Romeo and Juliet Script Analysis
Alexis Franco
Geoffrey Kershner
Dramatic Appreciation
Nov. 21, 2009
1. Identify the MAJOR CONFLICT of the play. This is between two characters or a character and a group of characters or force.
In Romeo and Juliet, the major conflict is between The Montague & Capulet families with Romeo and Juliet.
2. Identify what these characters REPRESENT.
The Montagues and Capulets represent hatred. Romeo and Juliet represent love.
3. Identify the CLIMAX of the major conflict. This is the height of the conflict. There is no where else for it to go and it breaks open, explodes, or dies. Be as specific as possible. Write the scene number and describe the specific moment.
Although I don't normally feel that the climax can come at the end of a story, in the case of Romeo and Juliet, I do believe that the climax is in Act 3, Scene 7 with the deaths of Romeo and Juliet in the Capulet crypt. I say this because, up until this point, neither Romeos or Juliets parents know that the two are married, or how much they really love each other.
4. Identify the RESOLUTION of the conflict. The conflict comes to a conclusion. Write the scene number and describe the specific moment.
The resolution to the conflict comes at the end of Act 3, Scene 7, when the parents of Juliet and Romeo's father discover their children's bodies. (This was especially chilling for Juliet's parents because they already believed their daughter to be dead- to feel her warm body and see her bleeding- they had to mourn her death twice.) The resolution, after finding their children's bodies, is to finally lay to rest their longstanding feud, as they lay to rest Romeo and Juliet.
5. Identify the FINAL ACTION of the two figures involved in the major conflict. Then explain its significance.
The final action for Romeo is drinking the poison from the bottle that the apothecary had given him. He obtains the poison after hearing that Juliet is dead. Romeo arrives at the Capulet crypt and holds Juliet in his arms- believing she is dead, he drinks the poison and dies. Juliet wakes up right after Romeo dies and, finding her beloved dead, stabs herself with a dagger when Friar Lawrence isn't in the room. The final action for the Montague and Capulet families, after reconciling, is to agree to raise two gold statues- one of Romeo and one of Juliet in the now peaceful Verona. The deaths of Romeo and Juliet are significant because it shows that they would go to any length to be together. The two families reconciling and raising the statues of Romeo and Juliet are significant because it signals a new era of peace in Verona.
6. Identify each of the characters (in the major conflict) over all OBJECTIVES. This is a want that drives them all the way through the play. Keep this active and playable for an actor. Think of action verbs.
The Montagues and Capulets want to be separate from one another. Romeo and Juliet want to be together.
7. Identify the subject of the play. Force yourself to one word.
The subject of Romeo and Juliet is passion.
8. Identify the IDEA of the play.
The idea of Romeo and Juliet is that names are not important. Romeo is a Montague and Juliet is a Capulet- simply for this reason they can not be together. In addition, even though the feud between the families is so old that nobody knows what it is, even the servants for the Montagues and Capulets hate each other. The hate between the two families is so great that it leads to physical fighting and ultimately death.
9. Write a short paragraph, 75 to 100 words that describes what the play is ABOUT to you and what it conveys. This is your interpretation of the overall meaning of the play FOR YOU.
This being my first experience with the play Romeo and Juliet, I was struck by the different decisions that the various characters make and the consequences of those decisions. For example, Friar Lawrence makes the potentially explosive decision to marry Romeo and Juliet, even though I think he was hoping to somehow bring peace to the families with the marriage. In addition, Juliet makes the decision to fake her own death to get out of marrying Paris. Her decision led to her families grief and really, her, Paris' and Romeo's death. Romeo also made the decision to follow Juliet in death because of his love for her, that also caused his father grief. Overall, I could see how the decisions that we make as individuals can have broad consequences that greatly affect people around us.
