Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, was first performed in 1594

or 1595.

Theatres in those days were round wooden buildings. They had no roof

and also no lighting. This was why plays were only performed during

daylight.

The stage itself came out from one side. Over the top of the stage was

a roof called the canopy which was painted underneath with stars, suns

and moons.

There was almost no scenery, so different parts of the stage stood for

different places. There was a balcony, which was used for the famous

scene in Romeo and Juliet, could also be used for an upper room,

mountain top or castle battlements. As there wasn’t much scenery, one

of the characters, possibly the chorus, would tell the audience where

the scene was set or one of the cast would walk across the stage

holding a sign.

The actors mainly wore their everyday clothes when acting but may also

have worn a distinctive piece of clothing such as a crown. Women were

not allowed to act so their parts were played by boys of 13 – 14. It

was very hard for them to act some of the deep feelings of some of the

women characters.

Depending on how rich you were, there were different places that you

would sit in the audience. The most expensive place to sit was on the

edge of the stage. This is where dukes and duchesses would sit. The

next most expensive place was in the covered galleries that ran around

the building. Poor people would not even get a seat; they would stand

in the pit that was around three sides of the stage.

Although Friar Lawrence is only a minor part in the play, Romeo and

Juliet, he plays a large part in the lives of Romeo and Juliet. The

actor playing Friar Lawrence would probably have worn a cowl or

crucifix to show he was religious.

Friar Lawrence is a holy man and he has known Romeo and Juliet for the