Mercutio and Tybalt ignore Benvolio’s remark and continue to fight. Luckily for Mercutio, Romeo arrives and Tybalt backs off. “Peace be with you sir, here comes my man.” He tries to start to fight with Romeo but Romeo withdraws and tries to declare his love for Tybalt’s cousin, Juliet and explain why he cannot fight him. “So good Capulet which name I tender as dearly as mine own.” Mercutio steps in and takes Romeo’s place. Tybalt and Mercutio battle it out. From this point in the film it shows how modern Baz Luhrmann has made it, because originally in the play it was a sword fight between Tybalt and Mercutio but Baz Luhrmann used guns and their fists to emphasize the violence and angry emotions.
Romeo jumps between Mercutio and Tybalt, stopping them from hurting one another. Blocking Mercutio from Tybalt, causing Tybalt to stab Mercutio in the chest. Tybalt and the others did not realise how fatal the wound was.
As Mercutio was even being witty to the point of his death, he was pretending that he was not hurt “ay, a scratch, a scratch” and cursing their households under his breathes “plague of both your houses”. At this moment Romeo realises that Mercutio is actually fatally wounded and it’s his entire fault “if you ask for me tomorrow and you should find me a grave man”. As Mercutio is blaming him for his wound “I was hurt under your arm.” But Romeo thought he was only doing it “all for the best”. Mercutio falls to the ground and slowly stops breathing in Romeo’s arms. In the Luhrmann production of the play, the weather and the light changes to show Romeo’s emotions. Baz Luhrmann uses weather and light to set emotions of a character’s feelings and build up the violence. The weather changes in this scene from a hot summer’s day, to a storm. The heat of the afternoon represents the emotions and violence, which are building up from the characters and the storm represents the burst of violence and angry emotions from Romeo.
The light, from clear sunny sky quickly changes to a stormy atmosphere; Baz Luhrmann also uses music to set the mood and emotions of the characters.
Romeo, with such outrage and anger chases Tybalt. Baz Luhrmann uses a car chase and dark lighting with flashes of bright lights and close ups of Romeo’s anger and Tybalt’s scared facial expressions. He also uses loud dramatic orchestral music to add to the atmosphere.
Romeo’s and Tybalt’s cars collide into each other.
Baz Luhrmann adds an extra scene of Juliet happily waiting for Romeo on their wedding night, while Romeo is out fighting with her cousin. Tybalt’s gun slides across the tarmac and Romeo reaches for it and points it directly towards Tybalt, while shouting, threatening to kill either one of them. “For Mercutio’s soul is but a little way above our heads. Staying for thine to keep him company. Either tho or I, or both must go with him.” With outrage Romeo shoots Tybalt in the chest. Tybalt’s body falls into the river, at the feet of a religious statue.
Baz Luhramm adds the statue to show how religious the play is. There is silence as the gun that murdered Tybalt falls from Romeo’s hands, to the ground, with a loud echo.
Romeo realises, that he has ruined his life. “O, I am fortune’s fool!” It starts to rain and Romeo falls to the ground and breaks down into tears.
Luhrmann adds the rain for effect on Romeo’s emotions and feelings in this scene.
Benvolio arrives to warn Romeo that the Prince and Lady Capulet are on their way. “Tybalt slain, stand not amazed. The Prince will doom these deaths, hence, be gone away.” In the Luhrmann interpretation, Benvolio arrives in a car, this makes the scene more modern as in the original text.
The Prince and Lady Capulet arrive to find the body of Tybalt floating in the river. Benvolio explains the situation. “Tybalt, here slain, whom Romeo’s hand did slay”. Lady Capulet is furious with anger and demands that Romeo should die “Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live.” The Prince is outraged as Mercutio was “one of his Kinsman” and the conflict between the two families leads to innocent people’s deaths. The Prince decides that Romeo should be exile to out side the fair Verona walls. When they find him, “that hour is his last.”
Baz Luhrmann’s version of the play is extremely modern interpretation. I think this is one of the reasons why the film was so successful because the audience of today could relate to it and also using well-known teen actors/ actresses to appeal to the younger age group.
Luhrmann used several different methods to make the play modern. Some of the ways he used to achieve the film modernism
Clothing to modernise the film: the Capulet boys wore dark religious tight fitted, clothing. Where as the Montague boys wore lose Hawaiian shirts and dark lose trousers, these outfits represents their character’s personalities.
Using guns instead of swords.
Car chases.
Using music, lighting and weather to set the moods and emotions of the characters.
Capulet and Montagues are both involved in the building industry in this version.
Loud dramatic music - orchestral.
Fast moving shoots.
Police and ambulances.
Set in a modern city- busy, multi-cultural.
Using well-known young actors/ actresses.
Extra add scene for effects.
Comparing Baz Luhrmann’s modern version to Zeffirelli’s version of the play. The Zeffirelli’s version is extremely traditional. As Zeffirelli sticks to the original text, Zeffirelli uses traditional costumes, does not use music much, to set the atmosphere, in act 3 scene 1,it is more humours compared to Baz Luhrmann’s version, Zeffirelli also does not use cars, weather or lighting changes to set a mood/ atmosphere but Zeffirelli uses sword fights unlike Baz Luhrmann’s, Zeffirelli set it in the period when it was set in the play originally.
In the Baz Luhrmann version, we, the audience, know more of what is happening before the characters do. Example; when Romeo and Juliet first meet, the audience know that their families are enemies before they find out. Also we, as the audience, know about Romeo murdering Tybalt before Juliet finds out.
The Baz Luhrmann interpretation is very different to all the other interpretations of “Romeo and Juliet” that have been made since the original because he has made the film modern. The audience of today in my opinion, would react positively to this version because the film covers, most genres of films, as it has action, drama, romance, comedy and I also think that the audience of today would react positively to it because they could all relate to the story line in one way or another. I think if the audience of 1968 saw the Baz Luhrmann version then they would act differently compared to the audience of today because today’s culture are more prepared for tragedy and deserters as today’s culture has suffered more than the culture of 1968.
