PLAY GUIDE About ATC . 1 Introduction to the Play. 2 Synopsis. 2 Meet the Characters. 3 Meet the Playwright. 4 Behind the Scenes. 5 Structure and Language. 6 R&J: Before and After Shakespeare. 10 Through the Literary Lens. 11 Cultural Context: 1960s Italy. 13 A Timeless Tale . 16 Glossary . 17 Discussion Questions and Activities. 19

Romeo and Play Guide written and compiled by Katherine Monberg, ATC Literary Associate, with assistance from April Jackson, Learning & Education Manager; Bryanna Patrick and Luke Young, Learning & Education Associates; Natasha Smith, Artistic and Playwriting Intern; Kalan Benbow and Skye Westberg, Literary Interns.

SUPPORT FOR ATC’S EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN PROVIDED BY:

APS Rosemont Copper Arizona Commission on the Arts Stonewall Foundation Bank of America Foundation Target Blue Cross Blue Shield Arizona The Boeing Company City Of Glendale The Donald Pitt Family Foundation Community Foundation for Southern Arizona The Johnson Family Foundation, Inc. Cox Charities The Lovell Foundation Downtown Tucson Partnership The Marshall Foundation Enterprise Holdings Foundation The Maurice and Meta Gross Foundation Ford Motor Company Fund The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation The Stocker Foundation JPMorgan Chase The William L. and Ruth T. Pendleton Memorial Fund John and Helen Murphy Foundation Tucson Medical Center National Endowment for the Arts Tucson Pima Arts Council Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture Wells Fargo PICOR Charitable Foundation ABOUT ATC

Arizona Theatre Company is a professional, not-for-profit theatre company. This means all of our artists, administrators and production staff are paid professionals, and the income we receive from ticket sales and contributions goes right back into our budget to create our work, rather than to any particular person as a profit. Each season, ATC employs hundreds of actors, directors and designers from all over the country to create the work you see on stage. In addition, ATC currently employs about 100 staff members in our production shops and administrative offices in Tucson and Phoenix during our season. Among these people are carpenters, painters, marketing professionals, fundraisers, stage directors, sound and light board operators, tailors, costume designers, box office agents, stage crew — the list is endless — representing an amazing range of talents and skills. We are also supported by a Board of Trustees, a group of business and community leaders who volunteer their time and expertise to assist the theatre in financial and legal matters, advise in marketing and fundraising, and help represent the theatre in our community. Roughly 150,000 people attend our shows every year, and several thousand of those people support us with charitable contributions in addition to purchasing their tickets. Businesses large and small, private foundations and the city and state governments also support our work financially. All of this is in support of our vision and mission:

OUR VISION IS TO TOUCH LIVES THROUGH THE POWER OF THEATRE. Our mission is to create professional theatre that continually strives to reach new levels of artistic excellence and that resonates locally, in the state of Arizona and throughout the nation. In order to fulfill our mission, the theatre produces a broad repertoire ranging from classics to new works, engages artists of the highest caliber, and is committed to assuring access to the broadest spectrum of citizens.

The Temple of Music and Art, the home of ATC shows in downtown Tucson. The Herberger Theater Center, ATC’s performance venue in downtown Phoenix.

1 INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAY

Romeo and Juliet By Directed by Kirsten Brandt ATC’s first-ever production of Shakespeare’s poetic masterpiece. Jealousy. Prejudice. Betrayal. And the chance that true love could actually conquer all. comes to vibrant life through the inventive talents of award-winning director Kirsten Brandt and designer David Lee Cuthbert, whose state-of-the-art scenery, lighting and projections bring new life to the warring world of the Capulets and Montagues. Set in 1960s Italy, it is Romeo and Juliet as you’ve never seen before!

Richard Baird, Paul David Story and Kyle Sorrell in ATC’s Romeo and Juliet. Photo by Tim Fuller.

Actor Paul David Story, Actor Chelsea Kurtz, Actor Leslie Law, Actor Richard Baird, Actor Kathryn Tkel, Actor Kyle Sorrell, Actor Kevin Black, who plays Romeo in who plays Juliet in who plays / who plays / who plays who plays / Paris who plays Capulet / ATC’s production of ATC’s production of Prince in ATC’s Montague / in ATC’s production in ATC’s production Friar John in ATC’s Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet. production of in ATC’s production of of Romeo and Juliet. of Romeo and Juliet. production of Romeo Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet. and Juliet.

SYNOPSIS One of Shakespeare’s most enduring masterpieces, Romeo and Juliet begins on the streets of Verona, Italy, where the come to blows over a continuing family feud. Interrupted by the Prince of Verona, the ruler initiates a decree of non-violence, violation of which is punishable by death. Meanwhile, Romeo mourns his unrequited love for the beautiful , as Paris seeks Juliet’s promise of marriage; Juliet agrees to contemplate Paris’s proposal amidst the revelry of an impending feast. Romeo and his fellow Montagues receive word of the Capulet celebration; hoping to see his beloved Rosaline there, Romeo and his friends attend the festivities in disguise. At the party, Romeo and Juliet see one another from afar, and are struck with a profound adoration. Still unknown to one another, they meet, share a kiss, and part ways. Upon discovery of their identities, and the realization that their love defies their feuding families, Romeo and Juliet enlist Friar Laurence to marry them in secret. After the exchange of their clandestine wedding vows, Juliet’s cousin Tybalt happens upon Romeo and challenges him to a duel, still furious that Romeo dared to attend the Capulet feast. Romeo pleads for peace and is denied; in the ensuing fight, Romeo’s friend and the cousin of the Prince, Mercutio, is slain at Tybalt’s hand. Mad with grief, Romeo kills Tybalt in revenge. Banished from Verona for his crimes, Romeo is forced to flee before the dawn. Meanwhile, ignorant of Juliet’s marriage to Romeo, Juliet’s father has settled her engagement to Paris, and plans have begun for their immediate union. To avoid her impending marriage to Paris, Friar Laurence provides Juliet with a potion that will make her appear to be dead; before a messenger can reach Romeo with the truth, the news of Juliet’s death makes its way to Romeo’s ear. He returns to her side, in the Capulet tomb, to take his own life in grief. Upon waking from her potion-induced slumber, Juliet discovers Romeo’s still-warm body and takes from him a dagger, which she plunges into her own breast — finally united with Romeo in death, as they could not be in life.

2 MEET THE CHARACTERS

Actor Vivia Font, Actor Heather Lee Actor Sterling Boyns, Actor Hunter V. Hnat, Actor Paul Michael Actor Silvia Vannoy, Actor Brenna Welsh, who plays Lady Capulet / Harper, who plays who plays Constable / who plays Sampson / Thomson, who plays who plays Gregory / who plays Paris’ Page / Apothecary in ATC’s Lady Montague in Petruchio / Ensemble Ensemble in ATC’s Peter /Abraham / Ensemble Musician / Ensemble Ensemble in ATC’s production of Romeo ATC’s production in ATC’s production production of in ATC’s production of in ATC’s production production of Romeo and Juliet. of Romeo and Juliet. of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet. Romeo and Juliet. of Romeo and Juliet. and Juliet.

THE MONTAGUES Montague: Lord Montague, head of the Montague household and father to Romeo. Lady Montague: Wife to Lord Montague and mother to Romeo. Romeo: Only son of Lord and Lady Montague. Benvolio: Nephew to Montague, and friend of Romeo. Abraham: Servant of the Montague household. Balthasar: Servant to Romeo, in the Montague household.

THE CAPULETS Capulet: Lord Capulet, head of the Capulet household and father to Juliet. Lady Capulet: Lady of the Capulet house, mother to Juliet. Tybalt: Nephew to Lady Capulet and cousin to Juliet. Juliet: Daughter of Lord and Lady Capulet, approaching marriageable age. Nurse: High servant, confidant, and former wet nurse to Juliet. Sampson: Servant of the Capulet household Gregory: Servant of the Capulet household. Peter: Servant to Juliet’s nurse, of the Capulet household.

PEOPLE OF ITALY Mercutio: Friend of Romeo, and kinsman to the Prince. Prince Escalus: Ruler of Verona. Paris: A young nobleman, kinsman to the prince, who seeks Juliet’s hand in marriage. Friar Laurence: Franciscan Friar, serving the community in which the Capulets and Montagues live and feud. Friar John: A Franciscan Friar, and colleague of Friar Laurence. Apothecary: An impoverished apothecary (pharmacist) residing in Mantua.

3 MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT

For all the fame and celebration that surround the name of William Shakespeare, much of his personal history remains mysterious. There are just two primary sources for information on the Bard: his works, and various legal and church documents that have survived from Elizabethan times. Naturally, there are many gaps in this body of infor- mation, which tells us little about Shakespeare the man. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, allegedly on April 23, 1564. Church records from Holy Trinity Church indicate that he was baptized there on April 26, 1564. Young William was born of John Shakespeare, a glover and leather merchant, and Mary Arden, a landed local heiress. William, according to the church register, was the third of eight children in the Shakespeare household — three of whom died in child- hood. John Shakespeare had a remarkable run of success as a merchant, alderman, and high bailiff of Stratford, during William’s early childhood. His fortunes declined, however, in the late 1570s. Portrait of William Shakespeare known as the There is great conjecture about Shakespeare’s childhood years, especially regarding Chandos Portrait after its previous owner, James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos. his education. Scholars surmise that Shakespeare attended the grammar school in Stratford. While there are no records extant to prove this claim, Shakespeare’s knowl- edge of Latin and Classical Greek would tend to support this theory. In addition, Shakespeare’s first biographer, Nicholas Rowe, wrote that John Shakespeare had placed William “for some time in a free school.” John Shakespeare, as a Stratford official, would have been granted a waiver of tuition for his son. As the records do not exist, we do not know how long William may have attended the school, but the literary quality of his works suggests a solid educational foundation. What is certain is that William Shakespeare never proceeded to university schooling, which has contributed to the debate about the authorship of his works. The next documented event in Shakespeare’s life is his marriage to Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582. William was 18 at the time, and Anne was 26 — and pregnant. Their first daughter, Susanna, was born on May 26, 1583. The couple later had twins, Hamnet and Judith, born February 2, 1585 and christened at Holy Trinity. Hamnet died in childhood at the age of 11, on August 11, 1596. For the seven years following the birth of his twins, William Shakespeare disappears from all records, finally turning up again in London some time in 1592. This period, known as the “Lost Years,” has sparked significant controversy about Shakespeare’s life. Rowe notes that young Shakespeare was quite fond of poaching, and may have had to flee Stratford after an incident with Sir Thomas Lucy, whose deer and rabbits he allegedly poached. There is also rumor of Shakespeare working as an assistant schoolmaster in Lancashire for a time, though this is circumstantial at best. It is estimated that Shakespeare arrived in London around 1588 and began to establish himself as an actor and playwright. Evidently Shakespeare garnered some envy early on, as related by the critical attack of Robert Greene, a London playwright, in 1592: “...an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers, that with his Tiger’s heart wrapped in a player’s hide, supposes he is as well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you: and being an absolute Johannes fac totum, is in his own conceit the only Shake-scene in a country.” Greene’s bombast notwithstanding, Shakespeare appears to have shown considerable promise. By 1594, he was not only acting and writing for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men (called the King’s Men after the ascension of James I in 1603), but was a managing partner in the operation as well. With Will Kempe, a master comedian, and Richard Burbage, a leading tragic actor of the day, the Lord Chamberlain’s Men became a favorite London troupe, patronized by royalty and made popular by the theatre-going public.

4 Shakespeare’s company was arguably the most successful in London in his day. He had plays published and sold in octavo editions, or “penny-copies” to the more literate of his audiences. Never before had a playwright enjoyed sufficient acclaim to see his works published and sold as popular literature in the midst of his career. In addition, Shakespeare’s ownership share in both the theatrical company and the Globe theatre itself made him an entrepreneur as well as an artist. While Shakespeare might not be accounted wealthy by London standards, his success allowed him to purchase New House and retire in comfort to Stratford in 1611. William Shakespeare authored his will in 1611, bequeathing his properties to his daughter The reconstructed Globe Theatre, London. Susanna (married in 1607 to Dr. John Hall). To his surviving daughter Judith, he left £300, and to his wife Anne he left “my second best bed.” William Shakespeare allegedly died on his birthday, April 23, 1616. This is probably more of a romantic myth than reality, but Shakespeare was interred at Holy Trinity in Stratford on April 25. In 1623, two working companions of Shakespeare from the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, John Heminges and Henry Condell, printed the First Folio edition of his collected plays, of which half were previously unpublished. William Shakespeare’s legacy is a body of work and words that have endured for 400 years, and still reach across the centuries as powerful examples of literary merit and endeavor. Even in death, he left a final piece of verse as his epitaph: Good friend, for Jesus’ sake forbeare To dig the dust enclosed here. Blessed be the man that spares these stones, And cursed be he that moves my bones.

Bio adapted from the Shakespeare Resource Center: http://www.bardweb.net/man.html.

Title page of the First Folio, 1623. Copper engraving of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout.

BEHIND THE SCENES

A DAY WITH THE PLAY -By Natasha Smith, Assistant to the Director Thursday, February 19 On the final Thursday in the rehearsal room, scene work from the second half of the play was on the schedule, in preparation for the first straight run of what we dubbed “Performance Act 2” that would happen the following afternoon. (The confusion comes about because Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet, like many of his plays, in five acts — but our production, like most modern plays, has only one intermission, which is placed between Shakespeare’s Act II and Act III.) But before a single actor entered the room, the rehearsal hall plays host to the extended creative team that brings the production to life. 9:15 Production meeting The heads of each department gather once a week, on Thursday mornings, to check in with each other and with the director (Kirsten Brandt) on their progress and any collective issues Paul David Story and Chelsea Kurtz, that may affect the upcoming tech process. At this point, much of the major work has been in ATC’s Romeo and Juliet. done in terms of building the set and costumes, but many finishing touches are still being discussed and put in place. Some members of the team join via conference call, as they are located in Phoenix or other cities around the country. The Prop Master, Paul Lucas, arrives with a box he has built to hold Friar Laurence’s potions — one of many props that can be used in the rehearsal room, unlike some of the large, unwieldy pieces that will only be accessible when we move to the stage in a few days.

5 10:10 Recording session Once the production meeting wraps up, Stage Management quickly rearranges the room to be ready for rehearsal and actor arrivals. Brian Peterson, the Sound Supervisor, works with Sound Engineer Mat DeVore to set up recording equipment. Several actors arrive early to record a handful of Italian phrases — including a few choice swear words! — to enrich the world of the play as sound cues. 10:30 Act II, Scene 3 and the first part of Act III, Scene 5 Romeo and Juliet is an epic love story in which the title characters have only two scenes completely to themselves onstage. The first of these scenes is often referred to as the “balcony scene,” and our version does indeed have a balcony…which doesn’t fit in the rehearsal hall. Chelsea Kurtz, who plays Juliet, usually stands on the floor, sometimes on rehearsal furniture, to mimic the height or the layout of the balcony. This is also one of the longest scenes of the play. Over lunch break the previous day, I’d been on book (reading along with the script) while the actors ran their lines to make sure they remembered every word. So, coming into this rehearsal, they are more confident than ever about the text — which allows them to turn their focus to the action at hand. The scene is sweet and funny, and the actors are enjoying it immensely; the biggest reminder is to include the audience in the storytelling, even while maintaining the more intimate connection between Romeo and Juliet. 12:00 Act IV, Scene 1 We move on to Friar Laurence’s cell, where Juliet goes to seek help after her parents engage her to Paris — unaware of her previous marriage to Romeo. Juliet runs into Paris already speaking to the Friar, arranging the wedding details; she doesn’t care to get to know him, but also doesn’t want to give away the fact that something is amiss. It’s an incredibly awkward scene, but also hilariously funny in its subterfuge. Kirsten works with Chelsea and Kyle Sorrell (who plays Paris) to find the humor in the exchange, ratcheting up the tension of their “holy kiss” by suggesting that Chelsea keep her eyes open. 1:00 Act V, Scene 1 Benvolio (Kathryn Tkel) comes to Romeo in Mantua to tell him of Juliet’s death. The ensemble often appears in this play as Catholic nuns or priests, and this scene is no exception, several actors incorporated into the background without drawing focus from the action of the scene. There’s also a shift in this scene; after Benvolio leaves, Romeo buys a deadly poison from a gypsy apothecary (played by Vivia Font). This part of the scene has undergone many iterations; at this point, it is more like an underhanded drug deal, with two nuns and a priest still onstage. Kirsten also has Vivia play around with scaring the ensemble away — which is ridiculously entertaining. 2:00 Lunch 3:00 The second part of Act III, Scene 5 Juliet’s parents instruct their daughter to marry Paris in a few days. The scene is rife with the undercurrent of violence, and the actors are striving for the right balance of tension. Is it more powerful for Capulet to throw his daughter from her bed when he tells her he’ll disown her for disobedience, or to squeeze her close and speak in low tones? We are beginning to find that the latter is more effective — and chills run down my spine when I watch this moment of the play. 4:30 Act IV, Scene 2 Juliet returns from Friar Laurence’s cell. Calm, collected, and with a plan in mind, she apologizes to her father and prostrates herself before him. Chelsea decides to incorporate the “Dona Nobis” song that the friars had been singing during the transition into the scene that chronologically precedes this one, demonstrating her character’s cool demeanor despite the direness of the situation. 5:00 Act IV, Scene 4 and Scene 5 The first of these scenes is almost entirely cut down; Capulet wants his father to come down for Juliet’s wedding, but most of the action takes place in silhouette behind a projection screen, and will be completed during tech. Juliet’s nurse finds her young mistress apparently dead on the bed. There is a lot of lamentation in this scene, and early on, Kirsten instructed the four weepy characters to deliver their monologues simultaneously, to be interrupted by the Friar. Other than finessing that overlapping text, the trickiest part of this scene is the timing of each entrance as members of the household discover the death. 6:30 Break for the day As soon as one day of rehearsal is over, we begin to prepare for the next. After a long, full day, the actors head home; the Production Stage Manager, Glenn Bruner, consults with the director to assemble the schedule for the next day, and the work continues.

6 LANGUAGE AND STRUCTURE

SHAKESPEARE’S LANGUAGE Shakespeare is widely considered to be one of — if not the most — influential playwrights of the English language. He is sometimes referred to as “the original playwright,” and his style and tone include many facets often considered to be hallmarks of dramatic and poetic language that have significantly influenced contemporary ways of speaking. In fact, many of the words and aphorisms in common use today were originally coined by Shakespeare. For example, “parting is such sweet sorrow,” “wild goose-chase,” and “alligator” are all phrases or words that first appeared inRomeo and Juliet. (The English commonly referred to the aforementioned animal by its Spanish name, “alligarto,” prior to Shakespeare’s designation.) One of the common, but often intimidating, literary devices that The Plays of William Shakespeare by Sir John Gilbert, 1849, depicting scenes infuses Shakespeare’s language is his use of poetry, which derives its and characters from several of Shakespeare’s plays. rhythm by utilizing his words’ inherent pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables (and adjusting — or making up new words — when he needed to make them fit a particular structure). Scansion is a common technique used to analyze poetic structure, determine meaning and emphasis, and discover literary clues to character identity and relationships. Shakespeare uses a form of poetry called iambic pentameter. The smallest component of a line of verse is known as a metrical foot. An iamb is a specific type of metrical foot, which consists of two syllables: one unstressed, followed by one stressed (as in the word: “to-DAY”). Each line of Shakespeare’s poetry consists of five iambs: “penta” is a prefix meaning “five”,meter tells you it’s made up of metrical feet (i.e., is poetry). The iamb is thought to be intuitive to humans because of its similarity to the sound of the human heartbeat which, incidentally, makes it easier to memorize. Below is an example of iambic pentameter from Romeo and Juliet; the emphasis is notated above each syllable with “x” meaning unstressed and “/” meaning stressed: x / x / x / x / x / But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? Shakespeare frequently arranged his poetry into sonnets, a type of poem comprised of fourteen lines of iambic pentameter arranged in three four-line stanzas followed by a rhyming couplet, in which each stanza employs an alternating rhyme scheme. The sonnet form is Romeo and Juliet from Children’s Stories from Shakespeare, oil on canvas, sometimes notated with alphabetical representations of the lines, by John Henry Frederick Bacon. with matching letters indicating lines that rhyme: ABABCDCDEFEFGG.

7 While Shakespeare has a collection of sonnets that are completely separate from his plays, he makes use of the sonnet structure in Romeo and Juliet to represent importance and completion; the lovers speak in a sonnet when they first meet, and are the only characters to use the form in dialogue throughout the entire play. Romeo and Juliet are quite literally finishing one another’s sentences, and even without knowledge of the specific structure, the sonnet’s inherent rhythm sparks a subconscious recognition of the poetic form, creating a sense of aural harmony at the moment the lovers meet.

ROMEO If I profane with my unworthiest hand A This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: B My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand A To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. B

JULIET Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much, C Which mannerly devotion shows in this; D For saints have hands that pilgrims’ hands do touch, C And palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss. D

ROMEO Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too? E

JULIET Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer. F

ROMEO O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do; E They pray, grant thou, lest faith turn to despair. F Friar Laurence with a Basket by Sir John Gilbert, Act II-Scene III, drawn prior to 1873. JULIET Saints do not move, though grant for prayers’ sake. G

ROMEO Then move not, while my prayer’s effect I take. G Shakespeare is known as a master of poetry because he not only utilized poetic structures to tell his stories, but often adjusted words or invented new ones in order to fit that structure, or deviated from it intentionally in order to layer in additional clues about the action of the play. For example, a line of verse that contains the wrong number of syllables often indicates that a character is emotional or out of control, or is a subtle emphasis of an important plot point. In Romeo and Juliet, while Juliet laments Romeo’s banishment and her imminent betrothal to Paris, she cries to Friar Lawrence: “O, bid me leap, rather than marry Paris/From off the battlements of any tower”. The extra syllable in each line tells us to pay attention to Juliet’s suicide threat — a threat that becomes extremely important as the play progresses.

FORMALITIES IN ELIZABETHAN ENGLISH Another aspect of Shakespeare’s language that can appear intimidating to a contemporary audience is his use of what may be considered antiquated pronouns: “thou” and “thee” instead of the more contemporary “you.” The pronoun “thou” as it appears in the first scene of the play — “But thou art not quickly moved to strike” — is an informal, familiar conjugation of “you.” In Elizabethan England, the use of the word “thou” designated that one was speaking informally, as to a friend (think of the Spanish word “tú”). The more formal “you” indicates that one is speaking to a stranger or distant acquaintance, or intending to convey a formal level of respect or esteem (like the Spanish word “usted”).

8 Shakespeare uses these differences to tell the audience from the very beginning who is friend and who is foe; who is familiar, and who is not; who is worthy of respect, and who is lowly. Noting Shakespeare’s careful use of these pronouns will provide another layer of literary clues about the play in the technical breakdown of the language on the page.

RECURRING IMAGES IN ROMEO AND JULIET Another major component of Shakespeare’s poetry is his use of imagery and metaphor. A recurring image or idea is known as a motif, and often serves as a symbolic layer of interpretation beyond the concrete meaning of the words. One of the recurring images in Romeo and Juliet is the presence of light and dark, using images of illumination to illustrate the way the lovers feel about each other. Romeo frequently compares Juliet to light-emitting sources; when they meet for the first time, he says: O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night Like a rich jewel in an Ethiope’s ear[...] And of course, one of the most commonly quoted moments in the play is when Romeo compares Juliet to the sun – “But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?/It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.” The onset or retreat of light spurs moments of action within the play. Romeo is twice forced to leave Juliet when the sun rises and might betray his clandestine presence to his enemies. Another recurring motif is the inclusion of birds in Shakespeare’s text. Birds are often used in literature as symbols of freedom, as they can fly close to heaven, and their songs are often interpreted as omens. Shakespeare artfully alludes to birds to tell the audience how the lovers long for freedom and liberation from the world that wants to keep them apart. When Romeo and Juliet part the morning after their secret marriage, they speak of larks and nightingales: a lark sings at dawn, signaling the morning approaching, and nightingales sing at dusk, meaning night is forthcoming — the two birds eternally distanced by time and circumstance.

JULIET Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day: It was the nightingale, and not the lark, That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear; Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree: Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.

ROMEO It was the lark, the herald of the morn, No nightingale. Look, love, what envious streaks Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east. Shakespeare also draws on long-standing bird symbolisms to add layers of wit and meaning. Juliet speaks of the dove, a symbol of love and peace, when she awaits Romeo’s arrival after their marriage (which could potentially end their families’ feud), and Romeo and Mercutio reference the goose, a pun on “wild goose-chase” as a common Elizabethan euphemism for seeking a prostitute or a sexual object. Another image that resurfaces is that of gardens and the natural world. The dialogue between the lovers repeatedly frames their relationship in botanical terms: Romeo describes their love as blossoming like a flower, and Juliet fears that their love may wither and die. In the famous “balcony scene” (though a balcony is never actually referenced in the script) Juliet famously likens Romeo to a rose: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose/By any other name would smell as sweet.”

9 Friar Laurence also dabbles in images of plant life and herbs. Historically, friars have a long tradition of community involvement that could include the establishment or support of healthcare, much of which was accomplished with healing plants and herbs. The Friar of Romeo and Juliet is himself knowledgeable of plants, as he describes in his introductory monologue, which could also arguably claim to inform the lovers’ struggle. While he is explicitly referring to a flower, his words can also be applied to the treacherous nature of Romeo and Juliet’s relationship: Within the infant rind of this weak flower Poison hath residence and medicine power: For this, being smelt, with that part cheers each part; Being tasted, slays all senses with the heart. Two such opposed kings encamp them still In man as well as herbs, grace and rude will; And where the worser is predominant, Full soon the canker death eats up that plant.

ARCHETYPES IN SHAKESPEARE Like motifs, when a certain theme, situation, or character recurs in literature or mythology, it is referred to as an archetype. Sigmund Freud articulated the theory of the social archetype in the early 1900s to identify specific behavioral roles that frequently appear in social contexts. Later, Carl Jung expanded the theory of the social archetype by analyzing literature to further his research on the human psyche, discovering that certain character types repeat again and again throughout history. Through his studies, he delineated frequently recurring character types, events, and common symbols that have taken on somewhat inherent meanings based upon audiences’ familiarity with previous iterations of similar circumstances. Romeo and Juliet popularized the archetype of “the star-crossed lovers,” which continues to permeate our culture today. This archetype shows the characters engaged in an ill-fated love affair that frequently ends in , often because of external circumstances. In many ways, Romeo fits a “hero” archetype, in that he leaves his home, returning to it later in order to bring about change. In a classical sense he also arguably acts in contrast to a stereotypical hero, whose downfall is often brought about by an internal fatal character flaw; it is commonly argued that Fortune or circumstance is to blame for Romeo’s tragedy, rather than an internal and unavoidable flaw. Juliet falls into Jung’s category of “the white goddess.” This archetype is a pure, chaste young woman, often with religious or intellectual merit, and often sought after as a marriage partner. Her chastity and quality are indisputable, as an object of both desire and aspiration. Friar Laurence fits multiple archetypal roles: in many ways he serves as a mentor, typically represented by a wise older figure who aids in the hero’s quest, but in many ways he also fits the archetype of “the threshold guardian.” This archetype’s role is to test the hero’s courage and to aid the beginning of their journey. Together, Romeo and Juliet both play the role of “the scapegoat.” According to Jung, the scapegoat’s death marks the atone- ment of a sin in their community. In the play, the lovers’ deaths usher in the change that Verona so desperately needs, and illustrates to the feuding families the need to set aside their dispute for the good of the overall community.

10 R&J: BEFORE AND AFTER SHAKESPEARE

SOURCES, INSPIRATION, AND ADAPTATIONS The path to the creation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is long and tangled; it starts more than 1500 years before Shakespeare even started writing with the story of from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Pyramus and Thisbe live in a house with an adjoining wall and their feuding parents have forbidden them to wed. For years the lovers speak through a crack in the adjoining wall and despite being forbidden to see each other they agree to meet outside of a nearby tomb. When Thisbe arrives she sees a lioness, whose mouth is bloody from a fresh kill, and flees in fear; her cloak falls from her shoulders and the lioness snatches it. When Pyramus arrives he sees the lioness’s bloody mouth and Thisbe’s cloak, and assumes the lioness has killed his love. Pyramus swiftly lies on his sword and kills himself; Thisbe returns in hopes that the lioness is gone and discovers Pyramus’s body; she takes his sword, plunges it into her body and dies, splattering her blood across a nearby Pyramus and Thisbe by Gregorio Pagani, on mulberry tree. Upon seeing this display the gods decide to cast all mulberries in a dark hue display at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. to commemorate their ill-fated love. We can see an explosion of stories related to Pyramus and Thisbe starting in the early 15th century; the “lovers divided” swiftly became an archetype that was used in all forms of storytelling across Europe. The next known story to bear close resemblance to Romeo and Juliet came out of Italy in 1476 in a collection called Il Novellino by Masucccio Salernitano. Salernitano introduces many of the plot devices and characters we see in Shakespeare’s later version: the friar in cahoots, the murder of an upstanding citizen that leads to a young lover’s exile, a potion that induces a death-like state, and the impediment of an important message leading to dire consequences. Salernitano’s version develops many of the general circumstances that fuel the lovers’ fate, but a little over 30 years later a man named Luigi da Porto started to flesh out the specifics. Da Porto sets the story in Verona; names the lovers Giulietta Capelletti and Romeo Montecchi and the friar Lorenzo; he establishes the murdered citizen as a member of Giulietta’s family (Thebaldo Capelletti); and introduces Marcuccio, the balcony scene, and the young lovers’ suicides. An adaptation of Da Porto’s lovers appeared mere decades later, written by Matteo Bandello, and was noted for its departure from the expected delivery of a moral message alongside the story. Almost immediately, a man named Boaistuau adapted Bandello’s Frontispiece of Giulieta e Romeo by Luigi da version to include Romeo’s attendance at the Capulet celebration, and Capulet’s decision Porto, 1530. to be peaceful when he discovers that a Montague has entered his home. From these numerous sources, Arthur Brooke created his narrative poem The Tragical Historye of Romeus and Juliet in 1562, which is believed to be Shakespeare’s main source text. Notably, Brooke’s poem begins with a rather harsh admonition of the young lovers and their lustful rebellion, going so far as to label their actions “whore-like” and “traitorous.” When Shakespeare pens his Romeo and Juliet some 30 years later, he redirects the condem- nation of the young lovers toward Fortune instead. While this story seems to have reached a sort of pinnacle with Shakepeare’s name attached, the adaptations have continued from Edmond Rostand’s burlesque Les Romanesques, the Sharks and the Jets of , Baz Luhrmann’s quasi-modern Romeo + Juliet, to Jonathan Levine’s post-apocalyptic zombie movie , not to mention the countless young adult novels inspired by the tragic lovers, it is clear that this story has staying power. While every adaptation of Romeo and Juliet chooses its own lens through English actor David Garrick in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Artist unknown, 1753. which to tell its tale, one particular aspect remains fairly universal: the cruelty of fate and

11 circumstance. The template seems to dictate that their love is never wrong by virtue but by a convention of society that forces them apart, whether it be race, gender, social status, or any of the millions of ways humans have found to differentiate themselves from one another. This universality of division stretches across time and space to meld to the circumstances of any age, lending a timelessness to the tragic tale of young love torn asunder that can trace its roots through cultures, languages, and generations.

THROUGH THE LITERARY LENS

Romeo and Juliet, as perhaps one of the best-known plays in the English language, has a large and fascinating body of literary criticism behind it. Literary critics use a variety of critical lenses through which they shed light and conver- sation on a particular facet of the story, to pull out layers that, while they may be subtle, deepen our understanding of both text and context.

FEMINISM IN ROMEO AND JULIET Scholars of feminist theory embrace a wide range of perspectives when approaching Romeo and Juliet. Some scholars argue that while it may be commonly suggested that Romeo and Juliet are sentenced to death by (capital “F”) Fortune, (capital “P”) Patriarchy may be a more productive analysis. Within the world of the play, Verona is held hostage by a cycle of violence that is Verona, a woodcut from the 1847 edition of The Illustrated Shakespeare. linked to masculinity, a family feud notably expressed through the men in each generation. In this way, male violence becomes a rite of passage in Verona, and such violent expressions of masculinity are furthered by a simultaneous oppres- sion of women and the feminine. This is in fact the first thing Shakespeare shows us in Romeo and Juliet, during the introductory quarrel between servants of the Montagues and Capulets. When a servant of the Capulets’ remarks that if he passed a Montague in public, he would make them walk in the street by walking nearer to the wall himself, Gregory explains that this demonstrates a feminine passivity and an inherent and unenviable weakness. Later, during Romeo’s emotional outburst at learning of his banishment, Friar Laurence accuses him of being “womanish,” admonishing him for his frailty and reminding him, “Art though a man?” An oppressive patriarchal system further asserts its presence through the circumstances of Juliet’s betrothal: while her father originally states that “My will to her consent is but a part,” when the stakes and tensions rise he instead threatens to disown her if she refuses to obey his command to marry Paris, leaving her to a life where she can “hang, beg, starve [or] die in the streets.” The oppression is further solidified by the underlying assumption that a woman’s only value — or security — lies in the circumstances of her (heteronormative) marriage. Romeo and Juliet by William Hatherell, 1912.

12 In contrast to the patriarchal constructions of the world, many scholars argue that Juliet herself represents a progressive feminist impact, not commonly assumed in 1590s England when Shakespeare authored the play. Juliet offers one of the few examples of unwavering self-confidence in her oft-repeated promise to take matters into her own hands should her marriage to Romeo be undermined. Also, in a play in which dramatic action is poised upon missed messages and miscommunication, Juliet is the sole female character who acts upon her own moral conviction with agency, after having gathered all of the available information: she alone knows all of the tenuous circumstances surrounding her marriage to Romeo and the mere illusion of her own death, and independently directs her own actions accordingly, asserting both “If all else fail, myself have power…” and “I needs must act alone.” Finally, the context of ATC’s production also offers a feminist twist to the classic text: many of the roles traditionally assigned to male actors, such as those of the Prince and Benvolio, are instead portrayed by women, recalibrating some of the gender dynamics that the words of the play may lead us to expect. By defining the world of the play as 1960s Verona, the external social forces also manifest differently, as Italy historically approaches the heyday of its own feminist movement toward the end of the decade.

QUEER THEORY IN ROMEO AND JULIET Another common analytical approach to Romeo and Juliet is to examine the ways in which queerness and non-traditional expressions of gender and sexuality are expressed in text and performance. There is a wide body of scholarship that surrounds the relationship between Romeo and Mercutio, and the often sexually suggestive battle of wits that the two repeatedly engage in. Many critics identify the bawdiness of Mercutio’s language, specifically his numerous references to Romeo’s physical and sexual identity, as an unexpressed homosexual desire. In one notable exchange, when Mercutio and Romeo meet the day following the Capulet feast, the two bombard each other with a series of increasingly racy puns. If one posits the exchange as an example of latent homoeroticism, it also becomes a possible parallel for historical attitudes toward queerness: a subtle acknowledgement of inexplicit presence.

PSYCHOLOGICAL THEORY IN ROMEO AND JULIET A psychological approach to Romeo and Juliet is another oft-explored scholarly perspective, combining psychological concepts and the relationship between outward behavior and inner desires. The language of the play reflects strong passions and intense emotions, along with a recurring emphasis on the nature and meaning of dreams, often described in psychological terms as the desires of the subconscious. The day of Romeo and Juliet’s meeting, Romeo references an uneasy feeling of momentousness, left behind by a dream he can’t quite remember. Mercutio takes dream-meaning to another level, describing the fairy as the bringer of dreams to the people who live out their meaning: dreams of love to lovers, dreams of money to lawyers, and dreams of war to soldiers. Scholars also identify possible Oedipal implications within the text, for both the Montagues and the Capulets. The Oedipus Complex, a component of the Psychosexual Theory of Behavior articulated by Sigmund Freud, explains the unconscious desire of the child to be sexually involved with their parent of the opposite sex and engage in a resulting rivalry with the parent of the same sex. Some critics argue that the newly-established distance between Romeo and his mother, bemoaned by Lady Montague, and his lack of closeness to his father — subverted at the end of the play by Romeo sending a letter to him — can be viewed as an Oedipal manifestation; on the Capulet side, Juliet’s distance from her mother can be viewed as a result of Lady Capulet’s subconscious envy of Juliet’s relationship with Lord Capulet, who describes Juliet as “the hopeful lady of my earth.” As Lord Capulet prepares to send Juliet out into the world as a bride, emotional distance becomes suddenly manifest in his threat to disown her should she not comply with his wishes, and completes the Oedipal cycle wherein Juliet now identifies with her mother’s more complicated relationship to her father.

13 CULTURAL CONTEXT: 1960s ITALY

POLITICS AND CLASS STRUCTURE IN 1960s ITALY In the 1940s, Italy freed itself of two disastrous political systems: the fascist regime under Mussolini that had been one of the Axis powers in World War II, and the monarchy of the Kingdom of Italy, which had existed in various forms since the country’s unifi cation in 1861 The stage was set for a new political system to emerge as Italy tried to establish itself as a truly independent nation and to recover from the ravages of war The Italian Socialist and Communist parties joined forces as the Popular Democratic Front in 1948, but worldwide fear of communist ideals and the potential continuation of Soviet infl uence led to their political defeat Instead, the Christian Democracy party won control, and would hold power in Italy for the next fi fty years The Catholic Church, a major force of infl uence in Italy because of its long history and proximity, actively supported the traditional social and moral values of the Christian Democracy, excommunicating members of the church who were advocates of Communism In addition to joining the United Nations in 1955, Italy soon became a founding member of Regions of Italy the North American Treaty Organization (NATO) and two forerunners of the European Union (the ECSC and the EEC) This rising international profi le and the alliances it furnished — notably with the United States — was one of a confl uence of factors which led to incredible economic growth known as themiracolo economico — the Economic “Miracle” — in Italy during this period, with per capita income more than doubling between 1950 and 1970, increasing far more than any other European country As the Cold War-era progressed, Italian alignment with the U S spurred the proliferation of capitalist ideals and promoted a fl ood of migrants from the rural areas in the South to urban centers in the North, as industry grew and fl ourished Modern luxuries (like indoor plumbing, cars, and televisions), which had long been inaccessible to the working class, became commonplace for most Italians In 1964, after distancing itself from Soviet Union communist support, the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) was integrated into the Christian Democratic government to form a parliamentary coalition, introducing major land and social reforms to strengthen and institutionalize education and industry, and address the social and class inequality that still characterized Italian society Expanding access to education emerged as a political priority, but was implemented without adequate structural support Education became compulsory up to the age of 14; rather than shunting many students into work training after primary school, middle school was now mandatory In 1965, universities once designed for the elite were opened to everyone with the elimination of entrance exams; however, such changes were made without necessary additions in staffi ng and funding, creating soaring dropout rates just as the miraculous economic expansion came to a swift halt and unemployment spiked Despite the targeted eff orts of the new Centre-Left coalition government, reform energy waned quickly, leaving behind a vast disparity in income between the upper and lower classes, a thriving Mafi a presence in Italy, and a continued fi nancial and political imbalance between North and South The perception of class bias in the university system fueled left-wing criticism of those institutions, and many working-class students joined the counterculture move- ment, alongside many factory and industrial workers The student movement grew rapidly from 1966 to 1967, and specifi c issues like overcrowding were lost in the fervor of anti-capitalism, which took a stronghold in the 1960s and grew in response to increasing U S involvement in Vietnam throughout the decade The capitalist “monster” seemed uncontrollable and unstoppable, with

Maps of the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Italy, showing the relative locations of Mantua and the growth of industry startling and unsettling many Verona, a distance of approximately 30 miles

14 Italian commoners. Numerous communist groups organized during this time, assembling protests and, eventually, turning to terrorism, alongside the Mafia-fueled violence of the First Mafia War. The control and reach of the Mafia had proliferated in tandem with the economic boom, as international capitalist principles fostered a corrupt system of patronage between the Christian Democrats and organized crime. Rival Mafia clans erupted into violence, adding to the general atmosphere of fear and mistrust as they each fought for control of the highly profitable heroin market, to supply growing demands for the drug from North America. 1960s Italy is often remembered as the forerunner of the “Years of Lead,” the terror-dominated era to follow. As the decade drew to a close, a December 1969 bombing in Milan marked the beginning of fifteen years of brutal, rampant terrorism. Killing seventeen people and wounding eighty-eight, the Piazza Fontana bombing was never fully solved. Terrorism was a tactic of both the extreme left and the neo-fascist right wing, with each justifying their acts out of fear of each other and the centrist government, viewed as an elitist slave to capitalist influence. However, the 1960s was also the decade that brought Italy into the modern age, as the country faced the legacy of World War II and experimented with its internal and international identity. America, which had helped defeat Nazi fascism and aided in post-war rebuilding through the Marshall plan, was at once an ally and a threat; the romanticism of Rome as an epicenter of art and sophistication fueled an image of La Dolce Vita — “the sweet life” — even as violence, terrorism, a thriving counter- culture and rampant social inequality dominated Italian daily life. The world was in flux, and Italy was along for the ride.

LA DOLCE VITA The 1960s brought about a period of both intense romanticism and deep unrest in Italy as the nation, freshly free from the oppressive fascist regime of the World War II-era, sought to establish itself as a self-identified nation and an active member of the international community. The Italian social fabric burst with a renewed sense of creativity and freedom, the decade’s economic boom raising the profile of Italy, and particularly the capital city of Rome, to become one of the most stylish and romanticized places in the world, as the emerging bourgeoisie eagerly took advantage of newfound access to art and education. The image of the Italians’ laid-back style and easy living, coupled with the influx of income from the burgeoning economy, created an impression of La Dolce Vita — the sweet life — a phrase used to encapsulate the free spirit and glorious aspiration of the era. In counterpoint to the sweet side of life, La Dolce Vita also encompassed a darker aspect as the Italian infrastructure struggled to keep up with its quickly evolving social and economic

Original film poster for Fellini’sLa Dolce Vita landscape. The transformation to a capitalist framework collided with intense restrictions (1960). on trade and workers’ rights, leading to civil unrest and strikes among students and factory workers. The education system reeled from the sudden influx of students, including many farm and agricultural workers whose access to education had been previously limited, leading to a dramatic shortage of resources and a subsequent soaring dropout rate in Italian universities. The 1960s also notably revealed the Mafia presence in Italy, and violence grew as rival factions competed for control and production of heroin, to supply the growing drug demands from the U.S. Quick and dramatic developments of international and internal identity sit as iconic tenets of La Dolce Vita, as Italy rapidly and somewhat desperately negotiated the good and the bad of its newfound place in the world. Celebration and disorientation, progress and trans- formation all combined to form a blissful, colorful, chaotic, and daring panorama of possibility and potential in the lived Italian experience.

15 GEOGRAPHY AND IDENTITY The economic boom and the revolution of industry and progress that characterizes 1960s Italy had a particular impact upon the social structure and the already-existing economic and geographic stratification of Italian society. The capitalist agenda of the Christian Democracy party aligned with the profitable aspect of burgeoning industrial opportunities that were concen- trated in the North, leading to mass migration to the new northern urban centers — more than three million people, the majority of which were able-bodied young men, left the South between 1955 and 1970 to seek their fortune in the North. Many of the reforms brought about by the coalition government established between the Christian Democrats and the Italian Socialist Party in the 1950s were targeted at the reformation of the agrarian society still maintained in the Southern Italian countryside, bringing financed roads, electrification, and water provision. The aim of this Southern Development Fund was to create a settled society of peasant cultivators to redistribute wealth and revolutionize the elitist landowning of the previous age, but in reality, there was not enough land to go around; only 117,000 families actually acquired land in the agrarian reform, further contributing to massive emigration from South to North, depopulating rural Italy while simultaneously overpopulating Rome and many northern cities. Meanwhile, capital-heavy industries such as steel works and oil refineries — known as “cathedrals in the desert” — were cultivated in the South, which employed few local laborers but furthered the international capitalist agenda adopted by Christian Democrat policy-makers (based on the American consumerist model). The unequal distribution of population between North and South also contributed to political inequalities, as many of the reform agencies that reached into the South were helmed by politicians and businessmen in Rome and Northern industrial centers, thus furthering the economic dominance of the North, controlling by extension the land allocation, loans, and improve- ment grants that were designated to raise the Southern industrial profile. The Southern emigration into Northern industry also exacerbated long-established social and ideological contrasts as the “worker aristocracy” of Northern industry met the new, less-qualified immigrants from the South and upheld a relative gap between rich and poor, even as geographic barriers were removed. This core inequality would greatly contribute to the counterculture’s attempted communist revival and terrorist agenda through the late 1960s and continuing into the 1980s. The stratification of Italian political ideology in this period can generally be divided into various agendas with geographic relevance: the “white” subculture, representative of Catholic, Christian Democratic, and capitalist principles dominated in the more traditional South and northeast; the “red” agenda of the Communist and Socialist parties represents the progressive industrial and working-class heartlands of Turin, Milan and Genoa, in addition to Emilia, Tuscany, and Umbria; and most major Italian cities also housed a “black” neo-fascist zone, though the taint of Nazi fascism would force the neo-fascists to remain politically “untouchable” until the 1990s. The Christian Democratic party also came to be identified with a corrupt system of patronage and clientelism that forged links of power and money between organized crime, political patronage, and government contracts. This proved a huge drain on public finances and resources, contributing both to the abrupt halt of the Economic Miracle in 1964 and the rise of an emphatic and violent subculture in the late 1960s to protest the evils of capitalism and class stratification. Social unrest in large Northern factories and among the student population sparked the Hot Autumn of 1969, a season of strikes, factory occupations, and mass demonstrations, fueled by leftist agendas that sought to overthrow the capitalist status quo, and spurred on by the guerrilla tactics of Che Guevara and the Uruguayan Tupamaros and the Chinese Maoist cultural revolution. The explosive and often violent establishment of leftist social agendas coincided with a general shift away from the traditional social and moral values of the older, agrarian, religious generation and fostered a shift to a more modern sense of individualism, as a younger generation embraced a richer, freer, more enlightened experience. What had begun as a sudden affluence with aspirational expectations in the early 1960s revealed a darker, pragmatic aspect by the end of the decade as disillusionment with authority, the church, and a consumer society prompted an alternative lifestyle that sought equality across class and regional lines, heralding an era of terrorism, mistrust, and fear known as the “Years of Lead.” Image of the Italian strikes of “Hot Autumn,” 1969.

16 A TIMELESS TALE

One of the many reasons for Shakespeare’s longevity — we’re still studying his plays, written more than 400 years ago — is the assertion that his stories themselves seem timeless, and that the circumstances of dramatic action can be applied to innumerable settings throughout history. The setting of ATC’s production in 1960s Verona offers some unique and fascinating parallels to the time of the text’s creation in 1590s England.

RELIGION The religious landscapes of 1590s England and 1960s Italy have both significant deviations and significant parallels to one another. Protestantism was the official religion of England, the outcome of a long and violent conflict with Catholicism throughout the reigns of Elizabeth I’s predecessors; Elizabeth initially demonstrated a reasonable tolerance, allowing the practice of Catholicism, until strong Catholic alignment with her cousin, Mary Stuart (Queen of Scotland), became a significant political threat, and conversion to Catholicism was declared as high treason in 1591. While 1960s Italy was not quite as dramatic, there was a parallel decrease in the practice of Catholicism: in the 1950s, some 70% of the population regularly attended Catholic services, a figure that had fallen to 30% by 1980, over the course of little more than a generation. In both settings, religion and politics were also closely linked. In Elizabethan England, religious doctrines were determined by the monarchy and by Parliament, making political dominance necessary to religious supremacy. In Italy, the Christian Democrats were the political party in power from 1948 through the 1980s; the party advocated social and national politics associated with traditional social and moral values, and was expressly supported by the Catholic Church. Both settings’ religious landscapes were also governed by close proximity to the roots of their respective faiths: the protestant Church of England was overseen by the English monarch, while the Roman Catholic Church is overseen by the Vatican and the Pope, who is the Bishop of Rome, the capital city of Italy.

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I of England, who reigned 1558-1603. POLITICS England in the 1590s was experiencing a shift in governmental organization, with a new generation active on the privy council of Queen Elizabeth I, spurring a progressive decline in the personal authority of the monarch. Somewhat similarly, 1960s Italy is less than a full generation removed from World War II, Hitler, and the fascist rule of Mussolini, and dealing with the aftermath of alchemizing an entirely new political system with the establishment of the Italian Republic in 1948.

FEMINISM Emblem of the Christian Democracy (Democrazia Cristiana), the political party in Though Elizabethan England is rarely regarded as a heyday of feminist thought and power in Italy from 1948 to the 1980s. progresses, the era itself is significant: Queen Elizabeth I had been ruling as England’s sole monarch since her coronation in 1559. Alternatively, 1960s Italy is in the first stages of a feminist revolution which would come into full power in the following decade.

17 YOUTH CULTURE The greatest differences in youth culture between the days of Shakespeare and the 1960s are caused by the drastic differences in life expectancy — and the definition of “youth” — between the two eras: late Elizabethan Englanders could expect to live to the ripe old age of 42, while 1960s Italians’ life expectancy was 72. While we may find Juliet’s youthful marriage as a 13-year- old bride disturbing in a contemporary context (and she would have been considered a young bride even in the 1590s), in Shakespeare’s England she would already have lived approximately one-third of her life.

WORLD VIEW Both 1590s England and 1960s Italy are concerned with their national identity in an international context; Elizabethan England is about to extend its empire and establish colonies in the Americas, while 1960s Italy is actively asserting its international presence by helping to found the North American Treaty Organization (NATO), and joining the U.N. and two precursors to the current European Union. In contrast to England’s expanding empire, Italy lost much of its world colonial presence in the Paris Peace Treaties of 1947, which ended World War II.

GLOSSARY

Alla stoccata: Italian phrase meaning “at the thrust.” Ambuscadoes: A pseudo-Spanish adaptation of the word for “ambushes.” Aqua vitae: A strong alcoholic spirit. Aurora’s bed: Aurora is the goddess of the dawn, meaning that Romeo has stayed out all night.

Goddess of the dawn, Aurora by Guercino, Bad’st: Bade; decreed or told. 1621-23, as depicted in the ceiling fresco in the Casino Ludovisi, Rome. Behooveful: Needful. Bite my thumb at them: A gesture conveying insult and disrespect. Carry coals: To put up with insults. Catling: A string for a lute made of catgut. Charnel house: A vault for human bones.

Depiction of a cockatrice as an architectural Chidst: Past tense of the verb to chide; rebuked. element. Chinks: Reference to money. Choler: Anger. Take the wall: To move to the position furthest from the street and force other foot traffic into the street; an act of discourtesy. Cockatrice: A mythical beast depicted as a two-legged dragon with a rooster’s head, which featured prominently in Elizabethan mythology; sometimes synonymous with the basilisk, a mythological snake that kills with its eye contact, though a basilisk is usually depicted without wings. Colliers: Coal carriers; a lowly profession. Cotquean: “Cot queen”; a housewife Demesnes: Region or area. Statue of Diana, goddess of the hunt, the moon, and birthing; the Roman equivalent Dian: Reference to Diana, the goddess of chastity. of the Greek goddess Artemis.

18 Ducats: Gold or silver coin used in Europe during the later medieval centuries and into the 20th century; a ducat in Shakespeare’s day had the same worth as approximately £100 or $154 USD in 2015. Elf-knots: Matted knots of hair on a horse’s mane or tail, as though tied by the small hands of mischievous elves. A gold ducat of Venice, 1400. A ducat in Shakespeare’s day is worth the approximate Flirt-gills: Women of questionable morals or chastity. equivalent of $154 USD in 2015. Gadding: Wandering without purpose. Greensickness: Reference to anemia, or a pale complexion that may indicate illness. Gyves: Shackles. King Cophetua: A king in an old English ballad who is struck by Cupid’s arrow and falls in love with a beggar maid. Lammas-tide: August 1st, the feast of the first fruits and the hottest season of the year. Man of wax: A perfect man, as though sculpted from wax; could also reference a certain lack of excitement or passion. Mandrakes: Root of the mythical creature mandragora, which screams like a baby when Image of the legendary mandrake, pulled from the ground and was associated with healing properties. Mandragora from the 15th century manuscript Tacuinum Sanitatis (1474). Marchpane: Also known as marzipan, a candy made from almond and sugar. Mattock: A pickaxe. Osier cage: A basket made of willow. Palmer: Another word for pilgrim, or one on a religious journey. Pentecost: A church feast in spring. Pop’rin pear: Slang term for male genitalia. Princox: An impertinent youth. Fairy Mab by Swiss painter Henry Fuseli, 1815-1820. Proxility: Verbosity; wordiness. Queen Mab: A fairy queen of Celtic folklore. Rebeck: A three-stringed fiddle; a musical instrument. Rest you merry: Parting phrase similar to “see you later.” Set cock-a-hoop: To start a riot. Sirrah: A term of address toward a servant or one of inferior rank. Spinners: Spiders. Sycamore: A type of tree; a symbol of unhappy lovers. Topgallant: The highest mast and sail of a ship; the most elevated part. Vestal: Virginal; chaste; often associated with female beauty. Wanton: Light-hearted or playful; lacking in seriousness or sincerity. Wherefore: Elizabethan English term meaning “why?” Whoreson: An insult, accusing one of being a bastard child of a whore.

A three-stringed fiddle known as a rebeck. Zounds: A shortened version of “by Christ’s wounds,” a phrase used as an oath.

19 DISCUSSION QUESTIONS AND ACTIVITIES

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. What was your favorite design or technical element of the show (set, costumes, projections, music/sound, lighting)? How did it support the telling of the story? 2. ATC’s production of Romeo and Juliet takes place in 1960s Verona. How well do you think this “modern” setting worked for the story? Did it make the story more or less relatable? Where/when else could you set this story without sacrificing plot or impact? 3. Shakespeare is continually exalted as perhaps the greatest playwright of the English language; do you agree with this assessment? Why have his plays withstood the test of time? 4. How did the live music in ATC’s production contribute to the atmosphere or storytelling? Was it well-integrated, or did it stand out and distract? 5. Several typically male roles in Romeo and Juliet were played by women in ATC’s production. Did this choice affect your understanding of or empathy for those characters? Did the gender reversal affect the story itself in any positive or negative ways? 6. Romeo and Juliet make a series of choices over a short period of time in the course of the play that lead to their tragic end. Do you agree with the choices they made? How else could they have taken control of their “star-crossed” fate? 7. How has this story been re-imagined in modern storytelling? Can you think of any stories (TV, films, plays, books) which mirror this play or have been inspired by this story? 8. Why do you think Romeo and Juliet, a tragic story that ends in the death of both the young lovers, is remembered as one of the greatest love stories of all time? What does this say about us as a culture?

THEATRE ACTIVITIES 1. Redesigning Shakespeare Create an original director’s concept for Romeo and Juliet. Individually or in groups, choose a time period, geographical location, artistic style or concept, color schemes, etc. Create a physical or a digital collage to aide in presenting your concept to the class. 2. Shakespearean Improv Two students enter the “stage”. They begin an improvised scene, using a location, relationship, and/or a physical action suggested by the audience. Once the scene is established the teacher freezes them; the students then have to continue the scene using heightened Shakespearean language and dramatic action. Then freeze again and jump back into modern language. Go back and forth for a few minutes to let the scene develop. 3. Social Media Shakespeare Take a few iconic scenes from Romeo and Juliet — the lovers’ meeting at Capulet party, the balcony scene, Juliet’s apparent death — and rewrite the action to fit today’s technological world. How would the recurring device of missed messages or miscommunication play out with the addition of social media and cell phones? Would the story end differently?

20 LANGUAGE ARTS ACTIVITIES 1. Create a cause and effect chart for the play. Map out the character’s choices and the consequence of their choices. 2. Compare and contrast the Montagues and the Capulets in a Venn diagram. What are their similarities? What are their differences? 3. Imagine how you could re-tell this story. In 15 pictures, create a graphic novel of Romeo and Juliet. Include at least ten lines of dialogue from the original text in your novel. 4. The long-term turmoil between families instigates all the tragic events that lead to Romeo and Juliet’s deaths. What if they could have stood up to their families? Ask your students to write a letter, as Romeo or Juliet, to their family about how this feud is affecting their lives and asking them to change their behavior. 5. Identify a few key decisions that Romeo and/or Juliet make during the play that leads to their fate. Rewrite those moments so that another choice is made, and create a new ending for their story. Does it still end in tragedy?

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