Connect Extend Challenge PDF

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Connect – How does Act 2 (Balcony Scene) connect to Lurhmann’s film?    

Ideas Values Concerns Character representation

The balcony scene featured in Act 2 connects with Shakespeare’s work through the similar representation of both characters and ideas presented. The play depicts Romeo as being deeply and recklessly in love with Juliet. This representation can also be seen in the film which shows Romeo as being desperate enough to see Juliet as to climb into her house during the night, less than an hour after their last encounter. Juliet’s projection in the play is also similar to the film. The film has connected her to being a more calculated and precise person who thinks about the details and problems of the pairs love. Juliet, in both the play and the film is used as a balancing force to Romeo’s instance decisions. The film has also managed to connect with the ideas presented in the play. The balcony scene is written as the main scene of intense love and romance and this theme is carried through into the film by highlighting the deep love that both Romeo and Juliet feel towards each other. Extend – How does the film extend on the original text? What new different insights are offered by Lurhmann? How does he use film to show this? The film is able to effectively extend on the original text by introducing new insights in key scenes. An example of this is the water used in the fish tank seen in the film. The water is used as a symbolism of both division and unity with the water originally being depicted as a force separating Romeo and Juliet and later on bringing them together and uniting them. This idea is not shown in Shakespeare’s work but the idea of having a prop used to enhance the image of Romeo and Juliet’s love is further explored by Lurhmann. The film is also able to extend on the play by changing the infamous balcony scene in the original text to being on ground level. Romeo is shown to be positioned above Juliet and is climbing down towards her rather than upwards. The main point of having this change in scenery is to create a different tone of the two characters. By having Romeo climb down to be on Juliet’s level, Romeo is portrayed to be of higher status and is climbing down to be in Juliet’s level and be an equal with her. This is different to the original play as Juliet is depicted as the higher figure whom Romeo must climb to reach. Challenge – How does the film subvert/challenge Shakespeare’s representation? The film is able to challenge Shakespeare’s original representation by offering a new insight into the way that love is thought of. This can be seen by the contrast between Shakespeare and Lurhmann’s depiction of the fast romance between Romeo and Juliet. The romance is shown as destined and controlled by fate in Shakespeare’s original play and shows the pair as star-crossed lovers. The film however, takes a different approach to this and points out the absurdity of the pairs quick marriage. The representation is also changed by modernising the play to suit todays audience. With this comes new ideas and themes not shown in the play such as the use of water to help depict the love between the two, which can be achieved by creating a modern take on the original play. The film has therefore been able to achieve a contrast and difference to the original and subverts Shakespeare’s representation of true love and star-crossed lovers....