Romeo And Juliet Death Scene Analysis

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Both Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann explore the passionate and tragic nature that the naïve/impulsive love of two young lovers has in emphasizing the unnecessary division between the house of Montague and Capulet. This is exemplified through the ending death scene of Romeo and Juliet, where their passionate love interferes with their individual existence. In particular, Zeffirelli uses close-up camera shots, displaying Romeo’s expression of deep sorrow, with tears clearly visible and his head bowed down when he believes Juliet’s supposed death. Romeo’s soft touching of Juliet’s still hands and face also highlights the deep love Romeo has for Juliet. Zeffirelli’s Romeo expresses his love to Juliet with, “I still will stay with thee.” Therefore,
Melancholy music is played to enhance the grieving mood and allow the audience to sympathise with Romeo’s emptiness. Whereas Luhrmann uses intense, fast music for Romeo’s death scene to reveal a more intense death rather than melodramatic and slow. Moreover, Luhrmann interestingly ceases his melancholy non-diegetic sounds after the death of Romeo and instead focuses solely on diegetic sounds, including the gushing of wind, whimpering of Juliet and her echoes, instantly increasing the
Contrasting with Zeffirelli’s melancholy death scene of Romeo, Luhrmann’s scene focuses rather on the disastrous effects his love for Juliet causes in a more tragic and crushing manner. Through the use of quick fast camera movements to extreme close-ups of Romeo’s eyes, emphasises his second too late realization of Juliet’s consciousness, thus making the audience feel even more miserable for Romeo, knowing he died without Juliet. Both Luhrmann and Zeffirelli reveal from the ending death scene of their interpretations of Romeo and Juliet and the strictness of the houses forcing them to result to death to be together. Consequently, illustrating Shakespeare’s message that providing risks are forcing them to be secretive, impulsive love can often lead to tragedies.

Together, Luhrmann and Zeffirelli explore the troublesome and respectful nature of the love between a mentor and his student and how this exacerbated the dangerous risk of Romeo and Juliet being together. In the scene when Romeo comes to greet the Friar, whilst he is collecting herbs, Zeffirelli uses diegetic sounds of Friar Laurence’s laughter and clapping of hands as he first sights Romeo, clearly illustrating his

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