Romeo and Juliet – Play
Essay title: Romeo and Juliet – Play
Romeo and Juliet, Which is one of Shakespeares most popular and well-known plays, is considered by some critics to be the first and greatest example of romantic tragedy. The play looks at two children from feuding families who, upon falling in love, disobay their parents and also there households. Their efforts have terrible results, including the deaths of Tybalt and Mercutio, as well as the tragic death of Romeo and Juliet. Some people, often focus on the main characters. Mercutios character is very dramatic and tragic as well, as some people feel that his death creates a turning point in the play from comedy to tragedy.
Some people say that Romeo and Juliet are self-centered and immature. (see Further Reading), contest the idea that Romeo and Juliet possess flaws that contribute to their fate; Stoll finds that love, destiny, and the feud between the families brings about the deaths of the lovers. Carolyn E. Brown (1996) observes a shift in the critical opinion of Juliet, noting that modern critics have increasingly credited Juliet with being “self-willed,” rather than a passive “victim” of her circumstances and fate. Exploring Juliets depth of character and emerging selfhood, Brown concentrates on Juliets language in two scenes typically thought of as romantic (Act II, scene ii, the so-called balcony scene, and Act III, scene v, the morning after the consummation), and finds in these scenes and in the falconry imagery they contain an effort on Juliets part to control Romeo. As Romeos closest male companion, Mercutio plays a vital role in Romeo and Juliet. Joseph A. Porter (1988) focuses on Mercutio’s relationship with Romeo, stressing that in both criticism and in performance, Mercutios statements about the value of friendship are often underemphasized. Porter locates strains of homosexuality in Mercutios phallic language, and in the “warmth and urgency” of his friendship with Romeo, and further analyzes how these homosexual suggestions may reflect Shakespeares response to Christopher Marlowes subversive homosexuality. Like Porter, Joan Ozark Holmer (1991) is interested in the relationship between Romeo and Mercutio. Holmer argues that Shakespeare used Mercutio to deepen the intensity of our reactions to the play, noting for example that in Shakespeares sources, Romeos duel arose out of self-defense, but the duel in Shakespeares play stems from Romeos passionate desire to avenge Mercutios death.
The translation of Shakespeares play to film involves numerous challenges for directors. Baz Luhrmanns 1996 version of the play, William Shakespeares Romeo + Juliet, although popularly successful, was often disparaged by critics. Jim Welsh (1997) criticizes the way many of the actors were unable to convincingly deliver Shakespeares dialogue and notes as well that the “bizarre” visuals of the film called into question its “fidelity” to Shakespeares text. Leah Guenther (see Further Reading) notes that many reviewers condemned Luhrmanns film and suggests that Shakespeare purists were disdainful of Luhrmanns attempt to create a “Shakespearean vernacular.” After comparing the film to Franco Zeffirellis 1968 version of the play, Guenther praises Luhrmanns effort to “reincarnate” Shakespeare for the 1990s. Similarly, Elsie Walker (2000) claims that the film should be seen as a “revolutionary” Shakespeare film. Walker focuses primarily on the films intertexuality and setting, and the way in which these elements encourage an active response from the audience. Jack Jorgens (1977) reviews Zeffirellis film, noting that it was critically deprecated. While Jorgens praises the films “nontheatrical” acting and favorably assesses the way Zeffirelli used visual effects to compensate for the excised dialogue, the critic nevertheless comments that the film as a whole is a “less mature” effort than Shakespeares play. Other reviewers focus on modern live performances of Romeo and Juliet. Russell Jackson (1996) discusses the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production directed by Adrian Noble, noting that there were numerous “awkwardnesses” in the staging of the play and that the actors playing Romeo and Juliet lacked passion. Katherine Duncan-Jones (2000) offers her analysis of the National Theatres “Ensemble” production of the play directed by Tim Supple, noting that the depiction of the two households as racially different had little effect except to generate some confusion and throw an otherwise well-constructed play “off balance.” Lawrence Christon (2001) observes some “uneven” performances in the Center Theater Group/Ahmanson Theater’s production directed by