~ Context to Shakespeare and R&J ~

Context

There are many differences between modern and Shakespearean theatre, with differences in technology and acting style and so on. One key difference is that women were not allowed to act in the Elizabethan era so all the actors would have been male, even the female characters. 

In modern theatre we use a blackout, and sometimes a sound effect, to get the audience's attention and show that the play is about to begin. However, in Shakespearean theatre they did not have this, so the actors had to draw attention themselves. This meant that their naturalistic acting had a melodramatic tone as they needed to project and use grand gestures to maintain the audience's focus. Shakespeare's audience was a lot less respectful of theatre than the modern audience, who will sit quietly throughout. Shakespeare's audience, especially the ground-lings who had to stand in front of the stage for the entirety of the play. They were loud and did not always give their full attention to the play, so the actors had to (figuratively speaking) battle the audience for their attention and focus for 2 or 3 hours. 

There will also be a difference in production, as mentioned above we have better technology and can use more lighting and sound effects to enhance the performance. For example, lighting can be used to subtly show the theme/mood of the scene, while sound can be used to set the scene and show the audience where the actors are.

The themes of Romeo and Juliet include love, tragedy and relationships. On the Spark notes website, it says that in the play "love is a violent, ecstatic, overpowering force that supersedes all other values, loyalties, and emotions." This is apparent with Romeo and Juliet's relationship where they get Friar Lawrence to marry them despite both of their families being against it. This is also clear when at  the end f the play, after Romeo and Juliet kill themselves because of their love, and their connection is strong enough that both the Capulets and Montagues recognise it and decide to put aside their feud. However, within the play love is seen as both a force of affection and destruction. It is Romeo's love for Juliet that drives him to suicide, and the tragic ending to the play.

Romantic love is not the only kind of love seen in Romeo and Juliet, there is also familial love and platonic love. Familial love can be seen between Lady Capulet and Juliet. For example, although Juliet does not want to marry Paris, her parents want her to because they think his position as a  Count will benefit her. His respected position has social advantages as well as his earnings which will provide for her and their future family. Despite their disagreement on the matter Lady Capulet still loves her daughter. An example of platonic love in Romeo and Juliet, is between Romeo and Mercutio. Romeo loves Mercutio to the point where he would fight, and was willing to die, for his friend.

How do we make Shakespeare relevant in 2017?

We can make Shakeseare relevant in 2017 on stage by adapting it to the modern day. For example, using more modern language, and using more lighting or sound effects.

Shakespeare is already taught in schools throughout the country, so many are familiar with his work. It is also readily available with printed copies, and online versions on your phone or computer, as well as downloadable versions to read on a kindle or other devices, or audiobooks to listen to. This makes Shakespeare relevant in the sense that it has easy access to, which is encouraging to young people.

However it is difficult to make Shakespeare relevent in the sense that because it is taught as a part of our history, along with the difficulty of the language, many young people today simply do not have interest in his work.