Comparing Zeffirelli's Adaptation Of Romeo And Juliet

In this essay, I will take a gander at the play of Romeo and Juliet. I will examine how Shakespeare has utilized dialect in the play for symbolic impact. I will also see how Shakespeare has displayed love and the path in which Romeo and Juliet converse with each other, I might choose whether their affection was genuine and discuss their parents differentiating perspectives and conclusions. I will likewise remark on the play's pertinence today and perceive how Shakespeare has utilized dramatic devices and structures to improve the discussion between the youthful lovers. All throughout the play, there is a consistent theme of love and destiny, I will be dissecting this subject and show how it influences Romeo and Juliet.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet – popularly considered by many to be the quintessential love story of all time – is a play that we are all familiar with in one way or another. Whether it be through the plethora of portrayals, adaptations and performances that exist or through your own reading of the play, chances are you have been acquainted with this tale of “tragic love” at some point in your life. Through this universal familiarity an odd occurrence can be noted, one of almost canonical reverence for the themes commonly believed to be central to the plot. The most widely believed theme of Romeo and Juliet is that of the ideal love unable to exist under the harsh social and political strains of this world. Out of this idea emerge two

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet discusses the many challenges the ‘star crossed lovers’ face. It is their own deceptive actions that ultimately lead them to their untimely end. However Romeo and Juliet are forced to be deceptive due to their fate and misfortune, the ongoing feud in Verona, and the misleading guidance they receive from others; which also contribute to their deaths. Romeo and Juliet focuses on the theme of love and hate, this theme is interweaved throughout the play.

William Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet, tells the story of the tragic love between Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet. The play has been reinterpreted throughout time and Baz Luhrmann’s film version, William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, uses a modern setting to tell the tale. Luhrmann’s cinematic understanding reinforces the key themes of love, fate and hate as he explores Shakespeare’s famous play.

Of the two cinematic portrayals of the climax, in Act II, scene i, of Romeo & Juliet, the Luhrmann version from 1996 is superior to the Zeffirelli version. When comparing the two one can notice that there are many differences, and similarities. While these two films are telling the same story, it is the differences between the two that lead to Luhrmann’s 1996 version being superior. Due to its more dramatic settings, and character interactions and actor

Films and literature are some of the most popular kinds of entertainment today. What happens when a famous literary work is turned in to a popular romance film? A perfect example of this is the modernized movie version of everyone's favorite, Romeo and Juliet. However, many years before the famous movie remake was created, a different interpretation of the original Romeo and Juliet play was turned into a musical called West Side Story. Both are excellent displays of Romeo and Juliet in a more modern light, however, they have their own similarities and differences from each other.

Another reason I believe Luhrmann's interpretation was better is how he portrayed the nurse. The nurse in the play is a very comical and important character. Her strong bond with Juliet is shown in Luhrmann’s movie but in Zeffirelli's movie the bond seems weaker. Luhrmann I believe does a better job showing that the nurse cares for Juliet. However Luhrmann does cut out nurses more lengthy speech, but I believe it's for the best as the speech in my opinion was more confusing than helpful. The nurse in Zeffirelli's movie cares for Juliet but it didn't seem as sincere, they didn't have the same friendship shown in Luhrmann's. The nurse in the more modern movie I believe showed the relationship better while still keeping the comedy needed. I think

Shakespeare’s classic Romeo and Juliet has been reimagined many times across different mediums. One interpretation that stands out among the rest is Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 film of the same name. The most shocking and powerful difference between Luhrmann’s work and other films or stage productions of this piece, is the movie’s setting. Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet is set in the modern city of Verona Beach, New York, ruled by two powerful business families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Themes, language, and ideas remain the same, while places, props, and wardrobes are updated to the twentieth century. This compelling change helps emphasize the violent, fast-paced, and chaotic society of the play, which comes to precipitate the tragic demise of the two main characters.

In the different film adaptations of Romeo and Juliet, Franco Zefirelli best conveys an emotional impact through the set design, blocking, and other theatrical elements. Zefirelli also chooses to have the film in the fourteenth century so that Shakespeare’s diction is comprehensible. From this, Zeffirelli adaptation is best conveys the romantic impact Shakespeare intends to emphasize.

The meshing of characters between Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet and Bernstein’s West Side Story formulate significant similarities between the two. In Romeo and Juliet the story of “Two households both alike in dignity,” (Montagues and Capulets) who have been feuding is parallel to the two gangs in West Side Story (Jets and Sharks). This grouping of loyalties keeps the segregation of the two groups at a dead lock, thus producing the tension that keeps the two lovers in each play (Romeo and Juliet, Tony and Maria) in the unattainable, intangible realm of their idealistic love. It is these two groupings that cause the star-crossed

The Tony award winning musical West Side Story shares much of its themes and characters with the infamous tragedy Romeo & Juliet, and it can be argued that the creators of the musical used the old tale as a template. They do this by developing characters of which are parallel to those in Shakespeare’s drama, as well as, following the same plot in which two born enemies share a forbidden love. This is done to develop the concept of two enemy characters falling in love unexpectedly, thus, forming the plot of their struggle to have a relationship whilst everything is going against them.

Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy that involves young lovers, their “untimely death,” and a feud between their two families. The Capulets and the Montagues war against each other. The feud continues to escalate and provides the background for the story of these “two star-crossed lovers.” This literary masterpiece is still relevant today since it involves parental ambition, family fighting, and young love.

Romeo and Juliet is one of the most well loved plays and the mastermind behind it is none other than the great Shakespeare. This story has become one of the most iconic tragic teen love stories of our time. It has been reinterpreted differently by various people, each trying to present their own ideas and take of the play. Therefore, as a director, we have a tricky job. How do we in a way add more to the play? What is it that we can do to give our audience a fresh experience? Therefore, this interpretation of the play, my interpretation, has been thoroughly thought about to address all these concerns. I sincerely hope our audience has a wonderful experience as we bring to light new concepts and ideas.

As we read the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare we have also watched clips of the play from two different films based on the play. The first film by Franco Zeffirelli was made in the year 1968, this film has the old style vibe while the one made by Baz Luhrmann in 1997 has a more modern feeling compared to the one from Zeffirelli. After reading and watching the play we had to choose a specific act and scene from the play, talking about the difference between the play and the two films based on the play. I chose Act II scene VI which is the part when Romeo and Juliet get married by Friar Laurence in the church.

There is no questioning that William Shakespeare’s plays are influential. They were written centuries ago, yet are still enjoyed by people to this day, and hold a place in modern high school and university curricula. However, as with many other literary works, some of Shakespeare’s plays are received better by audiences and readers than others. Romeo and Juliet, the tragic story of two “star-cross’d lovers” (Shakespeare, 5) who pursue their love for each other despite the feud between their families, is considered by some to be one of Shakespeare’s greatest works; however, the question of whether it is his greatest tragedy remains under dispute. This play is different from other Shakespearean tragedies in that in several ways, it does not fit the traditional characteristics or structure of a tragic work. It can be feasibly argued that this, as well as the fact that the main characters are much younger than those in Shakespeare’s other plays, takes away from the tragic element. Through analyzing Romeo and Juliet, one is able to reasonably conclude that while it is classified as a tragedy, it is not a very effective one.