He even looks as though he is going to stay, and make sure that Mercutio is alright, but he is rushed away by the tide of his fleeing and insistent friends. The repeated suggestion that these characters, many of whom are little more than children and none of whom, apparently, have any of the wisdom that is supposed to come with age, do not understand the affects and implications of their actions strengthens rather than undermines the tragedy at the heart of the film, and mirrors the utter meaninglessness of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets that fuels the entire drama. The prominent roles that violence and sexuality share also underline the overriding masculinity of this production, which is largely based on scriptural suggestion and would certainly have fit Shakespeare's own time and original setting even more than our own. As Barbara Hodgson notes, "Zeffirelli's Verona threw the weight of privilege to masculine power" (Hodgson, 348). This is apparent in many of the moments of dramatic interpretation and also in some of the more subtle aspects of the film. In the final scene, as the credits begin to...
This is a macabre mirror of the way Romeo was always the pursuer, even before the introduction of Juliet, when he lusted after Rosaline. The few female characters in the text are largely driven by what their male counterparts suggest.
Shakespeare's play, Romeo Juliet, film version: note defend effective ineffective. Do unknown young actors, Leonard Whiting Olivia Hussey, opposed recognizable stars, made film appealing? Please explain Although some might be inclined to believe that it is impossible to compare two works of art because they should each be analyzed from different points-of-view, it is only safe to consider that William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet needs to be compared with the
Juliet's speeches to the Friar after learning that she must marry Paris in a week's time indicate this as she lists the horrors she would rather endure: "bid me leap... / From off the battlements of any tower...lurk / Where serpents are; chain me with roaring bears..." (Riverside 1130, IV.i. 77-80). She continues in much the same vein, and this is not her only moment of such emotional extremity.
"The course of true love never did run smooth" (Lysander, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Act 1, Scene 1). Shakespeare's practically promotes this concept throughout the play, further reinforcing it by using the tension that emerges from the unusual relationships between some of the characters. It is not necessarily love that creates this tension, as it is actually the difficulty related to it that appeals to individuals watching the play.
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now