Essay on A Modern Interpretation of Romeo and Juliet

When you hear the words â€Å"Romeo and Juliet†, what comes to your mind? For most people, the mention of these names brings about images of young people declaring their love from balconies and defying fate to be together. Romeo and Juliet is certainly a story of youthful romance. However, the first-time reader will often miss the underlying ideas that the writer only hints at over the course of this play. To fail to realize the subtle political and social themes within the plot is to fail to understand the author’s full intentions. Shakespeare uses complex characterization and pervasive symbols to describe life during the Victorian era. Romeo and Juliet, which was written in 1597 by William Shakespeare, tells the story of two young people,†¦show more content†¦However, Romeo and Juliet’s sweet love story takes a tragic turn that afternoon. Romeo’s closest friend, Mercutio, is killed by Juliet’s cousin Tybalt in a street fight. In retaliat ion, Romeo stabs Tybalt and is sentenced to exile in Mantua. Juliet is distraught over both the death of her cousin and the exile of her husband. She tells the nurse her plan to sneak Romeo into her room before he leaves. Romeo is so upset at his separation from Juliet that he tries to kill himself, but the nurse and Friar Lawrence convince him that they will find a way to reunite him and Juliet. However, that evening Juliet’s father tells Count Paris that Juliet will marry him in three days. After Romeo departs for Mantua the following morning, Juliet learns that she is expected to marry Paris, and screams in objection at her father, who responds by declaring that she will be married in only two days’ time. Juliet goes to Friar Lawrence and asks him to help her find a way out of marrying Paris. Friar Lawrence gives her a potion that will give her the appearance of sleep, and plans for her parents to bring her to the family tomb and reunite her with her husband. Howeve r, the messenger that goes to tell Romeo of the Friar’s plan is prevented from his destination because he was quarantined for the plague. When Romeo hears of Juliet’s apparent death, Romeo buys poison from a poor apothecary and goes back to the Capulet, where he fights and kills Paris. Before Juliet wakes upShow MoreRelatedRomeo And Juliet, The Balcony Scene : As Interpreted By Franco Zeffirelli And Baz Luhrmann1415 Words   |  6 PagesRomeo and Juliet, The Balcony Scene: as interpreted by Franco Zeffirelli and Baz Luhrmann William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, debatably one of the most famous love stories of all, has many film versions which have interpreted this well-known, beloved story of love in a plethora of ways. Two of the more notable film versions of this love story are Franco Zeffirelli’s 1968 version and Baz Luhrmann’s 1997 version. 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ThereRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1124 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeare on Love – A Response to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet Omid Jafari English September 10, 2015 Shakespeare on Love – a Response to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet To assess Baz Luhrmann s use of setting in his film, Romeo + Juliet, we can begin by contrasting the film with the play as it was originally performed in the 16th-century theatre. The key difference between the manner in which the film and the play deal with location is that the film is primarily an image-intensive mediumRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Romeo And Juliet1209 Words   |  5 PagesMorning/Afternoon Miss Rigby, Romeo and Juliet displays the the nature of love and the reason for its destruction. It is the most common story to associate with love, it has been adapted to film multiple times, even within a modern setting. Within the play lies many different themes, two of which I will analyse today which are love and hate. 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