The selected play for this analysis is William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet”. Being a tragedy, the story narrates the challenges two lovers, Romeo and Juliet, go through due to the enmity between their respective families. Despite being in love, Juliet and Romeo find it hard to live together happily. They eventually choose to terminate their lives since they do not want to remain separated. The work concludes with the quote: “For never was a story of more woe… than this of Juliet and her Romeo” (Texas Shakespeare Festival, 2020, 2:25:12). During the ensuing mourning period, the families of Capulet and Montague resolve to end their disagreement or feud.
The identified play was staged in a contemporary Elizabethan playhouse. The characters performed their roles and acts in daylight. The directors relied on the use of reduced props to achieve their aims. The scenes’ lighting entailed using unromantic moonlight and minimized sun. Soft morning radiance made some of the acts more admirable and easy to follow. In terms of costumes, the producers chose Renaissance dresses made from rich fabrics and laced with jewels (Katawazai, 2018). Such gowns had beautiful decorations and embellishments to make them more attractive. Romeo’s costume included a ruffled shirt and knee breeches. The other characters’ clothes were designed using rich fabrics and contained similar decorations.
To deliver the intended message, competent actors capable of communicating in the intended accent performed the play. Each of the 22 actors completed their unique roles in an effort to make the play meaningful. The producers ensured that such individuals exhibited specific character traits and attributes. For instance, Juliet appeared as a naĂŻve girl who was hard to impress at the very beginning (Farahmandfar & Alizadeh, 2021). However, she became more mature and conscientious as her performance progressed. The individuals belonged to different age groups while undertaking their unique social roles.
From this analysis, it is agreeable that the mise-en-scene of the watched play match most of the aspects associated with its written version. For instance, the presented gowns and attires are designed in such a way that they match the ones worn at the time when the tragedy was written (Katawazai, 2018). The lighting, props, and staging strategies are developed based on the original work by Shakespeare. The consideration of such approaches made it easier for the director of the play to deliver the targeted message while entertaining the intended audience.
Different scenes in the play depict or create divergent moods. For example, the story of Juliet and Romeo presents a romantic and bright tone to the viewers. On the other hand, Verona portrays a negative mood characterized by cruelty and ugliness. This happens to be the case since society continues to face conflicts and family feuds (Katawazai, 2018). After following the play, it becomes clear that all the parts are easy to follow and understand. The important thing is to follow the words and match them with the performances or scenes. Some of the details that stood out from the play included the costumes Italians wore during antiquity and how different community members related with each other in Verona.
My feelings about this performance revolve around love, sadness, and enmity. It is unimaginable that both Romeo and Juliet have to die through self-harm. Such an act appears to threaten the stability of the studied society. The storyline supports the notion that tragedies can emerge when numerous emotions overwhelm human beings (Farahmandfar & Alizadeh, 2021). My takeaway from this work is that the aspects of human live, human rights, love, and conflict resolution have improved significantly over the past six centuries. Consequently, people can today pursue their objectives civilized and practically.
References
Farahmandfar, M., & Alizadeh, G. (2021). William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and his later tragedies. Journal of English Language and Literature Teaching, 1(1), 49-68.
Katawazai, R. (2018). A critical analysis of William Shakespeare’s: Romeo and Juliet. International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, 8(10), 270-278.
Texas Shakespeare Festival. (2020). Romeo & Juliet [Video]. YouTube. Web.