Romeo & Juliet, is a universally loved, for its rich characters, heart pumping drama and probably the most soul destroying storyline. All articulated perfectly by the brilliant, William Shakespeare. That goes on to create a truly timeless story. The most recognizable adaption is the one, by Director Baz Luhrmann. Which was released in November 1st, 1996. To great success, in terms of the finical takings and the critical response. It made $147. 5 Million, on a modest budget of $14.5 million. The director came from Australia, and was hugely passionate about film making at a young age. Luhrmann made the film, out of pure passion for Shakespeare. So in essence the film captured a number of powerful themes, my favourite being Tragedy. That goes …show more content…
Has Luhrmann been successful when meeting expectations of a totally different context? To quote Luhrmann, ‘Dramas play to the simple person and the complicated person’. Which is true to his direction. , Romeo and Juliet, displays the theme of tragedy, through the use of Cinematography. That is present in the “Gas Station Fight”, with all of the close ups of the each indivual weapon. As well as the visual metaphors of the Capulet Boys squishing the cigarettes on the ground. Which could be a reflection of the situations’ outcome. It really showcases the relationship between the Montagues and the Capulets. The amount of close ups of the grills, as well. Is what showcases how violent the two families are. As people who have grills are often represented as a complete manic. It’s a …show more content…
Thus being how, Lurhman has been successful conveying the theme of tragedy, through the amount of close ups. ,, The use of Acting has played a great role in developing the theme of tragedy, in particular the character of Tybalt played by Harold Perrineau. This is present during Mercutio’s final moments. Due to Harold Perrineau’s performance, where he pursues to say that he’s placing a plague on both of their houses. While he begins to perish, in the Hands of Romeo. The sudden shock of Mercutio’s wound, where he begins to stumble, leading to his eventual break to madness. All perfectly encapsulate the theme of tragedy. As at this moment of the story, where it starts to show just how dangerous the story is. That no one is safe and even that vital characters can die. This ties into theme of tragedy. This is due to the chain of events that really enforce these points. Because of this Romeo, feels the need to kill Tybalt. I strongly believe because of the brilliant performance by Harold Perrineau. That this
Context has greatly influenced how Romeo and Juliet was written by William Shakespeare in the 1500’s to how Williams Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet was produced in 1996 by Baz Luhrmann with a more modern intention.
He is often up and happy, which immediately turns to serious brooding. The best example of this comes at his death. He has been stabbed through by Tybalt’s cruel blade and the killer has flown. All his fellows gather around laughing when Mercutio yells that he is injured. After sending for a surgeon he stumbles about saying, “No, ‘tis not so deep as a well, nor so wide as a church door; but ‘tis enough, twill serve: ask for me tomorrow and you shall find me a grave man. I am peppered I warrant for this world. A plague o’ both your houses! Zounds, a dog, a rat, a mouse, a cat to scratch a man to death” (III.i.94-99). In this quote Mercutio seems to go from cracking jokes and making puns to all seriousness, screaming plague upon the quarrel between the two houses. This was very serious considering the plague was running rampant at that time, killing thousands of people. To wish plague on someone is to wish the most feared thing of their age on them and their family. This is not the only example of such emotional instability as he often ranges from very high to very low, creating quite the dramatic and loud character. Mercutio’s characteristics are wide and varied, making him into an extremely complex, extremely prominent character. Shakespeare places this persona of varying emotions who may not be thinking exactly what he seems to be into the story of Romeo and Juliet, a stage full of such
However, due to his intrusion of the Capulet party in act one, scene five, it is Tybalt’s rage that jeopardizes Romeo’s well-being. This shows the intensity of Romeo’s love for Juliet, and how he cares more about seeing her than his own safety. For example, in act five, scene three, Romeo kills himself because he believes that Juliet is dead. Love made Romeo put himself in dangerous situations, and caused Juliet to go against what her parents wanted. This is important to the story because it is Romeo and Juliet’s love for each other that ends the feud.
Mercutio’s role in Romeo and Juliet cause an ill-fated chain of events and their effects, which lead to the early decease of Romeo and Juliet. Mercutio is foxlike; a cunning, taunting, manipulative man; his own actions lead to this own demise. He taunted Tybalt, leading to their fight which led to Mercutio’s own
At the beginning when Tybalt and Mercutio are quarrelling, the audience feels the tension. The audience then awaits the outcome of Tybalt and Mercutio’s fight and are disturbed by the result of Mercutio’s death. All through this scene we are wondering what is going to happen next, there is so much going on. We worry about Romeo’s safety throughout this scene, and this is not resolved by the end, leaving the audience in suspense.
...ndured, yet I'm sure that few have viewed both of these phenomenal films. Each director, in their own right, is a creative genius. They pushed themselves to create the best interpretation of Romeo and Juliet that they knew how, not knowing what Shakespeare's true directorial intentions were. Whether life is seen through a traditional viewpoint or a contemporary viewpoint, Shakespeare will always remain Shakespeare--a creative genius in the truest sense of the word. If Shakespeare himself were given the opportunity to view Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zefferelli's interpretations of his play, I believe he would be proud.
Romeo and Juliet is the tragic story of two young, “star-crossed” lovers from feuding families, destined for disaster. The Capulets and the Montagues have an ancient grudge on one another that has been passed down over generations. Unfortunately, Romeo and Juliet end up victims of their families’ vicious loathing. Romeo and Juliet’s story has several intertwining themes such as the aforementioned hatred between the Capulets and Montagues and the revenge Romeo strives for after his friend Mercutio’s death. Also, the love and passion between Romeo and Juliet and the loyalty of Romeo and his friends. Honour and revenge also feature frquently throughout the play including Juliet’s pressure to honour her family, and the revenge Romeo sees as his duty when Tybalt kills Mercutio.
The excerpt shows how even Mercutio recognizes the feud between the Montagues and Capulets being destructive, and how it is now gotten so out of hand he has been dragged into it. Mercutio tries to open Romeo’s eyes on how if this feud continues there will be a demise for both families; but by Romeo choosing to ignore this advice and killing Tybalt he is setting himself up for his failure/downfall. Thus, Romeo is shown as a tragic hero because his demise is partly his fault and not an accident.
(CLOSING STATEMENTS) With his audacious nature, Romeo kills Tybalt in a challenge and later kills himself, which causes significant problems in the plot. Unfortunately, as a result of Romeo’s actions, Juliet stabs herself with his dagger because she no longer wants to live in a world without him. Along with Romeo, Mercutio is another character who makes poor decisions based on his overdramatic personality and tendency to disagree with Benvolio's way of thinking. These two choices cause characters around Mercutio to not take him seriously, and for this reason, he later dies in the play. Although Mercutio’s actions impact the storyline, Friar Laurence’s choices primarily cause the play to become such a tragedy. For instance, his poor decisions to marry Romeo and Juliet and flee Juliet’s tomb eventually cause the couple’s love for one another to become inseparable, and they take their lives at the end of the plot. (CLINCHER) As the readers delve deeper into Romeo and Juliet and unravel what went wrong, they will begin to realize that the decisions made by the characters created catastrophic
functions as a turning point for the action of the play. In death, he becomes a tragic figure, shifting the play's direction from comedy to tragedy. The saga of Mercutio's first appearance in Act I, Scene 4, shows Romeo and his friend to be of quite opposite character. Mercutio mocks Romeo as a helpless victim of an overzealous, undersatisfied love. Romeo describes his love for Rosaline using the clichéd image of the rose.
...e tragic celebration of young, forbidden love told by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, has been tailored for many motion picture adaptations. The most famous of these adaptations are Franco Zeffirelli’s version and Baz Lurhmann’s film produced in 1996. These two films applied Shakespeare’s most well-known work as a basis for their motion pictures. Both films had similarities, but the differences were much more apparent. Ever since William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has been debuted, it has and forever will be an artistic influence for playwrights, directors, and other artists.
A Comparison of the Interpretations of Two Film Versions of Romeo and Juliet Having studied the openings of two film versions, the two directors Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann, show they interpret the play differently because of the way they see different meanings in them. By interpreting the play differently, it also means the audience pick up a different meaning. Every image seen in the beginning decides whether the audience should continue with watching the film. But what makes a film so engaging?
Romeo and Juliet, written by William Shakespeare, is a tragic love story about two young lovers who are forced to be estranged as a result of their feuding families. The play is about their struggle to contravene fate and create a future together. As such, it was only a matter of time before Hollywood would try and emulate Shakespeare’s masterpiece. This had been done before in many films. Prominent among them were, Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 “Romeo and Juliet” and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 “William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet.” Both films stay true to the themes of Shakespeare’s original play. However, the modernised Luhrmann film not only maintains the essence of Shakespeare’s writings, Luhrmann makes it relevant to a teenage audience. This is done through the renewal of props and costumes, the reconstruction of the prologue and the upgrading of the setting, whilst preserving the original Shakespearean language. Out of the two, it is Luhrmann who targets Romeo & Juliet to a younger audience to a much larger extent than Zeffirelli.
Till thou shalt know the reason of my love.” (III.i.68-69). This motif clearly revolves around love. Even though the men are about to fight, both explain the devotion they have for their family, and in this case, they are family. Most importantly, love is the underlying force that drives the fidelity of all the characters in the play, and this love-driven devotion will cause the murder of Mercutio and Tybalt in the fight scene, adding to the theme that an obsession with loyalty leads to death.
Baz Lurhmann’s creation of the film Romeo and Juliet has shown that today’s audience can still understand and appreciate William Shakespeare. Typically, when a modern audience think of Shakespeare, they immediately think it will be boring, yet Lurhmann successfully rejuvenates Romeo and Juliet. In his film production he uses a number of different cinematic techniques, costumes and a formidably enjoyable soundtrack; yet changes not one word from Shakespeare’s original play, thus making it appeal to a modern audience.