Take home quiz Act 5 and 4

A)  Act 4 is all Juliet. She considers options, defies her parents, gets advice, goes against the advice of one trusted counselor and agrees to trust a more unknown one, makes a decision, faces real fears, chooses to make sacrifices, chances death, takes an unknown potion, embarks on an adventure that risks exile or worse. Discuss her character and personality. What does this act reveal about her that we didn't know before? How has her character changed since we first met her in act one? Be specific. Also, while Juliet is going through all of this, what is Romeo doing? How are their characters contrasted by this juxtaposition? What is Shakespeare perhaps suggesting about gender in this act and how does that also contrast from how the gendered "normal" world was presented earlier in the play?
- Juliet was rather a young and bright woman who was also very childish. This act proves to me just how childish she truly is. I mean she thinks she is in love. She goes against her family and against one trusted counselor and chooses to make all the wrong decisions. She also did all of this for one boy she met possibly once and suddenly fell in love with. It reveals to me just how madly in love she fell because nobody smart enough would do something so ridiculous, but love has its way of manipulating the mind and I believe that is exactly what has happened. I think that she has changed a lot. For example in act one she was innocent and playful. As the scenes went on she became more and more independent and started making very rash decisions by herself. During this Romeo is being cast away, banished from his very home. He is trying to grasp a hold of his own life and care about juliet but it seems as if juliet cares more about romeo at times than herself. The mens are the brave ones, the stronger ones and the ones who get to fight, The women just follow them around and support the men even if they do not agree.

B) When the nurse finds Juliet in Act 4, she appears to be dead. We assume that she isn't but what if she were? Who would you blame as responsible for Juliet's death and why? Back up your argument with specific details.
- If juliet was actually dead i would blame her. She is the one who decided to drink it in the first place. She even had doubts herself because she did not know whether or not it was safe to drink and yet she drank it anyways. For example in the text it stated, “What if it be a poison which the friar Subtly hath minist’red to have me dead, Lest in this marriage he should be dishonor’d Because he married me before to Romeo? I fear it is, and yet methinks it should not, For he hath still been tried a holy man” (Act 4 Scene 3). Right there you can clearly see that she is debating on whether or not to take it. She feels like maybe Friar Lawrence just wants to kill her so he does not get into trouble for what he has done.Yet, she takes the potion anyways not knowing if it would kill her or actually just make her sleep. So honestly if she took it and actually did die, she is to blame.

F) Choose either Romeo or Juliet and analyze their portrayal in the film. What characteristics are highlighted and how? Be specific? Is this faithful to the original play? Why or why not?
- Romeo is rather this kid who is kept to himself distant and young. His friends Benvolio and Mercutio are the other main characters that are highlighted. Romeo's parents okay show up once in the film that I know of but never makes another appearance. Mercutio is his best friend who is willing to fight for Romeo at all cost and even ends up getting himself killed. Benvolio is Romeo’s cousin and will also do anything to protect Romeo. I think they both just want Romeo happy. I believe that it is faithful to the play. I mean they joke around a lot more in the film than in the play. I mean the play is a tragedy and the film was more of a comedic tragedy. Other than that I thought it lived up to the play pretty well. Another thing is that the film cuts from scene to scene very fast while the book gives you more detail than the film can.