Blog 13

In my opinion, the ending is extremely miserable. Desiree’s experience in the Hotel is like a series of nice dreams, which makes the her suffer in the ending more tragic. For Desiree, she has devoted herself into Daniel’s health and longed for their marriage all the time. When the butterflies “demand to escape”, she stubbornly holds on to them because of her eagerness to Daniel. Nevertheless, Daniel betrays her, or he has never thought of marrying to her at all. No one cares about Desiree’s contribution after Daniel’s recovering. Even when she eventually gives up herself and takes the punishment of Papa Ge for Daniel, she does not earn a glance from him. When she eventually loses her life, all her strong wishes, the butterflies she has caught in the past, break the “cage” and take her sole away from the place she does not belong to. Her life is regarded as trash that ordered by Gabriel Beauxhomme, “[Lucifus picks] up the corpse by an arm and leg, dumps it at the side of the road to await the garbage collector(168).” Desiree has never achieved her wishes, and because she has experienced the hope of making her wish come true, the ending becomes even worse and more painful. 

This ending is trying to teach readers that we should always be practical and never devote ourselves into impossible dreams. It is true that we need dreams and insist on pursuing our dreams. However, most wishes are not as valuable as our lives. Therefore, we should always accept failure and forgo chasing impossible dreams with huge expenses. Furthermore, we should not have relentless desire. When we set ourselves certain goals, we have to stop as long as we achieve those goals. If we greedily try to gain more than we really should get, we will eventually pay off for our avaricious. Do not forget our original intention, or we might lose ourselves when struggling in the ocean of desires. 

Questions

What are the significances of the butterflies willing to escape?

What expenses Desiree has paid to meet Daniel and what is the outcome?

Will Desiree feel regretful eventually?

State the foreshadows in these chapters.

The Angel from heaven

Who loves you most in the world? Who argues with you most in the world? Who chatters all the time and takes care of your everything? It must be your mom. Sometimes, you might want to hug her tightly with your arms but just keep your small wish and watch her making breakfast for you; sometimes you might want to slap her on the face but just run away from her and cry quietly in your room. The situations above may happen all the time in you life and end up with laughing of you and your mother. In the novel My love, My love, Desiree also a Mama who loves her more than anyone else.

Firstly, Mama Euralie has a faithful heart, which provides her optimism. She wholeheartedly believes that gods would take care of her life and decide her fate. Therefore, Mama always prays and trust gods when she meets difficulties: “ Have faith. The gods have never abandoned us yet—neither the gods of our fathers nor the One who rules over them(13).” During the drought, Tonton Julian satirizes Mama that “did Agwe come and whisper in your ears? And there you are—your gods making playthings of us poor peasants(13).” However, Mama never loses her hope. She encourages her family members and still works as hard as usual. Even when the crops are destroyed by the storm, Mama just “[does] a small dance(54)” and says happily to Tonton “But now we can buy seeds Monsieur Julian. Our land will be rich(54).” Mama Euralie is like the sun, always thinks positively and shines everyone around her.

Furthermore, Mama believes that gods have brought Desiree to her life and therefore loves Desiree like her own child. When Tonton Julian claims that this child is just another stomach to fill, Mama convinced him that “If this is a scheme of Agwe’s, then let us enjoy it(24).” Despite Papa’s reluctant language, he also kindly “picks her up, gently, so that her head fell against his heart(24).” Under the good care of these two virtuous parents, Desiree gradually grows up, and becomes a girl who has plenty of daydreams. Like every mother would do, Mama is anxious about Desiree’s daydreaming and even flares up when Desiree claimed to leave: “The old woman held the girl’s hand tightly. She pulled her…She had to talk to her gods(65).” Mama is afraid that Desiree would leave her and face the strange world alone. Moreover, she regards Desiree as her “treasure(63)” whom she could not live without. Mama accepts Desiree because of faith and raises her up because of strong love.

In conclusion, I like Mama Euralie most in this novel. She perfectly represents the most common mothers in the world. She is wholeheartedly faithful, always believing in gods and having a optimistic mind; she is extremely kind, adopting a poor girl she has never met; she is strongly responsible, trying to protect the girl in her own way. This character is alive in the novel and always reminds me of my mother. Does Mama Euralie remind you of your mother? Remember to give her a hug if you can:)

Costumes of Desiree

For most of the peasants, I would dress them in dark brown, dark green or grey. Their hair would be a mess, and their shoes are covered by dirt. However, Desiree is in a pure black dress, which could be blowed by the wind easily and becomes the shape of a blossomed flower. This dress indicates her splendid imagination of the outside world. When she thinks of the cars, the plants and the novelty she has never met, she would dance slightly, and the dress would flow with her movements. Her hair is well pleated in a queue, not perfect but clean and tidy. I would make Desiree picking up flowers and inserting them between her hair, showing her pursue of beauty and prudence on her outlook.  She wears a pair of old white shoes, almost turning yellow because of times’ washing. However, the shoes are in fact really clean. Although has no ability to dress up like rich people, she would try her best to be well-dressed. All her appearance implies her long for the nice substances and the rich. She does not want to be an ordinary peasant like other villagers but tries to get closer to the beauty and the rich by keeping her clothes clean and tidy.

I would not show her connection with Gods but depicting her as an ambitious girl who wants to control and manipulate her own life.

Four Heavenly Kings 👑👑👑👑

When myriad ties of sunshine pass through the treetops and spread around my azalea quilt for hours, grilling my little garden to a smell of barbecue, I finally open my eyes. “What time is it?” I whisper to myself, “it is not that late…right?” 

“You stupid, it is one pm already.”The cuckoo shouts at me with a disdainful glance.

“Oh my god! Oh my god! Why don’t you wake me up!” I groan painfully, grabbing the brown trousers and putting on my green top at the same time.

“If you could give me a chance to wake you up rather than snoring like that pink creature on earth,” the cuckoo’s yell passes through my messy curly hair, straightforwardly hits my tiny ears, “do not forget your flamboyant hairpin! Remember to always smile in the Gods’ Conference! ”

Sorry to show you such a mess for our first encounter. In fact, we have met for thousands of times. I am Asaka, the goddess of oversleeping:). Aha,It’s just a joke! You human always like to make some jokes right? I am actually the goddess of earth, taking care of everything about plants and growing things. Being a farmer of your world is pretty challenging especially when one day in my world equals to a year in yours. Most of the plants need to be taken great care during spring, which would be my morning. And as you can learn from the scene above, getting up early is just a disaster for me. Nevertheless, my waking skills are improving little by little, and I promise that you guys will have a better world soon or later. Appreciating for your cooperation and prayer!

I eventually arrive at the Annual God Conference, which gathers gods and goddesses in all realm together to discuss our working plans. I quietly squeeze myself into the crowds and sit with the other members of my Four Heavenly Kings group. That old man in light blue cloak with long white bear is my boss Agwe. He used to be really handsome and benevolent 2000 years ago, trust me. However, I feel that he has caught some diseases such as Alzheimer since he always forgets his missions and wears like an idiot now. When you blame him for not irrigating the garden of earth enough, he sometimes would become irritating. Maybe his aural comprehension is not as good as the past either. I know, I know, it’s all about time.

Can you see that emaciated boy under a black pointy hat and cloak? He is not Harry Potter! He is the god of death. I am not kidding! No one stipulates the Death to have an evil appearance and bold heart. In fact, Papage, the god of death, is always scared by his jobs and cries a lot in his rare free time. Despite his fearless, Papage is an excellent faculty who complete the work accurately and hardly makes any mistake. The girl beside him, wearing in pink and black stripes like Miley Cyrus, is the goddess of Love, Erzulie. She acts as the naughtiest person I have ever met, never following the working manual until she feels satisfied of teasing people. Countless poor lovers fall into her traps and eventually being rescued by her deep pink heart. Everyone hates her and loves her at the same time.

I am Asaka, a member of the Four Heavenly Kings group. We are not perfect individuals and always have conflict on issues about you. However, please believe that we really devote ourselves to your welfare and care about you much more than you can imagine. Therefore, we hope that you could always have positive and kind hearts to face the world. 

God bless you.

Colorful Haiti

Coursework Final—2000 words

Romeo and Juliet, one of the most popular plays written by William Shakespeare, is the universally-accepted representation of immutable love. However, tasting the artwork carefully, I doubt that Romeo and Juliet’s love is not really that invulnerable. Since both characters are young and impulsive, many incidents could dramatically alter their emotions as well as behaviors. In order to demonstrate the change of affection in our scenes that we perform for this project, I excerpt lines from Act II Scene 1, when Romeo and Juliet reveal their deep love to each other and Act III Scene 5, when they start to become desperate because of imminent separation. As these two scenes both happen at Juliet’s balcony before the two lovers separate, I emphasized the emotional differences by using changed vocal tones, exaggerated movements and contrasting colors. These techniques clearly show that their fervent love is eventually affected by desperation, which leads to their impetuous decisions and tragic ending.

The performance starts with a hint of strong love when Romeo confesses his admiration under the balcony in Act II Scene 1, a scene filled with exchanging of romance, passion and hope. Romeo expresses his deep affection to Juliet by saying “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun (2.1 3).” This metaphor vividly indicates how fascinating Juliet is for Romeo, since “the sun” is the most unique substance in the world. Knowing Juliet’s real mind when she says, “In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond (2.1 103)”, Romeo could not conceal his exhilaration and vows to the moon immediately. Despite the family feud, Romeo bravely pronounces his firm determination and urgent love. Similarly, young Juliet also has an intense desire for Romeo. She would like to discard her family and “no longer be a Capulet (2.1 39)” for Romeo; she also discards a girl’s reserved manner, straightforwardly pouring out her heart to the man she only met once: “Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay (2.1 151)”. The candidness of Juliet demonstrates her enthusiasm towards affections. Furthermore, Juliet is confident about their love; she wholeheartedly believes that they will meet again and prove it legally: “This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet (2.1 128-129)”. During their conversation, Juliet shows her reluctance to leave Romeo when she is forced to go into her room by the Nurse. She  immediately comes back to the balcony to meet Romeo again; she says multiple “goodbye” and “a thousand times good night” but just could not let Romeo leave. Romeo as well, grabs Juliet many times and waits for her patiently when she is in her room. In this scene, they feel loath to part from each other and gain plenty of hope for the future because of their fervent love.

In this first scene our group aimed at showing the beauty and brightness of strong love, and therefore constructed a cozy and romantic atmosphere. The entire scene was staged at the back of two windows, with a large table in front as fences of the balcony. I wore a crimson medieval dress, and my partner, acting as Romeo, was in orange to compare the ardor of our heart to gorgeous firework. In the beginning, I, as Juliet, was positioned on a little chair which was lower than the fence, and therefore I  could only see and not hear anything outside of the “room”. After Romeo quietly presented his monologue, I suddenly stood up. With a sigh, I started my own monologue with a complaining tone: “O, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo (2.1 36)”. Juliet’s eagerness for Romeo was extremely strong. Therefore, I showed the counter emotions of both disappointment and expectation by grumbling the sentence above. When I found out that Romeo had heard my murmur, I first became shocked and immediately started to smile with excitement. I talked with him as genteelly as possible while not able to hide the chuckle in my voice since the man I love was standing in front of me with his true heart. When Romeo vowed, I stopped him nervously with my hand trying to cover his lips: “O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon(2.1 114-115)”. I raised my voice and spoke faster when I felt ambivalent for his promise, demonstrating that I wanted him to seriously vow. I even touched his cheek to show how much I was attracted to him when I say, “swear by thy gracious self (2.1 119)”. The most significant part which I emphasized was how difficult it was for Juliet to separate from Romeo even for a second. When I “hear some noise within (2.1 143),” I asked Romeo urgently to wait for me, while I ran inside and ran back to him as soon as possible. I pretended I was in a hurry for that short distance to indicate I cared about Rome and longed to see him. The second time when I said “a thousand times good night (2.1 164)”, I still held his hand when turning back to the “room”. Suddenly, I rushed out again and spoke loudly to him: “hist Romeo hist (2.1 169),” and then asked him when I should meet him the next day. During the whole part of asking, I was looking at his eyes with a smile. In addition to admiration, I expressed my dismay of his leaving by rising my hand in the air, pretending that there was a “wonton’s bird (2.1 191)” on my hand that I wish to keep. I held Romeo’s hand for the last time and returned to my room with a satisfied smile. When our hands eventually had to separate, I still kept mine spread at my back and tried to touch him with the fingertips. The series of movements showed how reluctant I was to leave Romeo, and how much I wanted to meet him again although he was right in front of me. Ended with Romeo’s passionate monologue about his eagerness of marriage, this scene presented the enthusiasm between Romeo and Juliet by bright color, agile tone and lively gestures.

The second scene manifests the deteriorated process of Romeo and Juliet’s love which starts with Juliet humbly begging: “Wilt thou be gone? It was not yet near day. It was the nightingale, and not the lark (3.5 2)”. Knowing that Romeo is going to escape, Juliet struggles to convince herself that is not true, which is the only thing she can do to comfort her broken heart. However, Romeo does not have the patience to be romantic when facing the risk of death; he directly points out the truth: “It was the lark…I must be gone and live, or stay and die (3.5 6-11)”. Later, Romeo becomes extremely impatient and complains his discontent towards Juliet with an ending sentence of “Come death and welcome. Juliet wills it so (3.5 24)”. In this situation, Romeo only cares about himself rather than considering how sad Juliet is. His love is gradually depleted because of the horror of death. Juliet eventually gives up trying to hold on to Romeo: “O, now begone. More light and light it grows (3.5 35)”. Romeo states his pessimistic mind to respond this sentence: “More light and light, more dark and dark our woes (3.5 36)”. If Romeo still loves Juliet as strongly as before, he will absolutely encourage her and try to comfort her. However, he cannot even convince himself to be optimistic, how can he help Juliet get out of this mood? Juliet loses all her confidence which is extremely strong in the first scene that she even disrupts Romeo’s vow because she knows he would come for her again the next day. In the current situation, she could only ask him diffidently, “O, think’st thou we shall ever meet again (3.5 51)”. When Romeo finally pacifies her by answering “doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve, For sweet discourses in our times to come (3.5 52-53)”, Juliet has already been dropped into the gulf of despair. She says “now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb (3.5 56)”, which foreshadows the probable ending of their extreme love: death. Romeo as well, has the same feeling: “And trust me, love, in my eye so do you. Dry sorrow drinks our blood (3.5 59)”. Both of them have lost passion and hope because the monster of desperation has converted their love into a burden and fetter, only providing them with anguish.

Entirely opposite from the first scene, this scene was set to heighten pessimistic mood of the two characters, whose love and patience had been exploited by despair. Compared to the vivid color of costumes in last scene, my dress here was in cheerless white and Romeo’s outfit was totally black, indicating the agony and dismay of our minds caused by the oncoming farewell. I was leaning my head on Romeo’s shoulder when I realized that he might leave soon and asked him as soft as possible: “Wilt thou begone (5.3 1)” I slowly raised my head from his shoulder, looking at his eyes with affection to show that I was trying my best to keep him staying. As reply, Romeo pushed me away and shouted loudly, “It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale (5.3 6)”. Accompanied with his cruel statement, he gradually walked towards the window and got ready to escape since being alive became his only concern at that time. I followed him immediately and shrugged my shoulders, arguing that “It was some meteor that the sun (5.3 13)” with a deep exhale because I knew what I said was unconvincing. After Romeo yelled at me, I finally gave up and dropped my arms weakly beside my body. “It is, it is (3.5 26)” I murmured this sentence crestfallenly, and held my left hand in front of my heart to demonstrate how painful I felt when “[the lark] dividth us.” Romeo, whom did not care about my emotions, moved away a little and said, “Farewell, farewell. One kiss and I’ll descend (3.5 42)”. However, we did not make the kiss a real one on the lips like lovers usually do. He grabbed my hand quickly, slightly touched it with lips, and simultaneously moved out. This series of impatient movements strongly implied that the only concern in Romeo’s mind was escaping; our love was unconsciously defeated by our own minds and behaviors. When Romeo got away from my balcony, I went after him again, asking him with a really invocatory voice: “think’st thou we shall ever meet again (3.5 51)”. I talked to him without any happiness and vitality to show that my optimism attitude was depleted by the truth, and I fell into a mood of darksome. Eventually, I stared at and spoke to him torpidly when he left my balcony: “now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb (3.5 56)”. I did not express any passion. Even though I reached my hand out pretending to catch him, I retracted it quickly. To imply my callousness, I conveyed the notion that Romeo had become a dead person in my heart, just like our love which had been pulled away by despair.  In total contrast to the first scene, where I spoke with him confidently and predicted our future positively, this scene expressed my desperation through those diffident tone, powerless movements and feeble faces.

Playing Juliet helped me understand deeply about Romeo and Juliet’s love, which is vigorous but brittle. From analyzing her language and acting her behaviors, I gradually realized that Juliet is the representation of every girl in the world, expecting liberty, passion and a profound relationship. Nevertheless, young love is never a stable factor. Desperation can always destroy irrational minds. Therefore, we should restore our patience, control our emotions and think deeply before making decisions in any situation. 

That mysterious room👀

“Do not go to that strict lady who always walks quietly and seldom smiles!” Evil Sofia whispered to me every time when I peeped outside of the Writing Center. To go or not to go? That was a question. Being a whimsical girl who could always come up with weird ideas as well as “innovative” grammar, I was kind of afraid to go to the Writing Center. “Your ideas are great, and your construction of this essay is thorough! Do not spend thirty minutes talking with a stranger! You don’t want to do that, don’t you?” Evil Sofia shouted at my right ear loudly. No, I didn’t. I was reluctant to talk with people closely, and small grammar would not really bother me a lot. Therefore, I had no reason to set foot in that colorful room right? Every time when I passed by the Writing Center, I thought. I believed this situation would last forever, and my life would not be influenced at all, until a powerful wind had rolled me into that colorful world. 

“You have to make an appointment with Ms. Swift at least once!” Ms. Guarino straightforwardly pointed out her requirement, and I suddenly arrived at the green chair of Writing Center. Did not wait for me to comfort my little heart, Ms. Swift demanded softly:“Read your essay please.” “Oh my god! What a crazy thing! How could you read a 2000-word essay! You will die!” Evil Sofia screamed on my shoulder, and I could only slap her away. Scratching my head for two seconds, I started reading with a shivering voice: “Romeo and Juliet is...” Oh wait, I just found out a grammar error. Smiling embarrassedly, I clicked on my iPad and corrected the flaw. During the reading process, the situation above happened for multiple times, and many small flaws that I had skipped before were excavated. I realize that reading aloud an essay could be really helpful to check out grammar error, and I guess this is why Ms. Swift asked me to read aloud rather than just browsing.

“Remember to put the adverb right before the verb.” This sentence also became an alarm in my mind since I have written a lot of wordy sentences or enlonged them with useless propositions. For instance, I loved to write phrases like “the love of Romeo and Juliet,” which might be a strategy to fit the criteria of word count. However, it would be a lot more clear and neat if I simply said “Romeo and Juliet’s love”. Since my essay’s word number has already reached the maximum, I will simplify some redundant phrases and make the essay more explicit.

The experience of visiting Writing Center has broken my fear of stepping into an unfamiliar place and asking for help from an unfamiliar person. Well, it was really a great improvement for me. I believed it to be useful, since it encouraged me to learn another way of thinking and refreshing my minds. We could not always rely on the way we used to writing, or we will repeatedly make the same mistakes. Jump out from your “habit” and run into a stranger’s arm, you will absolutely find tons of inspiration filling your brain. 

Are you ready to visit Writing Center next time?

Coursework Draft #3 (newest)

“Romeo and Juliet”, one of the most popular play written by William Shakespeare, is the universally-accepted representation immutable love. However, tasting the artwork carefully, I doubt that Romeo and Juliet’s love is not really that invulnerable. Since both characters are young and impulsive, any incident could alter their emotions as well as behaviors dramatically. In order to demonstrate the alternation, I excerpt lines from Act II Scene 1, when Romeo and Juliet reveal their deep love to each other and Act III Scene 5, when they start to become desperate because of imminent separation. As these two scenes both happen at Juliet’s balcony before the two lovers separate, I emphasized the emotional difference by using changed vocal tones, exaggerated movements and contrasting colors. These techniques clearly show that their fervent love was eventually affected by desperation, which leads to their impetuous decisions and tragic ending.

The performance starts with a hint of strong love when Romeo confesses his admiration under the balcony in Act II Scene 1, a scene filled with exchanging of romance, passion and hope. Romeo expresses his deep affection to Juliet by saying “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun (2.1 3).” This metaphor vividly indicates how fascinating Juliet is for Romeo, since “the sun” is the most unique substance in the universe. Knowing Juliet’s real mind when she says, “In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond (2.1 103)”, he could not conceal his exhilaration and vows to the moon immediately. Despite family feud, Romeo bravely pronounces his firm determination and urgent love. Similarly, young Juliet also has an intense desire on Romeo. She would like to discard her family and “no longer be a Capulet (2.1 39)” for Romeo; she also discards a girl’s reserved manner, straightforwardly pouring out her heart to the man she only met once: “Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay (2.1 151)”. The candidness of Juliet demonstrates her enthusiasm towards affections. Furthermore, Juliet is confident about their love; she wholehearted believes that they will meet again and prove their love legally: “This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet (2.1 128-129)”. Juliet feels reluctant to let Romeo leave: during their conversation, Juliet is forced to get into the room because of the Nurse, and immediately comes out to the balcony to meet Romeo again; she says multiple “goodbye” and “a thousand times good night” but just could not let Romeo leave. Romeo as well, grabs Juliet for times and waits her patiently when she is in her room. In this scene, they feel loath to part from each other and gain plenty of hope for the future because of their fervent love.

In the first scene our group aimed at showing the beauty and brightness of strong love, and therefore constructed an atmosphere of cozy and romantic. The entire scene was staged at the back of two windows, with a large table in front as fences of the balcony. I wore a dark red medieval dress and my partner, acting as Romeo, was in orange to show the ardor from our hearts. In the beginning, I, Juliet, was positioned on a little chair which was lower than the fence and therefore could only see but not hear anything outside of the “room”. After Romeo quietly presenting his monologue, I suddenly stood up. With a sigh, I started my own monologue with a complaining tone: “O, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo (2.1 36)”. Grumbling like a little girl, Juliet’s eagerness for Romeo was extremely strong. Therefore, I showed the counter emotions of disappointment as well as expedition by saying the sentence above. When I found out that Romeo had heard my murmur, I firstly became shocked and immediately started to smile with excitement. I talk with him as genteelly as possible while could not hide the chuckle in my voice since the man I love was standing in front of me with his true heart. When Romeo vowed, I stopped him nervously with my hand trying to cover his lips: “O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her < circled > orb, Lest that thy love prove likewise variable (2.1 114-116)”. I raised my voice and spoke faster when I feel ambivalent for his promise, demonstrating that I wanted him to vow, but I did not want it to be informally. I even touched his cheek to show how much I was attracted by him when I say, “swear by thy gracious self (2.1 119)”. The most significant part which I emphasized was how the difficulty for Juliet to leave Romeo even for a second. When I “hear some noise within (2.1 143)”, I asked Romeo urgently for waiting for me, ran inside and ran back to him as soon as possible. I really pretended that I was running in a hurry for that short distance to show I cared about Rome and was longed to see him. The second time when I said “a thousand times good night (2.1 164)”, I still held his hand when I turned back to the “room”. Suddenly, I rushed out again and spoke loudly to him: “hist Romeo hist (2.1 169)”, and then asked him when should I send people to him the next. During the whole part of asking, I was looking at his eyes with smile. In addition to admiration, I expressed my dismay of his leaving by rising my hand in the air, pretending that there was a “wonton’s bird (2.1 191)” on my hand whom I just want to hold tightly. I finally held Romeo’s hand for the last time and returned to my room with a satisfied smile. When our hands finally had to separate, I still kept my hand spread at my back and tried to touch him with my finger tips. The series of movements showed how reluctantly I was to leave Romeo, and how much I wanted to meet him again although he was right in front of me. This scene ended with Romeo’s passionate monologue about his love and eagerness of marriage.

The second scene presents the deteriorated process of Romeo and Juliet’s love which starts with a humble beg of Juliet: “Wilt thou be gone? It was not yet near day. It was the nightingale, and not the lark (3.5 2)”. Knowing that Romeo is going to leave, Juliet struggles to cheat herself, which was the only thing she could do to comfort her broken heart. However, Romeo does not have the patience to be romantic when facing the risk of death; he directly points out the truth: “It was the lark…I must be gone and live, or stay and die (3.5 6-11)”. Later, Romeo becomes extremely impatient and complains his discontent towards Juliet with an ending sentence of “Come death and welcome. Juliet wills it so (3.5 24)”. In this situation, Romeo only cares about himself rather than considering how sad Juliet was; his love is gradually depleted because of the horror of death. Juliet eventually gives up retaining: “O, now begone. More light and light it grows (3.5 35)”. Romeo states his pessimistic mind to respond this sentence: “More light and light, more dark and dark our woes (3.5 36)”. If Romeo still loves Juliet as strong as before, he would absolutely encourage her and try to comfort her. However, he cannot even convince himself to be optimistic, how could he help Juliet get out of this mood? Juliet loses all her confidence which was extremely strong in the first scene that she even disrupts Romeo’s vow because she knows he would come for her again the next day. In the current situation, she could only ask him diffidently, “O, think’st thou we shall ever meet again (3.5 51)”. When Romeo finally pacifies her by answering “doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve, For sweet discourses in our times to come (3.5 52-53)”, Juliet has already been dropped into the gulf of despair. She says “now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb (3.5 56)”, which foreshadows the probable ending of their love: death. Romeo as well, has the same feeling: “And trust me, love, in my eye so do you. Dry sorrow drinks our blood (3.5 59)”. Both of them have lost passion and hope because the monster of desperation has converted their love into burden and fetter, only provides them anguish.

Entirely divers from the first scene, this scene was set to heighten pessimistic mood of the two characters, whose love and patience have been exploited by despair. I changed my costume into a white dress, and Romeo was wearing a black shirt in this scene, indicating the agony and dismay of our mind caused by the oncoming farewell. I was leaning my head on Romeo’s shoulder when I realize that he might leave soon and asked him as soft as possible: “Wilt thou begone (5.3 1)” I slowly raised my head from his shoulder, looking at his eyes with affectionateness to show that I was trying my best to keep him staying. As reply, Romeo pushed me away and said loudly, “It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale (5.3 6)”. Accompanied with his cruel statement, he gradually walked towards the window and got ready to leave since being alive became his only concern at that time. I followed him immediately and shrugged my shoulders, arguing that “It was some meteor that the sun (5.3 13)” with a deep exhale because I knew what I said was unconvincing. After Romeo yelled at me impatiently, I finally gave up and dropped my arms weakly beside my body. “It is, it is (3.5 26)” I murmured this sentence crestfallenly, and held my left hand in front of my heart to demonstrate how painful I felt when “[the lark] dividth us.” Romeo, whom did not care about my emotions, moved away a little and said, “Farewell, farewell. One kiss and I’ll descend (3.5 42)”. However, we did not make the kiss a real kiss on the lips like lovers usually do. He grabbed my hand quickly, slightly touched it with lips, simultaneously moved out. This series of impatient movements strongly implied that the only concern in Romeo’s mind was escaping; our love was defeated by our own minds and behaviors unconsciously. When Romeo got away from my balcony, I went after him again, asking him with a really invocatory voice: “think’st thou we shall ever meet again (3.5 51)”. I talked to him without any happiness and vitality to show that my optimism attitude was depleted by the truth, and I fell into a mood of darksome. Eventually, I stared at him when he left my balcony and spoke to him slowly: “now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb (3.5 56)”. I did not express any passion. Even though I reached my hand out pretending to catch him, I retracted it quickly. To show the callousness of me, I conveyed the notion that Romeo had become a dead person in my heart, just like our love, had been pulled away by despair. Totally contrast to the first scene, where I spoke with him confidently and predicted our future positively, this scene expressed my desperation through those diffident tone, powerless movements and feeble faces.

Playing Juliet helped me understand deeply about Romeo and Juliet’s love, which is vigorous but brittle. From analyzing her language and acting her behaviors, I gradually realized that she is the representation of every girl in the world, expecting liberty, passion and a profound relationship. Nevertheless, young love is never a stable factor: desperation could always destroy irrational minds. Therefore, we should restore our patience, control our emotions and think deeply before making decisions in any situation. 

Your Own Wonderland

What was the greatest wish during your childhood? Becoming a scientist? Being a princess? Winning lottery and never concerning about money again? For me, who was extremely cool and distinctive, I just wanted to get older. I often used my short fingers and later toes as well to figure out how much time I still need to grow “older”. However,, the play Peter Pan is a story about children who refuse to grow up but live an adventured life in Wonderland. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the show on Friday really much and even cried for several scenes. Do you want to know why? Let’s shrug our shoulders and fly to Wonderland; the reasons are lying there waiting for us. 

The story starts in a cozy room with mommy’s gentle humming, warm yellow lights shining like stars, and pink quilt covering soft bed.Three small children with various personalities rush in, talking about their game, talking about their complaint and talking about the ending of their favorite fairytale. Love from parents surrounds them, protecting, but also restricting them. This is a land of warmth, filling everyone’s childhood and initial memory; this is home.

On the other side of the world, there is a land, filled with flowers, amazing creatures and fairies. Adventures are happening every second on this land, and the protagonists of these adventures enjoy their freedom, passion as well as inevitable loneliness. Fairies are flying around, sparkling like diamonds under the ocean. This is a land of amazement, floating into everyone’s dream and imagination; this is the Wonderland.

Every child has a Wonderland: it might be green or pink, peaceful or chaotic, stable or fickle. The play Perter Pan directly depicts the Wonderland of Wendy, who is kind like a great mother. In her Wonderland, the hero is a naughty boy, who is both brave and negligent. Their friendship starts with Wendy helping the boy sew his shadow, and their friendship ends because of Wendy’s growth. As we gradually growing up, the Wonderland  fades from our brain little by little. This play has reminded me of my Wonderland, which triggered my curious of the universe, expectation of love and persistence of virtue. I thought I have forgotten those stupid imaginations which were totally impractical. Nevertheless, Wendy and Peter Pan’s friendship indicates that: no matter how old, how far, how happy or sad you are, your Wonderland will always be there waiting for you, just like you home.

Then, the question comes: where is your Wonderland now? 

Coursework Draft #2

“Romeo and Juliet”, one of the most popular play written by William Shakespeare, was  the universally-accepted representation of pure and immutable love. However, tasting the artwork carefully, I doubt that Romeo and Juliet’s love was not really that  invulnerable. Since both characters are young and impulsive, any incident could alter their emotions as well as behaviors dramatically. In order to demonstrate the alternation, I excerpt lines from Act II Scene 1, when Romeo and Juliet reveal their deep love to each other and Act III Scene 5, when they start to become desperate because of imminent separation. As these two scenes both happen at Juliet’s balcony before the two lovers separate, I emphasized the emotional difference by using changed vocal tones, exaggerated movements and contrasting colors. These techniques clearly show that their fervent love was eventually affected by desperation, which leads to their impetuous decisions and tragic ending.

The performance starts with a hint of strong love when Romeo confess his admiration under the balcony in Act II Scene 1, a scene filled with exchanging of romance, passion and hope . Romeo expresses his deep affection to Juliet by saying “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun(2.1 3).” This metaphor vividly indicates how fascinating Juliet is for Romeo, since “the sun” is the most unique substance in the universe. Knowing Juliet’s real mind when she say, “In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond(2.1 103)” , he could not conceal his exhilaration and vows to the moon immediately. Despite family feud, Romeo bravely pronounces his firm determination and urgent love. Similarly, young Juliet also has an intense desire on Romeo. She would like to discard her family and “no longer be a Capulet(2.1 39)” for Romeo if possible; she also discards a girl’s reserved manner, straightforwardly pouring out her heart to the man she only meet once:“Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay(2.1 151)”. The candidness of Juliet demonstrates her enthusiasm towards affections. Furthermore, Juliet is confident about their love. She wholehearted believes that they will meet again and prove their love legally: “This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet(2.1 128-129)”. Juliet feels reluctant to let Romeo leave: during their conversation, Juliet was forced to get into the room because of the Nurse, and immediately comes out to the balcony to meet Romeo again; she says multiple “goodbye” and “a thousand times good night” but just could not let Romeo leave. Romeo as well, grabs Juliet for times and waits her patiently when she is in her room. In this scene, they feel loath to part from each other and gain plenty of hope for the future because of their fervent love.

In the first scene our group aimed at showing the beauty and brightness of strong love, and therefore constructed an atmosphere of cozy and romantic. The entire scene was staged at the back of two windows, with a large table in front as fences of the balcony. I wore a dark red medieval dress and my partner, acting as Romeo, was in orange to show the ardor from our hearts. In the beginning, I, Juliet, was positioned on a little chair which was lower than the fence and therefore could only see but not hear anything outside of the “room”. After Romeo quietly presenting his monologue, I suddenly stood up. With a sigh, I started my own monologue with a complaining tone: “O, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo(2.1 36)”. Grumbling like a little girl, Juliet’s eagerness for Romeo was extremely strong. Therefore I showed the counter emotions of disappointment as well as expedition by saying the sentence above. When I find out that Romeo had heard my murmur, I firstly became shocked and immediately started to smile with excitement. I talk with him as genteelly as possible while could not hide the chuckle in my voice since the man I love was standing in front of me with his true heart. When Romeo vowed, I stopped him nervously with my hand trying to cover his lips: “O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her < circled > orb , Lest that thy love prove likewise variable(2.1 114-116)”. I raised my voice and spoke faster when I feel ambivalent for his promise, demonstrating that I wanted him to give me his vow, but I did not want it to be informal. I even touched hid cheek to show how much I am attracted by him when I say, “swear by thy gracious self(2.1 119)”. The most significant part which I emphasized was how the difficulty for Juliet to leave Romeo even for a second. When I “hear some noise within(2.1 143)”, I asked Romeo urgently for waiting for me, ran inside and ran back to him as soon as possible. I really pretended that I was running in a hurry for that short distance to show that I cared about Rome and was longed to see him. The second time when I said “a thousand times good night(2.1 164)”, I still held his hand when I turned back to the “room”.. Suddenly, I rush out again and speak loudly to him: “hist Romeo hist(2.1 169)” , and then ask him when should I send people to him the next. During the whole part of asking, I was looking at his eyes with smile. In addition to admiration, I expressed my dismay of his leaving by rising my hand in the air, pretending that there was a “wonton’s bird(2.1 191)” on my hand whom I just want to hold tightly. I finally held Romeo’s hand for the last time and returned to my room with a satisfied smile. When our hands finally had to separate, I still kept my hand spread at my back and tried to touch him with my finger tips. The series of movements showed how reluctantly I was to leave Romeo, and how much I want to meet him again although he was right in front of me. This scene ends with Romeo’s passionate monologue about his love and eagerness of marriage.

The second scene presents the deteriorated process of Romeo and Juliet’s love which starts with a humble beg of Juliet: “Wilt thou be gone? It was not yet near day. It was the nightingale , and not the lark(3.5 2)”. Knowing that Romeo is going to leave, Juliet struggles to cheat herself, which was the only thing she could do to comfort her broken heart. However, Romeo does not have the patience to be romantic when facing the risk of death; he directly points out the realistic: “It was the lark…I must be gone and live, or stay and die(3.5 6-11)”. Later, Romeo becomes extremely impatient and complains his discontent towards Juliet with an ending sentence of “Come death and welcome. Juliet wills it so(3.5 24)”. In this situation, Romeo only cares about himself rather than considering how sad Juliet was; his love for is gradually depleted because of the horror of death. Juliet eventually gives up retaining: “O, now begone. More light and light it grows(3.5 35)”. Romeo states his pessimistic mind to respond this sentence: “More light and light, more dark and dark our woes(3.5 36)”. If Romeo still loves Juliet as strong as before, he would absolutely encourage her and try to comfort her. However, he cannot even convince himself to be optimistic, how could he help Juliet get out of this mood? Juliet loses all her confidence which was extremely strong in the first scene that she even disrupts Romeo’s vow because she knows he would come for her again the next day. In the current situation, the only thing she can do is to keep Romeo as long as possible and asks diffidently, “O, think’st thou we shall ever meet again(3.5 51)”. When Romeo finally pacifies her by answering “doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve,For sweet discourses in our times to come(3.5 52-53)”, Juliet has already been dropped into the gulf of despair. She says “now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb(3.5 56)”, which foreshadows the probable ending of their love: death. Romeo as well, has the same feeling: “And trust me, love, in my eye so do you. Dry sorrow drinks our blood(3.5 59)”. Both of them have lost passion and hope because the monster of desperation has converted their love into burden and fetter, only provides them anguish.

Entirely diverse from the first scene, this scene was set to heighten pessimistic mood of the two characters, whose love and patience have been exploited by despair. I changed my costume into a white dress, and Romeo was wearing a black shirt in this scene, indicating the agony and dismay of our mind caused by the oncoming farewell. I was leaning my head on Romeo’s shoulder when I realize that he might leave soon and ask him as soft as possible: “Wilt thou begone(5.3 1)” I slowly raised my head from his shoulder, looking at his eyes with affectionateness to show that I was trying my best to keep him staying. As reply, Romeo pushed me away and said loudly, “It was the lark , the herald of the morn, No nightingale(5.3 6)”. Accompanied with his cruel statement, he gradually walked towards the window and got ready to leave since being alive became his only concern at that time. I followed him immediately and shrugged my shoulders, arguing that “It was some meteor that the sun(5.3 13)” with a deep exhale because I knew what I said was unconvincing. After Romeo yelled at me impatiently, I finally gave up and dropped my arms weakly beside my body. “It is, it is(3.5 26)” I murmured this sentence crestfallenly, and held my left hand in front of my heart to demonstrate how painful I felt when “[the lark] dividth us.” Romeo, whom did not care about my emotions, moved away a little and said, “Farewell, farewell. One kiss and I’ll descend(3.5 42)”. However, we did not make the kiss a real kiss on the lips like lovers usually do. He grabbed my hand quickly, slightly touched it with lips, simultaneously moved out. This series of impatient movements strongly implied that the only concern in Romeo’s mind was escaping; our love was defeated by our own minds and behaviors unconsciously. When Romeo got away from my balcony, I went after him again, asking him with a really invocatory voice: “think’st thou we shall ever meet again(3.5 51)”. I talked to him without any happiness and vitality to show that my optimism attitude was depleted by the truth, and I fell into a mood of darksome. Eventually, I stared at him when he left my balcony and spoke to him slowly: “now thou art so low, As one dead in the bottom of a tomb(3.5 56)”. I did not express any passion. Even though I reached my hand out pretending to catch him, I retracted it quickly. To show the callousness of me, I conveyed the notion that Romeo had become a dead person in my heart, just like our love, had been pulled away by despair. Totally contrast to the first scene, where I spoke with him confidently and predicted our future positively, this scene expressed my desperation through those diffident tone, powerless movements and feeble faces.

Playing Juliet helped me understand deeply about Romeo and Juliet’s love, which is vigorous but brittle. From analyzing her language and acting her behaviors , I gradually realized that she is the representation of every girl in the world, expecting liberty, passion and a profound relationship. Nevertheless, young love is never a stable factor: desperation could always destroy irrational minds. Therefore, we should restore our patience, control our emotions and think deeply before making decisions in any situation. 

Fist paragraph

The performance starts with a hint of strong love when Romeo confess his admiration under the balcony in Act II Scene 1, a scene filled with exchanging of romance, passion and hope . Romeo expresses his deep affection to Juliet by saying “It was the East, and Juliet was the sun(2.1 3).” This metaphor vividly indicates how important and fascinating Juliet was for Romeo, since “the sun” was the brightest and most unique substance in the universe. Knowing Juliet’s real mind when she say, “In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond” , he could not conceal his exhilaration and vows to the moon immediately. Despite family feud, Romeo bravely pronounces his love and determination. Romeo’s love to Juliet was strong, pure and urgent. Similarly, young Juliet also has an intense desire on Romeo. She would like to discard her family and “no longer be a Capulet” for Romeo if possible; she also discard a girl’s reserved manner and straightforwardly pour out her heart to the man she only meet once:“Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay”. The innocence and candidness of Juliet demonstrate her enthusiasm towards love and freedom. Furthermore, Juliet was confident about their love. She wholehearted believes that they will meet again and prove their love legally: “This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.” As Juliet says, “I would have thee gone, And yet no farther than a wanton’s bird, That lets it hop a little from his hand”, she feels reluctant to let Romeo leave. During their conversation, Juliet was forced to get into the room because of the Nurse, and immediately comes out to the balcony to meet Romeo again; She says multiple times of “goodbye” and “a thousand times good night” and just could not let Romeo leave. Romeo as well, grabs Juliet for multiple times and waits her patiently when she was in her room. In this scene, they feel loath to part from each other and gain plenty of hope for the future because of their fervent love.

Thesis and outline

As these two scenes both happen at Juliet’s balcony before the two lovers separate, I emphasized the emotional difference by using changed vocal tones, exaggerated movements and contrasting colors. These techniques clearly show that their fervent love is eventually affected by desperation and which leads to their irrational decisions. 

Outline

-Intro, excerpt and thesis

-Analysis of the first scene: to what extent does Romeo and Juliet love each other

-Reflection of the first act: how did I show their strong love to each other

-Analysis of the second scene: how does their love changes and why

-Reflection of the second scene: how did I show the love changes between Romeo and Juliet, how did I make the comparison from the first scene

Coursework Draft #1

“Romeo and Juliet”, one of the most popular play written by William Shakespeare, is  the universally-accepted representation of pure and immutable love that even death cannot separate the main characters, Romeo and Juliet. However, tasting the artwork carefully, I doubt that their love is not really that strong and invulnerable. The love between them was not affected by external factors but exactly by the desperations of both Romeo and Juliet after the banishment of the bridegroom. Because both of the characters are young and impulsive, any incident could alter their emotions dramatically, and change their behaviors in front of their lover. In order to demonstrate the alternation, I, excerpt lines from Act II Scene 1, when Romeo and Juliet reveal their deep love to each other and Act III Scene 5, when Romeo is forced to leave after their wedding night. As these two scene all happen intensely at Juliet’s balcony before the separation of them, the comparison of the Romeo and Juliet’s emotions and behavior between the two scenes is extraordinarily strong. Acting as Juliet, I gradually feel her extreme passion and desperation when facing the two contradict situation and have a better understanding of this play. 

The performance starts when Romeo confess his admiration under the balcony in Act II Scene 1. Romeo expresses his deep love to Juliet by saying “It is the East, and Juliet is the sun(2.1 3).” This metaphor vividly indicates how important and fascinating Juliet is for Romeo, since “the sun” is the brightest and most unique substance in the universe. Knowing Juliet’s real mind when she say, “In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond” , he could not conceal his exhilaration and vows to the moon immediately. By putting himself into danger and promise Juliet faithfully, Romeo bravely pronounces his love as well as determination. Romeo’s love to Juliet is strong, pure and urgent. Similarly, young Juliet also has an intense desire on Romeo. She would like to discards her family and “no longer be a Capulet” for Romeo if possible; she also discards a girl’s reserved manner and straightforwardly pour out her heart to the man she only meet once:“Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay”. The innocence and candidness of Juliet demonstrate her enthusiasm towards love and freedom. Furthermore, Juliet is confident about their love. She wholehearted believes that they will meet again and prove their love legally: “This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet.” As Juliet says, “I would have thee gone, And yet no farther than a wanton’s bird, That lets it hop a little from his hand”, she feels reluctant to let Romeo leave. In this scene, Juliet is forced to get into the room because of the Nurse, and immediately comes out to the balcony to meet Romeo again; She says multiple times of “goodbye” and “a thousand times good night” and just could not let Romeo leave. Romeo as well, grabs Juliet for multiple times and waits her patiently when she is in her room. They feel loath to part from each other and gain plenty of hope for the future because of their fervent love.

In order to show the beauteous and brightness of this scene, our group constructs an atmosphere of cozy and romantic. The entire scene is staged at the back of two windows, with a large table in front as fences of the balcony. I wear a dark red medieval dress and my partner, acting as Romeo, wears an orange shirt, to show the vividness and ardour from our hearts. In the beginning of this scene, I, Juliet, am positioned on a little chair which is lower than the fence and therefore could only see but not hear anything outside of the “room”. After Romeo quietly presenting his monologue, I suddenly stand up and shove the windows. With a sigh, I start my own monologue with a complaining tune: “O, Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo.” Not so much complaint as coquetry like a little girl, I show the disappointment as well as expectation of Juliet with an face of imagining, reflecting her eagerness for Romeo. When I find out that Romeo has heard my murmur, I first become shock, and immediately I start to smile with excitement. I talk with him as genteelly as possible, while I could not hide the chuckle in my voice. When Romeo vows, I stop him nervously with my hand trying to cover his lips: “O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, That monthly changes in her < circled > orb , Lest that thy love prove likewise variable.” My voice starts to raise higher and faster when I feel ambivalent for his promise: I want him to give me his vow, but I do not want it to be informal. I even touch his check to show how much I am attracted by him when I say, “swear by thy gracious self”. The most significant part which I emphasize is how hard it is for Juliet to leave Romeo even for a second. When I “hear some noise within”, I ask Romeo urgently for waiting for me, and running away and back to him as soon as possible. I really pretend that I am running in a hurry for that short distance to show how much I care about Romeo and in fact do not want him to wait for too long. The second time when I say “a thousand times good night”, I still hold his hand when I turn back. Suddenly, I rush out again and speak loudly to him: “hist Romeo hist!” , and then ask him when should I send people to him the next. During the whole part of asking, I am looking at his eyes with smile. In addition to admiration, I express my dismay of his leaving by rising my hand and assimilating him to a “wonton’s bird” whom I just want to hold in my hand. I finally hold Romeo’s hand for the last time and return to my room with a satisfied smile. When our hands finally have to separate, I still keep my hand spread at my back and try to touch him with my finger tips. This scene ends with Romeo’s passionate monologue about his love and eagerness of marriage.

Analysis scene 2:Romeo’s desperation , Juliet’s desperate and the contrast on dialogue and movements.

Evaluate: The contrast of costume and How did I act as Juliet.

Ending: What have I achieved, learnt and what should be improved

Miserable but fantastic

A famous saying has condemned that “marriage is the grave of love”. Many people would nod their heads in a high frequency and show their agreement with this dictum by abundant tears. However, do you know what are worse than experiencing a marriage from vividness to death? Pretending to fall in love deeply with someone and deliberately pushing the love into its tomb would absolutely be one of the most merciless things in the world for me! Now, the door of time machine has already been opened; let’s walk in and retrospect the miserable but fantastic experience again. 

Can you see my screwy face which is trying to control the elf who struggles to jump out and spread the catalyst of laughter? I am totally captured by the elf at first and can find no way to throw myself into the mood of “falling in love” . My voice is prosaic; my emotion is flat, and my face expression is awkward. Not even achieve the basic criteria of performance, I am totally lost on how to show the profound love, which seems to be immutable and invulnerable of Juliet. I attempt to smile gently, to speak with excitement and to add more movements such as holding Romeo’s hand or touching his face. That works out to be a lot better, and I can see myself gradually become a little who is drenched in love. I can even express the love from my eyes when raising my hand to touch Romeo’s check, while my heart is cachinnating crazily. 

Keep following the time machine, you can find a huge gap between the second and the first scene: the happiness on my face all disappears and the awkward face comes back again. Well, I do want to make a comparison on how does the love between Romeo and Juliet change because of desperation, rather than how does my emotion changes because of my bad acting skill! How to pretend to be desperate? I become lost again. Suddenly, I come up with a scene happened when I was young. My father used to work in another city and hardly came back home because of his busy job. Therefore, every time when he was going to leave, I would hold his hand, twist my shoulders and talk with him like a baby. Maybe I can use these actions to show my desperation and reluctance for Romeo’s banishment. I apply this strategy into my performance, and it really helps me to get over some of the embarrassed face and weird tune.

To tell the truth, the final draft does not come to be as perfect as I expect since the cooperation between me and my partner is not completely harmonized, partly because Romeo is actually performed by a girl. Furthermore, I do not memorize the lines well, and therefore I have to pay attention to those lines all the time. In the future I will try to spend more time on memorizing those dialogues and create a better performance. The best part of our final draft, I believe, is the costume. In the first scene, both of us wear bright color costume, which indicates the vividness of love; in the second scene, I wear a pure white dress , and Romeo is totally in black, implying desperation and death. The color contrast perfectly suggests the changes of mood and love. 

In conclusion, this experience is momentous since I have never tried to perform a scene this long(although it is only 7 minutes total). Furthermore, I have to always concentrate on what I want to emphasize rather than just telling a story. The subtle emotions and gesture are two of the hardest bust most important factors in the performance! I really have to do some research and make more improvement on these realms. All in all, I am on my way to become the best actress by all the miserable but fantastic experience!Fighting!

http://youtu.be/906AVcv4neM

Video-Desperation, the killer of love

http://youtu.be/906AVcv4neM

Reflection

In my first draft, I have successfully expressed emotions of both excitement and desperation of Juliet, which was previously difficult for me because I could not easily control my face expressions during the performance. However, I made a great improvement this time! Being less nervous and worrying, I have found the most comfortable way for me to act and understand more profoundly about Juliet’s feelings. My gestures are also more fluently and appropriately than the past. I could use them to match my language and emotions now. 

However, I feel that I should speak louder and more accurately. There are a lot of words still confusing for me which I should definitely get familiar with. Furthermore, I need to memorize most of the lines so that I could make more eye contacts with either “Romeo” or audiences. Costumes are another key for showing the contradiction of love and desperation. I would bring costumes next time that one is colorful for the first scene, and the other is mainly white for the second scene. Next time we will improve a little more!

In-class writing: How to express the contradiction.

Although I have planned completely for what to say and what to act, it was still really hard to express the emotions by language and body movements. My two scene are all happen at the balcony, showing two totally opposite moods of the two characters. In order to show how deep Juliet and Romeo love each other in the first scene, we try to speak in jocular voice and to be both excited and nervous. In this scene, I run back and forth from my room to the balcony for multiple times to indicate that Juliet wants to stay with Romeo and cannot wait to meet him again. On the contrary, the emotions of both of us are changed in the second scene at the totally same place. We are desperate because of Romeo’s banishment and therefore could not speak as happy as we first met. I use a desperate voice to pled Romeo to stay and realize that we may not reunite again at all. I am sad, and a little angry because he could not stay any more. In this scene, Romeo is trying to leave as he moves farther and farther from me. I follow his movements and try to keep close to him and to cheshire the last minutes we could stay together. However, our language, tune and emotions all suggest that we have lost most of our hopes.

There should be absolutely more movements in our performance. I could try more to hold Romeo and ask him not to leave more excitedly. I feel that I can speak a little slower although it is pretty hard to control because of my emotional changes. However, the second scene is more challenge for me. I am really bad at presenting seriousness and sadness on the stage because I always want to laugh! Practice may be helpful and I will also add more body movements and eye contacts to show my feelings. If possible, I will also change those prompts from colorful sets to dark sets such as removing those flowers away to show the contrast of our feelings. 

Lines for scene

ROMEO

But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? 2

It is the East, and Juliet is the sun. 3

It is my lady. O, it is my love! 10 

JULIET 

O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? 36 

Deny thy father and refuse thy name, 37 

Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, 38 

And I’ll no longer be a Capulet. 39 

ROMEO 

I take thee at thy word. 53

Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptized . 54 

JULIET 

My ears have yet not drunk a hundred words 63 

Of thy tongue’s uttering, yet I know the sound. 64 

Art thou not Romeo, and a Montague? 65 

ROMEO Neither, fair maid, if either thee dislike . 66

JULIET

O gentle Romeo, 98 

If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully. 99

In truth, fair Montague, I am too fond , 103

ROMEO 

Lady, by yonder blessèd moon I vow, 112 

That tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops—113 

JULIET 

O, swear not by the moon, th’ inconstant moon, 114 

That monthly changes in her < circled > orb , 115 

Lest that thy love prove likewise variable. 116 

ROMEO 

What shall I swear by? 117 

JULIET 

Do not swear at all. 118 

Or, if thou wilt, swear by thy gracious self, 119 

ROMEO If my heart’s dear love—122 

JULIET 

Well, do not swear. Although I joy in thee, 123 

I have no joy of this contract tonight. 124 

This bud of love, by summer’s ripening breath, 128 

May prove a beauteous flower when next we meet. 129 

Good night, good night. As sweet repose and rest 130 

Come to thy heart as that within my breast. 131

ROMEO O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied? 132

JULIET What satisfaction canst thou have tonight? 133

ROMEO Th’ exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine. 134

JULIT

I hear some noise within. Dear love, adieu.—143

Stay but a little; I will come again. 145 < She exits. >

ROMEO O blessèd, blessèd night! I am afeard, 146 

Being in night, all this is but a dream, 147 

Too flattering sweet to be substantial . 148

JULIET Three words, dear Romeo, and good night indeed. 149 

Thy purpose marriage, send me word tomorrow, 151

And all my fortunes at thy foot I’ll lay

And follow thee my < lord > throughout the world. 155

ROMEO So thrive my soul—163 

JULIET A thousand times good night. 164

ROMEO A thousand times the worse to want thy light.

JULIET Hist, Romeo, hist! O, for a falc’ner’s voice 169 

To lure this tassel-gentle back again! 170

ROMEO My < dear. > 179 

JULIET 

What o’clock tomorrow 180 

Shall I send to thee? 181 

ROMEO By the hour of nine. 182 

JULIET I will not fail. ’Tis twenty year till then. 183 

I have forgot why I did call thee back. 184

’Tis almost morning. I would have thee gone, 190

And yet no farther than a wanton’s bird, 191 

That lets it hop a little from his hand, 192 

Like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves , 193 

And with a silken thread plucks it back again, 194 

So loving-jealous of his liberty. 195 

ROMEO I would I were thy bird. 196 

JULIET Sweet, so would I. 197 

That I shall say “Good night” till it be morrow . 201

ROMEO

Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast. 202 

Would I were sleep and peace so sweet to rest. 203 

Hence will I to my ghostly friar’s close cell, 204 

His help to crave, and my dear hap to tell. 205 

JULIET Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day. 

It was the nightingale , and not the lark, 2 

Believe me, love, it was the nightingale. 5 

ROMEO It was the lark , the herald of the morn, 6 

No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaks 7 

Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. 8 

Night’s candles are burnt out, and jocund day 9 

Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain-tops. 10 

I must be gone and live, or stay and die. 11 

JULIET Yond light is not daylight, I know it, I. 12 

It is some meteor that the sun < exhaled > 13 

Therefore stay yet. Thou need’st not to be gone. 16 

ROMEO Let me be ta’en; let me be put to death. 17 

I am content, so thou wilt have it so. 18 

I’ll say yon gray is not the morning’s eye ; 19 

’Tis but the pale reflex of Cynthia’s brow . 20 

Nor that is not the lark whose notes do beat 21

The vaulty heaven so high above our heads. 22 

I have more care to stay than will to go. 23 

Come death and welcome. Juliet wills it so. 24 

How is ’t, my soul? Let’s talk. It is not day. 25 

JULIET It is, it is. Hie hence, begone, away! 26 

It is the lark that sings so out of tune, 27

Some say the lark makes sweet division . 29 

This doth not so, for she divideth us. 30 

O, now begone. More light and light it grows. 35 

ROMEO More light and light, more dark and dark our woes. 36

JULIET Then, window, let day in, and let life out. 41 

ROMEO Farewell, farewell. One kiss and I’ll descend. 42 

< They kiss, and Romeo descends. > 

JULIET Art thou gone so? Love, lord, ay husband, friend! 43 

I must hear from thee every day in the hour, 44 

For in a minute there are many days. 45 

O, by this count I shall be much in years 46 

Ere I again behold my Romeo. 47 

ROMEO Farewell. 48 

I will omit no opportunity 49

That may convey my greetings, love, to thee. 50 

JULIET O, think’st thou we shall ever meet again? 51 

ROMEO I doubt it not; and all these woes shall serve 52 

For sweet discourses in our times to come. 53 

 

< JULIET > O God, I have an ill-divining soul! 54 

Methinks I see thee, now thou art so low, 55 

As one dead in the bottom of a tomb. 56 

Either my eyesight fails or thou lookest pale. 57 

ROMEO And trust me, love, in my eye so do you. 58 

Dry sorrow drinks our blood . Adieu, adieu. 59

Desperation, the Killer of Love

Desperation, the Killer of Love

In this project, I am going to discuss the influences of desperation on Romeo and Juliet’s love. It is nearly a world-accepted notion that the love between them is so invulnerable that even death could not separate them apart. However, tasting the artwork carefully, I start to doubt that is their love really that strong and immutable? The answer should be various in different people’s interpretations, and for me, it turns to be “no”. The love between them was not affected by external factors such as the feud of their families but by the desperations of both Romeo and Juliet after the banishment of the bridegroom. Because both of the characters are young and impulsive, any incident could alter their emotions and lead to irrational actions.This analysis helps me to focus on the internal changes of both characters critically and understand the actual cause of the tragedy deeply.

I am going to stage two scene to prove my analysis. The first scene is Act2 Scene1, where Romeo and Juliet express their profound love to each other after they fall in love for the first time. They could hardly leave each other at that scene and promise to reunite as soon as possible. I will emphasize on how they are not willing to separate by letting Romeo stay alone under the balcony for a long time and letting Juliet run out for multiple times saying “goodbye” to Romeo. The second scene is also laid on the balcony, when Romeo is forced to leave Juliet because of the banishment. Compared to the first scene, this scene is totally lethargic. Although Juliet keeps to say that morning has not came yet and Romeo does not have to leave, she does not react as excited or hopeful as she does in the first scene. As for Romeo, he is completely hopeless. He flees quickly, without even a serious promise for Juliet. He does not think for Juliet or try to comfort her, but only worries about his banishment and feels the desperation of himself. 

These scenes only need two people to play, and I will be Juliet. Since I always read the play at the perspective of Juliet and combine my experience with the play, I seem to understand her feelings well. I always dream of being a girl like her, innocent, straightforward and brave. By acting this role, I could pretend to be this young lady and put myself into the character. It would be pretty easy for us to equally share the preparation process and the actual performance, and we would like to discuss and prepare everything together. The challenge for us is to make the scenes alive and emphasize on our thesis rather then just reciting the dialogue. 

I can't wait to start this project! Hope that we could finish it successfully!

Idea about the scenes

How the love changes between Romeo and Juliet- First balcony scene and the scene which Romeo flee from the scene.

Should Friar Lawrence be thanked or blamed- The wedding scene, how he comforts Romeo after the banish, how he helps Juliet to get rid of the marriage

The growth of Juliet- innocent: afraid to tell lady Capulet her real mind    Desperate: when knowing that Remeo is banished and her parents ask her to marry Paris      Brave: goes to friar Lawrence and drinks the poison.

Die in your arms

Norman Cousins has once said that “The tragedy of life is not death but what we let die inside of us while we live.” Believing not in fate or religious, I wholeheartedly accept the idea that although Romeo and Juliet’s death for love is miserable, it is in fact the best choice they make to protect their sacred love, much better than both of them living with dead hearts. Romeo and Juliet, two warriors of love, deserve a lot more better than an emphasizing on tragedy. Therefore, as the future Broadway Big Boss, my design of the last scene of play ROMEO AND JULIET will absolutely be refreshing and impressive, unprecedented and weepy( as well as the budget of the preparation). 

To start with, I would especially emphasize on the deaths of Romeo and Juliet by addressing multiple details. However, before the actual death, I would like to firstly stress the scene which Romeo uses “mattock and wrenching iron(5.2 22)” to force open the tomb. Being a grieved man who desperately wants to see the beloved woman of his life, Romeo should immediately knee down at the second he sees Juliet’s gravestone. Although he might use tools as he mentions to Balthasar before, he should eventually digging for the coffin by his hand, with murmuring and crying. Small amount of blood needs to drop from his hands, indicating how heartbreaking and anxious Romeo is. Furthermore, I want to exaggerate the pain and courage of both characters. In order to achieve this, I would like to keep Romeo alive for a while after he drank up the poison. When Juliet actually wakes up, she would find Romeo with breath but dying beside her. When Romeo realizes that Juliet is not died, everything was too late. He raise his right arm, trying to touch Juliet’s face for the last time but failed; he tries to say something with smile, but hip lips only tremble without making any sounds. Juliet then kissed him with tears, holding his hand and stabbing herself with Romeo’s dagger. Their faces are peaceful and satisfied, seems like that they have been holding each other’s hands from youth to senium, from sunrise to sunset. Nevertheless, they are forever young, and their love is forever strong as well.

Setting and costumes are really important factors of the success of my plan too. One of the most significant setting, the tomb, has to be put in an absolutely dark place. In order to achieve this, I would like to make the background totally black with a falcate bright moon on the top, suggesting the message that the ending is not “orbicular” but “fragmentary”. If possible, I would turn off all the light, only keep the moon and a light on the top of the tomb. As for the coffin, the texture and color must be looked like white marble, contrasting to the dark environment. The costume of Juliet would also be white, which indicates her innocence, braveness and loneness in the frightful darkness. After her suicide, the blood would blossom like a rose starts from the wound. The red rose which fills half of Juliet’s white dress, represents the love of Romeo and Juliet:Love is not only beautiful like the rose, but also requires blood and causes pain. 

In conclusion, it is never a easy task to make up a successful scene, which requires dozens of factors to make the stage powerful, believable, tragic and realistic. Furthermore, everyone would has a distinct image of a certain scene, just like what Shakespeare says: “There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes.” The deaths of Romeo and Juliet are feats of great daring and symbols of the purest love. What are the deaths of Romeo and Juliet in your eyes?

Questions

Why Romeo did not get the letter from Friar Lawrence?

Who are killed in the play?

Where does Romeo get the poison?

How does Juliet die?

Why Friar Lawrence allowed Romeo and Juliet to get married?

Find the part which foreshadows the death.

What is the role of nurse?

What is the biggest turning point of this play?

Will Mercutio blame Romeo?

Which role do you think is the less important?

Is the tragedy inevitable?

Does Romeo and Juliet really love each other?

Scene act3 scene 5-A dispute in the Capulet Family

http://youtu.be/uqDzeEi6LTg

Julie, Ryan, Sofia

Broadway Big Boss😎

“Hey, hey come here!HERE!”

“Oh no no no go that way!!”

“I need a bed! A pink bed with lace!”

“Be angry! Angrier! Shout at me!”

“Oh my god, do not smile! Push me! Push her!”

If you see a crazy girl walking around the black box, yelling weird words and making the sacred auditorium a mess, do not be surprised. I am not trying to destroy the black box. On the contrary, I am on my way to become the best-ever director and performer of the world, although the route in front of me seems too long to be achieved. Well, who knows? Maybe you will see my name on the Broadway advertisements one day, and at that time, you have to pay for my tickets!Casting aside my day dream, directing a success scene is in fact building a house, which needs logical minds, ordered procedures and a creative head as mine. 

To start with, can you guess what is the groundwork of a scene? Gestures? Emotions? Settings? You are totally wrong! The base is the lines for characters! Only if the lines are decided, is the house able to stand firmly, rather than being blew away by a small flow of wind. How to choose the best lines is as important as creating the hardest concrete. My poor experience tells me to be logical, explicit and focused. In order to make the scene reasonable, every dialogue needs to be meaningful. For instance, the respond of Juliet to the insult “tallow face” would never be “thankful that you have”. The challenge of picking dialogues from original script is that I must always be clear-minded to choose the best and most representative sentences. Furthermore, if one word could express the whole meaning of a sentence, why should we need to waste time memorizing ten? Therefore, choosing the most significant and the strongest lines is the best way to increase the quality of the scene. When the lines are ready what should we build next?

Do you enjoy watching two radio communicating with each other? Absolutely not! Audiences want to see real people moving around the stage and using gestures to explain what is going on! Therefore, movements are extremely important since they are bricks to build up the house. Accuracy is highly required in the scene that even very small nuances may lead to tragedies. During the process of practicing our scene, I found it funny that when Ryan was trying to shake me, he stood either too close or too far,  and thus could not “wreak his anger” completely. I could not help laughing and our stage suddenly became a mess. I realize that although we could take a lot of impromptu actions, the basic movements need to be appropriate and certain, or the performs would become awkward and farfetched. 

Spending my whole energy preparing a three-minute scene, I feel that I may not have the gift to become a good director or actress. I am still sticking in the vortex of emotions:When is the correct time to smile? When should I cry or shout? Why is he laughing when insulting me? Trying to pull myself out of the confusing circle, I feel accumulating energies around me. During every piece of thinking, practicing and introspecting, the house gets higher and stronger. There might be some day, when I finish building the foundation—lines, the body—movements and the decoration—emotions, my achievement would become another Broadway. At that time, if you want to watch a show, tell the ticket seller my name, and they will definitely give you discount!

For our reunion tomorrow✨

The word “leaving”, carrying its sharp sword, little by little cuts my heart into pieces. Wind blows up the leaves, suddenly drugs them into the dusk. Oh, the twilight, why it comes this early; it should blossom a lot later, or it would rob my dear Romeo away from me immediately. 

It was the last evening for Romeo and me to enjoy the brilliant start shine, which I eagerly long for and wholeheartedly afraid of. I hope that he could remember me forever, remember how we met each other, how we fall into the river of love and how we spend our best youth under the witness of those perpetual stars. In the future, whenever he raises his head and looks up at the sky, he could reminiscent about this turf, reminiscent about me, who has devoted everything to loving him. I hope for the shiniest stars tonight so that we could keep our last memory splendid like firework, but I also hope for the eternal daylight so that the clock would never reach the second of his leaving. 

Look at him; look at the perfect man: his lips are gently moving, exhaling a scent of green tea bubble tea in Cheshire Coffee, where we straightforwardly expressed our love for the first time; his eyelashes are flickering like the wings of a butterfly, while tears, dew of the morning, are sparking at the corners of his eyes. He puts his coat on my shoulder, scolding me that I never know how to take care of myself. I listen carefully for the first time, not being a naughty princess who always like to make fun of him. He says a lot about how to look after myself, how to achieve my dream and how to control my emotion rather than be a dogmatic “princess”. I cannot help crying. For three years, I have already got used to his warmth, his caress, his circumspection and his accompany. But after today, everything will disappear. 

“Could you go to any college in the United States rather than Oxford in the United Kingdom?”I want to ask him this question for a thousand times, but I restrain myself for a thousand times. I might be his dream for three years, but Oxford is the dream for his entire life. I should become a supporter rather than a barrier, no matter what will happen in the future. 

“It’s time for checking in, and I shall leave. Take care of yourself and see you soon in some days.” He speaks softly like the first time we met.His hands are as warm as my quilts, and his smile is as bright as the sun. 

“Take care of yourself.” I speaks slowly like the first time we met. 

The earth is round, and those who we are eagerly missing for, would finally meet us again, just like the first time we met.