After watching all the various versions of Mercutio’s death in Romeo and Juliet, I enjoyed the final one the most. I felt like it was more modern but still stayed true to the original script Shakespeare is famous for. Also there was a deeper connection between Romeo and Mercutio in the most recent one. You could tell the Romeo was truly sorry and saddened by his cousin's passing. Another factor that made the 1996 version stand out to me was its use of music and setting to further the sad feeling. Thunder rumbled and solemn music played as Mercutio walked away from the group. These small details gave the scene an added effect on the viewer’s emotion. Although each rendition of the Mercutio’s death scene were very well portrayed and thought out,
I especially liked the most recent one by Baz Luhrmann.
The Effectiveness of Zeffirelli's Interpretation of the Death Scene in Romeo and Juliet I think Zeffirelli’s interpretation of “Romeo and Juliet” is quite successful at expressing how he feels the play should be shown. He uses lots of techniques to make the play enjoyable, appealing and imaginative. To do this he uses different camera angles, realistic scenery, costumes, sounds and music. He cut some scenes that he didn’t think were particularly relevant to the storyline, and added some lines for effect. He has a love theme playing throughout the film that is played in minor and major keys depending how he wants the audience to feel.
However, the largest thing changed was the fate. In the end, when Romeo was about to die, Juliet wakes up but doesn’t have time to stop Romeo from taking the poison; whereas the King production, Romeo dies before Juliet wakes up. The purpose of Juliet to wake up before Romeo dies is to engage the audience and leave the audience with a sense of pity for the two lovers. In this scene, Romeo, crying, says “The doors of breath, seal with a righteous kiss…” From the quote, fate was highlighted due to the reason that Romeo says that he will seal the doors of breath, meaning that he will kill himself; yet, after he has said this, Juliet’s hand moves, but Romeo did not see. What engages the audience more is the dramatic irony, when the audience knows that Juliet is alive but Romeo doesn’t. This is the major method that the Luhrmann production recontextualises the
(CLOSING STATEMENTS) With his audacious nature, Romeo kills Tybalt in a challenge and later kills himself, which causes significant problems in the plot. Unfortunately, as a result of Romeo’s actions, Juliet stabs herself with his dagger because she no longer wants to live in a world without him. Along with Romeo, Mercutio is another character who makes poor decisions based on his overdramatic personality and tendency to disagree with Benvolio's way of thinking. These two choices cause characters around Mercutio to not take him seriously, and for this reason, he later dies in the play. Although Mercutio’s actions impact the storyline, Friar Laurence’s choices primarily cause the play to become such a tragedy. For instance, his poor decisions to marry Romeo and Juliet and flee Juliet’s tomb eventually cause the couple’s love for one another to become inseparable, and they take their lives at the end of the plot. (CLINCHER) As the readers delve deeper into Romeo and Juliet and unravel what went wrong, they will begin to realize that the decisions made by the characters created catastrophic
The final instance is probably the most tragic of them all. Here we are witnesses to Romeo, whose intentions are to be with his true love forever, are shattered when Juliet awakes. Romeo is surprised of what he did because Juliet awakes as he dies. To see him dead causes Juliet to stab herself with his dagger, straight through the heart. It's a bittersweet ending to such a famous and timeless love story. The fact that they both died for each other is romantic. The point that they could have been together makes it all seem a greater tragedy.
In a story of unorthodox love, family feuding, and violence, many are at blame for the deaths. One of the people I think is responsible for Romeo and Juliet’s death is Mercutio. Mercutio had evoked a fight with his enemy Tybalt. In Act 1 Scene 1 lines 228-229 Benvolio tells Romeo “By giving liberty unto thine eyes.
...this can be seen are the following: Tybalt's death, the scene cuts from Romeo avenging Mercutio's death (Act III, scene I) edited with Juliet's monologue of her love for Romeo (Act III, scene II). And the death of Romeo and Juliet, (Act III, scene III) where Juliet awakes before Romeo's death.
Mercutio’s role in the play is directly linked to his relationship with his “very friend,” Romeo (III.i.108). This bond and camaraderie of the men provides the basis for the revelation of Mercutio’s character as a foil to Romeo. “These basic roles for the two friends mean that, through the badinage, Mercutio is essentially active and Romeo reactive or passive” (Porter 103). For example, Mercutio tells Romeo “Nay, gentle Romeo, we must have you dance” (I.iv.13). He playfully pushes Romeo to “borrow cupid’s wings / And soar with them above a common bound” (I.iv.17-18) and advises his friend that “If love be rough with you, be rough with love. / Prick love for pricking, and you beat love down” (I.iv.27-28). These lines demonstrate Mercutio’s characteristic need for urgency and action. “Romeo by contrast characteristically replies that he is unable to comply with his friend’s exhortations—he won’t dance, don’t ask him—and his most urgent words, ‘Peace, peace, Mercutio, peace’ (I.v.95), urge not action but its cessation” (Porter 103)....
Luhrmann’s script better focuses on the emotion and intensity by only keeping or changing things that contribute to how Romeo and Juliet feel. Contrary to Shakespeare’s original play, Luhrmann did not include minor characters like Paris or Friar Laurence, which allows us to give all our attention to Romeo and Juliet’s final moment. This way we are not distracted by other things happening in the scene and can instead appreciate the emotional scene. Luhrmann kept the line, “Tempt not a desperate man,” which coupled with the scene around Romeo and great acting the simple line showcases the desperation Romeo feels in his need to be with Juliet as he dies. Luhrmann’s biggest edit was having Ju...
...blindfold. Romeo has to know what he wants and what the consequences are before you can never truly love that person. Romeo does not see where love is bringing him and the difficulties or dangers that love may hide. Mercutio treats love as foolishness; love to him is all about sex. Mercutio seems to hate love; to speak out against love.
Since the film version of Romeo and Juliet effectively portrays death as a predictable yet unavoidable event, it allows the audience to better appreciate and understand the tragedy; thus, Zeffirelli’s presentation of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is qualified. For example, at the end of Act 1 Scene 4, Romeo says, “I fear too early, for my mine misgives / Some consequences yet hanging in the stars / Shall bitterly begin his fearful date. /
Mercutio, though a minor character, had and enormous impact on the outcome of the play. Before the Capulet Ball, Romeo had been debating whether to go or not. Mercutio persuaded him to go by giving a big speech to him about a dream he had. This makes him partially responsible because the Ball is where Romeo first met Juliet. Mercutio also caused Romeo to be banished from Verona. Mercutio got in a fight with Tybalt and ended up dead. His death enraged Romeo enough to make him kill Tybalt in revenge. When the Prince saw what happened, he sent Romeo into exile. Romeo's banishment to Mantua made it near impossible for Romeo and Juliet to see each other. Mercutio was to blame, though only partially for the deaths of Romeo and Juliet.
The 1996 film, tries to show too much emotion, in doing so, it makes the scene weaker, by lessening some important aspects. In this version, Romeo visits Juliet in her tomb, unknowing of her and Friar Lawrence's plan. Juliet is shocked when she awakens to a dying Romeo. On screen, all she can do is stare into his eyes, as he slowly slips from the earth. While this seems to make it more emotional, it adds drama which doesn't have to be present. Mainly because in the opposing 1968 version, Juliet is completely shocked by Romeo´s death in a different way. A worse, colder way. The viewer can see the look in her eyes, as she stares
Throughout the play, Romeo and Juliet cause the deaths of many people such as Tybalt and Paris. They both die because Romeo thinks Juliet is "dead" so he takes a poison and Juliet wakes up to see Romeo dead so she then kills herself because she can't go on in life without her "love" Romeo. Tybalt killed Mercutio because Mercutio took Romeo's place when the two groups were fighting. They were fighting because of the fighting between the Capulets and the Montagues. Then Romeo killed Tybalt because he killed Romeos best friend Mercutio and he cared for him so much and he had died from Tybalt's hand so Romeo kills Tybalt. Romeo also kills Paris because he loved Juliet so much and just wanted to take the poison and lay beside his wife that was "dead' but Paris was interfering with it. This is young love and that only leads to bad luck and character
The original Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet, has been redone many times before, but some versions of it are more interesting. The Baz Luhrmann version of the play makes it way more dramatic than the original Shakespeare play already was. The 1996 movie also makes the movie more funny and playful in the parts that were already funny in the play. The movie basically made everything in the play amplified. The modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet by the director Baz Luhrmann affects the original story in many ways.
Godfather Death tells a tale of a man who wishes to find a godfather to his 13th child. The fact that this is his 13th child foreshadows that this child will be very unlucky because it is a common tale since the last supper only had 13 members it was classified as an unlucky number. The father of the boy goes to the street to find a godfather for his child. The first person he meets is God but the dad said that he was unfair to the rich and the poor. The second person the man meets is the devil but he thinks that the devil is not a good fit because he is a trickster. The third and final person the father meets is death himself because he thinks that death is fair because he does not discriminate between the rich and the poor and picks death