Chapter 7-13 Questions

1- Does Ti Moune sending the little girl to her adoptive parents symbolize the everlasting cycle of dreamers and outsiders joining her village?

2- Do the similarities between the village and cities' cultures involving certain aspects, such as dance and music, reflect the idea that the rich and poor people are essentially the same people, but divided by wealth and skin color?

3- Does the fact that the gods mainly communicate with Ti Moune in her dreams show that the gods are a creation of her imagination?

4- Does the different villagers hat interact with Ti Moune on her journey represent the virtues that she will need to accomplish her goals of having freedom?

Desiree's Costume

         Desiree’s costume could reveal a lot about the nature of her character in the adaption of the novel into the play.  By using a costume that resembles the different aspect of the gods, she can be shown to have a closer relationship to them other than the other peasants.  This could be done by using the colors that represent each of the god’s domains. Red or pink would be used  for love. Blue would represent the water. Black and gray would represent Papa Ge's death. The Earth would be shown through green and brown. These colors would be mainly used in her costume that is similar to the peasants and makeup, while the other characters would not have all of the colors used in thier costumes.  
The costuming would also show a connection to the rick people on the island by having her look neater and cleaner than the other peasants along with using subtle, but noticeable ways that she is trying to upgrade her appearance.  This could be done by using a flower in her hair, as an example.  Desiree would use some resources that she could have found in her village to make pieces of  costuming similar to that of the rich people. An example of this is having her wear jewelry made from nature.  She might use the rocks from the brook to create a pendant. The necklace also would enhance her appearance and makes her look closer to the rich people.
She would also be heavily connected to the peasant’s as her costumes would show her access to limited resources because of her poverty.  She should not be as neat and clean as the rich people or the gods.  Her clothes would be more mismatched or ragged. She would also wear slightly more make-up than the other peasants to show that she relates more closely to the rich, who are more concerned with their appearance.  

The Gods Costuming

In Literature and Performance class, we began to read "My Love, My Love." This is a novel by Rosa Guy based on the original tale of "The Little Mermaid" and was adapted into the stage musical Once On This Island. The novel is set in modern times on an island, the Jewels of Antilles, ruled over by four gods. These gods are Agwe, the water god, Aska, the earth goddess, Erzulie, the goddess of love, and Papa Gé, the god of death. These four characters are highly important to the story, as they control the story's outcome and also directly interact with some of the characters. Their costuming also plays an important role in a potential adaption of the novel into a play or musical, as they help separate the gods from both the other characters and the other gods to the audience, while also

Agwe is the water god, which would be heavily reflected in his costume. He would wear a loose fitting deep blue robe. Some sections of the robe would have some pale blue glitter on it to provide a mythical element to his appearance. This rode would be designed to look like water.  His makeup would involve a large amount of blue or green. The color of his makeup would depend on the lights used, as blue would be preferred, but it does not look good under some types of stage lights. An alternative option may be to use blue face pint

Green and brown would be the dominate colors in Aska's costume, as they represent the earth. She would wear a green ball gown with specs of brown glitter on the outside layer of it. The free on her dress would be a symbol of the Earth's grass, while the brown specks would represent the dirt. She also would wear a bronze colored shall around her shoulders, which would also symbolize dirt. On her head, she would wear a crown made of white flowers that look similar to magnolias, which are stated to be found on the island. Her makeup would have light green eyeshadow, but the rest of the makeup would be closer to typical limited stage makeup, but have darker colors that are closer to brown.

Erzulie's costuming would have lots of red and pink colors in it. She would wear a full length red dress that is not very puffy. Over the red sections of the dress, a sheer light pink fabric with darker pink glitter on it would cover the red sections to give it a lighter appearance. She would also wear a pink flower in her hair that resembles the flowers found on the island. Her makeup would be slightly heavier than Aska or Agwe's. It would use many shades of red and pink

Black and silver would be the colors used in Papa Gé's costume. He would wear a heavy black robe with some silver sparkles on the outside of his robe. He also would have a cape with the inside being completely silver. He would wear the most makeup out of all the characters, including the other gods. His makeup would also be darker that most of the other characters, as it would be mostly black, with some silver sparkles on his face.

The gods would each be distinct from each other also, as they would all be wearing different colors that represent their domain. Agwe would be wearing different shades of blue, which represents the water. Asaka's white, greens, and browns in her appearance represent the earth. Erzulie  would have red and pink in her appearance, which would symbolizes love. Papa Gé is the God of death, so he only has black and silver in his costume and makeup.

Each god would also have a very district appearance from both the other mortal characters. The gods' costumes would be fancier than the poor villagers and the rich characters. They also would be somewhat less modern than the other characters, especially the rich, as they are noted in their novels for having new, expensive items, such as cars. The gods also include sparkles in their costumes to help give them the appearance of being mystical beings, which the other characters would not have in any of their costumes, creating a distinct separation. They also would wear more makeup than the other characters. Despite the differences between each god, these distinctions between them and the other characters visually show how the gods are similar and the way that they dominate over the island.

Google.com

My Love, My Love Pictures

Google.com

Peter Pan

Over the past few months, I have been doing theater as my afternoon activity at school, which cumulated in three different performances last weekend. The cast and crew had been preparing to perform the play Peter Pan and I am very glad to say that the performances were very successful.
In the play, I played Michael Darling. He is Wendy's youngest brother who goes to Neverland and becomes an honorary Lost Boy there. It was very interesting and different to play him, because he is a five year old boy from the Victorian age, which I have little personal experience anyway. After some trouble with acting out this character, I used my particular set of skills to my benefit and created him into a whiny and slightly annoying little boy.
My hard work, just like my fellow cast and crew mates, paid off a lot in the end. We, as a whole group, clearly had chemistry on stage and off that made the play, which put an important emphasis on the relationships between the fictional characters. We also became able to work together very well, which was shown by the success of the scene changes that were implemented shortly before the actual production.
It also showed in the success in each of the shows. There were no real problems that occurred at any of the performances. This is very unusual, as there usually is at least one night of every show I have been in where something goes majorly wrong. This happened in Kiss Me Kate, as almost the entire cast was sick for all three performances. It also happened in Bone Chiller, where during one of the performances, most of the cast forgot their lines in the third act and we had to improvise the majority of the act. We also had very good audiences that were very enthusiastic and invested in the play. There also was either a full or almost full house every night.
We also did extremely well in the area of creating an new interpretation based more on the original play, instead of the Disney film of Peter Pan. Our play used the interpretation that Neverland and all the characters from the island were created in Wendy's imagination. This was very important in our play, as it had a big impact on several different areas of the play. The sets from both the nursery and Neverland were very similar, to show that she took inspiration from her real life. The costuming also reflected this as well, as Captain Hook was the only character from Neverland wore shoes, as Wendy's imagination only fully completed Captain Hook's character, as he was the villain in the world and based on her mother's character. It also was reflected in casting as several characters played two roles, one from Neverland and another from the real world, to show how Wendy got he inspiration to create the characters she did create.  
After the success of Peter Pan, I am even more excited for the next production that I get to be in. We are putting on the musical Once on This Island and I will be in the ensemble. I can hardly wait till rehearsals begin after Thanksgiving break.


https://makingbelieve.wordpress.com/tag/peter-pan/

The Writing Center

After working on our "Romeo and Juliet" paper for a couple of weeks, Mrs. Guarino assigned my class to go look our papers over with Mrs. Swift at our school's Writing Center. I had my meeting with her yesterday, where she read my paper and gave me feedback on how I could improve my writing. I think that the meting was very helpful for me.

One area of my paper that we focused on was including more analysis of the actual play in my paper. She suggested to me that I include more of it by using my paragraph on language used in the double monologue. She suggested that I first present the lines as coming from the original text and then explain how they were altered and performed by my group. This was extremely helpful for me, as I knew before the meeting that I needed to include more analysis of the play in my paper, but was unsure of exactly how to do it. This was because of the fact that my paper is heavily center upon the double monologue, which was not originally part of the play, but instead created by my group.

I also benefited from verbally explaining parts of my performance to Mrs. Swift. I had to do this with the double monologue, as I needed Mrs. Swift to understand what it was without her  having to intensely read my entire paper. This is very important to improving my paper, as my whole paper is based on my group's work on the double monologue and more experience explaining it allows for me to be able to write about it in a more clear and precise manor.  

When I work on editing my paper, I will improve upon several different areas that were highlighted during my appointment with Mrs. Swift. I need to go over some of the grammar and spelling, again, as while we were reading it together, we both found small errors in these areas scattered throughout the paper. I also will work on including more analysis of the play in my paper, as I need to make the amount of analysis equal to my description of my performance. I also will consider dividing my paragraph on the language into one focusing on the original work and another focusing on the language included in our double monologue. This will help improve my paper, as I will be able to include more analytical writing about the play in my paper and make it easier to see that for the reader. 

After the success of the my appointment with the Writing Center yesterday, I think I will use it again, as it clearly is a very helpful resource. I also will talk to not only Mrs. Swift, but the Writing Fellows, also, as they can help me when I am struggling on my writing. I think I can use the Writing Center as a way to go over my papers with other people, who really improves my work. I can also use them when I need someone to look over my writing to see if it makes sense and is answering the question I am being asked.  

After going to the Writing Center, I am more motivated to finish writing my paper and making it a lot better. I really benefited from the advice that Mrs. Swift gave me and will use it to make my paper better over Thanksgiving break. I better go and look it over now, sadly. I'll write back soon blogosphere!! HAPPY THANKSGIVING!! 

http://www.wisegeek.org/should-people-still-use-cursive-writing.htm

Double monolouge paper

Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is one of the most famous plays in the world and has withstood hundreds of years of changes in almost all aspects of the world, despite not one word of the play changing. One of the main reasons that the play was able to do this was because of the importance it puts on the love between Romeo and Juliet, which is a timeless idea. Shakespeare illustrates the love between these two characters very well, which is extremely important in allowing the play to have the impact that it has had on the world. One way Shakespeare successfully portrays Romeo and Juliet's love for each other was the fact that they are extremely similar to one another, which was shown in our performance by the use of a double monologue, where Romeo spoke his monologue from the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2 at the same time as Juliet said her own monologue from the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2.The use of a double monologue, the similar language in the double monologue, the movement done by the performers in the double monologue, the costumes involved, and the set pieces used help illustrate this idea.
My group used a double monologue to help illustrate the similarities of Romeo and Juliet and the clear love that they have for each other. Both of the monologues used came from separate scenes where they talk about our love for each other without being heard by any other character, which shows that the two characters were speaking honestly about their feelings for one another. The double monologue my group used also benefits more than presenting the similarities between the two characters and their love for each other. It also helps directly relate the two very similar monologues that are included in two completely different acts and scenes in the original play to the audience to support the ideas about the common characteristics and strength of their love between the two characters. The double monologue also shows the short time span in which the play takes place, as it illuminates the majority of he unrelated action from being performed on stage typically in the play and converts it into off-stage activity that is mentioned infrequently during the double monologue. This is also supported by the three characters throughout the performance referencing the short amount of time that has taken place since Romeo married Juliet. The use of a double monologue in our performance provides extremely important support to the idea that Juliet is very similar to Romeo and they are deeply in love with each other.
The language used in our performance of the double monologue contributes to the ideas that Juliet is very in love with Romeo and they both has many different similarities between one another. Both characters' monologues used very similar ideas, such as the sky and its relationship to their significant other, like when Romeo describes Juliet in his monologue as  "the sun [who] kill the envious moon," relating her beauty to the sun and that it is no compare to the moons (2.2.3-4). Juliet also says a similar line about Romeo in her monologue as she compares "when he shall die, take him and cut him out in little stars, and he will make the face of heaven so fine that all the world will be in love with night and pay no worship to the garish sun," as she describes Romeo as being more beautiful than the sun and would should be made into stars (3.2.22-27). These references to the sky helps support the idea that is presented throughout the play that Romeo and Juliet were destined to fall in love with each other and die, as Shakespeare often refers to them as "star crossed  lovers." The idea that there are many different similarities between Romeo and Juliet and that they had a strong love for each other is supported in our performance by the language involved in the double monologue.
The body movements the performers did during the double monologue provides evidence to the idea that Romeo has many different things in common with Juliet and that they have a passionate love between them. When either Romeo or Juliet would say anything extremely important or related to the other character' dialogue, the person playing that character would say their lines louder and turn on the block where we were citing to face the audience. This put an emphasis on certain lines, such as when Juliet says "Think true love acted simple modesty./Come, night; come, Romeo; come, thou day in night;" about the idea that Juliet thinks that the true love she has for Romeo is not very ostentatious, but she is extremely excited to see Romeo (3.2.16-18). These lines also answer the previous lines Romeo said which he said in a louder voice and sat towards the audience, which was "The brightness of her cheek would shame those stars" about his option that Juliet is more beautiful than the sky (2.2.18-20) . This lines were "I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks," where Romeo thinks that Juliet is talking to him from her window, but realizes that she is not talking to him, which corresponds well to Juliet's other lines from this section of the scene. Both Bryn and I took pauses that were very important as they helped line up sections of dialogue from both characters. This allowed Romeo and Juliet to almost have a conversation using unrelated and unconnected . It also allowed Romeo and Juliet both talk about similar topics and ideas when they are not with the other or any one else. The body movements used by both of the actors in the double monologue also helps support Shakespeare's idea about gender roles and equality between men and women that he gives examples to throughout the play. This is because of the fact that Romeo and Juliet, as the body movements both the characters do is the same in our performance, despite the different gender that they both are.
The costumes used also played an important role in supporting the idea that Shakespeare created the Romeo and Juliet as very similar characters in our double monologue. Both Romeo and Juliet wore mostly red Medieval clothing to help illustrate the common traits that both characters share. However, Juliet's dress was a deeper shade of red and also had some gold scents to it. This was very different from Romeo, who wore a darker shade of red and black pants. The darker colors that Romeo reflects the idea that Juliet is a more innocent character than Romeo, as she has not killed anyone as Romeo has, which is what the later scenes performed centers around. This highlighted difference shows that despite this, their love for each other is so strong that it triumphed over the difficulties that they faced. The similar colors of  their costuming being very different from the counselor's costume in the other scenes performed, who wore a white robe, shows the similarities in the traits that they have, versus the other characters throughout the play. The color schemes used for our portrayals of the characters' costuming supports Shakespeare representing Romeo and Juliet as very similar characters who are deeply in love.
The set pieces used in the double monologue is an example of an aide to show that Juliet is a similar character to Romeo. There was a rehearsal block used for the double monologue placed in the center. This divided the stage into two separate halves, one belonging to Romeo's scene with the convector and the other for Juliet's scene with him. This represented in another visual way the two characters' common traits, as on both of their sides the only set pieces used was one bed on each side that was an almost exact mirror image of one another. The set was also very minimal, which reflected the idea that Shakespeare presented throughout the play, that Verona is the center of the world for the characters and what they know. This fact becomes increasingly important in the later two scenes done and that it is especially prevalent in Romeo and Juliet's views with  of the world. The ideas about Juliet have a deep connection with and many similar traits was sh,own by the set pieces that were used in my group's performance.
The use of a double monologue, the language involved in the double monologue, the body movements done by the two actors done in the double monologue, the costumes used for our performance and the set all reflect the idea that Juliet is very similar to Romeo and that they are each other's true love. This is extremely important to the play, because the strength of the love between its two main characters is the reason that it is so famous today. This is because their love allows them to connect to its audience, no matter the time or place where it is performed, as almost all people experience some type of love in their lives and the strength of the love that these two characters is what most people aspire to have in their own lives. The similarities between the two characters is also extremely important to the play, as Shakespeare uses it to explain the reason that their love is able to be as strong as it is. These two observations are then the reason that Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" will forever be known as the most famous play of all time.
Shakespeare, William, and Richard Hosley. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. New Haven: Yale UP, 1954. Print.

Body Paraghraph

There were points where both characters paused in the double monologue, which played an important role in supporting the idea that Romeo is very similar to Juliet. These were very important as they helped line up sections of dialogue from both characters. This allowed Romeo and Juliet to almost have a conversation using unrelated and unconnected lines. These pauses allows the double monologue illustrates the idea that Romeo thinks very similarly to Juliet, as they both talk about similar topics and ideas when they are not with the other or any one else.
The costumes used also played an important role in supporting the idea that Shakespeare created the Romeo and Juliet as very similar characters in our double monologue. Both Romeo and Juliet wore mostly red Medieval clothing to help illustrate the common traits that both characters share. However, Juliet's dress was a deeper shade of red and also had some gold scents to it. This was very different from Romeo, who wore a darker shade of red and black pants. The darker colors that Romeo reflects the idea that Juliet is a more innocent character than Romeo, as she has not killed anyone as Romeo has, which is what the later scenes performed centers around. This highlighted difference shows that despite this, their love for each other is so strong that it triumphed over the difficulties that they faced. The similar colors of  their costuming being very different from the counselor's costume in the other scenes performed, who wore a white robe, shows the similarities in the traits that they have, versus the other characters throughout the play. The color schemes used for our portrayals of the characters' costuming supports Shakespeare representing Romeo and Juliet as very similar characters who are deeply in love.

Outline for Paper

• Introduction- 

• Importance of love and its portrayal on "Romeo and Juliet" 

• Simple explanation of performance 

• One way Shakespeare was able to be successful in his portrayal of Romeo and Juliet's love for each other was the fact that they are extremely similar to one another, which was shown in our performance by the use of a double monologue, where Romeo spoke his monologue from the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2 at the same time as Juliet said her own monologue from the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2.The use of a double monologue, the similar language, the body language done by the performers, the pauses between some of the lines in the double monologue,the similar reactions of both characters, the costumes involved, and the set pieces used help illustrate this idea. 

• Body Paragraph 1- Basic information on double monologue and direct effects

•  Description 

• Shows similarities between Romeo and Juliet towards audience more easily

• Compared them directly despite different times when the separate monologues were said 

• Body Paragraph- Language

• Similar lines

• Uses similar metaphors

• Almost conversations

• Body Paragraph 2- Body language and pauses

• Louder when similar lines or important lines 

• Faced audience on important lines 

• Body Paragraph 3- Pauses

•  Helped make it so that the lines matched up

• Allowed more time to express reactions and body language 

• Helped draw focus to important lines

• Body Paragraph- Reactions

• When not speaking, both lost in thought 

• Excitement when Romeo and Juliet almost talk to each other

• Desire for the other character to come to see them

• Body Paragraph - Costuming 
• Red costuming for Romeo and Juliet 
• Different from the consolers white robe which makes them more distinct
• Gold symbolizes Juliet's innocence compares to Romeo's darker red and black shows violence 
• Body Paragraph - Set
• Rehearsal block divides the stage
• Set mirrors each other and the same

1st draft of written task

Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" is one of the most famous plays in the world and has withstood hundreds of years of changes in almost all aspects of the world, despite not one word of the play changing. One of the main reasons that the play was able to do this was because of the importance it puts on the love between Romeo and Juliet, which is a timeless idea. Shakespeare illustrates the love between these two characters very well, which is extremely important in allowing the play to have the impact that it has had on the world. One way that Shakespeare was able to be so successful in his portrayal of Romeo and Juliet's true love for each other was the fact that they are extremely similar to one another, which was shown in the scenes that my group performed for our analysis.
My group performed the section of Act 2 Scene 2 with Romeo speaking to Juliet in her balcony, while she does not see or hear him. The majority of Act 3 Scene 2, where Juliet speaks to herself about her passionate love for Romeo and then is informed by the Nurse that Romeo was banished after he killed Tybalt, was performed by my group to help illustrate this idea. My group also acted Act 3 Scene 3 out, which is where Romeo is told by Friar Lawrence that he was banished by the Prince as punishment for murdering Tybalt as opposed to being executed.
My group used a double monologue to help illustrate the similarities of Romeo and Juliet. This double monologue was done by Romeo, played by Bryn, and Juliet, who I played, performed two separate monologues at the same time. These monologues came from separated scenes where we talk about our love for each other without being heard by any other character, which shows that the two characters were speaking honestly and from their hearts. When either Romeo or Juliet would say anything extremely important or related to the other character' dialogue, the person playing that character would say their lines louder and turn on the block where we were citing to face the audience. This put an emphasis on certain lines, such as when Juliet says "Think true love acted simple modesty./Come, night; come, Romeo; come, thou day in night;" about the idea that Juliet thinks that the true love she has for Romeo is not very ostentatious, but she is extremely excited to see Romeo (lines 16-18). These lines also answer the previous lines Romeo said which he said in a louder voice and sat towards the audience. This lines were "I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks," where Romeo inks that Juliet is talking to him from her window, but realizes that she is not talking to him, which corresponds well to Juliet's other lines from this section of the scene.
There were points where both characters paused in the double monologue, which played an important role in supporting the idea that Romeo is very similar to Juliet. These were very important as they helped line up sections of dialogue from both characters. This allowed Romeo and Juliet to almost have a conversation using unrelated and unconnected lines. These pauses allows the double monologue illustrates the idea that Romeo thinks very similarly to Juliet, as they both talk about similar topics and ideas when they are not with the other or any one else.
The costumes used also played an important role in supporting the idea that Shakespeare created the Romeo and Juliet as very similar characters. Both Romeo and Juliet wore red Medieval clothing to help illustrate the relation. Juliet's dress was a deeper shade of red and also had some gold scents to it. This was very different from Romeo, who wore a darker shade of red and black pants. The similar colors compares to the counselor, who wore a white robe, shows the similarities in the traits that they have, versus the other characters throughout the play. The darker colors that Romeo also reflects the idea that Juliet is a more innocent character than Romeo, as she has not killed anyone as Romeo has, but that they still love each other despite this and the challenges they faced.
The set pieces used is an example of an aide to show that Juliet is a similar character to Romeo. There was a rehearsal block used for the double monologue placed in the center. This divided the stage into two separate halves, one belonging to Romeo's scene with the convector and the other for Juliet's scene with him. This represented in another visual way the two characters' common traits, as on both of their sides the only set pieces used was one bed on each side that was an almost exact mirror image of one another.

Reflection on Final Performace of Romeo and Juliet Scenes

As we finished working on our scenes from "Romeo and Juliet," Mrs. G asked us to write about the success our group has at portraying Romeo and Juliet as similar characters  in the Shakespearean play. We did this by using a double monologue, similar body motions between Romeo and Juliet, and diplomat colored costumes for the two characters to help illustrate this point, among many other aspects of our performance.
We worked very hard to improve in many different areas from our previous draft. My group worked on adding more moment and blocking thought the later two scenes. This new blocking made the audience more engaged in our performance, as our first draft contained all three actors sitting or standing for the almost the entirety of the performance. I, also, did similar movements to Bryn, the actress playing Romeo, we made it more clear that our two characters were very similar. An example of this is when we both flopped down on our respective beds as a way to react the the news that Romeo is banished.
My group also worked very hard to cut down lines to shorten the scenes and performance as a whole. This was shown by the fact that movie was a whole minute shorter of the final draft than the first one. It was also helped by all three of us becoming more comfortable with our lines, blocking, and script, which allowed us to go slightly faster.
Despite the progress in this area, we could have cut more down from some of the scenes. This was especially true of the third scene that we performed, which was between the counselor and Romeo. This scene has a relatively complete and happy ending. This is completely different from the scene my group used with Juliet and the counselor, as Juliet is extremely distressed about Romeo's banishment in the end. Th scene can, also, be confusing when the Nurse's character is combined, as they both talk to each other, which needed to be cusps from the scene, and they reference some topics, such as the Nurse seeing Juliet, that do not make a lot of sense to happen at the end of one person's conversation with romeo. A good place to have ended the scene might have been after Romeo's speech about wanting to kill himself if he was banished.
The costumes and props added several different layers to our performance, the color scheme used for the so's tunes, with Romeo and Juliet wearing red and the counselor wearing white, showed the differences between the couple and the counselor. It also shows how well Romeo and Juliet fit together and are very similar, as they wore the same color. The sword that Romeo used in his scene with the counselor also added dramatics to his scene, as it raises the stakes for both the counselor and Romeo, as he proves he is willing to take violent steps to deal with his banishment. It also works to show how similar Romeo is to Juliet as she also claims that his banishment is causing drastic personal effects.
Throughout the presses of working on this performance, I improved in many different areas. I worked on my abilities to read Shakespearean text allowed,newish greatly improved. This was extremely challenging for me, as I have dyslexia and it is sometimes harder for me to read out loud. I also gained more confident in these abilities, which greatly increased my stage presents. I also had to practice at being louder, as I often drowned my voice when I had to speak against Bryn in our double monologue. I also became better at helping developing my groups blocking, which is something I had never really done before, but always wanted to get to try.
Overall, I am extempore let proud of my groups performance. We worked really hard at it and succeeded in accomplishing our goals. I can not wait till we have another performance in class, so I can become even better and feel the same pride in my work.
    http://youtu.be/asocO6UX3J4

Romeo and Juliet Scenes - 1st Draft reflection

                          In class for the past  two weeks, I have been working with my group on our combination of multiple scenes , where I play the character of Juliet. My group’s goal in our performance is to support the idea that Romeo and Juliet are very similar in “Romeo and Juilet.” Yesterday, we recorded our performance of our first draft of these scenes. After watching the performance on my iPad, I made several observations of our work and also noticed several important improvements that could be made to our scenes.

          I think that my group did a very good job at making progress on our scenes. After Bryn, who plays Romeo, and I made notes about  the emotions we displayed in the separate scenes we were not in before recording it, the emotions became more clear to the audience and helped support our claim  that Romeo and Juliet are similar. We also increased our understanding of our lines, which let us have less trouble with reciting them and behave in more ways that support our thesis. Bryn  and I, also, were able  to act in a similar manor to each other, especially in our movements, such as when we both fell down on the bed in our respective scenes. Adler, who plays Friar Lawrence and the Nurse, also uses his own body language and tone in his two scenes to separately contrast to the behaviors of Romeo and Juliet in different ways, such as his calm manor about Romeo’s banishment in his scene with Romeo and his frantic anger over Tybalt’s death in his scene with me.

          Despite our excellent work, there are still some areas that need to be improved. Our performance itself was too long, as it took eight minutes and 30 seconds in total to shoot. The re are certain scenes that are longer than others, as the monologues in the beginning are  very similar to each other and fit similar timing that is needed for a double monologue. This is not true with the later scenes, especially the last scene with Romeo and  Friar Lawrence. The length of this scene can be explained by the lengthy monologues by both the Friar and Romeo.  The other scenes do not have monologues from more than one character, as in the second scene and  the first scene is a double monologue, where Romeo and Juliet are saying their monologues at the same time for the majority of the scene.
My group also need to develop more blocking in the last two scenes. As a viewer of the performance, someone might think that the scenes got boring after the first scene, because the first scene was very dynamic and including more movement, while the later two scenes have very limited movement. This can be fixed by going through the two scenes and adding more blocking to help convey the similarities between Romeo and Juliet.
     I am excited to share my ideas about our scenes with my group. Hopefully, we will work together with our own ideas to make our scenes even better.


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In class writing

My interpretation of Juliet as being very similar to Romeo is shown through my acting during the first two scenes where she is present. One of the most important ways that their similarities are shown is how Bryn and I are going to do a double monologue and do very similar stage directions. I am also going to draw the audience's focus to me in important sections of my monologue where Romeo and Juliet are saying similar quotes or almost responding to each other by speaking louder than both Bryn and myself in other sections of my monologue during these areas. I also will turn to face the audience when these sections occur, drawing not only their attention in a auditory way, but also in a visual sense, as the movement will draw focus onto me even more.
In the second scene, I will also work to establish the similarities between Romeo and Juliet, but in different ways. I will work to develop a similar relationship between the counselor/ the Nurse and Juliet and Romeo and the counselor/ Friar Lawrence. I will work on doing this by showing my trust in the counselor/ the nurse with my body, such as by having my arms open and standing somewhat close to the counselor/ the nurse.

Two Deaths and One Banishment- Video

 https://youtu.be/kwp0TRPPIyY 

My Part of the Scene

Now, nurse, what news? What hast thou there? the cords
That Romeo bid thee fetch?

Nurse
Ay, ay, the cords.
Throws them down

JULIET
Ay me! what news? why dost thou wring thy hands?

Nurse
Ah, well-a-day! he's dead, he's dead, he's dead!
he's gone, he's kill'd, he's dead!

JULIET
Can heaven be so envious?

Nurse
Romeo can,
Though heaven cannot: O Romeo, Romeo!
Who ever would have thought it? Romeo!

JULIET
What devil art thou, that dost torment me thus?
This torture should be roar'd in dismal hell.
Hath Romeo slain himself?

If he be slain, say 'I'; or if not, no:
Brief sounds determine of my weal or woe.

Nurse
I saw the wound, I saw it with mine eyes,--
A piteous corse, a bloody piteous corse;
Pale, pale as ashes, all bedaub'd in blood,
All in gore-blood.

JULIET
O, break, my heart!

To prison, eyes, ne'er look on liberty!
Vile earth, to earth resign; end motion here;
And thou and Romeo press one heavy bier!

Nurse
O Tybalt, Tybalt, the best friend I had!
That ever I should live to see thee dead!

JULIET
What storm is this that blows so contrary?
Is Romeo slaughter'd, and is Tybalt dead?
My dear-loved cousin, and my dearer lord?
For who is living, if those two are gone?

Nurse
Tybalt is gone, and Romeo banished;
Romeo that kill'd him.

JULIET
O God! did Romeo's hand shed Tybalt's blood?

Nurse
It did, it did.

JULIET
Just opposite to what thou justly seem'st,
A damned saint, an honourable villain!
O that deceit should dwell
In such a gorgeous palace!

Nurse
There's no trust,
No faith, no honesty in men;

Ah, where's my man?

These griefs, these woes, these sorrows make me old.
Shame come to Romeo!

JULIET
Blister'd be thy tongue
For such a wish!

O, what a beast was I to chide at him!

Nurse
Will you speak well of him that kill'd your cousin?

JULIET
Shall I speak ill of him that is my husband?
But, wherefore, villain, didst thou kill my cousin?
That villain cousin would have kill'd my husband:
My husband lives, that Tybalt would have slain;
And Tybalt's dead, that would have slain my husband:
All this is comfort; wherefore weep I then?
Some word there was, worser than Tybalt's death:

'Tybalt is dead, and Romeo--banished;'
That 'banished,' that one word 'banished,'
Hath slain ten thousand Tybalts.

'Romeo is banished,' to speak that word,
Is father, mother, Tybalt, Romeo, Juliet,

All slain.

'Romeo is banished!'
Where is my father, and my mother, nurse?

Nurse
Weeping and wailing over Tybalt's corse:
Will you go to them? I will bring you thither.

JULIET
Wash they his wounds with tears: mine shall be spent,
When theirs are dry, for Romeo's banishment.
for Romeo is exiled:
He made you for a highway to my bed;
But I, a maid, die maiden-widowed.
Come, cords, come, nurse; I'll to my wedding-bed;
And death, not Romeo, take my maidenhead!

Nurse
Hie to your chamber: I'll find Romeo
To comfort you:

he is hid at Laurence' cell.

JULIET
O, find him! 

'Romeo and Juliet'- True Love and True Similar

My group’s analysis focuses on how Shakespeare tries to show that Romeo and Juliet were in true love because they had similar characteristics and said similar things.  This will improve my understanding of Romeo and Juliet because it will improve my belief that Romeo and Juliet were soul mates in in love.  It also builds on the ideas that Shakespeare said about true love because it ends tragically. But it is almost happy because it showed that true love has the strongest power over anything else in the world.

Our group will perform parts of Act 2, Scene 2, Act 3, Scene3, and Act 3, Scene 2.  We will highlight the similarities between Romeo and Juliet by having them played by two girls who look and act similarly.  We will have the Nurse and Friar Lawrence played by the same person, show is a boy and this will show the differences between the two characters.  We will also set up the stage with a door for the baloney scene which will show that Romeo and Juliet are opening the hearts and speaking from their hearts which will how that they have a similar way of thinking and are truly in love with each other.  They are talking to each other and they don’t acknowledge the other’s ability to hear.

There are four characters in our scenes – but they are played by three different actors.  Adler will play the Nurse and Friar Lawrence.  Bryn will play Romeo, and I will play Juliet.  We will work to ether as equal partners to that each person can work on their part and have about three minutes of peaking parts during the play.

Ideas for 'Romeo and Juliet' Paper

Impact of religion on 'Romeo and Juliet'- balcony scene and act 2 scene 3

Unrealistic nature of  Romeo and Juliet's love- Act 3 Scene 5 and Act 5 Scene 3

 Changing dynamics of the relationship between the Nurse and Juliet- Act 1 Scene 3 and Act 3 Scene 5 

Romeo and Juliet Large Quiz- Essay

Our class has just finished reading “Romeo and Juliet,” so Mrs. G decided to give us a large quiz on what we have learned about the play. Part of our quiz was to pick a question and write a longer essay about it for homework over. I chose to write about how the tragic ending of “Romeo and Juliet” was caused by avoidable circumstances and personalities.
The most prevalent circumstances that resulted in the death of the majority of the characters were the feud between the Montagues and the Capulets. This is clearly shown by the fact that throughout the play, none of the characters actually mention why the two families hate each other so much. Instead, they only blame the association with each family for the reason they hate each other, such as when Juliet asks Romeo to “deny thy father and refuse thy name,” instead of going into the reason that the families have this deep hatred or that he should reject something more specific than his father or family name. The feud also drives most of the plot in a way that is unnecessary if there was not a feud, as Romeo and Juliet would not have needed to sneak around and most of the situations in the play. The feud supports the idea that circumstances helped caused the deaths in “Romeo and Juliet.”
One of the main characteristics that caused the tragic ending to “Romeo and Juliet” was the way that many of the characters involved were highly impulsive.  This causes many of the problems for several different reasons.  The rash decisions made by Romeo in particular causes many problems.  He decides to kill Tybalt to revenge Mercutio’s death, without thinking about the consequences of his actions.  Friar Lawrence is also highly impulsive that causes problems for many of the characters when he agrees to marry Romeo and Juliet because he accepts Romeo’s explanation of “When and where and how We met, we wooed, and made exchange of vow, I’ll tell thee as we pass, but this I pray, That thou consent to marry us today.” (Act 2, Scene 3)
Many of the entire situations were avoidable as the events that occurred were a direct result of the feud and the character’s impulsive behaviors.  Without the feud, there would be no reasons for half of the events to carry on.  The reason that most of the actions in the play occurred was because they stemmed from the romance being kept in secret from most of their family members.  This causes problems for not only Romeo and Juliet themselves and their families, but also for the entire community as a whole.  This is shown by the impact it has on the Prince.  If the romance between Romeo and Juliet had not happened, the entire community would have been a safer place.  There would have been no need for them to hide their affections from the parents which caused them to do things that upset them regarding the actions of their families.
These ideas around the tragic events throughout the play stem from the characters and the circumstances that can be applied to more than just “Romeo and Juliet.”  It is a common idea that is posed in many books, movies, and television shows. It is a question that all poeple can think about when they are exposed to a fictional or even real world.

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Questions for Large 'Romeo and Juliet' Quiz

Fact Questions-

Who killed Tybalt and what was their punishment?
Where did Romeo meet Juliet?
Romeo and Juliet both had trusted advisors that were equivalent to each other. Who were they?
Why did Juliet drink poison?
Which other character is the Prince related to?

Short Answer-

Explain how the parents' of both Romeo and Juliet could have prevented their respective suicides and the other deaths that result from their love.
Juliet becomes more independent from her family. Explain if it was beneficial or harmful.
Explain the importance of Catholicism and religion on the play.
Theater today and from Shakespeare's time was very different. Explain some of these differences and how audiences from both time periods would react to a performance of "Romeo and Juliet" from the other time period.
Come up with an alternative plan to have Juliet leave Verona to be with Romeo in Mantua.

Essay Questions-

"Romeo and Juliet" ends fragile with both Romeo and Juliet dying. Explain what Shakespeare is trying to say about love.
Was there a point where Romeo and Juliet's marriage could have united their families? If there was, when did this change? If not, explain why not.

"Romeo and Juliet" project

During the last few days of Literature and Performance class, our class has been working on shorter versions of scenes from "Romeo and Juliet" in groups. My group chose to do Act 3 Scene 1 and I am playing Romeo. Our work on the scene has taught me a lot about acting and working on scenes.
There were several hard parts that I faced when working on the scene. One of the hardest parts about working on the scene was making all the characters have equal amounts of dialogue in the scene, as Tybalt, on of the characters, says very little in the scene and dies in the middle of it. This was partly fixed by adding more lines of Tybalt's from other scenes, which also was a challenge, because the lines and where they were placed needed to make sense with the rest of the scene. Another challenge was cutting lines to shorten the scene, as the scene still needed to make sense, keep the lines that each character have close to equal, and include the crucial events in the scene, which my group dealt with by having Mrs.G look over it after we finished.
I also noticed I had some strengths when it came to doing the scene. One of these was being able to be a good leader, as I somewhat lead my group in our work. My familiarity with the Black Box, the props, and the set pieces helped my group, which my fellow group members did not have. This helped us pick what props and set pieces would benefit our scenes, such as the sticks we used for swords. Good understanding of the scene also benefited, as it helped me edit the scene successfully. These were some of the things that I was good at while I worked on the scene.
After working on my scene, I released that there are many important qualities a scene must have in order to be considered good. One important trait all good scenes must have is  that it must make sense and be easy to follow, as this benefits the audiences experience of viewing the scene. It also must be able to stand on its own and tell a relatively complete story, as it frees the scene to be performed in many different ways, such as with or without other scenes accompanying it. It also should be somewhat short, as a scene that is too long can become boring and can be somewhat harder to perform. A scene usually needs to include multiple characters, as more characters make the scene more interesting to watch and gives more creative freedom for the people performing the scene, as monologues are usually somewhat constricted versus scenes. These are only som of the characteristics that scenes need to have to be considered excellent.
There are a few different ways I could make my next scene better than the one I am working on now from "Romeo and Juliet." One way is to make it a little shorter than this one, as it could be considered unnecessarily long, especially since many important events happen during our scene that can not be cut out. Our scene could also could be considered hard to follow, as it has a mix of chaotic fighting and old English as the dialogue. It could also be seen as beg somewhat restricting, because of the many different monologues characters have during it. These are only some of the ways that I could improve my work on my next scene.

I am excited to finish acting out my scene in class on Monday. After reflecting on my work and thinking of ways to improve it, I am even more excited for when I get to perform my next scene in class. The idea of practice making perfect is extremely true in this respect and only encourages my drive to improve my acting abilities.

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Modern Interpratation of "Romeo and Juliet" Act 3 Scene 5

(Romeo and Juliet stand in the top floor of a faculty house on campus with Juliet's room. Romeo is beginning to climb out of one of the windows. It is the middle of the night.)

Juliet: Please don't go. I love you so much. I can' live without you. You mean so much to me, Romeo.

Romeo: I am so sorry that I got kicked out of school for fighting with Tyler. I wish I could stay here with you forever, but I must go. I can not let someone see us, because we will both get in trouble.

Juliet: Please stay a little longer. My parents are at the hospital and shouldn't be back for a while.

Romeo: I guess I can stay, because they can not do anything worse than kick me out anymore, as I will have trouble seeing you again.

Juliet: No, you should go. They might arrest you and I could never see you again. I couldn't bear to see that happen.

(Betsy enters)

Betsy: Your mother is coming.

(Betsy exits.)

Romeo: Good-bye. I love you.

Juliet: I love you too.

(Romeo exits through the window. Juliet sits on her bed and is crying. After a few minutes pass, Sarah enters.)

Sarah: I have to talk to you. Are you still crying about Tyler being in a coma from the fight, my dear?

Juliet: Yes, I'm so upset that Romeo is leaving instead of being held more responsible for his actions.

Sarah: Don't worry. Dad and I have been talking to lawyers all day about pressing charges.

Juliet: I'm glad. I'll never feel better, until I can look him in the eye and tell him how I feel.

(Jack and Betsy enter.)

Sarah: We've some news that might cheer you up. We decided to allow you to date Dan, as he seems to really like you. He might help you improve your grades, as he is is very smart.

Juliet: I don't want to date him.

Sarah: Are you feeling okay?

Jack: Why? It would be good for you, as it would improve your chances of getting into Yalr, as his dad is a dean there. You must date him, or I'll punish you.

Juliet: But I don't want to...

Jack: I don't care. This will improve your life greatly. If you don't, you are just ignorant,  immature, and  could not think about the future.

Betsy: Jack, stop it. She doesn't want to and it should be her decision.

Jack: Shut up, this has nothing to do with you.

(Jack leaves)

Sarah: Please help me.

Sarah: I'm not getting involved in this.

(Sarah leaves)

Betsy: Maybe you should date Dan. It would be better for you than dating an expelled student who assaulted your brother.

Juliet: I think you may be right. Thank you for helping me, Grandma. I want to go have a counseling session and think about it with Ms. Mauthe, before I do anything.

(Betsy leaves.)

Juliet: How could Grandma say that. I love Romeo to much to ever break up with him. Ms. Maitre will help me be with him, or I'ill kill myself.

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"Romeo and Juliet": Act 2 Scene 3: Death and Night

The fact that the use of the word night change to the word death in scene 2 act 3 shows the loss of Juliet and Romeo's control over their own fate in "Romeo and Juliet". This can be explained by the fact that the scene centers about Juliet finding out that Romeo killed Tybalt and is now exiled from Verona, permanently, on the day they were married. The loss of being in charge of their own fate can be shown as in the beginning Juliet keeps referring to night, which is not a permanent event and comes to an end after a few hours. This is very different from death, as unless you are a mythical creature, it is a permeant event that can not change even so that someone can live again (at least in the 1600s when science was seen as anti-Catholic voodoo), which is what Juliet centers her conversation with the Nurse in the later part of the scene. Night also refers to the fact that Romeo and Juliet have control over their marriage and they plan to tell their families. This quickly changes after Juliet found out that Romeo killed her cousin, making their families feud even more intense and realizes that she can never tell her family about her marriage to Romeo, which is when she changes her topic to death. After she learns that Romeo is exiled and she starts talking more about death than night, Juliet eg plages her loss of choice, as she becomes aware that she could never have a normal marriage to Romeo, as they would either need to separate when he leaves Verona, or she would have to come up with a plan to be able to leave Verona and her family to go with him into exile. The change of the subject in scene 2 act three in "Romeo and Juliet" from night to death shows that Romeo and Juliet have lost control of their own destiny.

Night Iambic Pentameter Poem

The darkness takes the stars to dance and sing
The moon does watch the people fall asleep.

Anger

Anger is an extremely powerful emotion for many reasons. It is extremely contagious, which leads more people to acting angry. Anger also leads people to do things without thinking about the consequences. Angry people do not act the same as they would when they are not angry and can become irrational and make bad choices. Angry people's actions can change their relationship with others, as anger is usually directed at a person and their irrational behavior is directed at them.
A chain reaction occurred from anger when my brother was hurting my sister's feelings, which made her very upset. My sister then stormed to her room and my brother chased after her. She then slammed her door and my brother's finger was in the crack of the door. This resulted in my brother having a broken finger. This entire situation had been avoided, if my brother was nice to my sister and/or my sister took a minute to calm down before she reacted violently to him.

The Adorable World if "Gnomeo and Juliet"

In IB Literature and Performance, we have been reading “Romeo and Juliet.” For homework, Mrs.G, decided that we should watch a film adaption and write a reflection.
I watched the 2011 Disney movie “Gnomeo and Juliet” directed by Kelly Asbury, which I really enjoyed(http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377981/?ref_=nv_sr_1). The movie is about Romeo and Juliet, two garden gnomes from two feuding families who fall in love. Juliet is a red Capulets, while Gnomeo is a blue Montagues. The movie uses modern language and is set in modern times, mostly taking place in the homes of two feuding neighbors.  
It is interesting how they included different references to the original work of "Romeo and Juliet" and kept some elements of the story intact. One of way they did it was by including parts of the prologue in the beginning, which exposes young children the the actual work of Shakespeare. It also was done in a very humorous way, as the gnome reading it is interrupted by another gnome who is bored. It was interesting how the writers decided to have Shakespeare be a character in the movie, as a statue that comes to life in the park. His characters somewhat breaks the forth wall, as he makes references to the fact that it is a "Romeo and Juliet" adaption when he explains that Gnomeo's story is similar to his play. The references to the original "Romeo and Juliet" and the intact parts of the play made the movie more enjoyable for people.
I liked aspects that result from the fact that the targeted audience is children. The two families are color-coded, with the Capulets being red and the Montagues being blue. This helps define the characters and separates the two families, which can be considered one of the hardest parts about "Romeo and Juliet." The humor is also more modern, making it funnier in some parts for people today, as the writers knew that children needed to be able to understand the humor. These are only some of the benefits that the audience gains from it being targeted at children.
My favorite part of the whole movie was the happy ending. The deaths in the original always upset me, but in this adaption, all the characters live. It also shows that the family’s feud did not need to end with their children's death, but could have ended with their parents reflection of how their actions effected them. It also gave the movie a more definitive ending than in the play. These are some of the reasons I enjoyed the happy ending the most in "Gnomeo and Juliet."
Overall I feel that it was a cute way to introduce children to Shakespeare and is still enjoyable for adults. It dumbs the story down into language that all people can understand, which I think is the second of the hardest thing to do with Shakespeare. The movie creator also does what I feel is hardest thing about adapting Shakespeare: creating a new spin on a play performed many times, with a lot of success. Because honestly, whoever thought that "Romeo and Juliet" should be made into a Disney film about garden gnomes to understand is a genus.
That's all for now. Write back to you next week. Bye!

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377981/?ref_=nv_sr_1