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Scene Study prepares you to perform key scenes for your theater class or audition. We've got all the information you need for a great performance.
Excerpt from Act 2, Scene 4 Dialogue: Benvolio, Mercutio, Romeo
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Understanding the Given Circumstances
- Romeo is meeting his friends on a street in the city of Verona.
- Benvolio is a friend and member of Romeo’s family (a Montague). Mercutio, Romeo’s best friend, is a relative of the local ruler (Prince Escalus).
- Mercutio and Benvolio haven’t seen Romeo since the three of them attended the Capulet party—uninvited. At the party, Romeo saw Juliet for the first time, and the two fell in love. Since the party, Romeo has been visiting Juliet, and their relationship has rapidly progressed.
- Mercutio and Benvolio don’t know the specific details, but they suspect that Romeo has been distracted by love because, last they knew, he was in love with Rosaline. In the past, they always made fun of Romeo for being in love.
- The three friends’ relationship is based on friendly banter and making fun of each other.
Blocking and Movement
In theater, blocking is the process of planning the actors’ physical movements and positions. Be sure to show respect and establish trust when working with scene partners. As you prepare to block this scene, ask yourself the following questions:
- What scenic elements do you imagine are present in this scene? A city street in Verona could be completely empty, but it might include a wall, steps, posts, or places to sit down. If you decide to include some elements, think about how they can facilitate the blocking by providing opportunities for sitting, standing, leaning, and so on.
- The conversation is friendly, but it is also competitive and high energy. Think about how your movements can keep the energy high but also illustrate the competition between Romeo and Mercutio. For example, bold sudden movements can convey energy, and moving toward a character and/or crossing into their personal space can signal a witty attack.
- Romeo begins the conversation still distracted by his experiences with Juliet, but by the end, he is fully engaged in the battle of wits. How can your movements and actions help pace this transformation?
- Benvolio has only a few lines in this scene, but he is clearly engaged in the conversation. Shakespeare typically includes characters like this to model an audience’s reaction. How can his movements demonstrate his engagement and his appreciation? Is he laughing? Applauding? Groaning at puns? Keeping score? Pretending to hold Romeo or Mercutio back?
- How will you handle the puns in this scene? One of the things that makes scenes like this feel challenging is that it is difficult for an audience to understand the jokes. Language has changed so that most of the puns just don’t make sense to a modern audience, but they also pass extremely quickly. Even an Elizabethan audience may have had trouble following them. You and your scene partners should understand the puns. However, trying to use explanatory gestures to clarify them for the audience can make the jokes fall flat. How can your characters’ reactions let the audience know when a joke has landed without trying to explain it?
- When scenes like this fall flat, it’s often because the blocking includes too much forced laughter. Some laughter is clearly indicated, but think carefully about where it should occur.
- This scene offers plenty of opportunities for physical contact. If you are going to include this, make sure it is carefully planned and that all scene partners understand and agree. As you rehearse your scene, make sure also to rehearse the physical contact, slowing it down and breaking it into parts.
Character Relationships
If one thinks of Romeo and Juliet as being solely about the star-crossed lovers, then this scene might not seem important. It does very little, for example, to develop Romeo as a lover, except perhaps by showing that he is intelligent enough to deserve someone like Juliet. What the scene can do, however, is dramatize the wider costs of events. The play is really a tragedy not only for the two lovers but also for the whole community. Mercutio will die. Benvolio will have to watch the tragedy unfold around him. By showing this moment where the friends are happy and together, the play prepares the audience to feel the pain of what is to come.
The witty competition in this scene also serves as a counterpoint both to the deadly competitive dueling that will kill Mercutio and Tybalt and to the flirtatious exchanges between Romeo and Juliet as they spar over kissing at the party or playfully disagree about whether the bird they hear is the nightingale or the lark. In performing this scene, you have the opportunity to show that Romeo is more than just a sappy lover and to make the audience care about Mercutio and understand the depth of his friendship with Romeo.
Full Act 2, Scene 4 Dialogue: Benvolio, Mercutio, Romeo
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