Mariah Gale:O, sweet my mother cast me not away.
Mariah Gale:Delay this marriage for a month. A week. Or, if you do not, make the bridal bed In that dim monument where Tybalt lies.
Michael Fentiman:Was Juliet say that Lady Capulet pays no attention to her almost?
Michael Fentiman:I'm going to kill myself.
Christine Entwisle:Yeah.
Michael Fentiman:And what's Lady Capulet's response?
Christine Entwisle:Do what you want.
Christine Entwisle:Talk not to me, for I'll not speak a word. Do as thou wilt.
Christine Entwisle:I have done with thee.
Michael Fentiman:So what's driven her to that point?
Christine Entwisle:It's very, very difficult to… Justify it in my head because, although she's… She tells her she's, I would the fool, I would the fool marry to her grave.
Christine Entwisle:She then defends her against Capulet. And then right at the end of the scene flips back again and says talk not to me I'll not speak a word, do as thy wilt. I've done with thee.
Christine Entwisle:Juliet has put her in a compromising position She has created a terrible scene at breakfast. Capulet's very upset. She's just, she's angry and you know, you say things when you're angry that you wouldn't when you're calm.
Noma Dumezweni:I think it best you married with the county He is a lovely gentleman, Romeo is a dishclout to him.
Michael Fentiman:You've seen her love for Romeo, you know how sinful marrying again would be.
Michael Fentiman:Why do you try and get her to marry Paris?
Noma Dumezweni:The status quo's tipped over. Actually, we've gone a bit too far with all this. If your dad says you're going to be exiled, hang, out of here No. Why would you do that?
Noma Dumezweni:Beshrew my very heart, but I think you are happy in this second match, for it excels the first. Or if it did not, the first is dead.
Noma Dumezweni:This is what we women do, you mum did it when she was young I'm doing it when Juliet was young.
Noma Dumezweni:They're in charge, but to survive within this marry Paris, we'll sort out the Romeo stuff later.
Mariah Gale:I can, you know, me, Minnie, I can see the nurses perspective saying survive. Live. But to Juliet, that's a betrayal.
Noma Dumezweni:All of a sudden, I think it becomes about survival for the nurse.
Michael Fentiman:What's the danger now for her though?
Noma Dumezweni:That she would be found out that she helped be the love message, messenger between the two of them.
Mariah Gale:The nurse has kind of encouraged her to be with Romeo and now she's back pedalling and saying, you know, he's a dishclout. And I kind of think, my god you've really changed your tune and that really isolates Juliet. Because she chooses not to take the nurse's advice.
Mariah Gale:Thou hast comforted me marvellous much.
Mariah Gale:Go in and tell my lady I am gone having displeased my father, to Laurence' cell, to make confession and to be absolved.
Michael Fentiman:When Juliet yields. When Juliet says OK, OK, yep.
Noma Dumezweni:I have to believe that's true. I have to believe that's true…
Michael Fentiman:But it's quick.
Noma Dumezweni:She's listened to me, baby girl. Great, I've got it done.
Michael Fentiman:Easy. As easy as that.
Mariah Gale:But Juliet is going down these train tracks now.You know, she's passionate and she's headstrong. She's going to go…
Noma Dumezweni:She's steadfast too…
Mariah Gale:She's going to go to the ends of the earth for Romeo and that's it.
Michael Fentiman:A big part of this scene is about distance. And the breaking of bounds and separation. So I just want to do an exercise to just try and visualise that a little bit. Minnie, get as close as you can and, and as tight as you can, physically with the nurse.
Michael Fentiman:And then both of you just see how as that scene develops,
Noma Dumezweni:How it parts us.
Michael Fentiman:We might just sense that what the nurse is saying, although the wisest choice, might also be creating a little bit of distance.
Mariah Gale:What say'st thou? Hast thou not a word of joy? Some comfort, nurse.
Noma Dumezweni:Faith, here it is.
Noma Dumezweni:Romeo is banish'd, and all the world to nothing That he dares ne'er come back to challenge you. Or, if he do, it needs must be by stealth.
Noma Dumezweni:Then, since the case so stands as now it doth I think it best you married with the county.
Mariah Gale:When you experience something physically it's a lot more potent and you discover things intellectually as you're, you're experiencing…
Noma Dumezweni:'Cos actually the body I think just I, I always love this idea the body tells you a lot more truth than your head does 'cos you can intellectualise, you can put reason you can put it into logic. But actually these kind of exercises, especially with Shakespeare physically, physicalising those sounds, whatever the, that language is.
Noma Dumezweni:Impulses that come into the body actually do feed…
Mariah Gale:Yeah…
Noma Dumezweni:lovely intuitions.
The actors look at how Juliet becomes increasingly isolated, from her mother, her father, and finally her nurse.
This short film is from the BBC series, Shakespeare Unlocked.
Teacher Notes
This short film could be used as a starting point to explore conflict within a group.
Set out a group of individual characters and a situation that they disagree on.
Students should improvise what side of the argument their character would take based on their personal opinion or experience of the issue.
Move on from this by establishing connections between the characters (such as husband and wife, siblings, parent and child).
Students should consider how loyalties and allegiances might alter their character’s behaviour.
This short film is suitable for teaching GCSE English literature and drama in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and National 4/ 5 in Scotland.
More from Shakespeare Unlocked - Romeo and Juliet
Act 3, Scene 1 - Death of Mercutio (workshop) video
Michael Fentiman discusses ambiguity in Shakespeare’s text. Does Tybalt intend to kill Mercutio?
Act 3, Scene 1 - Spoiling for a fight (workshop) video
The company discuss Shakespeare’s language and the reason for the fight.
Act 3, Scene 1 - The Fight. video
Young men from the Montague and Capulet families fight with tragic consequences.
Act 2, Scene 2 - Romeo's soliloquy (workshop) video
Sam Troughton discusses how Romeo has no plan once he is discovered in the Capulet garden.
Act 5, Scene 1 - Unlocking the words (workshop) video
RSC Head of Voice, Lyn Darnley, helps Aislín McGuckin through a series of voice exercises.
About the 2011 RSC production. video
The cast discuss acting, directing and prop choices for this production.
Act 2, Scene 2 - Juliet's soliloquy (workshop) video
Mariah Gale and Sam Troughton explore the problem of Romeo’s name and Juliet’s solution.
Act 2, Scene 2 - Lovers unite (workshop) video
Romeo puts his life in danger by entering the Capulet orchard. Mariah Gale and Sam Troughton explore differing ways of playing the scene.
