Act 5, Scene 3: It All Ends

Prompt F - Balthasar:
Oh, what horrible news! My master Romeo is dead! I cannot believe I let him go in there all by himself. My suspicion that he would hurt himself was not strong enough apparently. I feel a very deep sense of regret, as I could have saved Romeo, yet I did not. While indeed, I was not part of his family, Romeo was very important to me, and it hurts me very much that he is now dead. I do feel some guilt as to the news I brought to Romeo of Juliet's death.

Act 3, Scene 5: Double Meanings

Prompt C:
In Act 3, Scene 5, Juliet says, "With Romeo till I behold him —dead— Is my poor heart so for a kinsman vexed." This sentence has a double meaning, as the word "dead" can be grouped with either part of the line. This shows Juliet's attitude towards her parents. She purposefully holds information from them, yet she does not give up on Romeo. I particularly liked this line as it is very clever, and can be very shaped by the particular production of the play. The delivery of the line can completely change the meaning, something which is quite fascinating.

Act 2, Scene 5: The Nurse Stalls

Prompt E:
The Nurse and Juliet have a playful yet friendly relationship. During their interaction in scene 5, the Nurse plays on Juliet's impatience as friendly banter. Rather than answering Juliet's questions, she asks her irrelevant questions, such as,"where is your mother?" (107). Afterwards, she finally describes Romeo. This shows that while Nurse is willing to help Juliet and Romeo's relationship, she still jokes around with her. Juliet does not like this, but does not get too angry and finally realizes the nurse is joking with her. This interaction between the two characters shows us the nurse's loyalty or lack thereof to the Capulets.

Act 2, Scene 4: Mercutio Plays with Words

Prompt B:

Mercutio - Given how much you joke about him, how much do you respect Romeo?

Romeo - Are you fine with how much Mercutio jokes at you?
Benvolio - As you do not participate much in the wordplay scene, do you appreciate it or not?

Romeo/Servant - Do you think the nurse is overreacting?

Nurse - What do you think of Romeo and why?

Act 2, Scene 2: The Sunrise in the Balcony

Prompt D

I chose this image as it relates to Romeo's monologue at the beginning of Act 2 Scene 2. He compares Juliet to the rising sun as he watches her go out on her balcony. This picture represents the thing that Romeo is comparing Juliet to.

Act 1, Scene 1: Old Quarrels Renewed

Prompt B - Questions for Scene 1:
Citizens - Why benefit do you think an end to the Montagues and Capulets would have for you?
Benvolio - Why do you want Romeo to stop thinking of Rosaline?
Sampson - What makes you want to fight the Montagues?
Montague/Prince - If you do not approve of the fighting, why have you done nothing so far to stop it?
Lady Montague/Montague - How do your views on fighting with the Capulets vary within the family?

Languages

Languages

I do not know what it is

The new alphabet?

The accent?

The vocabulary?

Or maybe it’s just the nuances

It isn’t easy to learn a language

Yet somehow it happens so quickly

and I am not talking about a classroom

a textbook,

or worksheets

or boring lectures on an early Monday morning

You never truly know a language until

you are forced to use it

again

and again

and again

with no way out

It is a disease.

It bothers you for months,

until it suddenly becomes part of you.

You stop resisting it.

But languages are like balls flying between a juggler’s hands

The moment you master one

the other falls away.

The hard part is to keep all of them in check

Sure, you could hold onto one ball

or toss around two ,

And it would be very comfortable and familiar

But in order to be great,

you need to juggle.