Romeo and Juliet: World War II

By Izzy Lee, Reed Morgan, and Kylie Maier

Set Design

Bombed Church Silhouette w/ moon

Juliet

German Mass Grave

Mercutio

Tybalt

Wooden crosses scattered across scene, sticking out of soil at odd angles

To village

Romeo and Juliet:Casting

Kylie MaierIzzy Lee

Reed Morgan

Romeo: Orlando Bloom

“Thy drugs are quick. Thus with a kiss, I die” (5.3.120)

Orlando Bloom can be perceived as a normal, teenage boy, despite his fame. Since Bloom is older, he seems matured, especially in the aspect of love. Bloom has a rebellious image.

In Pirates of the Caribbean 3, Bloom plays Will Turner, a rebellious lover, who elopes with the governor’s daughter.

Juliet: AnnaSophia Rob"To make die with a restorative. Thy lips are warm!" (5.3.171-172).

AnnaSophia Robb has an air of innocence that only young actresses possess. However, she has still played adult roles such as in upcoming The Space Between, a movie about 9/11.

AnnaSophia and Orlando also have potential chemistry, as they both have acted in a wide range of movies.

Paris: Sebastian Stan“Stop the unhallowed toil haughty Montague/ That murdered my

love's cousin" (5.3.49-50).

Sebastian Stan is notable for his role as Carter Baizen in the television show, Gossip Girl. Stan plays an untrustworthy and almost slimy character. However, Stan’s character did redeem himself in the television show. Stan is a perfect cast for a character in which the audience is divided on his likability.

Stan is also older than Robb, which shows an obvious age difference between Paris and Juliet.

Capulet: Colin FirthLady Capulet: Angelina Jolie

Colin Firth has played very fatherly and endearing roles. However, in in previous movies he has overreacted to his “children’s” disobedience. Firth has played in Shakespeare in Love, so he will be able to deliver the lines.

Angelina Jolie has an obvious mother image to her. She plays roles much younger than her age.

Montague: Sean Connery “Poor sacrifices of our enmity" (Capulet; 5.3.315)

This quote correlates with Capulet, Lady Capulet and Montague in 5.3

Sean Connery has a very firm, almost steely, feel.

Montague plays a small role in Romeo and Juliet, but a famous actor like Sean Connery can still make the impact on the audience that role of Montague has the potential of.

Prince: Tom Hanks "All are punished" (5.3.305) This quote has the potential to bring full understanding to the audience that

the death of the heroes effects everyone, and how easily this death could have been prevented.

This quote is very important, so an actor needs to deliver it very well. As an actor and a producer, Hanks knows the way lines are supposed to come across in a movie or play.

Hanks is also a good fit for the Prince because he has played roles of authority in the past. For example, Hanks played Private Ryan in Saving Private Ryan.

Friar Lawrence: George Clooney"Stay not to question, for the watch is coming. Come, go, good Juliet. I dare no longer stay." (5.3.163-164)

Friar Lawrence throws away his loyalties to Romeo and Juliet, in an attempt to save his reputation. George Clooney would match this role because his image in the media has repeatedly switched from a good friend to untrustworthy and back stabbing.

Balthasar: David Henrie

Balthasar is Romeo’s servant and always by Romeo’s side. Henrie has had experience playing sidekicks before, such as Larry in That’s So Raven.

Henrie is also on the board line between man and boy, so his age fits the young, but still mature, part of Balthasar.

I dare not, sir. My master knows not but I am gone hence, And fearfully did menace me with death, If I did stay to look on his intents." (5.3.135-138)

The Three Watches: Matt Damon, Jake Gyllenhaal, Ben Affleck

The three watches are suspicous of even the town’s religious figure, which shows they take their job very seriously. Affleck, Damon, Gyllenhaal are all actors who have played very serious characters. These three actors are also on similar levels, so they could work together, instead of having just one stand out.

A great suspicion. Stay the Friar too." (5.3.194)

Romeo and Juliet:Costume Design

Kylie MaierIzzy Lee

Reed Morgan

Romeo

Juliet

Paris

Capulet

Lady Capulet

Montague

The Prince

Friar Lawrence

Balthasar

The First, Second, and Third Watches

Narrative of Scene 5.3The stage is lit as at night, dark, with blue light on a

mist covered stage. Paris, a young rebel, bearing a large electric spotlight, walks out into the graveyard, weeping, and bearing a Cross of Lorraine in his hands, symbol of the Free French. His flash light is trained on the plain universal Christian cross which is placed above Juliet’s tomb, as he composes himself, then sends off his page, a fellow resistance worker, to keep watch. Paris then places the cross at the foot of the tomb, crosses himself, and then begins scattering flowers about the grave. He stands back when his page whistles. This adds to the understanding of the scene, because Paris really does need to be hiding from a German patrol after curfew.

Romeo comes on stage left, again, bearing a torch which he trains on the cross. He is also holding a swastika. Rather than forcing the tomb open, as it is not closed, he merely flings himself upon the grave and weeps, placing the swastika beside the Cross of Lorraine. Paris sees this, and believes that Romeo is desecrating the tomb, so he pulls out his gun and steps forth, out of the shadows he was hiding in. His gun trained on Romeo, he offers his challenge. Romeo whirls around, and, shocked and still in tears responds to Paris. Paris motions him to pick up his gun over his next line. Romeo does such after his line, “then have at thee, boy!” The fight is just one gun shot, in which Romeo hits Paris. Paris then stumbles to the steps, where he falls, offering his final plea to be with Juliet. He dies, offering a stage shot in which Paris lies at the feet of Romeo, who is the only thing standing between him and Juliet.

Romeo, once again, falls into weeping. He now lifts Paris up the stairs, and lays him on the back of the tomb behind the bench on which lays Juliet. He gives his final speech kneeling beside Juliet, behind her facing the audience. His speech is intermixed with tears. His section to Tybalt references the body over stage left, which Romeo looks over to. However, he never leaves his lovers body. He gives his final lines, then toasts Juliet, kisses her, looks to the heavens, then collapses across her body. At this point Juliet awakens, and delivers her final lines uninterrupted, weeping over her lover’s body. She makes her final move, pulling the knife from Romeo’s belt, and plunging it into her heart, evoking the image of a biblical sacrifice. We now have an image of a graveyard strewn with remnants of the devastation of the invasion, to one side are Tybalt and Mercutio in their coffins, to the other lie Romeo and Juliet, embracing in death, and lying on the altar beneath the cross.

It is an image of tragedy and death, of religion and sacrifice. Finally, as the Princes epilogue speech is delivered from offstage, the lights fade, while a spot focuses on Romeo and Juliet alone, including the Cross of Lorraine and the Swastika which are leaned up in front of them. This last sight shows the love, the tragedy of death, but also shows the two crosses, symbols that would have been kept separate throughout the play before, now united with the lovers in death, driving home the Prince’s point of a glooming peace—a peace wrought in death.