Zaferelli's Version Differs from Shakespeare's Version of Romeo and Juliet

Sex, drugs, and violence are usually a potent combination, and only William Shakespeare could develop them into a masterful, poetic, and elegant story. In the play, "The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," all these aspects of teenage life absorb the reader or watcher.

Romeo & Juliet has various interpretation with different input and similar input, in this essay I am comparing and contrasting how the scene of the ‘first meeting’ of Romeo and Juliet differentiates by the version. The first meeting of the two lovers is in my opinion one of the strongest meetings in the play. It is evident where the story will lead from that point.

In the Franco Zafarelli (1901) version I believe Zafarelli made the way they first spot each other to be telling and to really have the love at first sight element to it. Romeo firsts spots Juliet, this brings a little smile to his face. Romeo looks in amazement and says “As a rich jewel, did my heart love til now”. Additionally, their first contact with each other was in the marasca dance, Juliet looks content to see Romeo but it is when she sees Romeo is interested she shows a lot of interest. In the prokiev version there is music already playing which suggest youthfulness. As soon as Juliet sees Romeo Prokofiev gave her the ‘I only want you’ attitude as she is impressed by Romeo’s solo. However, when her beloved Paris comes to dance with her she always has her head downwards so she cannot make eye contact with him. In the BBC studio production, the same happy and boisterous atmosphere is generated within the dance. As seen in previous versions Romeo has he eyes firmly gazed on Juliet and as this happens in this version Romeo rejects another woman who wants to dance with him. Juliet then mentions “my only love sprung firmly only hate”, she is mentioning how her only love is her enemy as Romeo is a montigeau. In the Westside story version Romeo arrives with his posy ‘the jets’ and this where the sharks are too. The two rivals try to have little conflict however it is stopped but this does not take Romeo’s mind of Juliet.

The costumes in each version explains a lot about each character i.e. Friar Lawrence’s robe. In Zafarelli’s ‘first meeting’ face version Romeo wears a gold mask to disguise that a montigeau is in a capulate event.