Romeo And Juliet Music Analysis

Music + Meaning Translated across many forms of media, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet has long gripped the hearts of audiences around the world. Its many adaptations have made it readily available in a range of forms. Baz Lurhmann’s William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet is one example of film bringing the story of Romeo and Juliet to a new generation. Originally met with hesitation, Lurhmann’s film was deemed a pop culture remake of the classic story. The trailer released for the film followed suit, flashing images of violence, guns, and heart-throb Leonardo DeCaprio, in order to grab the attention of the audience. In most cases, people do not realize that behind these scenes lies subliminally transmitted emotion. Through the instrumentation

The story unfolds while a church choir sings music that is seemingly immaculate and full of hope. During the subsequent scenes at Capulet’s party, “Kissing You” by Des’ree, a power ballad, plays in the background signifying the love between Romeo and Juliet that is to come. The lyrics “Where are you now?” play as Juliet dances and Romeo looks on, reflecting his love and his longing for her. Although some of these moments do not appear in chronological order, like the wedding scene, they serve to fit the tone of the music more than actually tell the story. This tale of love, along with its music, is quickly cut short by Benvolio screaming, much like how the tale of Romeo and Juliet meets a premature end. The music stops just as Benvolio screams and a more upbeat song takes its

This immediate contradiction highlights the difference between the peaceful Romeo and the insanity that is surrounding the gunfight between Tybalt and Benvolio. Even as the trailer transitions to the wedding, Romeo and Juliet meeting for the first time, and the Capulet party, the song repeats these words, showing the duality of Romeo and Juliet’s love. The lyrics punctuate the idea that their love is both beautiful and— because it goes against their family rivalry—psychotic. As the characters engage in violent, aggressive action, the song still speaks more about the story of Romeo and Juliet saying, “I think I fell in love again/Maybe I just took too much cough medicine”. This verse is significant to Shakespeare’s play, as well as Lurhmann’s film. The line “I think I fell in love again” speaks to the point that Romeo quickly fell out of love with Rosaline and in love with Juliet, as seen in both the play and the film. The fickle and short lived love of Rosaline alludes to the lack of permanence in the lives and in the love of the teenagers. The second line pertains more to the film as Mercutio refers to Queen Mab as a drug having power over the minds of men, including their perceptions of love. In the scene before Romeo meets Juliet, seen in Lurhmann’s film and in the