Carrie Johnson, director, on Romeo and Juliet, Act III Scene v
Act III scene v of Romeo and Juliet is significant to the overall interpretation of the play in many ways. Most notably, this scene allows the audience to see the strength and integrity of Juliet. There exist many interpretations of this play which focus on the coming of age of Romeo, and while this interpretation does not deviate from the tradition that Romeo matures through his relationship with Juliet, the focus of this interpretation is the coming of age of Juliet. Our presentation depicts Juliet as strong beyond her years in the presence of a domineering, chauvinistic father, a bawdy, drunken mother, and a compromising, well-intentioned nurse. Juliet's misfortunes force her to mature quickly in an environment devoid of any true moral agent, allowing her to fulfill her own destiny with strength and courage.
We chose to show Juliet's coming of age through the stage business. We showed in the beginning of the scene with Juliet's control over her relationship with Romeo. First, as Romeo buttons his shirt, Juliet begins to unbutton the shirt again, urging him to stay longer. Secondly, as Romeo is exiting Juliet grabs him and kisses him passionately, showing her strength once again.
In the second part of the scene our group portrayed Juliet's strength through her actions. As Juliet is confronted by her parents, they try to control her by forcing her to sit; she continues to fight to stand up literally and figuratively to her parents. At the conclusion of the scene Juliet does indeed stand up to her parents, both literally and figuratively. As they leave she plans to go to the Friar, her moral base at this time in the play, for his guidance.
Kathy Conyers on Juliet
Not available.
Dane Mize on Romeo
According to the group's interpretation of this scene and its overall interpretation of the play, Romeo is not merely experiencing youthful infatuation, but is truly in love with one Juliet. This indicates that Romeo undergoes considerable change in the course of the play. Romeo's character is deepened by the life-changing experience of falling in love.
The first part of the scene, which begins with Romeo and Juliet in Juliet's bedroom the morning after they have consummated their marriage, is significant in establishing the fact that Romeo is actually in love with Juliet. Simply put, this is the morning after they have had sex for the first time after a hasty marriage. This is the morning when Romeo realizes the severity of his actions. If he suffered from mere adolescent infatuation it would be quite reasonable to assume that he would blame Juliet for his misfortune. If only he had not seen her at the party, and if only she had not been so receptive to his advances, and if only she had not brought up the idea of marriage, he would not be in his current predicament. However, this is not the case. Romeo is depicted as very gentle, tender, and above all loving to his new bride. Although Romeo is shown in the scene to attempt to comfort Juliet as he is leaving her for an indefinite length of time, it is shown that according to this interpretation it is Juliet who is the more dominant person in the marriage. Romeo is prepared to do whatever Juliet wills him to do. Even at the possible forfeiture of his life, he is prepared to stay with Juliet--the woman he loves.
Romeo's behavior in this particular scene is consistent with the manner in which he treats Juliet throughout the course of the play. At no point does Romeo appear to be anything but gentle and loving to his Juliet. However, the maturity depicted by Romeo's acceptance of his misfortunes, resulting from his relationship with Juliet, is inconsistent with the immature, fickle youth who appears at the play's beginning. This inconsistency of behavior reinforces the premise that Romeo has been changed by the experience of falling in love with Juliet.
Natalie Contos on the Nurse
Not available
Anicia Richardson on Lady Capulet
Lady Capulet is someone who is occupied with appearances. In the stage business, she is portrayed as an alcoholic and self-absorbed. The only strength that is transferred from her to Juliet is that they are part of the aristocratic social elite. This is seen when she brings forth the idea of marrying Paris, act I.III. It was a good idea for Juliet to try to love Paris and marry him for the sake of reputation and family. Lady Capulet also tries to control Juliet, when she is the only parent in the beginning of act III.V, but when Lord Capulet steps in she merely fades into the background, agreeing with whatever he has to say. This is evidence of the Capulets' age difference.
During ShakespeareÕs time, many girls were married off in their early teens to men who were their father's or grandfather's age. As Capulet and Paris mentioned while talking about Juliet in act I.II, "She has not yet seen the change of fourteen years"; then Paris replies, "Younger than she are happy mothers made" (I.II.9-12). So, Lady Capulet more than likely was not much older than Juliet when she married Lord Capulet. Therefore, Lady Capulet must be in her late twenties or early thirties, while Capulet is more in his fifties.
Portraying Lady Capulet pretty young gives room to play with such phrases as when Juliet says, "It is my lady mother! Is she not down so late, or up so early? What unaccustom'd cause procures her hither?" (III.V.56-58). This shows that Lady Capulet, as part of the social elite, can stay out late and party. This is where portraying her as a drunk comes in. In this portrayal, it is easier to dismiss her unemotional responses toward Juliet about Tybalt's death, even though he is her kin, and her one-line interjections during Capulet and Juliet's argument. Such as, ÒFie, fie!, what, are you mad?Ó (III.V.152).
Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. Dover Thrift Editions. New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1993.
Jonathan Edwards on Capulet
The figure of Juliet's father Lord Capulet is a very fascinating one. In Act I Scene ii, he acts as though he were a model father whose only concern is for his daughter's welfare as he encourages her suitor Paris to have patience in wooing her. In Act I Scene v, he is shown to represent one of the older generation, and he almost appears disinterested in the family feud when contrasted with the youthful eagerness of Tybalt. In Act III Scene v, he seems almost to renege on his earlier concern for Juliet by demanding and then screaming at Juliet to marry Paris in less than a week.
There is a definite change in Capulet's desires between Act I Scene ii and Act III Scene iv, but it seems fairly clear that there has been little change in his character. Capulet is a pure chauvinist, and he seems to feel that getting Juliet a good man would be the best thing he could possibly do for her. He does want her happy of course, and, thus, at the beginning, he encourages Paris to go slowly in wooing her. After the death of Tybalt, however, Capulet can tell that Juliet is upset, and the obvious solution, in his mind, is to get her a husband as quickly as possible. It seems clear to him that, as her father, he obviously knows what's best for her, even if she doesn't realize it yet.
We have chosen to portray him as a typical wealthy businessman, who has everything in the world, except the time to enjoy it. Act III Scene v is set very early in the morning, but Capulet comes in already dressed, carrying his morning paper, and ready to face the day. In the scene he serves a Juliet's main source of opposition. He is fully and adamantly set upon his daughter's immediate marriage to Paris, and it would never occur to him to accept "no" as an answer.
That is just the answer he receives, however, and he immediately launches into a scathing verbal attack upon his daughter. Capulet's stubbornness comes up against a will that is in every way equal to his own, and he ultimately stomps off in defeated disgust.