What is the meaning of love? Love means caring for someone unconditionally, and wanting what is best for them, no matter how much it pains you. And by this definition, one can meticulously say what Romeo and Juliet had was love, they both ended up killing themselves over the other. Due to the appeal of this tragic love story, Romeo and Juliet has been reworked into many films, two popular ones being in 1968, and 1996. The 1968 version of Romeo and Juliet, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, was a better embodiment of the play because it stayed true to the script, sets, props and characters, and there were very few differences, therefore making it the better adaptation.
In this version of the movie, the deaths of the characters were depicted
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In this movie, Mercutio was closer to the character described in the script, he was more lively and comical, rather than condescending (Luhrmann). The accurate portrayal of Mercutio is important because he was a vital character, his death caused the chain reaction of deaths and really turned the story into a tragedy. And without the correct portrayal of his personality, the scene leading up to his death would not seem correct. Even though this is true, the portrayal of one character is nowhere close to being the most important aspect of the movie, it is much better to have accurate sets, costumes, scripts, and character deaths, than having one character played well. Mercutio’s lighthearted and hilarious nature is expressed when he says, “Speak but one rhyme, and I am satisfied. Cry but ‘Ay me!’ pronounce but ‘love’ and ‘dove’, Speak to my gossip Venus one fair word, one nickname for her purblind son and heir…” (Shakespeare, Act II, scene i, lines 10-12). As stated earlier, the 1996 version has a much better portrayal of Mercutio, and this is very prominent in these lines. Here, Mercutio delivers one of his giggle-inducing monologues, and in this, we get an insight into his personality. While looking for his dear friend Romeo, he keeps a light attitude and is able to still crack a joke or two, and if the role of Mercutio was poorly casted, it would just seem as if he was a bad friend. However, the role of Mercutio has many opportunities to see his persona, so therefore, even if it was poorly casted, there would be other opportunities to redeem himself. Adding to that, the audience would probably pick up on the fact that Mercutio was just a funny guy, rather than a terrible friend, therefore proving the accuracy of the script, sets, costumes, props, and deaths are much more