender. In addition to that we will do Act III Scene III in which Romeo shows womanish characteristics, and Act IV Scene I in which Juliet’s actions make her seem manly. While in the beginning of the play, Romeo and Juliet are the man and woman one would expect them to be in a society in the late 1500s, throughout the play their roles flip, as Romeo shows womanish traits, while Juliet actions and decisions are more manly. In our performance we showed this gender characteristic switch by changing the actual gender of the actor along with specific costuming choices and contrasting character portrayals.

In the beginning of the play Juliet is calm, quiet and reserved. She listens to her parents. Before the feast at which Juliet and Romeo first meet, her mother tells Juliet about Paris, a potential future husband. She asks Juliet to meet him to which she responds: “I’ll look to like if looking liking move. But no more deep will I endart mine eye Than your consent gives strength to make i fly.” Juliet says she will meet Paris, but won’t go any closer to him than her mother wants her too. She listens and does what her mother tells her to. This is the way young women in 1597 are suppose to act. In Act II Scene II, I played Juliet. In this scene I showed Juliet’s traits of the proper well behaved girl when Juliet’s nurse calls from inside the house, I shrug as if I have been caught doing something wrong. I had held Romeo’s hand as as we swore our love to each other before, but when the nurse calls I immediately let go and back away from Romeo. I quickly say goodbye and exit into the Capulet’s mansion. With that I show Juliet as the well behaved character who always and immediately does as she is told. That way I show her as a very female character in that particular scene.

In the beginning of the play Romeo was a rather typical young man from the late 1500s. He is a convinced to be madly in love with Juliet's cousin Rosaline until he meets Juliet. In the beginning of the play he takes on the men part in the relationship between him and Juliet. Romeo takes the first step between them by sneaking into the Capulet's garden to see her. When he startles her, Juliet asks how he managed to sneak into the garden as it is well guarded and her family would kill him if the would catch him. He answers: “With love’s light wings did I o’erperch these walls, for stony limits cannot hold love out And what love can do, that dares love attempt. Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me.” His love for Juliet gave him wings allowing him to fly over the garden walls, and it gave him the strength and determination to even risk his life to see her. This shows that Romeo is much straight forward and bold than Juliet. In contrast to that Juliet is reserved. When Romeo steps out of hiding she is startled; “What man art thou that, thus bescreened in night, So stumblest on my counsel?...If they [her family] do see thee, they will murder thee.” She asks him who he is, who late in night sneaks into her garden. Juliet is shocked, almost indignant when she sees Romeo. The last line shows her reservation and caution. These traits prove Juliet to be a more female figure in this particular scene, whereas Romeo’s boldness and indiscret entrance are gender characteristics common for a man in the late 1500s.

The actor of Romeo in our groups performance had a bigger stage presence. He appeared self confident and straightforward. In comparison to that, I played Juliet shy and reserved. I spoke quieter and tried to to take up as little room as possible. When Romeo first revealed himself I acted shocked and took a step back, hereby showing Juliet's surprise and reservation. On the line “If they [Juliet’s family] do see thee, they will murder thee.” I tried to signalize to him to leave, while saying the line in a quiet and urgent tone to show Juliet’s solicitude and fear, both of which are female characteristics.

Juliet is more hesitant as she is slightly suspicious about Romeo’s intentions. When Romeo wants to swear his love to her she interrupts him; “It is too rash, too unadvised , too sudden...May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. Good night, good night.” He holds her back: “O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” To which she responds: “What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?” Juliet believes that their relationship is happening to rash, she barely even knows Romeo and wants more time. With his comment all Romeo is hoping for is that Juliet admits her love like he has his, but Juliet's takes it the wrong way. She fears that his intentions are to merely spent a nice night and then never think of her again. Again this shows her suspicion and hesitance towards Romeo.

When I interrupted Romeo from swearing his love to me I held up my hand to stop him from talking, on “Good night” I turned around and tried to leave but Romeo grabbed my arm to stop me.  This physical contact symbolizes Romeo’s boldness as it was a taboo in the late 1500s. He aks: “O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?” I pull away my hand quickly and ask suspiciously what he means by that. This way we showed Romeo as straight forward and Juliet as suspicious and afraid.

In Act III Scene III, Romeo finds out from Friar Lawrence, that he is banished from Verona for killing Juliet’s cousin Tybalt. He is devastated and relates his banishment to death saying: “Calling death “banishèd Thou cutt’st my head off with a golden ax And smilest upon the stroke that murders me...’Tis torture and not mercy”. Instead of killing Romeo Prince Escalus decided to banish him, however instead of being thankful, Romeo argues that banishing him from Verona and therefore separating him from Juliet is as someone was killing him with a smile. To demonstrate Romeo’s femininity, and his gender switch with Juliet, in this scene I was playing him rather than the other male actor from our group who played him in Act II Scene II. This way I could not only act him as female, but actually be a female acting as him, by that even stronger symbolizing his femininity.

Romeo says to Friar Lawrence: “Thou canst not speak of that thou dost not feel. Wert thou as young as I, Juliet thy love, Then mightst thou speak, then mightst thou tear thy hair And fall upon the ground as I do now, Taking the measure of an unmade grave.” If Friar Lawrence was in Romeo situation he would react just as devastated as Romeo. This scene shows Romeo as helpless and weak which are two more feminine characteristics. On “fall upon the ground” I fell to my knees in a devastated and hopeless manner. When Friar Lawrence tries to pull me back up I resist like a huffish child. It isn’t until the nurse enters and pulls me up on my feet that I stand myself.

Romeo is so devastated that he is ready to take his live, however Friar Lawrence stops him: “pass to Mantua, Where thou shalt live till we can find a time To blaze your marriage, reconcile your friends, Beg pardon of the Prince, and call thee back” Like the way Juliet does what her mother tells her to do in the beginning of the play, Romeo listens and does just as Friar Lawrence says. This shows how Romeo’s male character evolves into Juliet’s female character. In this scene I portrayed Romeo’s feminine character traits by portraying him in a childish, weak, dependent and helpless way. In addition I added an element of humor to the scene by making him a comedic and ridiculous character, not at like the man one would imagine Romeo to be.

In Act IV scene I, III Romeo is in Mantua waiting for a message from Friar Lawrence while Juliet is at home mourning about Romeo's banishment. Her parents assume Juliet’s mourning is a result from Tybalt’s death. They decide to marry her to Paris quickly to eliminate the thoughts of Tybalt’s death. In her despair Juliet asks Friar Lawrence for help. He gives her a strong sleeping potion that will make her seem dead. Before drinking the potion Juliet has doubts: “What if this mixture do not work at all? Shall I be married then tomorrow morning?..What if it be a poison which the Friar Subtly hath ministered to have medead, Lest in this marriage he should be dishonored Because he married me before to Romeo?” Juliet wonder if the potion that Friar Lawrence has given her will work. She even fear that he tries to poison her as he is dishonored for marrying her to Romeo. Despite her fear and doubt Juliet drinks the potion as it is the only option she and Romeo have to life together. This shows Juliet as a very strong character, and the important decision adds a manly trait to her character.

In our performance. Juliet was played by the actor who played Romeo in the beginning of the play. Like in Act III Scene III she can not only be acted in a manly way, she is actually acted by a man. Thought in the beginning of the scene, Juliet is desperate, she is still calm and controlled. The actor in our group played Juliet desperate at first. Before drinking the potion he acted doubtful, however throughout his monologue he grew more and more confident and determined. The confidence, determination and strong decisions that Juliet makes in this Scene are a proof on how her character evolves in a manly way.