In the first part of the scene Shakespeare writes that the servants are getting the Capulet’s party ready. He puts in a sense of urgency into this scene, one of the servants says
“Eye boy ready’ and ‘He shift a trencher? He scraped a trencher?”
The servant is getting annoyed with stress and is complaining. Both Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli leave this part of the scene out. This could be because both Baz Luhrmann and Franco Zeffirelli can use camera shots, lighting and sounds to show urgency of getting a big party ready. Shakespeare would have to use this part of the scene to link scene four and five together, also it would cover up what was going on behind during scene changes.
When Lord Capulet greets his guests, he shows off the power he has.
“More light you knaves”
He orders servants about when guests are there to see him do it. This shows that he showing power just because he has guests there and he wants them to see how powerful he is. Also he is trying to make the guests feel important, he emphasises this by being nice to the guests and not the servants. Lord Capulet treats the women differently to the men. He tries to embarrass the women when the men are around and then turns it all into a joke.
“Will she deny to dance? She that makes dainty, she ill swear hath corns”
He is implying that women that won’t dance have corns, he does not do anything like this to the men. It shows his power over women, he can make jokes at their expense and no one can do anything about it. When he greets his guests he says:
“Welcome gentlemen”
He does not welcome the women at all, he seems to favour the men over the women.
In the Baz Luhrmann version a lot of the text is missed out. When Lord Capulet is talking to his guests a lot of the text is missed out, he does not show the power by implying that the women have corns, he shows power by grabbing a woman and kissing her. This does not impress the woman but as Lord Capulet is the head of the house and very powerful she cannot say or do anything. Lord Capulet acts as if he is best friends with the men, he jokes with them about his age, which he wouldn’t do if he didn’t know them, but he still tries to show off to them. Also he does not greet the men, he starts talking to them with
“I remember the day…”
When Lord Capulet speaks about his youth he says
“Tis gone, tis gone, tis gone”
He turns his back on everyone and says it to himself but then jokes about at the fact that he is old. This gives the impression that he knows that he is old but because he is rich and powerful he doesn’t really care.
In the Franco Zeffirelli version Lord Capulet is more down to earth and less controlling. He jokes with the woman but doesn’t seem to embarrass them, and is not over powering with them. He acts very graciously with the men, he acts as if he does not know them well and tries to impress them but not show off too much. When he talks about his old age he makes it a joke like he doesn’t care but after he has said it he turns away making it seem that he is bothered but he cannot show his guests that he is bothered.
Baz Luhrmann’s version is shown more as a party not just a gathering. It is more effective where as the Franco Zeffirelli version seems very directed and unreal. It seems unreal because of the time it is set in, people now a days are used to parties being like the one in the Baz Luhrmann version.
In the next part of the scene Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time. This part of the scene is split into two, the first part is when Romeo and Juliet first see each other and are watching each other. In the text it shows that Romeo thinks he is in love with Juliet from the moment he meets her. He says:
“As a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear”
He is implying that she is stunning and she stands out among the people around her. Juliet does not say anything in this part of the scene. In the second part of the scene after Tybalt has spoken Romeo and Juliet speak for the first time. He is very forwards with her, he straight away asks if he can kiss her, she seems to realise that he is trying to woo her and leads him on, when he makes a comment she will twist it. Once Romeo asks Juliet for a kiss she replies:
“Good pilgrim…for saints have hands that pilgrims’ and do touch, and palm to palm is holy palmers’ kiss”
She is avoiding what Romeo has said to her, but in the end she gives in and kisses him. The text gives the impression of Juliet, who is pure, verses Romeo’s flirting.
In the Baz Luhrmann version water is used to give the effect of romance, Romeo and Juliet meet through the fish tank, nothing is said when they see each other, there is music place in the back ground which is very magical and romantic. Both Romeo and Juliet flirt without talking, they use body language, the expressions on their faces shows that they like each other, it all seems very fairytale like with the perfect end, it seems that nothing can go wrong. In the Franco Zeffirelli version Romeo is watching all the guests dance when he first sees Juliet. He moves around trying to get a better look at her, when he moves he speaks about how pretty she is, the text, none of the text is missing unlike in the Baz Luhrmann version. Romeo joins in the next dance, while he dances he keeps his eyes on Juliet and when he dances with her they flirt using body language. The music in the back ground is very appropriate to what is happening between Romeo and Juliet, this version gives the effect of destiny pulling them together, they are meant to be together no matter what. In the Baz Luhrmann version Romeo first speaks to Juliet after she has danced with Paris, Romeo and Juliet watch each other through out the dance, when she finishes dancing Romeo stands be hind the pillar she is leaning on and talks to her, Paris is still very close and Juliet does not want him to hear, they move away into a lift where they first kiss. In the Franco Zeffirelli version they do not move away from the party when they talk for the first time, Romeo pulls her be hind a pillar where no one can see by they are still close to the party which gives the impression that it is spare of the moment. In both versions they seem to fall in love to quickly, it seems to unreal to see someone and fall in love with that person within three minutes. Also the language that is used is very religious and is hard to understand in modern time, this makes everything seem less real for our times.
When Tybalt sees Romeo and the rest of the Montague’s at the party the main feeling that he shows is anger, as soon as he sees Romeo he asks for his rapier. When he is talking about Romeo being at the party he uses words like “villain”, “scorn” and “spite”. These words make Romeo sound like he is a bad person, which he is not. Tybalt says:
“To strike him dead I hold it not a sin”
The hate between the Capulet’s and the Montague’s is emphasised a lot just in this line. Tybalt goes to Lord Capulet and complains, he seems to hope that Lord Capulet will do something about the Montague’s but he does nothing. The reply is:
“Content thee, gentle coz, let him alone”
Lord Capulet is trying to calm Tybalt down, he is not bothered that the Montague’s are at his party, he seems only interested in having a good time. When Tybalt does not back down and leave the subject alone Lord Capulet tells him that he will put up with the Montague’s being there because it is his party and he doesn’t want any trouble. Tybalt does not like being told what to do but puts up with it. The way Shakespeare has written this part of the scene gives a lot of mixed emotions, Tybalt is annoyed, angry and upset that the Montague’s are at the party. Power is also shown, Lord Capulet’s power over Tybalt. The Baz Luhrmann version follows the text and not a lot is missed out. Tybalt goes to Lord Capulet and tells him about the Montague’s being at the party, Lord Capulet does not seem bothered by anything around him and he carries talking to his guests. When Tybalt come back Lord Capulet gets very annoyed, he makes himself seem more powerful by making himself seem bigger than Tybalt, they start to argue about the Montague’s Lord Capulet walks forwards and pushes Tybalt away from the guests, when Tybalt does not back down he slaps him and walks away. There is nothing in the stage directions about Tybalt getting slapped but it is very effective because it shows the power of lord Capulet over his family as well as his guests and servants. This version also shows Tybalt’s anger a lot, he cannot be calmed down without using violence. In the Franco Zeffirelli version Tybalt sees the Montague’s and goes to Lord Capulet. Lord Capulet is sitting down with guests Tybalt keeps annoying him about the Montague’s soon Lord Capulet gets very annoyed and stands up and speaks to him quietly, so no one can here, but is very strict, Tybalt does not like this and get even more angrier he speaks about the Montague’s in a dark corner which Lord Capulet had backed him into when he was speaking to him. Lady Capulet comes over to him and say:
“You are a princox, go”
In the text Lord Capulet says this. This gives the impression that Lady Capulet has power over Tybalt and that they maybe more than just cousins. When Tybalt gets annoyed the lighting changes a lot, which makes his feelings seem very strong. He does back down easily in any of the versions of the play, he shows what he feels a lot and seems to want to get his own way, this gives the impressions that he is used to things going his way.
In the last part of the scene Romeo and Juliet find out who each other are, and what family the other is from. In the text Romeo asks Juliet’s nurse who her mother is and she replies:
“Marry, Bachelor, her mother is the lady of the house”
This is the point where Romeo knows that Juliet is a Capulet. Juliet also asks her nurse who Romeo is, she asks who other people are before asking about Romeo so it is not obvious that she is asking after him. When she finds out she say:
“My only love sprung from my only hate…’
This shows that she likes him a lot and does not are that he is a Montague. The main things that are emphasised in this part of the scene are the reactions of Romeo and Juliet when they find out who the person they think they are in love with is. Another thing that is emphasised in this scene is how they find out who each other is. In Baz Luhrmann version Juliet is taken upstairs by the nurse, Romeo sees this and works out that she is a Capulet. Juliet is looking at Romeo from the balcony, the nurse come up to her as says:
“His name is Romeo, and a Montague, the only son of your great enemy”
This is the only way the nurse helps Romeo and Juliet find out who each other is. Once Juliet is told about Romeo and she is on her own she says:
“My only love sprung from my only hate…”
In this version neither Romeo nor Juliet find out about who each other are by following the text. The nurse hardly helps with it, in some ways it makes more realistic because the nurse may have worked out that there was something going on when two people ask about each other but it does make this part of scene seem very empty, there needs to be more talking as the feelings of the characters are not shown to the full extent. In the Franco Zeffirelli version the text if followed, the only difference is that the nurse asks Tybalt who Romeo is, once Juliet has asked the nurse about him. This shows Tybalt’s hate towards Romeo, he looks very annoyed and it seems to give him an indication that Juliet is falling in love with Romeo. When Romeo and Juliet find out about each other their reactions seem more real and not scripted, the feels between them are shown. When Juliet finds out about Romeo she leans against a pillar and recites a poem of love, the look on her face shows that she has strong feels for Romeo. In the Franco Zeffirelli version the reactions of Romeo and Juliet seem real compared to the Baz Luhrmann version but the way Romeo and Juliet find out about each other seems more realistic because the nurse does not help so much so she doesn’t work it out. In the Franco Zeffirelli version the nurse is asked by both but does not seem to work out that they are in love.
Having looked at the text I can now draw a conclusion about how effectively the text has been interpreted. In the text there are not many stage direction to be interpreted so the directions have to base their directions on what they think it will be like and what the characters say. I think that Franco Zeffirelli has used what stage directions there very effectively. The whole film is very realistic to the time it is set in, the text is followed well and not a lot of it is missed out in this scene, which is important because this scene sets up the base of the film. Baz Luhrmann’s version uses a modern set but the old text, this makes the film less realistic because we do not speak like the text is written. Both films try to help the audience understand the text by using camera shots. The lighting in both films is used well, when a character is happy the lighting is bright but when someone is angry or annoyed the lighting is dimmed down. Doing this with the lighting makes the characters feelings shown and emphasised a lot more. Franco Zeffirelli uses light a little more effectively when Romeo and Juliet meet for the first time, it makes that part of the scene more dramatic and their feeling are emphasised a lot more. The costumes, hair and make up are mainly used to show the power and personality of the characters. In both versions Lord and Lady Capulet are dressed up likes kings and queens. In Baz Luhrmann’s version the characters are dressed to show their personalities and to show how powerful they are more effectively. They are dressed as people, Tybalt is a devil, which shows his personality being like the devil where as in the Franco Zeffirelli version he is shown in dark colour, which cannot be interpreted very well. Stage props are used more effectively in the Baz Luhrmann version, water is used mainly when Romeo and Juliet meet, it makes everything calm and relaxed. The only prop that is used in the Franco Zeffirelli version are masks to cover the Montague’s faces, which do not seem very effective. In the Baz Luhrmann version the acting is more effective than the acting in the Franco Zeffirelli version. The characters feelings are shown more in the way they worked with other characters, it is more believable and doesn’t look like they have a script, they just seems to be going with the flow of the romance. Over all I think that Baz Luhrmann has interpreted Act I Scene VI the most effectively; he shows things in more detail, the romance seems real between Romeo and Juliet and not just following a script, things are pointed out that the audience would not understand more than in the Franco Zeffirelli version. The props, sound and lighting help make it very effective and clear, the lighting points out thing that the audience should look at and the props make the scene look more magical and romantic. The way the scene has been directed gives the feeling that something bad will happen but the love between Romeo and Juliet is so strong that they may pull through anything that happens.
