Romeo Montague played by Leonardo DiCaprio mainly appears in pale blues or, dressed in Act 1 Scene 5 as a knight, this could show that he is strong and brave, charming and Juliet’s saviour and prince charming, Romeo and Juliet both wearing simple tones would emphasise that they are in a way like spectres, the ones that hold on to life and are happy with the simple things, The colour white shows that not just Juliet but also Romeo is youthful with a pure nature, and the colours create a strong contrast with the people around them. With Benvolio as a Viking, known as a violent and boisterous character, also the rest of the Montague men were dressed as Vikings but, Benvolio wore the largest horns which shows that he is more important than the rest of the Montague family, but on the other hand, many other people were dressed as Vikings which could show that he follows the crowd.
Tybalt, known in the play and the book as an angry character is dressed as a devil, which really reflects his personality, this shows that he is fiery and naughty, also in Act 1 Scene 5 he confronts Lord Capulet about Romeo being at the party, Lord Capulet dismisses Tybalt and tells him to leave Romeo alone, Tybalt does not let the fact that Romeo is an enemy go unnoticed, “I will withdraw, but this intrusion shall, now seemingly sweet, convert to bitterest gall.” Lines 90 and 91, quoting that his mood is now bitter, so therefore he will go and calm down, but although his mood may be sweet now it will turn back to bitter hatred, this shows that he is a fiery and the fight starter of the Capulets. Another quote that describes Tybalt’s character is “fiery Tybalt” Act 1 Scene 1 line 109 spoken by Benvolio this shows that most of the Montagues believe that Tybalt is the angry and troublesome character of the Capulets.
Paris, Juliet’s suitor, wears an astronaut costume, this reflects his personality as being polite rich and kind, maybe that he has his head in the clouds and does not realise what is going on, in the film Count Paris is unaware of Juliet’s love for Romeo and therefore this shows he is in his own world.
The last important character is Mercutio, he dresses up as a woman in silver, and this shows that he is comfortable with his sexuality, he is up for a laugh and wants to have fun, also because he is not dressed as neither a Viking, devil or skeleton, which the rest of the Capulets were dressed as to show death and fear, to show the Montagues what would happen to them if they crossed the Capulets, this shows that he is neither truly for or against either the Capulets or Montagues, Mercutio is dressed similar to that of the famous singer songwriter and drag queen RuPaul, this could create a sense of humour and also reality with the audience, seeing as RuPaul is a real person.
The play of Romeo and Juliet was written in 16th century Shakespearean language, this is also used in Baz Luhrmann’s production, and this shows that even though we might not understand some of the language in detail, you can still understand what is happening in the story, because of this Romeo and Juliet is timeless because it can be related to any time in history and the present day.
Baz Luhrmann kept the Shakespearean language in the film to give it power and make it more real and to add emotion showing that Shakespeare is still a major and popular part of study in English and English literature, he also could have kept the language out of respect to Shakespeare and it gives the actors more of a challenge. In West Side story, a play and film based on Romeo and Juliet, the Shakespearean language is not used and therefore Baz Luhrmann could have kept the language to show a not so big resemblance to West Side Story, however in Baz Luhrmann’s version a lot of speech is omitted die to that the modern audience would not be as interested in the language as the effect and actions, some of the speech between Romeo and Juliet is omitted because with the use of lighting that shows she is beautiful so there is no need for a lot of words.
At the beginning of Act 1 Scene 5 in the play, the servants speak in prose informally, about all the work they have to do, setting the scene that there is going to be a party, and it also creates the atmosphere, however in Baz Luhrmann’s production all of the servants are cut out because they are not needed, this is because in films you can use actions and effects, you can also see the setting and surrounding. Act 1 Scene 5 in the play is introduced by dialogue between slaves if the Capulet household. The presence of the servants immediately indicates the wealth of the family; having servants setting up for something implies the preparation for the party which will be taking place. In the film starts with camera switching shots of the Montague boys and then after to the party, which is where they end up. Romeo takes a pill before they arrive at the party, immediately the use of drugs is introduced, which is very common in modern society where as in Elizabethan times, drugs were rare and in the actual play Romeo was not under the influence. However in the play and on the stage in Elizabethan times there would be limited amount of props, with only the servant’s dialogue and the props they were holding to set the scene.
Another important speech in Act 1 Scene 5 is the sonnet he quotes about Juliet, seeing as he was madly in love with Rosaline just before the party and know he is comparing Juliet to doves and light, this shows Romeo’s character to be very fickle, line 51, “Forswear it sight, For I ne’er saw beauty till this night” this is another example of how fickle Romeo is, another example of this is the added quote in Act 1 Scene 4 of Baz Luhrmann’s production, “Everyman betake him to his legs” spoken by Mercutio whilst he pushes a girl in Romeo’s direction which could indicate that Mercutio is trying to get Romeo to dance with other women instead of thinking about Rosaline. Seeing as Rosaline was the reason Romeo was going to the party in the first place, this also shows how fickle he is because he fell in love with Juliet straight away/
Like today in Shakespearean times, the audience were uneducated in Shakespearean language and some language they didn’t understand however the language in the 16th Century, to convey meaning they used black verse, prose and sonnets. Shakespeare uses a vast amount of blank verse in Romeo and Juliet, blank verse consists of a verse line of ten syllables, five stresses but still features iambic pentameter however with no rhyming, hence the word blank, blank verse was normally used in Romeo and Juliet to reinforce the characters rank, and some of the minor characters such as the servants would speak in prose.
During Act 1 Scene 5 Romeo speaks a sonnet to Juliet, lines 92 to 105, a sonnet consists of fourteen lines, where each line uses iambic pentameter. In this sonnet he refers to Juliet as a shrine and he is the pilgrim, “this holy shrine… My two lips blushing pilgrims ready stand, to smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.” Lines 92 to 94, this has a religious meaning of importance, he is worshipping her as a god and demeaning himself, as in even touching the shrine may defile it, but then his lips will be the remedy.
Baz Luhrmann set the modernised 20th Century Romeo and Juliet in Mexico City, some parts on Miami and also Veracruz, this is because these are popular cities for parties, well known, also the wealthy live there, the setting in Baz Luhrmann’s to that of the play is in very sharp contrast, Shakespeare set the play in Italy because it is romantic, also it could have been set in a foreign country so to not make the English look pity, to show that foreigners are imperfect and the British are perfect.
Luhrmann cleverly showed Shakespeare in an interesting way and helped create Shakespeare to become accessible, and to invite the public to love the play that the Elizabethans once loved too.
To do this Luhrmann introduced clever casting, with well known actors such as Claire Danes, she is showed in the film to be a simple child, so that this attracts a teenage audience, the teenagers can relate to her because she is quite plain, casting Leonardo DiCaprio also attracts a female audience due to his good looks and charm, the modernised film attracts people of all ages, it includes violence, fighting and weapons to attract a male audience, for the woman audience the romance story and Leonardo DiCaprio, and also to a older generation due to the curiosity to see how Shakespeare has been adapted.
During the film many speeches are omitted, some lines invented and the scene is much shorter to that of the film, Tybalt’s speech is moved to the end of Act 1 Scene 5 “I will withdraw but this intrusion shall, now seeming sweet, convert to bitterest gall” this speech foreshadows the Act 3 Scene 1, the scene of Mercutio’s murder.
The swords are swapped to guns made by a company called sword, to excite the audience so that they can relate to it, guns are widely used around the world in the 20th Century far more than to that of swords, Baz Luhrmann did this to give the film a modernised twists, this along with relating to wars and gang violence. In Act 1 Scene 1 of the play they also refer to their swords as something else this is called double entendre, “My naked weapon is out.” Line 33, here they refer to their swords as their penises to add humour because references to sex were used in the Shakespearean era for it was a good way to engage the audience and get their attention, this also shows that the emotion and behaviour of men does not change through time.
Baz Luhrmann grouped the cast, casting Latino’s as the Capulets and the Montague’s as White Anglo Saxon Protestants, this could also relate to the racial conflict of today, this could conclude that racial hatred is a sin and by having racial conflict foreshadows a bad ending for both ethnic minorities.
Baz Luhrmann’s film has a bigger advantage to that of the play, with the use of modern technology, such as the use of special effects, and camera angles.
In Act 1 Scene 5, with different production techniques, the scene is a success. With the use of fireworks at the start of the scene, and also the use of the drug, handed to Romeo by Mercutio, which could refer to his character as maybe being devious or troublesome and maybe a bad influence on Romeo, because if Mercutio had not persuaded Romeo to go to the party, he would never have met Juliet and they would both still be alive, it is easily adapted to a wider range of audience and also very modernised, seeing as fireworks would not have been used in Elizabethan times, this is also another aspect of introducing the party scene without the servants. Also the camera angles and music make the scene what it is, including modern songs and music such as Des’ree, and the song kissing you, would attract the audience because Des’ree was a very famous singer in the 20th Century and therefore the soundtrack would advertise a wider range of people to watch the film. Also in the play Sampson refers to himself as “’tis known I am a pretty piece of flesh” Act 1 Scene 1 line 29, this has been omitted from the film and transferred into a song and used in Act 1 Scene 5 just as the Montagues are leaving the party, but in fact it is Sampson the Capulet that quotes this in the book, Baz Luhrmann created the quote into a song to reflect the Montague boys personalities, that they are quite vain and think they are better than the Capulets.
Going to watch a play in the Elizabethan era, mostly everyone had the same view, just from the front of the stage, but using film and camera you can get different angles and shots to show facial expression and interest the audience, they would only probably have small smoke effects, some flying with ropes but not many other effects, they would also have a few musicians to provide music but they would make it very clear what was happening. When Romeo first met Juliet in Act 1 Scene 5, they were in separate rooms, different bathrooms with a fish tank in the middle of them, the fish tanks could be seen as a barrier between them to stop them being together just like their families feud, then effects are used to bring their reflections together, this could show that even though there is a barrier it will not stop them being together just as the family’s feud did not stop them marrying in the play, then also water can be related to purity, there are a lot of scenes in the film that relates back to Romeo and Juliet in contact with water, the colour is clear and simple, innocent and pure just like love. But when love is tampered with it doesn’t become so lovely and pure just like water, if you break the surface of the water is becomes fast, and rapid, this is contrasting with the theme of love. As well as water becoming rapid and fast you can also drown, this could mean that you could be drowned or killed by love which foreshadows the ending of the story.
Also another use of camera angles is when Romeo realises that Juliet is a Capulet, there is a birds eye view of his reaction, and of him quoting the words “Is she Capulet?”, this creates a bigger atmosphere due to the expression on his face and how he is shocked by how the woman he loves, is his enemy. Which then brings us to the ending of the Act 1 Scene 5 in Baz Luhrmann’s production, Juliet’s lines are still in tact and not omitted at the end of the scene, “My only love sprung from my only hate.” Lines 137 to 140 are all kept this quote is showing that the only person she has truly loved is from the only people she hates too, the Capulets. The quote is kept in tact because this is to create impact of her feelings for him, and because it is a classic line in the play, also to show the emotion of how she is feeling.
In Act 1 Scene 5 some special effects are used, for example when Romeo is under the influence of the drugs, the effects of the room beginning to spin creates a sense of atmosphere to how Romeo is feeling, also the shot is as if the audience are Romeo and they can see what he is seeing which also involves the audience. In the 16th Century the only way that the audience could be involved in the play was either throwing vegetables or fruit at the actors they did not like, either the audience expressing their opinion by booing or cheering their preferred actor but they could not see the actors point of view. During the scene there is a lion’s roar added as an extra effect, to show Tybalt’s character, lions are often associated as the king of the animal kingdom, and Tybalt is the leader of the fights between the Capulets and the Montagues. Also when Romeo and the Montague boys travel into the party the speed has been slowed down, this had been done to create a bigger effect on what might happen at the party with the Montagues turning up, it could also mean show that it is a bad idea and emphasises that they have actually turned up and some trouble might be caused. In Act 1 Scene 5 after taking the drug he explains that they work very fast, however in the play in Act 5 Scene 3 “Thy drugs are quick” line 120 is used to explain how quick the poison is that he is taking to commit suicide but in the film however it is used to explain how quick the drug is that he has taken before the party, this is done to emphasise and create impact on the effect drugs have on you and how you can feel if you take them, and also most of Luhrmann’s audience would not have known that in the play the line is in Act 5 Scene 3.
When Romeo and Juliet speak for the first time in a sonnet, in the film they run into a lift for maybe privacy and security, however the party is at night but the lift is bright and the colour white, this compares to their personalities well, showing the lift is bright could mean it is a safe and sacred place for the lovers, because the outside world is harmful, and in the world they are split by a family feud and can not be together, Baz Luhrmann could have included the lift to show a place of safety and to escape from what is happening around them at the party, when the nurse catches them in the lift together the violins and the music increases its volume to create more emphasis and tension between the characters being torn apart once more, just like the safe haven has disappeared as soon as they exit the lift and return to reality.
Towards the end of the scene the violins are still playing when Romeo is watching Juliet’s shadow across the house, then in sharp contrast it changes to the Montague boys music and them screaming “I am a pretty piece of flesh” this shows how different their emotions and characters are to that of Romeo, who is still besotted at Juliet, the shadow running through the house shows that Juliet is eager to see Romeo once more, she has learnt that he is a Montague but this is not stopping her, she then speaks “My only loves sprung from my only hate” along with that the camera is switching from her to then Romeo in the car in slow motion to show both of their expressions and feelings, and to emphasise that Romeo is being taken from her once more, then the camera is on Tybalt and he speaks his revengeful words, of “turn to bitterest gall” which then suddenly changes the mood from love to hate, showing that their love was doomed from the start and this speech foreshadows the ending of the film and also the fight scene in which Mercutio dies in Act 3 Scene 1.
With that the scene ends with the Montague boys driving away leaving a cliff hanger of what is going to happen to Romeo, however in the book the scene ends differently, with Juliet questioning the nurse about all of the young men at the party, to disguise that she actually just has eyes for Romeo, her speech is still intact and the same to that of the film, the scene then ends with the nurse advising Juliet to “come away” because all of the strangers have left.
Act 1 Scene 5 is very important to the play and the film, because this is the first time Romeo and Juliet meet, it is the first time they exchange their love for each other and the true story unfolds from there.
The response of the modernised film to that of the play inspired varying comments, most film critics quickly dismissed the idea of a modernised Shakespearean film, and they believed that Luhrmann’s adaptation was not “Shakespearean enough” and was missing the essential message, I however thought I was a very good idea, I am now more interested in Shakespeare and understand the language used by probably the most famous British writer in history. The story of Romeo and Juliet dramatises how an inherited feud from centuries ago can disrupt the state and ruin peoples lives, the play shows that passion can be very disruptive, dangerous and also destructive, and yet ironically it also expresses love, loss and grief. The loss of the two young lovers, the feuding families find reconciliation and peace with one another, and because of this the community is re established. This can be an example of humanism and it has connections to classical feelings like dealing with a tragedy, this has a clear connection to Oedipus by Sophocles and Pyramus and Thisbe by Ovid.
There are many similarities and differences between the two versions of Romeo and Juliet, the original play and the film. The basic storyline is kept in the film, however some speech is omitted but it is still easy to follow with the actions, effects and music it creates a massive impact and therefore some of the speech is not needed. I think Baz Luhrmann adapted Romeo and Juliet to a modernised film amazingly; the start of the film certainly captured and engaged me with the gang wars, violence and guns. I do not think that Luhrmann should have changed the language to modern language because then it would ruin the whole effect and idea of Shakespeare and his work, Shakespeare is timeless because of this and relevant to people of all ages. I would definitely love to watch an actually play on Romeo and Juliet to compare the difference and the outcome. The more elaborate costumes and scenery fits in perfectly with modernised society today. I am now more open minded about Shakespeare and find it very interesting. After almost four hundred years difference and Shakespeare is as popular as ever and is still remembered for his fantastic work as well as Romeo and Juliet also Hamlet and Macbeth. Because of this and Shakespeare’s popularity his plays and poems are still studied in school today in the GCSE curriculum. The film brought Shakespeare to life, I hope there are many more to come in the future.
