×
 

Community Read-Along

Share to FacebookShare to TwitterShare to LinkedInShare to PinterestShare to Email

1818 Meets Today

SLUH's English department invites you to celebrate 200 years of tradition by reading two traditional titles. Both are part of the school's curriculum, and one was written in 1818. Learn more about these enduring novels and engage in discussion with current teachers, alumni and others.

Spring 2018

Fall 2018

RSS Feeds Subscribe to Alerts

English teacher Chuck Hussung played the Friar in the Dauphin Players' production of Romeo and Juliet in the fall of 2017. (Photo by Dominik Skroska '18)

The Beginning of Franco Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet: What’s up with those costumes?

Zeffirelli’s Romeo and Juliet uses costumes to communicate Sampson and Gregory’s character at the beginning of the play. The two servants are dressed in clownish outfits that emphasize how foolish these two characters are. Their red and yellow outfits seem to be the Capulet uniform, as opposed to the purple and green worn by the Montagues. Their costumes, then, reinforce the idea that they are on the Capulet team, which sees itself as the opponent of the Montagues. Also, the two men have two-toned codpieces with tassels hanging from them, drawing attention to their crotches. This part of their costume suggests the aggressive masculinity of Sampson and Gregory—how they brag (in the play) about the size of their “pretty piece of flesh” and boast about assault, sexual and otherwise.

— Frank Kovarik '94, English teacher