The Symbolism Of Water In Romeo And Juliet By Baz Luhrmann

Romeo + Juliet is directed by Baz Luhrmann, who also directed numerous movies including Strictly Ballroom (1992), Moulin Rouge (2001) and The Great Gatsby (2013). Craig Pierce and Donald McApline worked as scriptwriter and cinematographer. On November 1, 1996, Romeo + Juliet was released in theaters nationwide and stars Leonardo DiCaprio as Romeo, Claire Danes as Juliet, Pete Postlethwaite as Friar Lawrence, Paul Sorvino, Harold Perrineau as Mercutio and John Leguizamo as Tybalt.

In a film that is romantically intriguing, Romeo finds the love of his life, Juliet. To his surprise, Juliet is his family’s enemy. Friar Lawrence, the Verona Beach priest, marries the two “star-crossed” lovers without their families consent. Romeo’s choice return

Symbolism also a adds connection with the viewer, requiring them to interpret the meaning of the symbolism. During Romeo + Juliet, Luhrmann creates many unique symbols with objects a viewer would not expect; specifically, the multiple references to water lead the audience to believe this symbolizes purity and innocence. One of the first times water is featured is when Juliet is arising from the her bath. As Anwar explains, “We are introduced to Juliet, for the first time, immersed in leisurely manner in her bathtub, while Romeo plunges his spinning head into a water basin to recover from his drug-buzz. Water here is a baptising, purifying agent.” (Anwar). Not only was Juliet in a moment of pure cleanliness and immaculacy, but she was also in a moment of vulnerability. This is important because as the plot unravels, Juliet’s character develops as a (adj) (adj). Next, the viewer sees Romeo and Juliet’s first interaction which takes place with water as central piece of the setting. Again, Anwar explains the following scene, “The first time the two catch a glimpse of each other, a large aquarium prevents them from being able to physically access one another; only the eyes of each can follow the other’s movements.” (CITE). This demonstrates Romeo and Juliet’s love is pure. This is important because it emphasizes the pure love connection instead of fake relationship

The film includes a cast of many ethnicities, some unexpected. The unexpected casting choice is (name name) as Mercutio, as _____ says, “Luhrmann discerns his role as a mediator between different worlds of innocence and experience imagined as different worlds of race and sexuality.” (CITE) This displays that Mercutio might have heightened emotions due to the fact he is unlike both families. This is because one family is a Latino while the other is entirely Caucasian, leaving the lone homosexual African American Mercutio to feel divergent because of his race and sexuality. Next, ___ explains the youth of Juliet, “Like Zeffirelli before him, Luhrmann cast young, attractive actors in the roles of Romeo and Juliet and, as Elsie Walker comments, this reflects how each director saw ‘the ability of a wide audience to identify with their protagonists as crucial" (CITE). Along with Zefferelli, Luhrmann used young actors to relate to young adults because of the need of modern-day youth connecting to the characters situations. Now, the viewers understand the severity of agony Juliet was in during the heart-rending scenes throughout the film. To conclude, character choice determines the fan-base of the film due to the actors