Franco Zeffirelli’s film adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy is at once beautiful and provocative. The vibrant colors in the scenery and costuming support the life and gaiety that will eventually be crushed in the end. Romeo and Juliet’s passionate yet short-lived love arouses the watcher’s sympathies and holds their up their purity and devotion as the best as could be hoped for.
The film though portrays its protagonists as much more innocent than their stage originals. In the play, Romeo is desperate to reach Juliet. In the process, he threatens his servant Balthazar with death if he should stay to watch Romeo and then kills Paris when Paris tries to stop him from opening the Capulet family grave. The film though has Romeo speak only the kindly lines to Balthazar and removes Paris from the scene completely. Likewise, Juliet lies to Paris and her parents about loving Paris and delaying wedding over her grief over Tybalt’s death. However, the film shows Juliet merely sobbing and her parents assume that she is in deep grief over her murdered cousin and she never speaks of loving Paris at all.
Why would Zeffirelli choose to cut such actions from the characters? Perhaps it is to create a greater contrast between their love and their familial circumstances. By painting the lovers in such a way, they are pure, without fault except perhaps in loving one another. Their love is thus elevated because of this. By comparison, the constant turmoil and fighting between their families darkens the lives and feelings of all involved, each side calling out for more blood to be spilt in restitution of theirs lost. Everyone has been tainted by the feud. So when Romeo and Juliet die for their almost holy love, they are victims of circumstances beyond their control. While they tried their utmost to find a place of peace and love, their families ripped them apart.
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