How does Baz Luhrmann's film adaptation of

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How does Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of “Romeo and Juliet” visually highlight Shakespeare’s rich language and imagery?

Shakespeare’s use of language reflects the theatre of his day. There were no elaborate set designs, costumes, lighting or sound effects and there were also only a small number of actors playing many different parts. This could get confusing and therefore the language and imagery had to do all the work for the audience, as the words were the only tools available to help them imagine the scenes vividly.

In the prologue of “Romeo and Juliet”, line number twelve; “Is now the two hours’ traffic of our stage” and the very last words; “our toil shall strive to mend”, have significant meaning. These sentences, spoken by the chorus, highlight to the audience the key plot elements to come. It gives the audience an idea of what they are about to watch or read and makes the ensuing action more intelligible. This dramatic convention therefore acts almost like a movie trailer. In Baz Luhrmann’s film adaptation of the play, the prologue begins with a long shot of a television (within a television), with a reporter speaking to us from inside of it. Behind the reporter’s left shoulder are the words “star-crossed lovers” and a symbol of a broken ring. This, in the first minute of the play, already introduces us to the fact that Romeo and Juliet are star-crossed lovers, which is a major theme throughout the entire play. The news reporter then delivers the whole prologue from beginning to end, before the camera zooms further and further in until the point of extreme close up, at which point the prologue changes. This is how Baz Luhrmann achieves a similar effect to Shakespeare’s dramatic use of the prologue. By doing this, it is almost as if we are “entering” the movie and if you do not wish to “go in” then it is your choice not to continue watching.

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In the second sentence of the prologue, “In fair Verona (where we lay our scene)”, Shakespeare carefully uses the positive modifier “fair” to describe the city. This emphasizes the fact that Verona is closely associated with God, therefore establishing it as a peaceful, moral city. However, this is contradicted by negative modifiers in the next sentences of the prologue, which are “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean”. This brings in the fact that there is an old grudge between two families. However, with this grudge there is blood shed and constant fights, ...

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