Film Version vs. Actual Written Work of Romeo and Juliet

Both the movie and the play had very interesting similarities and differences in their scenes. Both the movie and the play starts out with the prologue, explaining the story is about a feud between two families (the Capulets and the Montagues) and that it will the feud will end in a tragedy.  Some of the scenes from the play were not shown in the movie. For example, Act 1, scene 2, the dialogue between Paris and Lord Capulet about marrying his daughter, Juliet, was entirely cut. Some of the scenes from the movie were somewhat different. One major difference was the “balcony scene” (Act 2, scene 2). Compared to the actual play, Romeo’s dialogue with Juliet was cut in half. In contrast, most of the balcony scene took place in Capulet’s pool.  Another example is in the beginning of first brawl, there were citizens who cheered, “Down with the Capulet’s! Down with the Montague’s!”(Page 725, line 77) Compared to the play, it is the opposite in the movie. In the movie, there were a number of nuns who were walking by and saw the fight between the Capulet’s and Montague’s. They quickly got onto their bus and drove off as fast as possible to get away from the fight. Another scene that was really different was Act 5 when Romeo returns to Verona; nobody had known he had returned except Balthasar. However, in the movie, he was chased by the police and helicopters with searchlights as he went to the church to see Juliet for the last time. Also, one key difference was that in the film Paris is not killed. Both the movie and play ended with the Romeo and Juliet dying in tragic fashion.

Even though both the movie and the play had the same characters, the characterizations were somewhat different, but also similar in many ways. Like Shakespeare’s original play, the movie contained all the original characters: Romeo, Juliet, Friar Lawrence, Mercutio, the nurse, Tybalt, Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, Lord Montague, Lady Montague, Paris, Benvolio, the Prince, Balthasar, and the servants. In the play all the characters are Italian. In the movie, the Capulets are mainly Latino, while the Montagues are mainly white. The character that plays Mercutio is African American. The Captain Prince who plays the Prince of Verona is also African American. Compared to the play, in the movie the two house’s loyal servants are portrayed more as gang members. One major difference between the actual play and film was the ages of Romeo and Juliet. In the play Romeo is about 16 and Juliet is almost 14. However, both  and Claire Danes were in their twenties. But through all the changes, most of the characteristic of the characters did not change.

All in all, even though the film version of Romeo and Juliet has many differences from the actual play of Romeo and Juliet, it supports the original characters, plot, and themes of the original play. The purpose of this movie was to capture present-day viewers and that is why most of the aspects had to change. Despite all of the changes that the director had made, the story still remains passionate and romantic. No one knows what the original version of Romeo and Juliet was really like. One thing that will stay the same is that no one will ever recreate what Shakespeare has done in his amazing play.