Examine Romeos final speech. Explain what is going on and how you would advise an actor to perform it. Describe Baz Luhrmanns film of this scene. Romeo and Juliet is a famous love story, written in 1595 by William Shakespearean d the australian director Baz Luhrmanns fame. Romeo and Juliet meet, fall in love and want to get married but they cant because of their families hate, the story ends with their tragic deaths as they both kill themselves. Love stories and poetry were very fashionable in 1595 so the play fitted in very well.
The Elizabethans also believed in fate so this could have influenced Shakespeare. In this essay I will study Romeos final speech and explain what is happening. I will also explain how I would advise an actor to perform it. Romeos final speech is a moment of high drama and tension in the play.
Shakespeare uses dramatic irony to build the tension. The speech reflects Romeos state of mind. The speech can be divided into seven sections depending on who Romeo is talking to. In the first part of the speech he is thinking abbot death. Romeo expresses his confusion, he says that death should bring clarity ‘How oft when men are at the point of death Have they been merry, which their keepers call A light ” ning before death’. However Romeo has not experienced this ‘light ” ning’.
He is more confused than ever. Shakespeare uses the word ‘light ” ning’ very cleverly in this soliloquy. The word ‘light ” ning’ has a double meaning, one being a lightening of a burden, so he doesn’t have any worries when he dies, the other being the lightening that lights up everything, so he can see it all clearly.