Film Adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet

900 Words2 Pages

Film Adaptation of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet 'Romeo & Juliet', was written by poet and playwright, William Shakespeare. The romantic play, 'Romeo & Juliet' involves many recognisable emotions and themes including passion, love, hate, agony, and sadness. This essay will examine how Baz Luhrmann reproduces Shakespeare's classic love story into a contemporary modern world so audiences today can access and understand the universal themes of the play in a familiar environment. One way Baz Luhrmann modernises the original text by Shakespeare is by replacing Elizabethan swords with the modern day guns. At the 'gas station' scene, Capulet men say: "draw if you be men". Lord Capulet states: "Hand me my long sword" and Benvolio shouts: "put down your swords for you know not what you do". The guns not only adds to the tension in the scene but also gives information about the owner. Guns can tell what owner is like by the gun's appearance. Every gun has some kind of difference in them. The owner might be religious and his gun probably would have some kind of symbol to represent his religion. Also the colour might represent his character. By using guns instead of swords Luhrmann explores the idea of gang culture, relating to our society that we live today. The guns are effective because they help to emphasise the danger and hatred between the two rival families. Another way Baz Luhrmann brings the classic play, Romeo & Juliet, into modern context is by introducing the prologue through the media of T.V. and having it read by a newsreader. When the movie starts, the newsreader announces: "In fair Verona …... ... middle of paper ... ...the last words. Luhrmann decides to cut the last lines because it makes the tension last for some time which makes a great and powerful end, reminding audiences that the 'Two hours traffic of our stage' is a tragedy. In conclusion, Baz Luhrmann makes the play modern but still keep the details of the original text and this makes the play more interesting to watch. By presenting the play through film Luhrmann creates a new kind of visual text. Many people remember through watching and Luhrmann makes the play more accessible for audiences. For youngsters today it is hard to understand the Shakespearean language and the film makes it easier for them to understand the meaning of the play. However, Luhrmann still keeps the language in its original format, and that is for the reason, Shakespeare is a dramatic genre.

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