THE FILM AND THE BOOK OF ROMEO AND JULIET

DIFERENCES

1. SETTING:Places Where does the classical play and the new version take place? Example: Verona vs Verona Beach . Where are they? Which century?

In the book Verona is a Italian city (1597), and is very old. But in the film Verona Beach is a USA city, and it's very modern(1996).

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. 

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.

When Romeo speak with Juliet or about her he speak in prose because he fell in love.

The narrator of the film is the girl of the news.

4. THE FANCY DRESS PARTY: What's the role of the costumes the characters wear?

Juliet wear a costume from an angel, the means the innocence, and the purity

 Romeo wear a costume from a knight, they represents a courtesy

 Paris were a costume from a astronaut, they represent who he is in the moon.

5. ELEMENTS: To make the new version, basic elements have been changed. Example: swords for gun.

Every sword or dagger in the book is like a gun in the film, but gun's names are "sword" or "dagger". There is no nobility, so the prince of the city has been changed for the policeman and the noble families have been changed for rich families. The horses have been changed by cars. 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.

6. Other differences of the classical version and the film version.

One difference from the film is Juliet's die. In the film she shot herself and in the book Juliet stabbed a dagger. In the film the potion is drunk and Romeo buys it in the house of a drogadict. Another difference in the film is version Romeo smoking. The stages are very differents. In the film Mercutio is nigga and in the classic history he isn’t nigga. In the film version the nurse is so cheeky but in the classical version she is so sweet.