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Romeo And Juliet, The Balcony Scene : As Interpreted By Franco Zeffirelli And Baz Luhrmann

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Romeo and Juliet, The Balcony Scene: as interpreted by Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, debatably one of the most famous love stories of all, has many film versions which have interpreted this well-known, beloved story of love in a plethora of ways. Two of the more notable film versions of this love story are Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version and Baz Luhrmann’s 1997 version. Zeffirelli’s version takes place in the 16th century in Verona, Italy, just as the text does. Luhrmann’s version is set in Verona Beach, California, in modern time; however, Shakespearean language is still used. Both film versions have their unique ways in which they are similar to and different from the original text. Arguably one of the most famous scenes in Romeo and Juliet is the balcony scene. This is the scene during which Romeo and Juliet profess their love for each other. Shakespeare writes the balcony scene to be said fiercely, passionately – he shows this by his insertion of exclamation points throughout the text. The simple placement of punctuation marks gives the reader a way to understand this excitement, and gives an actor a better idea of how his or her lines are to be said when acting in this play. It makes perfect sense for the lines to be said with enthusiasm, for this is the first time these two young, star-crossed lovers are able to converse – and they are alone. Their love is being demonstrated here by the sheer excitement shown in the
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