Would someone please edit my essay?
I have an essay due tomorrow on Romeo and Juliet (I picked my own topic). In my essay, I discuss how Baz Luhrmann (director of the 1996 film version) used scene and setting to mirror the characters' emotions. I would really appreciate it if someone would take the time to review it. I've been working on it for about a week, but if anyone has any pointers or thinks adjustments need to be made, I'll gladly take them into account. Thank you so much :)
it is fairly long.. please bear with me
In America, going to the movies is just as much of a pastime as baseball. Along with apple pie and Frank Sinatra, the family excursion to the movie theatre produces an unequaled joy. The buttery popcorn, the expensive candy, and even the crying babies are all too familiar. The best part is the feeling of settling into your seat right as a good film is about to start. Comedies, tragedies, romances, documentaries, and historical dramas are only a few of the many genres offered to movie-goers. Books and plays adapted to movies are always viewed with high expectations. Such is the case with the film adaptation of the Shakespearean play, Romeo and Juliet. In 1996, an Australian director, Baz Luhrmann, brought the 500 year old play to life on the modern silver screen. 12 years later and it’s still a sight to behold; a drama for the ages. Films that resonate with the audience are hard to find in this day and age, dramas especially. An Italian-American director, Frank Capra, sums up the experience of a drama when he says, “I made mistakes in drama. I thought drama was when actors cried. But drama is when the audience cries.” Romeo and Juliet is certainly a drama in which the viewers cry. Many aspects of the film draw audience members into the story. Creative costuming, captivating actors, and even descriptive setting all add to the general appeal. Baz Luhrmann’s use of setting portrays how the original Shakespearean characters’ emotions, such as anger, hatred, and despair, mirror the weather and venue at vital points in the development of the story.
A contributing factor to Mercutio’s death is anger; not only Tybalt’s, but Mercutio’s as well. Both characters were proud of their birthplace and skill, and were angered over insults. In the film version of the scene, a storm is coming in just as the fight begins. As the fight escalates, so does the storm. The storm’s growth reflects the anger building inside Mercutio and Tybalt. As Mercutio stumbles to the ground, dying as he struggles to the water’s edge, he repeatedly says, “A plague o’ both your houses” (III. I. 95.)! At that point, as his words express, he is overcome with anger and sadness. The winds pick up as he falls, symbolizing his dying strength. While watching, there is no doubt as to what is happening because of the expressive symbolism. In a way, the storm also represents Mercutio’s life as a whole. He was usually in a drunken state of rage, and even in his joking moments there was an underlying anger that was expressed on many occasions. In the eye of the storm that was his life stood his best friend and confidant, Romeo. The only thing that stopped Mercutio from destroying his life at an early point in his life was Romeo’s intervention. It’s interesting that the one person who could save Mercutio from his own destructive and angry behavior is the one who ended up spurring his demise. He was dying as he entered the fight, dying as the storm brewed, dying every day that his anger took control of his life. Mercutio’s entire life was one big fight; one big storm of emotion. Tybalt didn’t help this. In fact, he was a cause of Mercutio’s endless anger; Tybalt’s name is synonymous with trouble. The feud between the Capulet and Montague families was a large part of Mercutio’s life, and he was proud to represent the Montagues. Like Mercutio, Tybalt also represented his family, the Capulets, with pride. This clash of similar souls was doomed to end badly from the beginning; their clashing swords alike to the flashing lightning and booming thunder of the approaching storm.
Hatred is a recurring theme throughout the story of Romeo and Juliet, and it is the emotion that instigates Romeo to seek and destroy Tybalt after the death of Mercutio. The scene in the film is filled with raw emotion and symbolism. The depth of Romeo's emotions is expressed after he learns of Mercutio's death. He says, "This day's black fate on more days doth depend; this but begins the woe, others must end" (III. i. 126-127.). Here he embodies his intent to avenge Mercutio's death with the death of Tybalt. It is through his anger and impulsive nature that he decides to pursue him. While a rational person would think about the consequences, Romeo is so filled with hatred and anger that he let his emotions take control of his mind. In the film, this scene is portrayed as a car chase. The storm continues to brew after Mercutio’s death, and as th
The storm continues to brew after Mercutio’s death, and as the pursuit begins, it breaks. The emotions on the actors’ faces perfectly embody the original intent of the play. Romeo is filled with hatred and sadness, while Tybalt is experiencing deep regret and anger. The torrential rain falling on Verona symbolizes the tears of anger, hatred, and sadness all throughout the city. On that day, many people experienced the loss of two prominent members of Verona. Many knew Mercutio, and depending on the person, he was a son, friend, enemy, or lover. His family and friends mourned him. No matter how malicious Tybalt was to the Montague family and supporters, he was beloved by his fellow Capulets. He too was mourned by many, as a cousin, nephew, son, and friend. The rain pouring from the sky truly represents the multitude of tears and broken hearts in Verona. Romeo was not the only person affected by the deaths. Unfortunately, he was too wrapped up in his hatred to think about the
think about the effects of his actions in pursuing Tybalt. This combined with his already impulsive nature proved to yield a deadly outcome. That dark and stormy night would prove to be the scene for one of Romeo’s most regretted actions.
Banishment. Despair. These two words go hand in hand in striking fear in the hearts of Verona’s citizens. Therefore it is to be expected that Romeo is upset over his sentence, but he goes too far by comparing it to death. He reacts over-dramatically when he says, "Ha, banishment! Be merciful, say ‘death’; For exile hath more terror in his look, Much more than death: do not say ‘banishment’" (III. iii. 15-17.). Even before he leaves the city he is in a state of despair and hopelessness. In Baz Luhrmann's portrayal of the Mantua, Romeo's place of banishment, he depicts it as a desert camp where trailers and tumbleweed abound. It is a place where nothing can grow or flourish. The dry air and ground show no hint of moisture, and the plants
and the plants that thrive in these harsh conditions are uninviting and covered in thorns. Romeo is depicted alone in the middle of this desert camp. He is completely alone not only in his banishment, but in his mind. He has said that he would rather die than be banished, but he is already dead on the inside. He walks around the camp, fighting his way through air that's thick and stagnant. Despair clouds his judgment not only externally, but internally. The air outside reflects his pathway of thoughts inside. Every hope has died, and his mind is clouded and dim. He refuses to see how anything good could come of his banishment, regardless of the fact that he is alive and not dead. He is so despaired over his actions and sentence that no hope or optimism could enter his thoughts. He seemed to be fighting a war inside himself, a war only he knew about, and a war he was losing. Part of him wants to live and hope to be with Juliet, but the bigger part tells him that it was useless
that it was useless wanting that because his life was over. Because of his lack of optimism, Romeo sinks deeper and deeper into despair. He’s so sure that banishment is worse than death, and believing this misconception, he gives up and slowly begins to dig his grave in Mantua. It is because of his reluctance to look on the bright side of his predicament that he reacts harshly and recklessly at later points in the story, leading to his death.
The tragedy of Romeo and Juliet is filled with raging emotions. Among the passion between the two lovers is a wide range of feelings. Anger, hatred, and despair are a few notable recurring emotions. Each character experiences a mix of the three, some stronger than others. It is apparent that Mercutio has his fair share of trouble created largely by his barely suppressed anger, and Tybalt brings about his own death by his extreme hatred. In a series of events leading to his death as well as Juliet’s, Romeo is gripped by despair and hopele
hopelessness. All of these emotions create negative drama and excitement, but along with joy and love, they are a part of human nature. Dramas have a tendency to create scenarios caused by rash and small decisions, such as the choice to turn left instead of right. Throughout the drama of Romeo and Juliet, these small decisions grip the reader, and they are found smacking their heads at the seeming stupidity of whatever certain character is changing the plot. But no matter how ridiculed these emotions and their effects are, they are the defining qualities of the story, and entirely human. In the film, they are even more exemplified by the reflection in scenery and setting. These visual aides add greatly to the understanding of the story and characters. In a stunning turn of events, Baz Luhrmann created a memorable film to cater to the needs of multitudes of Americans looking for a good drama. Not only was it a good drama, but it was a lasting one as well. Generations from now,
Generations from now, people will watch the film in their own homes, rather than the theatre smelling of popcorn and baby burp-up, and revel at the inventive vision Baz Luhrmann brought to the original play. It is movies like this that people remember; movies that people want to watch on a rainy Friday afternoon, warm and snug in a blanket on the couch. Romeo and Juliet is more than a film, it’s a way for people to understand each others’ emotions: emotions that are human through and through.