The Mad Blood Stirring
A Version of Romeo and Juliet
|
The extract is from the opening scene. | |
| THE CHORUS ENTER. THEY SPEAK THE FOLLOWING TO THE AUDIENCE, SHARING THE LINES BETWEEN THEM. | |
| CHORUS: | Two households, both alike in dignity, (In fair Verona, where we lay our scene) From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean: From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life: Whose misadventured, piteous overthrows, Doth with their death, bury their parents' strife. |
| CHORUS MAKE IMAGES DURING THE FOLLOWING Two families at war! AN IMAGE Two people in love! AN IMAGE Violence and death! AN IMAGE Murder and banishment! AN IMAGE Parting is such sweet sorrow! AN IMAGE Doomed love joined in death! AN IMAGE |
|
| This is what you're going to see! A tale of love and death and woe! Stay, and watch this tragedy Of Juliet and Romeo. It'll be a tragedy if you miss it. |
|
| CHORUS BREAK UP THE IMAGES AND APART. ON ONE SIDE, GREGORY AND SAMSON ENTER. ON ANOTHER, ABRAHAM AND BALTHAZAR ENTER. BOTH PAIRS STAND FROZEN, AS THE CHORUS SPEAK This is Verona And out on the streets that grudge is brewing The mad blood's stirring The old feud's stewing Because these two serve the Capulets |
|
| GREGORY/ SAMSON: |
We hate those Montagues |
| CHORUS: | And these two serve the Montagues |
| ABRAHAM/ BALTHAZAR: |
We hate those Capulets. |
| CHORUS: | And they meet on the streets
And they can't hold their tongues And soon Pretty soon There's going to be trouble. |
| GREGORY: | You see them? |
| SAMSON: | I see them. |
| ABRAHAM: | They're Capulets. |
| BALTHAZAR: | I know. |
| GREGORY: | Quarrel - I will back thee. |
| ABRAHAM: | What shall we do? |
| SAMSON: | I will bite my thumb at them. |
| BALTHAZAR: | Ignore them. We don't want trouble. |
| GREGORY: | Go on, then. |
| SAMSON: | Right. Here goes. Calls out Hey! Montagues! This is for you! HE BITES HIS THUMB |
| ABRAHAM: | Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? |
| SAMSON: | I do bite my thumb, sir. |
| BALTHAZAR: | Do you bite your thumb at us? |
| GREGORY: | Do you quarrel, sir? |
| BALTHAZAR: | Quarrel, sir? No, sir! |
| SAMSON: | If you do, I am for you! |
| ABRAHAM: | Come on, then. |
| GREGORY: | Yeah? |
| BALTHAZAR: | If you're hard enough. |
| SAMSON: | Yeah? |
| ABRAHAM: | Yeah! |
| GREGORY: | Yeah! |
| BALTHAZAR: | Yeah |
| SAMSON: | Draw, if you be men! |
| ALL DRAW THEIR SWORDS, AND FREEZE | |
| CHORUS: | And that's how it happens As easy as that From hard words to spilled blood - A matter of seconds It happens so easy So easy It happens too easy on the streets of the city |
| BENVOLIO ENTERS | |
| BENVOLIO: | Part fools! Put up your swords! You know not what you do |
| CHORUS: | This is Benvolio - Montague and peacemaker. |
| TYBALT ENTERS | |
| TYBALT: | What? Art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? |
| CHORUS: | This is Tybalt - Capulet and troublemaker. |
| TYBALT: | Turn thee, Benvolio! Look upon thy death! |
| BENVOLIO TURNS TO TYBALT | |
| BENVOLIO: | I do but keep the peace |
| TYBALT: | I hate the word, As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee! |
| THEY DRAW THEIR SWORDS TO FIGHT, AND FREEZE | |
| CHORUS: | You strike a match And the flame starts burning - |
| LORD AND LADY CAPULET ENTER | |
| CAPULET: | What noise is this? Give my long sword! |
| CHORUS: | You snap your fingers And death comes running - |
| LORD AND LADY MONTAGUE ENTER | |
| MONTAGUE: | Thou villain, Capulet! |
| CHORUS: | And Mr. and Mrs. Capulet are in the fray And Mr. and Mrs. Montague are in there too. |
| LADY CAPULET: | Why call you for a sword? |
| LORD CAPULET: | My sword, I say! Old Montague is come! |
| MONTAGUE: | Hold me not! Let me go! |
| LADY MONTAGUE: |
Thou shalt not stir one foot to seek a foe! |
| CHORUS: | And everybody a piece of the action Everybody wants to share the fun And it's just like a chain-reaction And everybody's joining in! |
| ALL CHORUS CRY OUT, VOICES CALLING OVER EACH OTHER. THE CHARACTERS ONSTAGE GIVE AN IMPRESSION OF THE FIGHT BY CREATE A SERIES OF STILL IMAGES, ONE AFTER THE OTHER |
|
| Strike! Beat them down! Down with the Capulets! Down with the Montagues! |
|
| AS THE NOISES REACHES ITS HEIGHT, PRINCE ESCALES ENTERS. SOME OF THE CHORUS TAKE ON THE ROLE OF HIS BODYGUARD |
|
| PRINCE: | Rebellious subjects! Enemies to the peace! |
| BODYGUARD: | That's enough! Break it up! |
| PRINCE: | Profaners of this neighbour-stained steel! |
| BODYGUARD: | Put those swords away! Come on, before somebody really gets hurt! |
| PRINCE: | Will they not hear? |
| BODYGUARD: | Leave it out! Break it up! |
| PRINCE: | Throw your mistempered weapons to the ground! |
| BODYGUARD: | You deaf, or something? You see who this is? Your prince and master! And we're his men! So do as he says! Break it up now! Or else! |
| ALL STOP NOW AND LISTEN TO THE PRINCE | |
| PRINCE: | Three civil brawls, bred of an airy word, By thee, old Capulet and Montague, Have thrice disturbed the quiet of our streets. |
| ABRAHAM: | They started it! |
| GREGORY: | No, we didn't! |
| SAMSON: | It was them! |
| BALTHAZAR: | It wasn't! It was them! |
| BODYGUARD: | Enough! No more! Watch it! |
| PRINCE: | Now hear the sentence of your moved Prince! If ever you disturb our streets again, Your lives shall pay forfeit of our peace. |
| BODYGUARD: | You get that? Any more fighting Any more brawling Any more disturbing of the peace And whoever it is that does it - He's dead. That clear enough for you, is it? |
| PRINCE: | Once more, on pain of death, all men depart. |
| ALL TURN AND GO. THE BODYGUARD REJOINS THE CHORUS | |
| CHORUS: | So this is how things stand in the streets of Verona An uneasy peace An uncertain truce The kind of quiet you get when a storm's in the air And the heat's stifling And light's glaring And the heart's pounding And the mad blood's stirring. |
| Click here to learn more about the project at Windsor Park Middle School in Uttoxeter |
|
|
| |
All original material Copyright © 2002 David Calcutt.
Any reproduction in full or in part of any item or extract represented herein is forbidden
unless written permission has first been obtained from the originator.