The last two acts of Romeo and Juliet contain many of the scenes that first come to mind when someone first thinks about this play. The setting of the entire adaptation takes place in New York which makes the setting more relatable to today’s world. But, one thing that I liked about Lurhmann’s adaptation was that he kept the majority of the lines the same as the original. I, personally, think that Shakespeare’s have certain poetry and voice to them that makes it special. Although it may not be as easy to understand, I think that if you take the time to interpret the lines, you are able to see why Shakespeare was so special. I also think the actors spoke the lines very effectively. Putting the emphasis in the right places and acting out the emotions involved really helps the audience grasp the meaning.
The death scene of Romeo and Juliet was one scene that I thought was particularly different in its adaptation. In the play, Juliet is in the family tomb. I pictured that scene as one dark room where Paris is lying on the ground dead, while Romeo and Juliet are having their scene. In the adaptation, Romeo encounters Paris outside the hall where Juliet is laid. When he goes in, it is a brightly lit room with bright crosses, candles, and flowers everywhere. I think this is where the modernization comes in. It reminded me of what a funeral looks like today with all the flowers from various admirers and such. The brighter lights also give clarity to the scene and is a contrast to what I would imagine as a family tomb in Shakespeare’s time. It also looks like Juliet is up on an altar as well. This seems to imply a sense of importance.
The very last exchange between the two lead characters is the most different from the play (or at least how I pictured it). In the play, I imagines Romeo saying his last lines, drinking the potion and then when he is still, Juliet wakes up to find him already dead. The movie makes a daring change by allowing Romeo and Juliet to see each other before the potion activates. This provides a sense of lost hope for their relationship because they were so close. For the few seconds before Romeo drinks the potion, and Juliet starts to wake up, you want to believe that Romeo will look down to Juliet, see her alive, and everything will be okay. But then, he drinks the potion, only then does he see Juliet awake. By slightly changing such an iconic scene like this, the movie makers wanted the audience to believe maybe, just this once, Romeo and Juliet can have their happy ending, even though they know how the story ends every time. This makes audience feel more deeply for Juliet and why she killed herself because she knew how close she was to having her happy ending. It makes the audience realize how much the odd were not in their favor. They had so many obstacles in their way, their families’ feud, Juliet getting married, Romeo getting banished, and despite all that they were able to get to that point when they were in each other’s arms and have it all taken away from them is horrible to think about. It further emphasizes the point that they really are trying to go against fate to make their love work out. Lastly, it leaves the audience wondering what their relationship could have been if Romeo had just looked down earlier or if Juliet had said something to him. I think that the last scene is a great example of how different producers can take different takes on a scene that is so well-known and still make the audience be on the edge of their seat.
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