Juliet

What does Juliet look like? Juliet is a young girl, she has fair skin and long copper hair, which are a contrast to her big green eyes. In the play she is played by Claire Danes a 16 year old although when Shakespeare originally wrote the play Juliet is supposed to be 13.

Juliet’s Personality Traits Juliet comes across as being shy and innocent in the beginning. When she meets Romeo she is very impulsive towards him. Juliet seems to be the type of person who when she makes up her mind is hard to change.

Key Scenes and Events An important scene for Juliet is when she first meets Romeo through the fish tank, where the fish are contrasting colours symbolising danger or conflict. This is an important scene for Juliet because it foreshadows the pool scene which is showing their love for each other. Water is also a symbol for religion, which is important in the play.

Strengths and Weaknesses She is very strong minded She follows her heart Her love for Romeo is strong as she forgives him for killing her cousin Weaknesses She can be too impulsive Doesn’t think about her actions She only believes she can love Romeo

Ch-Ch-Changes At the beginning of the film Juliet was very much under her families control. She did what they wished and hardly ever left the house. She was forced to meet Paris and would have been forced to marry him. When she met Romeo she impulsively fell in love with him, which made her deceive her family and Marry him.

What Juliet teaches us… Through Juliet’s courageous actions she taught us to follow our hearts and go for what we believe in. She teaches us that love can overcome family, as Romeo kills her cousin Juliet has the heart to forgive him. She also teaches us about love at first sight and how we should never give up on loved ones.

Character Relationships

Juliet’s Relationships Romeo Lady Capulet Priest

Juliet and Romeo The power in this relationship is shared equally, which is one of the reasons why their relationship works really well. The relationship doesn’t change that much throughout the film, the only thing is that their love for each other grows. The relationship between these two helped us to understand that there is such a thing as true love and means you have to make sacrifices to make your relationship work. This happens in the film when Romeo gives up his honour when he refuses to fight Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Juliet pretends to be dead so she can be with Romeo, this is sacrificing seeing her family again. Techniques that help show this relationship are; slow calm music whenever they see each other, which contrast to all the fast music beforehand. Also the quick cuts between them to show excitement between them. Another technique is whenever they kiss the camera slows down as if nothing else is happening around them. Furthermore another technique is the costumes they wear to the party, Juliet is an angle and Romeo is her knight in shining armour.

Juliet and Lady Capulet Lady Capulet holds the power in this relationship as she chooses whom Juliet may and may not marry. The relationship does change during the film because in the beginning Juliet obeys her mother and in the end goes against all her wishes to secretly marry Romeo. This relationship helps us to understand that for true love to work, you have to make some sacrifices and can’t please everyone. Techniques used to show the relationship were the fast pace music to show the chaotic lifestyle of her mother which contrasts Juliet. Her costume at the party was an Egyptian Queen indicating power and authority. Another technique used was the tone of voice she used towards Juliet as it was often yelling. Moreover, another technique used was the fast camera cuts between them showing us a frantic pace between them.

Juliet and the Priest We think that the Priest holds the power in this relationship as Juliet respects him and she young and looking for guidance. The relationship between them grows stronger as more trust is made, when Juliet marries Romeo. The relationship helped us to understand the amount of trust you can give a person. Also the priest ties Romeo and Juliet together as he is the middle-man. Techniques used to show the relationship between them were, how the music changed in the church to show peacefulness and serenity. Also how the cuts between them were slow indicating low pressure between them. Another technique is dialogue as the priest usually talks calmly towards Juliet, reassuring her that there is nothing to worry about. Lastly the priest usually wears beach shirts which shows the relationship between him and Juliet is calm and easy going.

Juliet Verbal Techniques

It’s all a game: After kissing Romeo for the first time Juliet giggles as they try to escape her mother and nurse. This shows how Juliet is naïve and is unaware how serious their relationship is, acting as if her romance is a game more than real life. “My only love sprung from my only hate…”: The ‘fairytale’ atmosphere that is created during the ball is ripped away from Juliet as she watches Romeo in disbelief. This foreshadows the struggle that Juliet and Romeo experience when trying to be together.

“Come I pray thee, speak”: Juliet is excited about the news in which her nurse is withholding. This shows her impatience and how she is nervous with anticipation. “Be not so long to speak. I lone to die!”: Juliet is overwhelmed by the conflicting emotions that she is experiencing. This portrays her as an impulsive, naïve child.

“Farewell. God knows when we shall meet again “Farewell! God knows when we shall meet again.”: In saying goodbye to her mother, Juliet says goodbye to her entire family and life as she knows it. The tone of her voice hints that she is sombre as she realises she is giving up everything for Romeo. This shows she is controlled by her emotions rather than her intellect. The Gun: The heightened sound of the gun shot shows how the novelty of romance has ended and that it’s now serious. This reinforces the ideas of violence and how we can be possessed by love as Juliet chose to end her life dramatically.

Visual Techniques

Juliet’s Costume: The angel outfit at the ball reinforces the idea of religion. It portrays her as pure and innocent. This helps show her naivety. Throughout the film she is dressed in white which enforces the portrayal of purity. Watching the fireworks: Juliet seems to be looking out at the fireworks, longing for more. It looks like she wants to be out there, enjoying life away from the prison that is her family.

Watching Romeo from balcony: Juliet’s face is bathed in shadow Watching Romeo from balcony: Juliet’s face is bathed in shadow. This portrays the trouble which is smothering their love. There is also a wind blowing which signifies change. The change could be referring to her beginning to make her own decisions or the tragic turn that leads to her death. In the church Juliet is surrounded by candles and light. There is more light around Juliet, it looks angelic and heavenly which links to the purity portrayed by her angel costume at the ball. The colours of the room are all gold and neutral colours which seem peaceful and soft, yet passionate like her relationship with Romeo.

When compared to Romeo’s blue shirt it seems as if the light is Juliet’s influence on Romeo’s life, represented by the shirt. It shows us that Romeo thinks life would be nothing without Juliet. Juliet is the light and meaning of Romeo’s life. The camera moves in slow motion when Juliet picks up the gun. This emphasises the seriousness of the moment and her decision to kill herself for the one she loves. She is making her own decision instead of following what her parents think is best.