On Wednesday 26th July, Year 11 and 12 Literature Students travelled to the Arts Centre to watch the Bell Shakespeare Company’s portrayal of Romeo and Juliet. The play powerfully portrayed the intensity and the heartbreak of Shakespeare’s most evocative tragedy.

As part of their Literature studies, students must study a play and explore the elements of stagecraft. Below, the Year 12 students have reflected on what resonated with them most and explored how the staging conveyed the meaning.

This interpretation of the Romeo and Juliet play, truer to the original Shakespearean tragedy, broadened my perspective to the devastating implications of the more romanticised love story I had previously known. Paris’ death scene in particular, “O, I am slain! If thou be merciful, Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet”, allowed my recognition of the needless path of death, and waste of innocent life that was overshadowed by the glorified notion of ‘star crossed lovers’ in Baz Luhrmann’s film. - Josie

The subtilties in costuming for each actor in the Bell Shakespeare Romeo and Juliet reveals important aspects of their characterisation through minute differences in their attire despite the deliberate use of theatre blacks rather than traditional costumes. Each character wears black that signifies the upcoming tragedy of each one (loss or death) and in the slight changes between characters, place emphasis on their character traits. - Sienna

The impending fate of the 'star cross'd lovers' is expressed through the vulnerable death scene, where the lights shine solely on Juliet as she lovingly strokes Romeo's face until death parts them. The importance of this scene is further emphasised through the minimal and contemporary stage design, allowing the audience to soak in the vulnerability that the scene portrays. - Sophie

The stage craft of Romeo and Juliet engaged the audience through shining lights on the ceiling appearing as stars, this pared with the lighting particularly in the scene where the young lover profess their love “Romeo, Romeo where for art thou Romeo” creates a dramatic effect; which makes their tragedy all the more heartbreaking. Whilst the characters spoke in Shakespearean language it was portrayed in a more modern way with Mercutio’s immature behaviour. Through the deaths of many characters such as Tybalt, Mercutio, Paris and both Romeo and Juliet the audience sees the detrimental consequences of hate play out right in front of them, resulting in a shocking realisation that there are no positive outcomes from hatred. - Willow

The authentic portrayal of Paris within the play highlighted the heartbreaking effect the death of the 'star cross'd lovers' has on the other characters. His line, 'Open the tomb, lay me with Juliet.' accentuates his humanity and assists the audience to feel empathy for his situation, losing Juliet, the woman he was destined to marry. Humanizing the character in a different way than other interpretations like Baz Lurhmann's film. - Gemma

Shakespeare's ingenuity and timelessness was intricately captured and portrayed in the Bell Shakespeare Company's interpretation of 'Romeo and Juliet.' The character of Juliet in particular, showcased an emphatic, strong minded lead, who shied away from her character's traditional innocence. This is evidently leaning into the feminist movement, which many modern adaptations of the tragedy are currently employing. - Poppy

Upon realising that Romeo has died, Juliet after kissing him for a final time, cried "thy lips are warm," displaying how the deaths of the "star-crossed lovers" could have been simply avoided, either with more time or greater autonomy. This emphasises the tragic nature of the story, leaving the audience unsettled and provoking them to "go hence, to have more talk of these sad things." - Audrey

The amazing linguistic nature of this Shakespeare adaptation of 'Romeo and Juliet' highlighted the many dynamic characters and the many messages that can be displayed. Mercutio was utilised as a device to convey the devastation of this supposed superficial feud and the many deaths it caused while everyone involved is almost in denial, this is encapsulated by the line "That dreamers often lie" in response to Romeo’s dramatisation of his love. This only emphasises Mercutio's death, although an immature character, his exclamation of "A plague on both your houses." forces the audience to recognise that all these deaths aren't just collateral, these are people (in a fictional context) creating empathy that is otherwise devoid in other adaptations. - Ally

The minimal stage play rendition of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet led to a much deeper appreciation of the source material, especially in the theatrical interpretation of Mercutio. Mercutio is a figure who stands simultaneously alongside and in contrast to Romeo. While Romeo allows himself to be whisked away by his "dream"-like night with Juliet, Mercutio warns against the fleeting nature of 'star-crossed' romance. Romeo's spouting of the gleeful romance he experienced the night before only prompts Mercutio to reply that "dreamers often lie", a foreboding line which implies that Romeo may not be fully in control of himself. When delivered in-person, the Dreamers monologue heavily foreshadows the later events of the tale, inspiring the reader to contemplate his language which appears flippant and crass. - Chai

In the final scene of the play, Juliet awakes to the chaos that has occurred around her. Her lord lays dead beside her, Tybalt, her beloved cousin in his tomb, and her soon to be husband, Paris, who is cold and motionless after the battle with Romeo. Juliet is ultimately distraught and completely shocked. As she finds the poison that has killed Romeo, but he “left no friendly drop” she is beside herself since there is no conceivable way she could be reunited with her love. After finding the “happy dagger”, Juliet urges it to “let [her] die”. Slowly stroking her lord’s head as they lay intertwined, Juliet holds onto each fleeting moment she has left with Romeo. It is a heartbreaking, real and emotional moment displaying true love and the lengths one goes to feel it. - Akaisha