Comparison of film to playwright in Romeo and Juliet.
The Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet, was written in a time period that differs greatly from today. The language, scenery, weapons, and modes of transportation have undergone changes over the years, and thus making the tragic love story a little more confusing to understand in a new generation. Due to the growing mental gap between the youth of today and the Shakespearean dialect, director Baz Luhrmann creates the modern day film version of Romeo and Juliet. The opening scene of the play is absolutely one of the most powerful scenes in both the film and textual versions. However, some key elements have been altered in the film version of the play to better enhance the understanding of a younger audience. Some of these key factors cover the areas of scenery, costumes, conflict, armory, and language. Language is probably one of the most powerful items in a play, due to the fact that language is the reader's personal link to the play's story line. Through the use of good language, the author is able to maintain a firm grasp on the reader's attention. Another powerful part of the play is the scenery. The scenery involved throughout the new movie is altered from the original play to meet the surroundings of the modern world. With these alterations a newer, younger audience is able to relate their lives more closely with the play. For is that not the purpose of fictional movies and plays? The audience will always enjoy a production in which their lives can be directly related to the subject at hand. The creation of conflict is yet another huge link that the play and film each carry. Conflict is the part of the play which captures and holds the reader's attention. A final change created in the film version, is that in which the weaponry and characters are altered. In Shakespearean times these men would have carried swords opposed to the guns they carry in the movie.
