LA English Compare/Contrast Essay Film and Play One of the most well known plays/movies throughout the World is Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Romeo and Juliet is a love story between the heirs of the two families, the Capulets and Montagues. Both of them were meant to not meet and fall in love with each other. The story ended with a tragic twist. I will be comparing the film Romeo and Juliet played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes in 1996, to Romeo and Juliet Act 3 Scene 1, 3, 4 and 5 in the play.
In Shakespeare's tragedy, Romeo disregards his reasoning and makes hurried decisions as he is influenced by his passion, while in Jane Eyre, Edward Rochester, though he possesses a great deal of wit, lets his feelings get in the way of his judgment and pursues a young love interest, Jane, when he knows of the social standards that forbid him to fall in love with a peasant. In Shakespeare's classic play, Romeo proves to be influenced solely by emotion and love while he makes irrational choices that ultimately lead to his tragic fate. In the beginning of the play, Romeo quickly marries Juliet within only a few hours of meeting her, without the consent of their parents. Their parents would not allow the marriage anyway, as the two families have had bad blood between each other for many years. Romeo's characterization causes him to disregard the possible consequences of the secretive marriage because he lives in the moment and only cares about his love for Juliet.
Meanwhile, Romeo, the son of Lord Montague, gatecrashes a masquerade ball hosted by Lord Capulet in honour for a potential marriage between his daughter Juliet and a wealthy man named ‘Paris’. Romeo goes to meet his older love Rosaline, but instead falls in love with Juliet. In love, they quickly arrange a marriage with Friar Lawrence, who hopes to join the two families together and end the feud between them. Straight after the wedding, Romeo goes to meet Mercutio, a friend of the Montague’s, who is with the ‘fiery’ nephew of Capulet Tybalt. A battle follows in which Mercutio is stabbed and killed.
Sohail 1 Ghania Sohail Mrs. Raun-Calhoun ENG2D1 November 8, 2011 *Romeo and Juliet Essay:* William’s Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tragic love story of two star-crossed lovers who cannot be together due to their feuding families. In the end, being apart was too much for them to bear and their lives were the consequence. This popular play has been re-done many times as a movie, including renditions by Franco Zeffirelli (1968) and Baz Luhrmann (1996). Both movies are quite loyal to the play’s original plot with many of the same events, deaths, people and tragedies. That is where the similarities between the two movies end because Zeffirelli created a very literal adaptation of the play whereas Luhrmann decided to do a modern 20th century version by having the story set-up in a present day environment.
Romeo and his friends from the Montague household had turned up at the party uninvited. Romeo enters the party in a sullen mood promising that he would not dance that night. However this mood changed significantly when he spied Juliet from across the room and was in awe of her beauty and overwhelmed by his sudden love for her. In Romeo’s soliloquy he questions the authenticity of his previous feeling with Rosaline and says “Did my heart love till now?” this is an example of him becoming a mature man. When the star-crossed lovers first encounter Romeo delivers a soliloquy, this reveals his inner thoughts to the audience.
Now people are able to watch the two star-crossed lovers in a different media. There are many movie based on Romeo and Juliet, but two of the most famous are directed by Baz Luhrman and Franco Zeffirelli, as well as Reduced Shakespeare Company’s live production. Individuals who are familiar with both the text and the film versions of the play will notice a variety of similarities and differences between the two media. In viewing the 1968 Franco Zeffirelli film of Romeo and Juliet, there are some noticable similarities and differences between Shakespeare’s play and this movie. A similarity between the film and the play is the when Nurse calls from within at the balcony scene in Act II, scene ii.
Synopsis of Act II in Romeo and Juliet By Brendan Polson The purpose of this scene is to summarize for the audience Romeo's change of attitude. He used to be depressed because Rosaline was a nun and was going to take the vow of chastity, so he would never be able to be with her. But then he goes to the Capulet party and sees Juliet and instantly falls in love with her. She too thinks he is handsome and likes him. Romeo and Juliet then have to hide their love because of their feuding families that has been going on for centuries.
He also says that ‘Did my heart love till now? Forswear it sight’ For I ne’er saw a true beauty like this’, here Romeo is perceived as love-struck. This is because we know that Romeo had only come to the party as a chance to meet Rosaline who was his previous lover and who he claimed he was love-sick for. Now at the slight glance of Juliet he has forgotten
He uses conflict in so much detail that one would only have to look at the play; the length of the lines would stand out. Shakespeare shows Romeo’s emotions before and after meeting Juliet. Before Romeo meets Juliet he thinks he is in love, yet he is actually depressed. When Romeo’s friends try to raise his spirits by trying to get him to go to the Capulet party, he complains that he is, “Under loves heavy burden”. The metaphor of love being a “heavy burden” is ironic because love should not feel so negative.
From the beginning of Act 2, Scene 3 it is obvious to the reader that the relationship between Juliet and Romeo is destined to be a tragic one as both teenagers derive from families with an ongoing feud against each other. Within the play, it is evident that one tragedy just drives onto another tragedy as they all manage to interlink in some way. The first main event which had ‘started’ the line of tragedies between Romeo and Juliet would be when Romeo and Juliet had met at the Capulet’s ball. Initially, Romeo intended to attend the ball in order to catch sight of Rosaline however when he had met Juliet it was ‘love at first sight’ and two lovers become entirely entrapped with their binding love to each other. They become oblivious as to what is going on in the rest of their lives.