“O, her torches do burn bright! It appears she hangs on to the cheeks at night like a jewel in an Ethiops’ ear: Beauty is too rich for us, for Earth too dear! It is hard to forget the famous line Romeo used to describe Juliet’s beautiful, heavenly beauty when they first saw her from the balcony. Love at first sight. Romeo, a star-crossed lover, and Juliet, went on a five-day love quest. It involved the deaths a relative and a good friend. Juliet declined to accept Juliet’s arranged marriage to Paris. Juliet had already secretly married Romeo three days before they met. Juliet and Romeo eventually ended their lives together. Some might argue that true love isn’t possible. This essay’s main theme is “How is Romeo or Juliet love?”
Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, was written approximately 550 centuries ago. It’s one of most beloved and iconic love stories in English. Romeo & Juliet allows readers to visualize what it was like living in Elizabethan times, including their clothing, language, entertainment, and culture. They believed that the stars, sun, moon and stars were responsible for their destiny and fate. Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet, Shakespeare’s original, portrays their love as a ‘forbidden passionate young relationship that frustrates the stars’. Baz Lurman’s 1996 play Romeo+Juliet was a modernized version. This includes the use of 20th-century fashion elements such as costumes, language (people), cinematography and infrastructure, as well setting. Luhrman tries to suggest the incongruity in Romeo/Juliet’s love story through dramatic cinematography, language, sound effect, and all other elements. This transforms the television broadcast from a theatre play to one that is narrative-style. Luhrman used visual representations to express the themes Love and Destiny. This allows the audience to better understand Shakespeare’s tragic tale of Romeo and Juliet. Romeo, who is a Montague, falls in love with Juliet, who is a Capulet. They ask Friar Laurence, an old friend of Romeo, to secretly wed. Friar Laurence believed that their union would end the feud between their families. Despite his good intentions, Friar Laurence has caused the tragedy of Romeo & Juliet. Although it was too late, both characters died. Their families, however, have come to terms with their grief. The original Romeo & Juliet has the same themes and narrative (love, hate, Fate, and destiny). However, the movie was not set in Verona in Italy. It was instead shot in Verona Beach today. Shakespeare was supposed to speak English, but Luhrman made it sound American. This was to make the story more accessible to modern audiences, despite its old-fashioned language.
Shakespeare employs complex figurative languages throughout the play. Both versions employ old-fashioned language to create images in the heads of their audience. Juliet found out Romeo was a Montague. She said, “My one love was born from my only hatred!” Similes, metaphors and oxymorons are all used in figurative language. These techniques all helped shape the play but foreshadowing is the most important. Scenes from the beginning foreshadowed the characters’ tragedies. Romeo told the Montagues that he had a dream. Untimely death may be the consequence of a dream that occurs on this day. Friar Laurence also said that Romeo rushes for Juliet when he is not careful. They stumble fast to stress the consequences of their mistakes. Shakespeare used light versus dark to describe Romeo & Juliet. Romeo described Juliet as the sun who could kill the envious moon. Romeo said that Juliet was “the sun who can destroy the envious moon,” but Romeo said Juliet’s light best shines in darkness. Romeo said Juliet “hangs upon one cheek of night” and is “a rich jewel inside an Ethiop’s ears.” Juliet is, therefore, described as the light that shines in Romeo’s dark world.
Baz Lehmann’s new movie version of Romeo + Juliet is very different to the original. It captures all the visual elements and dramatic cinematography. Romeo & Juliet first met at Capulet’s Costume Party. It was on two sides of the aquarium and featured a variety of colors. A beautiful, romantic song supported the moment. Each participant wore a costume that reflected their personality during the party. Mercutio wore an adult girl’s costume because he is outgoing. Tybalt dressed as Lucifer to represent his impatience. Juliet dressed as an angel in order to express her youth and innocence. Romeo, by contrast, was dressed in dark knight garb to find his missing wife. The costumes of these characters are similar to Romeo’s original play. But this time the images are visual. These visual representations contrast well with the movie’s old version, since the party takes place in a 20th-century period.
Shakespeare and Luhrman’s versions of love are different than those in the 21st Century. Shakespeare’s time saw young girls forced to marry at an early age. A few hours before Juliet met Romeo, Lord Capulet informed her about Juliet’s marriage to Paris. Paris was 26 years old, while Juliet had just turned 13. Uhm… Something seems a little off here. Romeo & Juliet disagree with the idea that ‘forced marriages’ should be allowed since they were married at first sighting. Hmmm… True love? Romeo and Juliet was Shakespeare’s love story. They used language to express their destiny and it didn’t have any costumes or dramatic effects. Luhrman’s adaptation however uses visual images. The camera angle looked down and focused on the city’s decay, which indicated both family feuds. Romeo was presented with fireworks before the party and his dream. Luhrmann’s version transformed the prince into an officer. Modern versions of the story use guns rather than swords or daggers. This is a reference to the American setting. Even though everyone has read Shakespeare’s original, the 21st-century can still find it difficult to understand. Luhrmann made Romeo+Juliet more understandable by adapting it.
This essay examines how Romeo und Juliet present love. It is clear that Romeo-Juliet’s tragic love story is in fact tragic. Shakespeare knew from the beginning that the tragic story of the young lovers was coming. He wrote, “A pair a star-crossed lovebirds takes their lives.” Their love story was fated. Shakespeare was intensely concerned with fate and destiny using the Elizabethan language. Luhrmann’s adaptation reflected this with visual images, soundtrack, and setting. Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio were well-known actors. We are used to seeing American-set TV and film shows. But, there are still people who believe Romeo and Juliet might have saved the tragedy in several ways. Romeo wouldn’t have jumped to any conclusions as quickly as Taylor Swift in Love Story.
