Romeo and Juliet - Luhrmann vs. Shakespeare

It is a well known fact that when ever a movie is made based on a book or play, chances are, the literature will always be preferred. William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, is arguably one of the greatest tragic love stories ever written. The story of two teenagers who fall helplessly in love with each other but cannot be together on account of the their families rivalry. Many film adaptations of this timeless romance have been made, but one that stood out in particular was Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, which was released in 1996. This certain movie stood out so much since not only was set in a modern era, but still retained the original dialogue from the play. Daggers were replaced with guns, the prince with a cop. The twist of modernization wasn’t the only thing Luhrmann brought to the the table though, he also made some changes to the plot and characters.

One change that I felt really added depth to Romeo’s “sensitive” side was when we are shown Romeo writing his feelings in a diary in the beginning of Act 5, Scene 1: In this scene Romeo is basically talking about how he dreams to see Juliet and how the very thought of her makes him so happy. In the original play he states, “Ah me! How sweet is love itself possessed, when but love’s shadows are so rich in joy!” (5.1.10-11). The fact that Romeo was not just saying this but actually writing his thoughts and feelings down in a diary makes him not only look even more romantic and poetic but make me think that he was writing down these things to show Juliet one day, to tell her about how much he thought of her. This heightens a certain amount sadness to this scene since it makes you think about how Romeo never did get his love possessed as he wished.

This brings me to my next change where Romeo is told the tragic news of Juliet’s death by Benvolia, again in Act