How Can I Paraphrase This Scene From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet?
4:3:46-60
Alack, alack, is it not that I,
So early waking, what with loathsome smells,
And skrieks like mandrakes torn out of the earth,
That living mortals, hearing them, run mad -
O, if i wake, shall I not be distraught,
Environed with all these hideous fears,
And madly play with my forefathers’ joints,
And pluck the mangled Tybalt from his shroud,
And, in this rage, with some great kinsman’s bone,
As with a club, dash out my desp’rate brains?
O look, methinks I see my cousin’s ghost
Seeking out Romeo that did spit his body
Upon a rapier’s point! Stay, Tybalt, stay!
Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s drink.
I drink to thee.
Tagged with: brains • cousin • earth • fears • forefathers • ghost • joints • kinsman • mortals • rage • rapier • romeo romeo • shroud • tybalt
Filed under: Mandrake
Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!
What if I wake early, with the horrible smells and screams that make mortals go mad? If I wake early, don’t let me be distraught, surrounded by these terrifying things, and madly play with the bones of my ancesters, move the damaged Tybalt from his resting place, and, in my madness, use one of my ancester’s bones as a club to beat myself in the head? Oh, I think I see Tybalt’s ghost looking for Romeo, who stabbed him with a sword! Stay there, Tybalt, stay. Romeo, Romeo, Romeo. Here is my drink. I drink to you.
I love Romeo and Juliet. It’s one of my favorite plays.
http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/page_226.html
This has the whole play in modern terms.
No fear Shakespeare – quite an idea, huh?
I did this monologue for a district acting competition. This is Juliet pondering on whether or not to take the potion the friar gave her.
"Environed with all these hideous fears and madly play with my forefathers joints" This is saying when I wake up will I be in a coffin or just mearly stuffed into my uncles coffin.
She’s horrified to think that this potion might be poison and is thinking of how miserable she will be when she takes it. But then she thinks of Romeo and why she must drink the potion.
No one really thinks of death until it stares them right in the face. To me Juliet is your typical High school Cheer leader. All beauty and a brain she really never uses. This is the moment when she finally starts thinking .
It’s a struggle between the heart and the mind
Break-a-Leg
Oh no, oh no. I’ll wake up and smell awful odors. I’ll hear screams that would drive people crazy. If I wake up too early, won’t I go insane with all these horrible, frightening things around me, start playing with my ancestors’ bones, and pull Tybalt’s corpse out of his death shroud? Will I grab one of my dead ancestor’s bones and bash in my own skull? Oh, look! I think I see my cousin Tybalt’s ghost. He’s looking for Romeo because Romeo killed him with his sword. Wait, Tybalt, wait! Romeo, Romeo, Romeo! Here’s a drink. I drink to you.