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#Joseph Smith
Dr. Brestensky
Shakespeare
Thursday, April, 26 2001
Stage Direction for First Fight Scene of 'Romeo and Juliet' Act III Scene I Using the Japanese Art of Swordsmanship 'Kendo'
First I would like to say that I am disappointed that I did not get to perform this. This was partly my fault, and partly my partner's fault, as I feel this would have been an exciting performance and may have gotten some of my fellow students interested in the art of Kendo.
The original stage direction calls for a sword to be drawn on line 86, by Tybalt. It would be more appropriate for him to handle the hilt. In Kendo, the drawing of the sword would be a first attack. Therefore the fight should more rightly begin two lines later, when they were called to fight by original direction, at line 88. There are two ways that the fight could last and both would be valid for Japanese period swordplay. By starting the fight at line 88 the director would choose to have a drawn out fight would be exciting for an audience to watch, or alternately you could have the fight begin and end after line 93 with one belly strike. The original direction calls for a stab, katanas are not designed for this, so therefore Mercuitio must be killed with what is called in Kendo a 'Do' (short o as in the English verb) or belly strike. Although not seen in modern Kendo, it is still a legitimate technique, and would fit the period. This move would disembowel Mercuitio. This is the only way the fight can end between the two ways to go about the fight, because there is no stabbing in Kendo because of the curvature of the katana, and also because Mercuitio must also be alive for his lines, because the only other way for Tybalt to kill him would be decapitation. This also changes the tone of M's unacceptance that he had been bested and on the brink of death to one of sarcasm in the face of death.
The reason the action could be over so quickly and seemingly unevenly is because of the blades used. Kendo, or 'The Way of the Sword' is based around the use of the katana. Much in the same way European fencing is based around the use of the rapier. The katana is regarded by most weapons experts to be the deadliest sword forged by human hands. Folded from anywhere between hundreds to thousands of times depending of the prestige of the future owner, it is beaten to a wedge, with a thick soft edge used for blocking and a cutting edge that is so sharp that I will cut through trees, yet so brittle it can easily shatter if the wielder does not take care in it's use. This forging technique also gives the katana two distinct characteristics that it is widely known for, the foggy area surrounding the cutting edge, caused by a difference in the hardness of metals from one side to the other, and its bow which is caused by the think edge being softer than the cutting edge.
How I envisioned the action taking place would be Tybalt taking a 'Waki' position with his blade carried low to the ground behind him, looking kind of like the sword is too heavy for him and he is dragging it. Then swinging and lunging into the 'Do' killing him.
Mercuitio would take a 'Hasso' position with the blade near to his head, similar to baseball batting stance. He would be no match for Tybalt's speed, implying why he is called "The King of Cats," which would be Mercuitio's undoing.
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#Joseph Smith
Dr. Brestensky
Shakespeare
Thursday, April, 26 2001
Stage Direction for First Fight Scene of 'Romeo and Juliet' Act III Scene I Using the Japanese Art of Swordsmanship 'Kendo'
First I would like to say that I am disappointed that I did not get to perform this. This was partly my fault, and partly my partner's fault, as I feel this would have been an exciting performance and may have gotten some of my fellow students interested in the art of Kendo.
The original stage direction calls for a sword to be drawn on line 86, by Tybalt. It would be more appropriate for him to handle the hilt. In Kendo, the drawing of the sword would be a first attack. Therefore the fight should more rightly begin two lines later, when they were called to fight by original direction, at line 88. There are two ways that the fight could last and both would be valid for Japanese period swordplay. By starting the fight at line 88 the director would choose to have a drawn out fight would be exciting for an audience to watch, or alternately you could have the fight begin and end after line 93 with one belly strike. The original direction calls for a stab, katanas are not designed for this, so therefore Mercuitio must be killed with what is called in Kendo a 'Do' (short o as in the English verb) or belly strike. Although not seen in modern Kendo, it is still a legitimate technique, and would fit the period. This move would disembowel Mercuitio. This is the only way the fight can end between the two ways to go about the fight, because there is no stabbing in Kendo because of the curvature of the katana, and also because Mercuitio must also be alive for his lines, because the only other way for Tybalt to kill him would be decapitation. This also changes the tone of M's unacceptance that he had been bested and on the brink of death to one of sarcasm in the face of death.
The reason the action could be over so quickly and seemingly unevenly is because of the blades used. Kendo, or 'The Way of the Sword' is based around the use of the katana. Much in the same way European fencing is based around the use of the rapier. The katana is regarded by most weapons experts to be the deadliest sword forged by human hands. Folded from anywhere between hundreds to thousands of times depending of the prestige of the future owner, it is beaten to a wedge, with a thick soft edge used for blocking and a cutting edge that is so sharp that I will cut through trees, yet so brittle it can easily shatter if the wielder does not take care in it's use. This forging technique also gives the katana two distinct characteristics that it is widely known for, the foggy area surrounding the cutting edge, caused by a difference in the hardness of metals from one side to the other, and its bow which is caused by the think edge being softer than the cutting edge.
How I envisioned the action taking place would be Tybalt taking a 'Waki' position with his blade carried low to the ground behind him, looking kind of like the sword is too heavy for him and he is dragging it. Then swinging and lunging into the 'Do' killing him.
Mercuitio would take a 'Hasso' position with the blade near to his head, similar to baseball batting stance. He would be no match for Tybalt's speed, implying why he is called "The King of Cats," which would be Mercuitio's undoing.
