Draft 2

Katelyn Quirk

IB Literature and Performance SL

Ms. Guarino

10/5/16

Juliet and Me

In my performance I used facial expressions, body language and tone of voice to portray Juliet's feelings throughout the scene. Me and my partner chose to perform and study Act 3 Scene 5. In this scene Romeo and Juliet share their second balcony scene, but this time the atmosphere and their body language as well as pitch of voice change. Romeo and Juliet are nervous but hopeful they will marry and be happy together. They feel they can overcome all the odds that are against them. Romeo and Juliet are mostly talking to themselves but continue to face the audience during certain moments or lines in the text. For example in  The only real objects that they use are a bed and the balcony itself. In this scene me and my partner wanted to set up the scene using a couch and a bed as well as an invisible balcony. We tried our best to portray the scene the same way. We wanted the audience to feel how desperate yet young and immature we were about our love for each other and how scared we were. Me and my partner had to agree on certain things that made us both feel comfortable, but we also wanted to make it seem real. We tried setting up the scene to make it more like a home rather than just a bed and a balcony.. It took me quite a while to get the hang of it since I naturally have such a bubbly personality. The first time performing was difficult because I could not stop laughing. My partner and I didn't really display or rather, represent the kind of emotion Romeo and Juliet show to each other. It was hard because I was doing it with a girl I never knew. After a few more weeks it got easier but the emotions and some of the movements were way off. I felt like I needed to portray how Juliet was feeling through my body language and facial expression. I tried to show how juliet was feeling during Scene 5 Act 3

“Yond light is not day-light, I know it, I;

It is some meteor that the sun exhal’d

To be to thee this night a torch-bearer

And light thee on thy way to Montua.

Therefore stay yet, thou need’st not be gone.” (3.5.12-16.)

During this scene I wanted the audience to really feel how desperately Juliet wanted Romeo to stay with her, so I tried focusing on facial expressions and tone of voice. I took advantage of the line,“Yond light is not day-light, I know it, I” and worked on changing my tone of voice. I made  my voice sound more high pitched to emphasize how desperate the situation was at hand. I also  arched my eyebrows downward to show how afraid I was because I knew it was best for Romeo to leave. Doing this was an easy way for the audience to understand how important this interaction was between Romeo and Juliet. I even decided to take a long dramatic pause after the word “I” to let the audience know I was thinking about what to say. I desperately wanted Romeo to stay and therefore I was coming up with reasons for him to remain by my side.