Acting Friar Laurence

   The scene I will be acting is Act 4 Scene 1 where Friar Laurence and Juliet was having an emotional conversation after Juliet's parents forced her a marriage with Paris. Sarah will be acting Juliet wanting to suicide and I will be acting Friar Laurence trying to come up with a solution. Friar Laurence, which is my character, has a healer and advisor kind of personality and also a father-like, reliable person to both Romeo and Juliet. Comparing to all the characters in the story, Friar Laurence is oppositely calm in my opinion for most of the time. 

    The setting is in Friair Laurence's cell right after he have finished talking with Paris about the sudden marriage he has with Juliet arranged by their parents. A historical past of this given circumstance is that Romeo and Juliet have already secretly married each other and are crazily in love with each other. A potential and an expected, ideal future Friair Laurence has, if this obstacle did not appear, is that through Romeo and Juliet's marriage the feud could be reconciled. Over all, Juliet and Friair Laurence's relationship is close and important since he was the one that made their marriage possible and the one person that this couple both trusted. Friar Laurence could also be considered as a person with power, since religion did played an important role in the society during that time. As a god father, he is also expected to have specific justice and kind strengths. But his vulnerability could also be caused of his strengths believing that everything should result in a more optimistic way. 

    However, Friar Laurence's goal is to help Romeo and Juliet's love being permitted by their families. His motivation is to make the society more peaceful and to encourage a reconcile between the Montagues and the Capulets. Therefore, I will portray this character with a reliable and staid image by acting calm and understanding towards Juliet being emotional. Some body languages and movements I have think of to act out during the performance is to show a contrast between me as Friar Laurence and Juliet. I would try and hold still Juliet's shoulder when she could be shaking with desperate and anger because of the arranged marriage. The outfit will also be an important part to show my characteristic, for example wearing something more formal, I will want to wear something different comparing to the film version where Friar Laurence was wearing a flower shirt. It is more complicated and difficult to achieve Friar Laurence's overall motivation in this short scene trying to solve Juliet's concern. However, coming up with this solution is already a key point to many of the upcoming events. 

Moreover, I would speak slowly and steadily to show my calmness and ability to comfort people with conscious when Juliet is speaking nervously and without productive thoughts to solve a serious problem. To become a kind and nice character, I will pause from line to line to make sure if Juliet is feeling better and would try softly to take her knife away for her to hurt herself. As Friar Laurence, I would also make sure that I respects and listens to Juliet's feelings and if she would really want to accept such dangerous and risking solution. To portray all these details and personalities, many small body gestures and facial expressions should be acted carefully and naturally. Also using what I have leanred from reading articles about Michael Chekhov's acting philosophies. To imagine Friar Laurence while practicing, asking why and how questions as if I am the character; also, how to feel and spread the atmosphere with my partner during performance.