The Reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets Use the graphic organizer below to make notes about how director Franco Zeffirelli portrays the characters in the film version of Act V. Pay careful attention to the language, the sound effects, the physical elements (such as costumes and scenery), and camera angles in the film. SCENE DESCRIPTION: In this final act, Romeo receives false information that Juliet has died. He commits suicide; when Juliet awakens from her drug-induced sleep, she finds Romeo dead, and as a result, she also takes her own life. Film Your Observations Elements (The 1968 Franco Zeffirelli Version) The Zeffirelli version also doesn’t show Romeo fighting and killing Paris, but other than Language that, of the lines are true to the text. The music is dramatic and loud (as is the horse’s pounding) when Romeo races to Sound Verona. When he reaches the tomb, it becomes soft and dramatic and swells as each Effects title character makes the decision to take his/her life. Mantua seems to be out in the country. Romeo appears to be taking refuge at some kind of church. After Balthasar’s news, Romeo arrives at the churchyard at dusk and Physical breaks into the Capulet tomb, which is dark. Juliet lies on a stone platform, her head Elements propped up by beautiful pillows. In this version, Romeo is dead by the time Juliet awakens. Camera There is a combination of close ups and zooming out. Most of the zoomed in scenes are Angles during the death scene. Grade 9: Romeo and Juliet Analyzing a Visual Depiction of Act V, Scene iv Examine the details in Frederic Lord Leighton’s painting The Reconciliation of the Montagues and the Capulets over ​ the Dead Bodies of Romeo and Juliet. ​ Complete the OPTIC1 graphic organizer as you examine the painting. O is for Overview. Conduct a brief overview of the main subject of the visual. ​ ​ ​ The painting features several people standing around the focal point, Romeo and Juliet lying O dead in the tomb after committing suicide. P is for Parts. Scrutinize the parts of the visual. Note any elements or details that seem important. ​ ​ ​ Juliet has a beautiful and bright white dress on, and she is clinging to Romeo who is depicted in darker hues. Both have darker faces, and Paris’s similarly colored face is next to Romeo as P he is propped up next to him in the tomb covered in a red cape. The Prince, in blue, seems to be standing over the joined hands of Lord Montague and Lord Capulet, both in red, as they shake hands, ending the feud. Others stand in the background, which is shadowy. T is for Title. Read the title or caption of the visual (if present) for added information. ​ ​ ​ ​The title is ​The Reconciliation of the Montagues and the Capulets Over the Dead Bodies of T Romeo and Juliet​. The title describes the scene. I is for Interrelationships. Use the words in the title or caption and the individual parts of the visual to ​ ​ ​ determine connections and relationships within the graphic. I Romeo, Juliet, and Paris, who all died in the tragedy, are in the foreground. Juliet’s bright white gown immediately the observer’s eye. The remaining characters stand in the middle ground, joining hands as they end the feud. C is for Conclusion. Draw a conclusion about the meaning of the visual as a whole. Summarize the ​ ​ ​ C message in one or two sentences. 1 Adapted from Pauk, W. (2000). How to study in college (7th ed.). Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston. ​ ​ ​ ​ Grade 9: Romeo and Juliet A possible message of this painting is that peace is possible despite past circumstances. 1. Using your mood words handout, list some words that appropriately depict the emotional atmosphere of the painting. resolved, heartbroken, somber, thoughtful, contemplative 2. Using the words that you used to describe the mood of the painting, complete the following statement: While Romeo and Juliet are , the others in the painting are . The mood of ​lying lifeless​ ​upset but making peace​ the painting can be described as , which communicates the idea that ​somber​ ​a bitter grudge can have . devastating effects​ 3. Look at the idea you wrote above and think about how the details that create the mood of the painting reveal Leighton’s general statement about life or human nature. Then write a thematic statement about the painting, The Reconciliation of the Montagues and Capulets over the Dead Bodies of Romeo and Juliet. What does this ​ painting have to say about human experience? Although reconciliation is always a possibility, a bitter grudge can have devastating effects. Grade 9: Romeo and Juliet .