Compare two film versions of Romeo and Juliet

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  Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy, written by William Shakespeare. The play takes place in Verona, Italy, where two rivalry families are constantly feuding and disturbing the city’s peace. The two children of the quarrelling families, fall in love and are married in secret. Another brawl occurs and in revenge for his best friends death, Romeo kills Tybalt, Juliet’s cousin. Romeos punishment is not death because Tybalt murdered Mercutio, but Romeo is banished from Verona.

  Romeo and Juliet, even though they have known each other for just two days, appear to be very much in love with each other. The poetic language which they use reflects this.

They share their wedding night together, for what may be the last time as Romeo must leave for Mantua the morning after.

  At the beginning of Act 3, Scene 3, Juliet is desperate for Romeo to stay. We can see this as she says,

 ‘Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day,

It was the nightingale and not the lark that pierc’d the fearful hollow of thine ear’
Here Juliet is trying to persuade Romeo to believe it is still night time so that he will not leave her so early. Yet Romeo is very sensible to Juliet’s request, he replies to her,
‘I must be gone and live, or stay and die.’

   Juliet continues to persuade Romeo to stay,

 ‘Yond light is not daylight, I know it’

‘Thou needs’t not be gone.’

   Romeo eventually gives in to Juliet’s pleading, he says to her,

 ‘I have more care to stay than will to go,
Come death and welcome! Juliet wills it so.
How is’t my soul? Lets talk, it is not day.’

   It is at this moment that Juliet realises that Romeos life is at risk if he was to stay with her, and she certainly didn’t want him to die.

 ‘It is! It is! Hie hence, be gone, away!’

  The two lovers part as Romeo climbs out from Juliet’s balcony window. As Romeo climbs downwards, Juliet asks,

 ‘Art thou gone so? My lord, my love, my friend!’

 The titles she uses for him show that she cares for Romeo dearly, she appears to be very upset and distraught.

 Also as Romeo descends from the window, Juliet speaks to Romeo, ‘ O God! I have an ill-divining soul!

Methinks I see thee, now thou art below,

as one dead in the bottom of a tomb. Either my eyesight fails, or thou look’st pale.’

  In this phrase, where Juliet says she pictures Romeo dead in a tomb, irony is used. This is because at the end of the play, Juliet awakens in the Capulet tomb, to find Romeo lying dead beside her.  In the film by Baz Luhrmann, Juliet’s feeling of being deserted is shown as she stands alone on the balcony watching Romeo depart from the Capulet mansion.

 

   Juliet is eminently forlorn over the departure of Romeo. Juliet is not certain that she will ever see her husband again, and yet they have only been married for one day. Juliet is also anxious for her husband’s life, as if he is seen in Verona he will be killed, for not obeying the Prince immediately over his banishment.

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  At this point in the play, Lady Capulet enters, appearing to be in a cheery and caring mood. She asks,

 ‘Why, how now, Juliet?’

  Juliet replies,  ‘Madam I am not well’

  When she says that she is not well, it is because she longs to be with her husband, and also she fears for his life.

   Lady Capulet misinterprets this and thinks that Juliet is weeping for Tybalt, her cousin, who was murdered the night before by Romeo. Juliet’s mother is very unaffectionate here, as she says to Juliet who is obviously deeply upset,

 ‘ ...

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