How do Shakespeare and Baz Luhrmann engage their audiences in the opening scenes and set up the major themes of the play and film?
William Shakespeare was baptised on the 26th of April 1564 and he passed away on the 23 April 1616. He was an English poet and regarded as the best writer in the English language. William Shakespeare wrote many plays and one of his most famous ones is Romeo and Juliet. In Shakespeare’s times his actors would perform the play on a stage in the middle of the city. They did not have many props and had difficulties while trying to get some of the messages across to his audience. On the other hand, Baz Luhrmann 's film is also the tragic story of Romeo and Juliet, the film was released on October 27th 1996. Because of tools like editing, soundtracks and lighting he had an easier job of getting his message across. Baz Luhrmann uses the same script from Shakespeare 's time but instead of swords he uses guns and a more modern way of gripping the audience.
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The prologue also is very important to have in a play as it establishes the main themes. Shakespeare gives away the ending in the prologue and highlights the key themes which are love, hate and death. In the prologue Shakespeare uses the quotation “The fearful passage of their death-marked love”. Shakespeare uses a metaphor in this quotation. By using “death-marked love” Shakespeare informs the audience that the protagonists love has been shadowed by death since the day Romeo was born, and Romeo was always at risk. The Prologue engages the audience and creates tension. By using this quotation Shakespeare aims to get the audience interested but not to give away too much of the