Romeo And Juliet Comparative Essay

William Shakespeare's poems and plays have significantly influenced the history of English literature and Western culture. The play Romeo and Juliet is considered the most iconic tragedy of all time and has therefore been developed into many films such as Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version and Baz Luhrmann’s 1996 version. These two directors have interpreted Shakespeare’s vision of Act 2 Scene 2 in different ways, adding their own twist to the play. This scene acts as a very crucial moment in the play as Romeo and Juliet profess their love for each other, furthering the plot. Franco Zeffirelli’s adaptation of the play shows the setting, characters, and plot more accurately and in-depth when compared to Baz Luhrmann and Shakespeare’s written version,

In both adaptations of the play, the balcony scene shows Romeo to be bold and unrealistic while Juliet is more reasonable. An example of this is when Romeo and Juliet say, “I am too bold, 'tis not to me she speaks… With love's light wings did I o'erperch these walls, / For stony limits cannot hold love out; / And what love can do, that dares love attempt. / Therefore thy kinsmen are no stop to me. / If they do see thee, they will murder thee.” (2. 2. 14, 66-70). It is evident that Shakespeare wanted to make it clear that Romeo is aware of his recklessness through his dialogue, something Zeffirelli made sure to include in his production of the movie, whereas Luhrmann did not. In Luhrmann’s adaptation, a kinsman walks onto the scene briefly to check on Juliet which, in the play, is not written but in theory makes sense. This does not impact Shakespeare's intent much but further proves that Zeffirelli’s movie is a more accurate representation of what Shakespeare

In contrast, Luhrmann’s version adds a certain level of confusion that was not originally a part of the play. This is shown after Juliet says, “I will not fail; 'tis twenty year till then… Sweet, so would I, / Yet I should kill thee with much cherishing. / Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow, / That I shall say good night till it be morrow.” (2. 2. 169, 182-185). In the original play, Romeo exits with the last word of the scene, but in both adaptations of the play the scene ends with Romeo exiting after the quotation of Juliet therefore cutting out dialogue that may or may not be important in conveying a message. Despite this inaccuracy in Zeffirelli’s version of the play, Romeo exits the scene by slowly letting go of Juliet’s hand. However, in Luhrmann’s adaptation he exits the scene after Juliet drops him what appears to be a necklace, confusing the audience of its purpose. This adds an element Shakespeare did not add in the