Throughout the week we performed the play. In the first day, we just worked on memorizing the lines and figuring out stage positioning. We wanted to have the action towards the front most of the time so people could see the play better. When people entered the play we had them enter farther away from the other character so it seemed more realistic. Then as the play went on and conflict grew, the characters would tend to walk towards each other and meet in the center front of the stage. Then in new scenes, the Montagues would enter from the right, and Capulets would enter from the left. Additionally, we decided to switch my role with Veronica's. Veronica is a quiet girl who is too nice to play the role of Tybalt. Therefore, I became Tybalt and she became Romeo. The next day we stepped it up a notch. We began to work on dialogue, and our stage positioning. We acted out the play with movement. We helped each other figure out grammatical errors and pronunciation in the play. For example in the script it read, they fight. We quickly noticed that that belongs in prentices and is not dialogue. We practiced sentence fluency, too. This day was less of acting and more of practicing lines. That night we fixed the grammatical errors in the dialogue and prepared for the next day. The next day was a hard day. We tried to incorporate everything into the play. This day was the first days of "acting." Each of us tried to get into our characters. I found this challenging. Even with the lines in front of me, it's hard to get in that zone, especially with sword fighting. This is a fun thing to do which is hard not to smile in. Additionally, I'm friendly with most of our group, making it fun, but hard not to have the occasional laugh in a sword fight. Whenever one person broke character there was a chain reaction. It's hard to keep a serious face when other people are smiling. It is a team effort if one person starts laughing then everyone will. We worked on making it realistic with the acting theories we learned the previous week. We did this by thinking of things that made us mad. I failed to come up with something that made me mad, so I did my best to act it out. However, after acting I realized two things I could think of that I used during workouts. I will attempt to use these next week. With this said, I didn't have any specific idea I could think about to make me mad which made it hard. Additionally, I think if I can imagine Veronica as someone different, or someone I hate, then I would get into character a lot better. Additionally, we worked on our sword fighting and making it more realistic. There were a lot of anticlimactic stabs and awkward moments with the sword fights. There were often times where we wouldn't know whether to stab them or let them live. This would then turn into a mixed unconfident result. This would not be optimal in the play so we need some work in that retrospect. An idea I had was that we could plan out every hit, but it might just be easier to improvise and act on our feet. Veronica thought that we should have a part where one person was obviously winning the fight, then the other person was obviously losing and have a specific area to die. This was a great idea to consider. It gave one person to a chance to go on the defensive while the other goes on the offensive and vice versa. In my opinion, this is better than planning out every hit. Once we master these aspects of the play I think we will do a phenomenal job performing.

During class this week I have learned manny things. I have tried incorporating what we learned about the great actor theorists into the play. Yet, I have faced manny struggles with it. It is hard to stay in character if something goes wrong. After something goes wrong and someone smiles it all goes downhill from there. Smiling is contagious and ones it starts it spreads to everyone. Then people are laughing in a fight scene which is not in character. Getting into character is also hard. I can't really think of anything that makes me angry, and Tybalt is a generally angry person. As I typed that line I remembered a time, I made myself angry during a workout so I could go harder. Likewise, I would try to do the same thing in acting. My problem is I don't get mad a lot and get over things quickly. I will test out to see if I can get angry acting on Monday by creating an idea in my head that makes me angry. Additionally, I can perceive Veronica as a different person, then I can be mad at her. After getting the memorisation and emotions down I think I will be a much better actor.

Monologue

TYBALT - Down Center

This, by his voice, should be a Montague.

Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave

Come hither, cover'd with an antic face,

To fleer and scorn at our solemnity?

Now, by the stock and honour of my kin,

To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin.

Tis he, that villain Romeo.

NEW SCENE

TYBALT - Down Left

Gentlemen, good e’en. A word with one of you.

Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo.

MERCUTIO - Center Right

Consort? What, dost thou make us minstrels?

An thou make minstrels of us, look to hear

nothing but discords. Here’s my fiddlestick; here’s

that shall make you dance. Zounds, consort!

Men’s eyes were made to look, and let them gaze.

I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I.

(Enter Romeo.)

TYBALT

Well, peace be with you, sir. Here comes my man.

MERCUTIO - Down Right

But I’ll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery.

Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower.

Your Worship in that sense may call him “man.”

TYBALT - Down Center

Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford

No better term than this: thou art a villain.

ROMEO - Up Right

Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee

Doth much excuse the appertaining rage

To such a greeting. Villain am I none.

Therefore farewell. I see thou knowest me not.

TYBALT

Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries

That thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw.

ROMEO - Center Right

I do protest I never injured thee

But love thee better than thou canst devise

Till thou shalt know the reason of my love.

And so, good Capulet, which name I tender

As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.

MERCUTIO - Center Down

O calm, dishonorable, vile submission!

Alla stoccato carries it away.

(He draws)

Tybalt, you ratcatcher, will you walk?

TYBALT

What wouldst thou have with me?

MERCUTIO

Good king of cats, nothing but one of your

nine lives, that I mean to make bold withal, and, as

you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the

eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher

by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your

ears ere it be out.

TYBALT

I am for you.

(He draws)

ROMEO - Down Center

Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.

MERCUTIO

Come, sir, your passado.They fight.

ROMEO

Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons.

Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage!

Tybalt, Mercutio, the prince expressly hath

Forbidden bandying in Verona streets:

Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio!

(TYBALT under ROMEO's arm stabs MERCUTIO, and flies with his followers)

MERCUTIO - Down Left

I am hurt.

A plague o' both your houses! I am sped.

Is he gone, and hath nothing?

(MERCUTIO Exits)

NEW SCENE…

ROMEO - Down Left

This day's black fate on more days doth depend;

This but begins the woe, others must end.

Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain!

Away to heaven, respective lenity,

And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!

Up Right

(Re-enter TYBALT)

Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,

That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul

Is but a little way above our heads,

Staying for thine to keep him company:

Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.

TYBALT - Down Center

Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here,

Shalt with him hence.

ROMEO - Down Center

This shall determine that.

(They fight; TYBALT falls)

ROMEO

O, I am fortune's fool!

Throughout the play, Romeo has acted in manny different ways. He has gone from carrying, loving, hateful, silly, sad, to depressed. His emotions shift frequently throughout the play. Additionally, emotions change greatly withing scenes. In the fight scene between Romeo, Mercutio, and Tybalt, Romeo's emotions change vastly.
There are several ways that I will portray Romeo's character. My first step will be to memorise his lines. Once I have memorised my lines, I can move onto more advanced things like emotions. In order to express my emotions, I will make them genuine. I will do this by thinking of sad or happy events from the past. This attribute will be hard to achieve because Romeo changes his emotions frequently throughout the scene. Although this will be challenging it could greatly enhance my acting.
I will portray Romeo differently throughout the scene. In the beginning, I will act with confidence and happiness. I will do this by thinking of a time I was happy and driving a boat. I will act like a gentleman and good-willed human. I will act jolly towards Tybalt, who is on the same side as my love. Everything is perfect for Romeo, so he has no reason to start a quarrel with anyone. He is married to his love so everything is perfect for him. He even should feel warm hearted towards Tybalt because he is Juliet's Cousin. Therefore, in a way he is related to Romeo. Then Romeo's emotions will change when Tybalt and Mercutio try to fight. I will act disappointed in my friend for wanting to fight. Then when Tybalt tries to fight Mercutio I will act concerned and worried. I will act concerned. I will do this by thinking of my a time I was concerned for my little sister. Romeo did not want Tybalt to fight Mercutio because Tybalt is the cousin of his wife. Additionally, Romeo had no problems with the Capulets. He now saw the capulets as his family. Additionally, Romeo will remember the Prince's warning and be concerned about his friend. He does not want Mercutio to get in trouble with the law for fighting Tybalt. Then when Tybalt kills Mercutio I will become overwhelmed with sadness and guilt. I will do this by thinking of a death in my family. I will feal guilty, because if I hadn't intervened my friend might still be alive. I will also feel sad because on of my best friends just died. I will be slightly angry towards Tybalt, but I will be mostly upset. I will also feel overwhelmed in this moment. I will be feeling a surplus of emotions, which will make it difficult to act. Then after a while, I will get over the sadness. At this point, my sadness will have turned into anger. I will think of a time I was angry at my parents to act this out. I will be angry at Tybalt because he just killed my best friend. I will be seeking vengeance against him. I will also act in confidence with bravery. I will have a slight feeling of remorse for my friend's death because I was partly to blame. Then after I kill Tybalt I will be stricken with worry. In order to act this out, I will think of my unknown SAT scores. I will be worried because I will not know the upcoming future, or what the punishment will be. I will also be worried what Juliet will think when she finds out. I will end the scene feeling worried about how things will turn out.

Monologue

TYBALT

This, by his voice, should be a Montague.

Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave

Come hither, cover'd with an antic face,

To fleer and scorn at our solemnity?

Now, by the stock and honour of my kin,

To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin.

Tis he, that villain Romeo.

NEW SCENE

TYBALT

Gentlemen, good e’en. A word with one of you.

Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo.

MERCUTIO Consort? What, dost thou make us minstrels?

An thou make minstrels of us, look to hear

nothing but discords. Here’s my fiddlestick; here’s

that shall make you dance. Zounds, consort!

Men’s eyes were made to look, and let them gaze.

I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I.

(Enter Romeo.)

TYBALT

Well, peace be with you, sir. Here comes my man.

MERCUTIO

But I’ll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery.

Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower.

Your Worship in that sense may call him “man.”

TYBALT

Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford

No better term than this: thou art a villain.

ROMEO

Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee

Doth much excuse the appertaining rage

To such a greeting. Villain am I none.

Therefore farewell. I see thou knowest me not.

TYBALT

Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries

That thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw.

ROMEO

I do protest I never injured thee

But love thee better than thou canst devise

Till thou shalt know the reason of my love.

And so, good Capulet, which name I tender

As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.

MERCUTIO

O calm, dishonorable, vile submission!

Alla stoccato carries it away.

(He draws)

Tybalt, you ratcatcher, will you walk?

TYBALT

What wouldst thou have with me?

MERCUTIO

Good king of cats, nothing but one of your

nine lives, that I mean to make bold withal, and, as

you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the

eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher

by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your

ears ere it be out.

TYBALT

I am for you.

(He draws)

ROMEO

Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.

MERCUTIO

Come, sir, your passado.They fight.

ROMEO

Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons.

Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage!

Tybalt, Mercutio, the prince expressly hath

Forbidden bandying in Verona streets:

Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio!

(TYBALT under ROMEO's arm stabs MERCUTIO, and flies with his followers)

MERCUTIO

I am hurt.

A plague o' both your houses! I am sped.

Is he gone, and hath nothing?

(MERCUTIO Exits)

NEW SCENE…

ROMEO

This day's black fate on more days doth depend;

This but begins the woe, others must end.

Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain!

Away to heaven, respective lenity,

And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!

(Re-enter TYBALT)

Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,

That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul

Is but a little way above our heads,

Staying for thine to keep him company:

Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.

TYBALT

Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here,

Shalt with him hence.

ROMEO

This shall determine that.

(They fight; TYBALT falls)

ROMEO

O, I am fortune's fool!

Props: Swords, wig for veronica, colored shirts (Capulets Blue) (Montagues Red)

Lee Strasberg was an actor who believed that the work of the actor involved two areas. These areas were the ability to create and express reality. In order to create reality, you would have to think of sad or happy memories from the past to act out the emotions. This would make it realistic instead of overexagerated. Additionally, it would give the play more emotions. The other area it to express reality. This involved acting in the moment and thinking on your feet. You don't need to follow every word of the script. If something unexpected happens then you would need to act on your feet. This is how Lee Strasberg thought acting should be done.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1cSWTQHc4ctfkdZM39AwZhBWly706bbOo7OnSkC9mKLQ/edit?usp=sharing

Monologue

TYBALT

This, by his voice, should be a Montague.

Fetch me my rapier, boy. What dares the slave

Come hither, cover'd with an antic face,

To fleer and scorn at our solemnity?

Now, by the stock and honour of my kin,

To strike him dead, I hold it not a sin.

Tis he, that villain Romeo.

NEW SCENE

TYBALT

Gentlemen, good e’en. A word with one of you.

Mercutio, thou consortest with Romeo.

MERCUTIO Consort? What, dost thou make us minstrels?

An thou make minstrels of us, look to hear

nothing but discords. Here’s my fiddlestick; here’s

that shall make you dance. Zounds, consort!

Men’s eyes were made to look, and let them gaze.

I will not budge for no man’s pleasure, I.

(Enter Romeo.)

TYBALT

Well, peace be with you, sir. Here comes my man.

MERCUTIO

But I’ll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery.

Marry, go before to field, he’ll be your follower.

Your Worship in that sense may call him “man.”

TYBALT

Romeo, the love I bear thee can afford

No better term than this: thou art a villain.

ROMEO

Tybalt, the reason that I have to love thee

Doth much excuse the appertaining rage

To such a greeting. Villain am I none.

Therefore farewell. I see thou knowest me not.

TYBALT

Boy, this shall not excuse the injuries

That thou hast done me. Therefore turn and draw.

ROMEO

I do protest I never injured thee

But love thee better than thou canst devise

Till thou shalt know the reason of my love.

And so, good Capulet, which name I tender

As dearly as mine own, be satisfied.

MERCUTIO

O calm, dishonorable, vile submission!

Alla stoccato carries it away.

(He draws)

Tybalt, you ratcatcher, will you walk?

TYBALT

What wouldst thou have with me?

MERCUTIO

Good king of cats, nothing but one of your

nine lives, that I mean to make bold withal, and, as

you shall use me hereafter, dry-beat the rest of the

eight. Will you pluck your sword out of his pilcher

by the ears? Make haste, lest mine be about your

ears ere it be out.

TYBALT

I am for you.

(He draws)

ROMEO

Gentle Mercutio, put thy rapier up.

MERCUTIO

Come, sir, your passado.They fight.

ROMEO

Draw, Benvolio; beat down their weapons.

Gentlemen, for shame, forbear this outrage!

Tybalt, Mercutio, the prince expressly hath

Forbidden bandying in Verona streets:

Hold, Tybalt! good Mercutio!

(TYBALT under ROMEO's arm stabs MERCUTIO, and flies with his followers)

MERCUTIO

I am hurt.

A plague o' both your houses! I am sped.

Is he gone, and hath nothing?

(MERCUTIO Exits)

NEW SCENE…

ROMEO

This day's black fate on more days doth depend;

This but begins the woe, others must end.

Alive, in triumph! and Mercutio slain!

Away to heaven, respective lenity,

And fire-eyed fury be my conduct now!

(Re-enter TYBALT)

Now, Tybalt, take the villain back again,

That late thou gavest me; for Mercutio's soul

Is but a little way above our heads,

Staying for thine to keep him company:

Either thou, or I, or both, must go with him.

TYBALT

Thou, wretched boy, that didst consort him here,

Shalt with him hence.

ROMEO

This shall determine that.

(They fight; TYBALT falls)

ROMEO

O, I am fortune's fool!