ipl-logo

Romeo And Juliet Comparative Essay

831 Words4 Pages

In the modern adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, Baz Luhrmann retained the integrity of the Shakespearean play. However, to amplify the irony of first love or love in general, Baz Luhrmann implemented influential scenes which would turn the view on Romeo and Juliet's love and enforced symbolism to imply the naivety of their love. The impulsive decisions and haste seen through the actions produced the frustration of mindless decisions. Romeo and Juliet first meet at the masque ballroom party, where their costumes reflect their internal character. The adaption of the costumes worn reflects their personalities and approach to love; Juliet, the angel. Romeo, her knight. Juliet’s costume, an angel, symbolically represents the innocence and purity …show more content…

When Romeo saw Juliet at Capulet's party, “Did my heart love till now?” (Act 1, Scene 5, Line 59-60) He had instantly fallen in love. In the movie adaptation, their first sight of each other was through a fish tank. The fish tank is symbolic because, through the water, their faces are distorted, akin to the love that they allegedly feel so strongly towards.--- The tank also represents the barriers between star-crossed lovers and forbidden lovers. Furthermore, Romeo's love for Juliet is not enough to change their fate. There will always be a barrier, just like the fish tank between them. Romeo refuses to leave Juliet, she is Romeo's sweet escape, “Love goes toward love, as schoolboys from their books, But love from love, toward school with heavy looks.” (Act 2, Scene 2, Line 165-166) The fishtank implements how their childish approach to love each other, is the distance between understanding how they perceive their love. Versus, what love truly is. In their eyes, it is true love, but to the readers, it is disoriented, it is infatuation, it is the attraction to the idea of love, not what love truly is. The water creates a false image of love, it focuses on the star-crossed lovers, it promises love in a negative and impractical way, and it is shown through the violence and their death, in which, they both ended their

Show More
Related
182 Words | 1 Pages

Act 1 of Romeo and Juliet was better represented by Baz Luhrmann because of the symbolism. For example, in the scene where Romeo first sees Juliet , she is dressed as an angel. She is described as perfect “ a snowy dove trooping with crows…”(1:5:55) saying everyone else compared to her is ugly. She is seen as beautiful as well “she doth teach the torches to burn bright!”(1:5:51) saying that she is so beautiful her beauty outshines a torch. Similarly, Tybalt is portrayed as a devil.

Read More
596 Words | 3 Pages

Juei uses archetypal imagery to ensure the stability of their relationship. Romeo describes Juliet’s eyes as “Two of the fairest stars in all the heaven”(2.2.15). He compares her to the stars and those stars would ask her “to twinkle in their spheres till they return” (2.2.16). Romeo compares her earnest eyes to the stars, commenting that the stars could be replaced by her eyes and they will still shine the same. Romeo also describes Juliet as a “bright angel”(2.2.26) and she is the winged messenger or heaven/ Unto the white, upturned, wondering eyes/ Of mortals that fall back to gaze on him”(2.2.28-30).

Read More
602 Words | 3 Pages

In the play, ”Romeo & Juliet,” written by William Shakespeare we see examples of simile when Romeo compares his love for Juliet to the sea. In the play it says, “My bounty is as boundless as the sea, My love as deep; the more I give to thee, the more I have, for both are infinite” Based on the evidence it shows the experience of falling in love because Romeo is comparing his love to Juliet as deep as the ocean. This quote also shows how in love Romeo was after meeting Juliet just a few hours earlier. Not only do we see examples of how authors use figurative language to show the experience of love in “Romeo and Juliet,” but we also see examples in “When Love Arrives.”

Read More
686 Words | 3 Pages

Another instance that exemplifies the literary device is when Romeo is depressed about Rosaline and, how she won’t love him back, he states, “Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs; being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers’ eyes; being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears. (1.1.186-188) Since Romeo is depressed about Rosaline, Romeo argues that even though love doesn't always go as planned, it occasionally does. Romeo explains that because one may see love but not hold it, love cannot be controlled and will inevitably end. Both quotations show that the character is expressing their sentiments and

Read More
330 Words | 2 Pages

In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare uses the motif of flowers to develop the symbolic idea of innocence. As seen in the text, Romeo, the main protagonist, is said to be "the bud bit with an envious worm" (1.1.141). Lord Montague, Romeo's father, calls him this in the first scene due to his recent sadness and compares him to a poisoned flower bud. The bud symbolizes his youth and innocence while the envious worm symbolizes the cause of Romeo's heartbreak, in this case, Rosaline, his ex-girlfriend. Rosaline poisoned his innocence when she broke his heart, and a poisoned flower bud will never open up or become a flower.

Read More
286 Words | 2 Pages

Shakespeare utilizes the imagery of eyes to reveal the variety of emotions that Romeo and Juliet are going through in a brief period of time. The author conveys the idea of the lovers’ curiosity as “a winged messenger of heaven unto the white- upturned wond’ ring eyes of mortals that fall back to gaze on him when he bestrides the lazy- pacing clouds and sails upon the bosom of the air.” Through the author’s diction, such as wond’ ring, gaze, and sails, the readers can understand how Romeo and Juliet are interested and are eager to examine one another. Fear is an another emotion that is presented during the short period of time Romeo and Juliet met. In line 71, Romeo stated, “alack, there lies more peril in thine eye,” which demonstrates the

Read More
442 Words | 2 Pages

In my opinion I think that Shakespeare is using personification to show how much Romeo loves Juliet, and that a wall will not stop him to see the love of his life. For example Shakespeare compares Romeo’s love and desire for Juliet to a bird. A bird is light and flies around

Read More
1726 Words | 7 Pages

Shakespeare’s’ Romeo and Juliet, religious imagery represents the romantic relationship of the two characters and to express the tragedy and inevitable calamity of this pair. Religious imagery is used by the characters in their discussions of each other, their relationship and it progression, and Shakespeare’s original audience would have understood the symbolism and its meaning. The Christian symbolism in Romeo and Juliet can appear to portray the relationship in a positive light, depicting young love as sacred and innocent, however this interpretation does not understand the deeper connotations and meaning behind these symbols and motifs. While Romeo and Juliet’s relationship can appear romantic, their first meeting, the infamous “balcony scene”, and the discussions of their deaths are laced with religious symbolism and discourse that allows for a more nuanced interpretation of their nefarious love. Religious motifs and symbols are usurped and corrupted to represent the couple’s relationship, indicating the corruption and negative aspects of the pair.

Read More
839 Words | 4 Pages

This theme is portrayed in the sense of Romeo’s sudden love for Juliet, upon his first glance of her. In Act Two Scene Two, Romeo declares his love for Juliet. In the lines “Juliet is the sun” , there is a clear metaphor. This metaphor basically

Read More
205 Words | 1 Pages

The prologue of the story connects of the theme, love for The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet. It connects to love because the couple was willing to kill themselves for one another. “Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight, For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.” (I.v.59-60)

Read More
893 Words | 4 Pages

This motif is used to display Juliet’s gentle and gracious nature as a “flowery”, beautiful item, making the connection from her tragic death as the “deflowering” of the young flower that she was. A symbol that is shown in this scene is Death, described by the characters as “wretched”, “black”, “cruel”, and even as a “murderer”, almost personified by the characters, as in one case, Lord Capulet speaks to Death, asking it “why cams’t thou now to murder..?” (line 60, pg 199). Death is symbolized as a murderer, begged by the characters to have mercy on their hearts, shamed for taking away their

Read More
820 Words | 4 Pages

Cara Van Gieson The Shakespearean tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, is arguably the most iconic piece of literature and has withstood the test of time. In 1996 Baz Luhrmann directed his adaptation of this incredibly recognizable work, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet, and setting his story in the modern day in a fictional city, Verona Beach. Along with these changes to the source material, Luhrmann adds a recurring motif, water, which constantly persists in Romeo + Juliet. Although this addition to the film may not be noticeable at first blush, the way water is used as a symbol in the movie is significant and carefully thought out by the filmmakers. In Romeo + Juliet, water is metaphorically representative of a turning

Read More
975 Words | 4 Pages

From this, it portrays Juliet as a dominant character towards Romeo, which gives the audience a feeling of Juliet not loving him that much; hence reduces the ‘romantic love’. This phrase could also emphasize how their love is forbidden. As this bird cannot fly freely, which is a metaphor to both Romeo and Juliet who gets limitation in who they can love. However, they are now loving each other, which means the rope tied to a bird is now cut off, and the owner now needs to chase them around; This is a foreshadowing to Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, as well as the ending of the story to express the ‘forbidden love’. Luhrmann has characterised Juliet more innocently by Juliet’s reactions, and the eliminations of lines, when Romeo offered her a marriage.

Read More
713 Words | 3 Pages

Conclusion: William Shakespeare might have intended for Romeo and Juliet to represent how two people holding a strong bond of love can feel like they can disparage the hatred of the world, but such an immense passion eventually cannot exist in a world fueled by hatred and revenge. Works

Read More
2069 Words | 9 Pages

When Juliet and him meet the water in the aquarium represents the purity in their relationship that will be built. Later at night when they meet again when they fall into the pool indicates that their love will have the ability to clean them and rebirth them. Another symbol I found is that of the night. The night time is when they met and the time they swam together. The night acts as a shield and shelters the two lovers by protecting their secret.

Read More

More about Romeo And Juliet Comparative Essay

Related Topics

Open Document