A Collection of Activities Written By Me
Romeo and Juliet – Before the Party (Luhrmann version)
The following is an analysis of the sequence of events during this scene. Currently they are not in the correct order. Reorder the sequence. Cut out the sequence and paste it in the correct order in your book.
1. CU on invitation as Mercutio hands it to Romeo – “Capulet – Invitation to a costume feast – Mercutio and friends – signed by Capulet” – allows us to read this text and then realize why they are all in costume and where they are going.
2. Romeo pulls free and says he does not want to go. He then says he had a dream. Mercutio tells him he had a dream as well – ‘that dreamers often lie’
3. ‘Sycamore Grove’ – white text at bottom of the screen as tilts down from the sky filled with fireworks to the party below – people are in costumes, CU of fireworks in the sky – bright lights like stars
4. Mercutio tries to convince Romeo to dance. He refuses due to being depressed. Mercutio continues to try and convince him. Romeo seems to blend in with the blue surroundings, leaving him appearing cold and suggesting his isolation. Mercutio is wearing a white outfit so he stands out – the red lipstick he is wearing also stands out and captures our attention, draws us to what he is saying. Mercutio seems to have an attitude – ‘be rough with love … beat love down’. He spins Romeo around and has him in a headlock. Long shot shows this and the other boys are mucking around (representation of youth)
5. Quiet music and silence as Romeo calms Mercutio with a hand on his shoulder, this changes the mood again – trying to restore the peace
6. CU of Romeo looking up at the fireworks, he wears a silver costume (dressed as a night in shining armour), the lights reflect off his costume, drawing our attention to him. There appears to be a red glow as if to suggest heat or intensity, passion or love. Long shot of a man in costume (one of the Montague boys) firing a gun. Another shot of him yelling – maybe he is already drunk? Indicating they have already been partying.
7. Benvolio interrupts Romeo and Mercutio and reminds them they will arrive too late if they do not leave now.
8. CU of Mercutio’s face shows his attitude has changed – he now becomes aggressive and serious whereas before he had been having fun. He talks of Queen Mab visiting soldiers, CU as he grabs Romeo’s throat, explosion of fireworks coincides with him yelling towards the sky
9. CU as Romeo puts the pill in his mouth (modernization of the play – drug issue affecting youth), colours swirl and slow motion shot of Mercutio standing in the car and waving his arms begins, he sings again to the song that is playing – ‘run free’
10. CU of liscence plate – MERCUTIO Verona Beach – pop song starts to play – ‘young hearts, run free’ (symbolic of what this person is like), CU of him in the car laughing, indicates he is fun and happy. As he walks from his car we see he is dressed in drag (as a woman) – suggesting he can laugh at himself. He sings along to the song that is playing as he starts to hand out invitations to everyone. We see Benvolio.
11. Queen Mab speech by Mercutio – he produces a small silver box that glistens in the light (draws our attention) and he holds it in Romeo’s direction. On his finger, he pulls out a white tablet with a red heart on it with an arrow through it (ECU of the pill shows this – it would have been too small to see otherwise). Mercutio seems to do a magic trick in making it disappear. The whites of his eyes stand out against the darkness and they draw us to them.
12. buzzing sound rises as Mercutio reaches the climax of his story – ‘they dream of love’
13. CU of Romeo’s face as he talks of some ‘consequence yet hanging in the stars’, long shot of Romeo at the end of an aisle in a church, indicated by the crosses and candles that stand out bright blue and gold against the darkness, suggests this is what Romeo’s dream has been about. He speaks of ‘untimely death’. The scene in the church shows he is carrying a gun in his hand.
After doing this, paste the following set of questions in your book and then answer them in full sentences.
1. Why do you think the Montague boys fire their weapons during this sequence?
2. In what ways did Mercutio stand out compared to all the other Montague boys in this scene? What does this teach us about him?
3. Why do you think Mercutio offered Romeo the pill?
4. What emotions did Romeo experience during this scene?
5. How does Romeo’s attitude in this scene compare to the attitude of all the other boys in this scene?
6. Comment on the setting of this scene – why do you think they set this scene on the old abandoned stage?
7. Create a list of 5 other questions you could ask about this scene (characters, motivation, themes, relationships, etc). Answer the 5 questions you create.