Question

Romeo and Julia

by August Strindberg
August Strindberg (1849-1912) was a Swedish playwright and novelist. In this short story, he references Gounod and Bellini, composers who wrote
operas based on Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, like many other composers of the time. Strindberg was also known to have been influenced by
Shakespeare himself
(1) One evening the husband came home with a roll of music under his arm and said to his wife:
(2) "Let us play duets after supper!"
(3) "What have you got there?" asked his wife.
(4) "Romeo and Julia, arranged for the piano. Do you know it?
Select the correct answer.
Look at the image of the stage at an old provincial theater. Imagine the scene in the passage acted out on stage.
How might a live action performance of the story help the audience better understand the characters?
by allowing the audience to understand the characters' interactions
B.
by allowing the audience to see the characters when they were young
by allowing the audience to hear the music the characters are reacting to
by allowing the audience to follow the conversations between the characters
A.
OC.
D.

Answer 1

Answer: The correct answer is D. By allowing the audience to follow the conversations between the characters, a live action performance of the story might help them better understand the characters.

The story “Romeo and Julia” by August Strindberg is a short and ironic tale about a married couple who try to relive their youthful romance by playing an opera based on Shakespeare’s tragedy. However, they find that the music is not as beautiful as they remembered, and that they have grown old and disillusioned. The story contrasts the idealism of youth with the realism of age, and the difference between art and life.

A live action performance of the story would help the audience better understand the characters by showing their facial expressions, gestures, and tones of voice as they play the music and talk to each other. The audience would be able to see how the husband is enthusiastic and nostalgic, while the wife is bored and critical. They would also be able to see how the music fails to evoke any emotion in them, and how they end up drinking beer instead of enjoying the opera. The performance would highlight the irony and humor of the story, as well as the sadness and disappointment of the characters.

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