Question 1. SETTING: Places Where does the classical play and the new version take place? Where are they? Which century?
In the book Verona (Italy) is an old city, and the film Verona (USA) is a modern city. The book is a real history in 1595 (16th century), but the film is set in nowadays real life (20th century).
Question 2.. IMAGERY: metaphors & images : WATER (swimming pool, beach, aquarium...) and FIRE (petrol station, fights...) DAY and NIGHT, the MOON. What do they mean?
WATER (swimming pool, beach, aquarium...): Represents the purity, innocence, unity of the two bodies who are in love.
FIRE (petrol station, fights...): Represents de evil and the death.
DAY and NIGHT: The day is the time to be separed, to stay alone, and dreaming with the night, because the night represents when the two lovers finally meet again with the dark of the sky.
MOON: Represents the fake love, because the moon is constantly change, but the love of Romeo and Juliet is forever. This is why Julieta asked him not to swear by the moon.
Question 3.. LANGUAGE. Which characters speak in verse and which in prose? Who is the narrator?
All the characters speak in prose,the only one who speaks in verse is the TV reporter which it is also the narrator of the film.
Question 4. THE FANCY DRESS PARTY.What's the role of the costumes the characters wear?
Romeo: Knight, It represents the knight who saves the princess, in this case he"saved"Juliet to marry Paris.
Juliet: Angel, It represents her purity and innocence, since she was only 14 years old.
Paris: Astronaut, because he was the only character who never knew what was happening.
Tybalt: Devil, It represents the antagonist of the film.
Question 5. To make the new version, some important objects or places have been changed.
- The swords have been changed for guns or for other weapons.
- There is no nobility, so the prince of the city has been changed for the police man and the noble families have been changed for rich families.
- The place of the dead of Romeo and juliet has been changed for the church, because now the people has to be buried or burned.
- The horses have been changed by cars.
- The plague that blocks friar Laurence's message in the book is changed for a post office problem.
Question 6. Other differences of the classical version and the film version
- In the film Romeo cry for Juliet in tomb and in the book fight with Paris.
- In the film Tybalt is not very habilidous with a gun and the book Tybalt is the best with sword
- In the book when Juliet awakens, Romeo is already dead , in the film not