Act 1 scene 5 is very important in the play because it is when Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time. Lord Capulet has prepared his house for a party. ‘More light, you knave, and turn the tables up, quench the fire….’ Shakespeare has to have his character speak about this because of the lack of scenery in Elizabethan theatre. Plays were performed in the afternoon because there was no false lighting available so that’s why his characters had to talk about the lighting.
This is very different in the film because the producer uses bright light, fireworks, colourful explosives on the screen and Catherine wheels set against dark sky lights. There are also fast moving cameras, loud music and a fair ground outside the Capulets mansion. This provides a setting for a modern party. It is very bright inside the mansion and the modern audience are very aware that a party is going on.
Inside the Capulet mansion, the party is in full swing. Romeo has managed to get into the party with the help of Mercutio who got the tickets. There is dancing in the party where Romeo sees Paris dancing with Juliet. In the film the bright lights and music from outside continues inside and the audience know that this is a party. The music was very important in Romeo and Juliet. It fitted in well with the story line and the acting. They used slow music for romantic scenes and fast music for action scenes. The music helps to add to the atmosphere. The music attracts more people to the film, as it was modern music liked by a variety of people such as teenagers. In act 1 scene 5 there was very fast loud disco music as there was a party, once we had entered the toilet there is slow, romantic music as it is when Romeo and Juliet first meet. It is clever how Baz Luhrman uses music in the film and how it affects the way we feel.
The costumes played a big part in Romeo and Juliet. All throughout the play the costumes gave us an idea of the type of person and the mood they were in. Act 1 scene 5 was when we most saw the characters personalities through their costumes. The party was a fancy dress. Romeo went as a knight in shining Armour; it was basic and had no colour. This shows that Romeo is a prince; Juliet also calls him a prince later on in the film. Juliet on the other hand, dresses like an angel because she’s young, angelic and because of the way she looks. She’s innocent because she’s still a little child.
In Act 1 scene 5 Romeo sees Juliet from a distance and falls in love with her at first sight. When Romeo talks to Juliet, Juliet falls in love with him. It is true love.
In the play, Romeo’s response to seeing Juliet is instant – she literally dazzles him and it comes out in his language. When Romeo sees Juliet, he speaks about her using a metaphor: ‘She doth teach the torches to burn bright’ (Act 1 scene 5 line 43). This tells us that Juliet’s beauty is much more brighter than of the torches. Romeo uses a hyperbole, since torches can’t really be taught to shine. When Romeo and Juliet speak for the first time, they share a sonnet. The sonnet has a sense of beauty/love for each other. When Romeo speaks to Juliet, the central image is of a pilgrim worshipping at a shrine. This underlines the depth of their love. Romeo compares Juliet’s hand to a holy place, ‘Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?’ (Act 1 scene 5 line 100).
In the film version, their first meeting is different because it is through a fish tank separating the toilets. Romeo and Juliet are on either side and then spot each other. When he sees Juliet there is a sudden change in tempo since it’s the first sight of love. Baz Lurhmann uses slow, romantic music when they spot each other – a contrast from the loud and fast music at the party. When they both see each other through the tropical tank, it gives an unreal and almost dreamlike feeling to this first meeting. Baz Lurhmann uses this type of tropical setting to highlight the true love between Romeo and Juliet. The love between Romeo and Juliet was first shown when they both shared a sonnet (in both text and film versions). A sonnet is a fourteen-line poem consisting of a rhyme scheme and ending with a rhyming couplet. The sonnet signifies the love for each other. In the film versions, the sonnet is spoken in a lift, which separates the couple from the rest of the party. This makes the moment very special and the audience are very aware of that.
The duality of love and hate is also signified in this scene – when Tybalt recognises Romeo by his voice: ‘Thus, by his voice, should be a Montague, Fetch me my rapier boy’. This shows his hatred towards the Montagues. This hatred is greatly signified by the costume he wears – a devil like costume.
Baz Luhrman picked a good choice of actors and actresses for his adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Leonardo Di Caprio played the part of Romeo. Luhrman picked him because he had already been in films before so he was familiar and obviously had some fans that would go and see the film because he was in it. He is also very confident and very good-looking. These things always attract more people to see the film, especially teenagers. Claire Danes played the part of Juliet. She was not very well known before the film but was picked as she had a familiar face and had 'the girl next door' look about her. She was attractive but not as a Hollywood star looks like. I think Luhrman picked her because of her having a familiar face; it could remind the audience of someone they know. Leonardo Di Caprio and Claire Danes (Romeo and Juliet) look good together and look like a good couple. This makes the story line easier to believe and more romantic. They are also very convincing and make the story believable. Baz Lurhmann has made a good adaptation from Shakespeare’s version to a modern cinema version by a constant change in colour, light, sound and movement allows the viewer to remain interested and to give them a taste of the rest of the film. Also the music and sound is an important tool in exciting the interests of the audience. Baz Lurhmann uses sounds such as the opera music to add tension and he alters the music with certain scenes to help the viewer understand the importance of that particular part of a scene.
