Vanessa O’Neill
Hey there!
For me, Shakespeare only really makes sense when you get a chance to see it live or speak it aloud. So in these sessions we will be playing out a key scene from each of the plays and hoping to make new discoveries and engage in some debate about interpretations of what is taking place.
I look forward to exploring Romeo and Juliet (on Wednesday) and Macbeth (on Thursday) with those of you attending the sessions.
With Romeo and Juliet, we’ll investigate Act 3, Scene 1 - the fight scene that involves Mercutio, Tybalt, Benvolio and Romeo - looking closely at what takes place and why and its consequences for the rest of the play.
With Macbeth, we’ll look closely at Act 1, Scene 7 beginning with Macbeth trying to decide whether or not to kill the King and then Lady Macbeth’s attempts to convince him to do the deed. We will look very closely at what takes place between these characters throughout this crucial scene.
Come along ready to play with Shakespeare! Hopefully it will be a lot of fun and a chance to engage dynamically with both of these plays.
I look forward to seeing you there!
Vanessa
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August 11th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
I’ll be attending your session on wednesday and I would just like to ask of your opinion on whether you believe Lord Capulet is a man with morals and one who has his family’s best interests at heart (because as you no doubt know, there is some contrast as to how he is portrayed in different scenes).
August 11th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
Hi Mayen, you’ve asked a good question.
The conflict between a father and his daughter is a very common theme in a number of Shakespeare’s plays (including Othello, King Lear, Hamlet, A Merchant of Venice and A Midsummer Night’s Dream). The essence of that conflict (as it is with Romeo and Juliet) is that the father wants his daughter to obey his wishes (especially regarding marriage) and his daughter has her own mind and her own ideas of what she wants to do.
In Shakespeare’s plays a father technically ‘owns’ his daughter. So when Lord Capulet threatens Juliet with being thrown out of the house without anything if she does not marry Paris, he really means it. Because even though she is part of a very wealthy family, she does not own anything in her own right. When she marries, her husband would inherit her share of wealth and property.
Lord Capulet does believe that he is doing what is best for his family. Both he and Lady Capulet believe that Paris is the most eligible bachelor in all of Verona. But neither of them are listening to Juliet. And Lord Capulet has forgotten his original instincts that Juliet is too young for marriage and that marrying early is not advisable (as Lady Capulet clearly has done). Capulet’s insistence on the hasty marriage is his way of dealing with the tragedy of the loss of Tybalt.
So in concluding, I would say that Capulet believes he is doing the best thing for his family. However, Shakespeare clearly shows us that Juliet has her own mind and her own feelings and needs that are quite separate from her father’s. The reason why I enjoy Shakespeare’s plays is for their complexity. So Shakespeare shows us many different people’s points of view throughout this tragedy. However, by the end of the play, both the Capulets and the Montagues are forced to question how well they have attended to the needs of their children.
Sorry for such a long answer - but you have raised a crucial question! I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.
Regards, Vanessa