William Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet - 1150 Words

Romeo+Juliet, a kaleidoscopic film directed by Baz Lurmann, is an intriguing modern interpretation on Shakespeare’s 16th century romantic tragedy, Romeo and Juliet, which has been appropriated to suit the audience and context of modern day society. Lurmann said in an interview, â€Å"Shakespeare had an amazing genius for capturing who we are and revealing it to us. My job is just to re-reveal it.† Lurmann successfully appropriated Shakespeare’s original ideas of conflict, violence, love and death, which remain woven through the storyline with the use of characters, setting, theme and dialogue, Romeo and Juliet has been transformed into a modern-day classic, in the form of Baz Lurmann’s Romeo+Juliet. Baz Lurmann chose a modern day city as the†¦show more content†¦In the film, the â€Å"hot, sexy, violent, Catholic city† Verona was re-contextualised to suit modern society, resulting in the name â€Å"Verona Beach.† In both the play and the film – setting is a convention that influences the audience’s views of the plot. The film’s beginning instantly provides the audience with visual idea of the city, with it’s montage packed with snippets of police chases and helicopter pursuits, Religious icons like the Christos Statue, panning of a bustling city, various zooming shots of The Montague and Capulet building signs and the flashes of bold Newspaper headlines. This montage partnered with the music, creates the perfect mood to set the scene of Romeo + Juliet. The viewers are presented with a relevant society that is chaotic, spicy and religious, yet it remains true to its initial setting, â€Å"fair Verona.† The language Shakespeare uses when Romeo is first introduced to the audience in Verona is quite childlike and immature. Romeo illustrates to the audience his current state of mind with a progression of contradictory statements, intertwining both the wonders of love and the stresses of unrequited love. â€Å"O brawling love, O loving hate.† The fact that Romeo chooses to express such immense emotions for Rosaline, a lady whom he barely knows, shows the audience not only his immaturity but also his craving for a deeper love. Shakespeare’s use of traditional poetry in the beginning of