There are two different adaptations of the play. A costume drama set in the 1600s (Zeffirelli adaptation) and a modern version set in the late 20th century (Baz Luhrman adaptation).
When we open Act 2 Scene 2 in the Zeffirelli adaptation, we hear a flute playing the main ball theme with the strings and church bells in the background. This creates a pastoral and peaceful atmosphere which does not indicate any danger of Romeo being caught. The actors speak with English accents and Juliet looks about 14 with Romeo about 18. The scene is set outside a castle-like stone mansion with a stone balcony and lots of trees and bushes to hide Romeo below. There are closeups of Romeo while he is hiding in the bushes listening to Juliet speak of him. Both characters speak in loud whispers and Juliet wanders around the balcony talking. Their lines sound like a Shakespeare play as they are structured rather than flowing like normal speech.
"Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?" (Line 37) Romeo seems very forward and determined to speak but quickly draws back uncertain. He smiles at what Juliet says, even though this is very unrealistic as it is unlikely Romeo could hear Juliet's thoughts due to the distance between the balcony and the bush. Romeo shouts out his thoughts when he decides to show himself to Juliet. She is very much shocked that he would listen to her private thoughts and emotions and seems extremely concerned.
When Romeo reassures Juliet that, "I have night's cloak to hide me from their eyes." (Line 75) he ducks down into the bushes to demonstrate. He also rushes forward to shout 'Aye' when Juliet asks him if he loves her.
When Juliet says,"Or if thou think'st I am too quickly won..." (Line 95) Romeo jumps onto the tree and climbs it in a matter of seconds. This shows he is desperate to be with her. The camera draws up to the balcony,looking upwards.
When Juliet politely asks him not to swear,she looks innocent and pure and her white nightdress contributes to this. Juliet's tone of voice show her as young and naive. By Line 116,they share an unrealistic and childish kiss and can't keep their hands off. We see a closeup and honestly, they look like savages eating each other!
Romeo gently asks,"O wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?" (Line 125) and their hands join together and before the nurse calls Juliet, they are shouting their lines overdramatically.Juliet runs up the stairs to her bedroom and Romeo jumps down and swings around the tree laughing and shouting, "O blessed, blessed night!" (Line 139) The music becomes more upbeat but returns to the main tune when Juliet returns. When Juliet calls him back, she laughs and confesses she can't remember why she called.He soon jumps up the tree again and Juliet leans far over the balcony to kiss him. When Romeo must go, Juliet carefully lowers him down to the ground with a closeup of their hands gripping firmly and eventually letting go. She confesses,"Parting is such sweet sorrow." (Line 184) directly to his face. At the end of the scene, the camera draws back to see both characters go their seperate ways,both looking back longingly.
Act 2, Scene 2 in the Baz Luhrman adaptation is completely different to that of Zeffirelli's.
The scene opens also with the tune that was heard during the ball. This also creates a peaceful and romantic atmosphere and the fairylights add to this. The actors speak with American accents and both actors look about 18. The scene is set in a dark courtyard with only the fairylights as light. There is a large staircase, an elevator between floors and a swimming pool.These actors deliver their lines with good intonation so it sounds more like natural speech. The setting is more visually engaging with a distinct sense of danger in the air.
Most of Romeo's speech is cut at the beginning, leaving him with two or three lines.
We see Romeo entering the courtyard in the dark,but he unfortunately trips over some pots creating a loud bang. He tries to hide as the lights come on and dogs bark, but he pathetically hides in a white sheet. This incident brings humour to the scene.
Romeo thinks he sees Juliet at the window so he climbs up the trellis. Unfortunately it is the Nurse, and when he realises, the elevator opens and Juliet enters wearing her white party dress. The ball was fancy dress and Juliet went as an angel, Romeo as a knight in shining armour. The angel costume symbolizes Juliet's purity and innocence. We experience dramatic tension as we know Romeo is there, and Juliet does not.
Juliet begins to speak of her love for Romeo, but he does not seem happy, he seems anxious that he may be caught.
When Juliet asks,"What's Montague?" (Line 40) she moves towards the large swimming pool and the camera shows Juliet by the pool and Romeo stuck to the trellis. Juliet smiles when she says, "..nor any other part/Belonging to a man." (line 41-42). The way she delivers this line shows her desire for him.
Soon, the tension becomes too much for Romeo. He creeps up behind her and speaks. This alarms Juliet so much, that she and Romeo fall into the pool. We then see a closeup of the security guards and surveillance cameras. The guards leaves the monitoring room, to see Juliet in the water, fully dressed. This puzzles him a bit, but Juliet smiles as if nothing is wrong. We see a closeup of Juliet and also Romeo, who is submerged underwater. The guard returns to his cup of tea in the monitoring room.
The pair are greatly relieved but now speak in loud whispers rather than talking. The camera draws in on them as they talk, still in the pool. When Romeo confesses, "My life were better ended by their hate,/Than death prorogued,wanting of thy love." (Line 77-78) they kiss. Juliet seems unsure at first but quickly becomes more confident. The music is loud at this point to indicate romance. The kiss is slow, sensual, passionate and extremely realistic. Juliet comes to her senses and walks past him, averting her eyes. She gets out of the pool when she asks, "O swear not by the moon." (Line 109). She acts like she must go, but secretly wants to stay. A lot of Juliet's lines throughout were cut and the speeches were cut short. In a way, I feel it helps us understand the scene better.
Romeo asks,"O, wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?" (Line 125) in an irritated and annoyed tone.
When Juliet shouts, "I gave thee mine before thou didst request it." (Line 128) she pushes Romeo into the pool again, falling in with him. They kiss again.
The Nurse begins to call Juliet in a European accent, so Juliet hurriedly runs up the stairs. The camera looks down on Romeo's face as Juliet comes onto her balcony to ask what time she should send her Nurse for him.
The lines, "Love goes towards love, as schoolboys from their books;/But love from love , toward school with heavy looks." (Lines 156-157) are said by Romeo as he waits for Juliet to return, and they are said with feeling and meaning.
Baz Luhrman cut the lines where Juliet calls Romeo back,but forgets why she did. The Nurse repeatedly calls Juliet, so Romeo disappears by climbing over the wall. "Parting is such sweet sorrow." (Line 184) is said by Juliet to herself on her balcony with a sigh after Romeo has left. The camera zooms out to see the window of a room, with the shadow of the Nurse screaming her name, and taking a spasm at the same time, which is quite funny. A new, upbeat tune leads into the next scene.
Overall, we got the impression that the pair could be caught any minute. The tension was sustained throughout the scene.
Personally I think the Baz Luhrman adaptation shows the intensity of Romeo and Juliet's new found love the best. I felt his film portrayed it in a way much more relevant to the 20th century and was easier to understand. The scene was more realistic and more engaging than the Zeffirelli film. I felt the humour added in with Romeo making a racket and the Nurse at the end, made the scene more enjoyable. I, as the audience, felt involved in the film as I knew Romeo was on the trellis and Juliet didn't. The near miss with the guard had my class holding their breath hoping no harm would come to the pair. Even though a lot of the text was cut out, the story still shone through and I feel this was perhaps better as the scene did not drag on like Zeffirelli's. I thought the intonation in Baz Luhrman's made the scene come to life and did not sound like actors reciting lines.
I feel that people of my age may be inclined to read more Shakespeare after viewing this film, as it was more relevant to today's society.
