Romeo and Juliet Adaptations

We will explore how this text has been adapted over time and the different meanings and connotations that the text has gained and lost with each adaptation. We will explore the textual adaptation through a number of different genres of film and performance. The basic story of two “star crossed lovers” who come from opposing families had been around for years before it became popularised in Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. Arguably one of his most recognisable plays, it has been performed and adapted thousands of times into films, theatre, and music, and continues to have a major impact on society today. From West side story to Taylor Swifts – Love Story, Romeo and Juliet continues to remain relevant.

Romeo and Juliet encompasses a range of themes and remains a timeless love story because it appeals to many of our romantic sensibilities. Forbidden love, the pureness of love at first sight, feuding families, and teenage romance are all themes that individuals of all generations can relate too. Consequently, Romeo and Juliet continues to be adapted in popular culture because it still has a major impact on both younger demographics and older generations, who reminisce on this timeless tale of teenage romance. Romeo and Juliet has been a starting point for many artists who wish to express love and romance through their artwork, films or music. Each adaption of Romeo and Juliet changes in order to remain relevant with the values and beliefs of each society. The characters and storyline may remain similar to the traditional play, however it is the morals, ethics or values that alter and adjust according to each society that the media artefact was made in.

• Romeo & Juliet
  • Play (script and performance)
  • 1916 Silent Film
  • 1996 Baz Luhrmann high budget film
  • 2011 Gnomeo & Juliet animated film

• West Side Story
  • Film 1961
    • Soundtrack
  • Broadway performance 1986

We will examine how far removed each of these adaptations is from the original text and from other adaptations. To focus our analysis, we will ask the following questions of each textual adaptation:

• What is the core focus?
  • Themes, characters, story, setting
  • Do these elements stay constant or are changes made?
• How does each adaptation reflect the time in which it was made?
• How does the form influence the message and relatability of the text?

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WEST SIDE STORY (MUSICAL)

One of the most famous adaptions of this classical story is the musical, West Side Story. The story of the play is highly derived and inspired from the traditional story of Romeo and Juliet, featuring many of the classic themes that stem from Shakespeare’s classic. For example the main conflict in Romeo and Juliet is between the Montague’s and Capulet’s, whereas in West Side Story the ‘star crossed lovers’ are from two rival gangs, The Jets and The Sharks. The conflict seen in West Side Story is a fight between the Americans and the Puerto Ricans who both have a lot of tension between them, similar to the hostility between the two families in Romeo and Juliet. Rather than a clash of families, there is a clash of cultures, illustrating a change in themes that reflect the current time period in which an adaption occurs.

The decision to focus on race and cultures far more greatly than what the traditional story focused on, is relevant to the time period that the play was conceptualised in. The basic premise of West Side Story was formed during 1947, when Jerome Robbins approached Leonard Bernstein and Arthur Laurent’s about collaborating on a contemporary musical adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. Initially, the musical was going to be based on a conflict between an Irish Catholic family and a Jewish family living on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, drawn heavily from the most recent tragedies and anti-Semitism that was experience during World War Two. As the story developed however, the characters backgrounds changed, Anton, once an Irish American, was now of Polish and Irish decent, and Maria, who was originally Jewish had become Puerto Rican. This decision was based Arthur Laurent’s greater familiarity with Puerto Ricans. Along with this clash of cultures, two of the other major differences between the original story of Romeo and Juliet, is the setting and form of West Side Story. First, West Side Story is set in contemporary New York City, mainly in the Upper West side of New York and secondly, West Side Story is a musical. Theses changes are similar to the other subtle differences that appear throughout the story of the musical. For example, the names of the characters change, yet they still retain the same meaning and serve the same purpose in the musical:

Tony = Romeo

Maria = Juliet

Bernardo = Tybalt

Anita = Nurse

Riff = Mercrutio

Baby John = Benvolio

Doc = Friar Lawrence

Chino = Paris

Jets = Montague’s

Sharks = Capulet’s

Krupke = Prince Escalus

Action = Sampson

A-Rab = Abraham

Anybody’s/Balthasar

Furthermore, like the story line of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story follows very similar lines, but varies in the conflict that is depicted, with a much greater emphasis on the cultural and racial discrimination in West Side Story. This theme of discrimination is represented in the death of Tony at the end of the film when gang members kill him, rather than committing suicide as per the original text. Furthermore, the depiction of gang wars in this way further encapsulates the period in which West Side Story was set in, where gang wars between two distinct racial groups was very prevalent.

In terms of the change in form, from play to musical, it is likely that the audience would have responded and related to the story much more than if it was simply adapted into another play. Given that theatre/Broadway was very big amongst an American crowd during the time of release, the enjoyment factor of the audience would be far greater. Additionally, given the themes of discrimination and gangs were (still) are a big problem in New York and around world at this point of time, the musical would have had a big impact on the audiences views towards these issues, whilst also generating further discussion amongst audience members and public about this on going problem.

Overall the play is a very clear and appropriate example of how adaptations can successfully take ideas and stories from an older historical period and make it relatable to the current problems that modern society may face at any given time. It also illustrates how important a media form is in depicting certain themes and conveying them effectively to a broad audience who can relate to them. Likewise, each form of text, affects the way that an audience experiences the material and generates an interpretation of what was shown to them.

(West Side Story, (2007). West Side Story – America. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qy6wo2wpT2k [Accessed 30 May 2015].)

ROMEO AND JULIET (Baz Luhrmann)

Baz Luhrmann’s kaleidoscopic adaption of Romeo and Juliet presents a fascinating and modern alternative at looking at this classic 16^th century drama. Baz Luhrmann incorporates traditional dialogue with modern slang, constantly mixing this historical masterpiece with contemporary viewpoints of teenage love. Like Shakespeare, Luhrmann’s dazzling film delights audiences with beautiful and memorable costume pieces that truly shine during the first party scene where Romeo meets Juliet. Where this film triumphs however, is its use of music. The playlist of songs is really what defines this film as the modern version of Romeo and Juliet. From radio head’s Talk show Host, to Gavin Friday’s, Angel, the use of songs to both enhance the emotion between Romeo and Juliet, whilst capturing the essence of teenage love during the 1990’s, is what makes this modern adaptation standout. With only minor changes to some of the characters names and what families they belong to, overall the plot of the film remains very true to the original story.

The film is very cleaver in transforming traditional aspects to match that of modern times. For example, the play is set in Verona, Italy, however the film is set in the teeming seaside called Verona Beach that bears striking resemblance to Miami Beach, a cunning twist to make the film more relatable to modern audiences. Additionally the use of props and use of vehicles is very deliberate to establish the contemporary setting of the film. For example, in the opening scene where we see the Montague boys and Capulet boys first involved in a fight, the use of a gas station and various architectural surroundings of buildings, enhance this ultra modernised version of this tale. Here we see a stand off between Tybalt and Benvolio who draw guns instead of swords in this modernised setting of the gas station. Interestingly, the wording does not deviate from the original text, keeping “swords” instead of “guns”, illustrating how the original text has been manipulated in a way that remains relevant to a modern setting. Additionally, the guns are actually branded with the word “sword”, comically relating Shakespeare’s classic story to the present day in an interesting way.

In addition the film makes no pretence to an English or Italian accent (to fit the original setting) for its characters. Luhrmann explains that he believes that the American accent is better attuned to Shakespearean text, “When Shakespeare wrote these plays, they were written for an accent that was much more like an American sound, and when you do Shakespeare with an American accent it makes the language very strong, very alive” (Luhrmann)

Another interesting aspect of the film is its theme of drugs that is inherent to the characters. For example at the initial party where Romeo meets Juliet, Romeo and the other characters take pills that correlate to the euphoria the Romeo experiences during this scene. Likewise, when Romeo is trying to buy poison to kill himself after finding out that Juliet has died, there are explicit themes of the underground, grungy drug scene that is hidden away from public view, when he searches for the poison. This use of drugs is very cleaver in order to make it more relatable for audience members who may be able to relate to the underground, drug/party scene that was very prevalent during the 1990’s. It is this theme that distinguishes it as a modern day text that keeps the message in line and relatable to current teenagers who can associate themselves to the modern day experiences of these characters.

This hyper modern adaption is sure a spectacle in it’s own right, however the important thing that comes from Baz Luhrmann’s theatre like film, is the way it transforms a traditional storyline to suit and reflect a modern society. It’s cleaver twists and play on words relate to the traditional text, yet provide an interesting spin on a classic story that makes Luhrmann’s film entirely original in it’s own right. The themes that are present in the film are similar to the original themes, however some new themes such as drugs and gun culture have been introduced to reflect the current society that the film was produced in.

An interesting point to make is, that despite each adaption altering, depending on the current time period in which the production is set in, the purity of young love and the obstacles that characters must overcome, very rarely deviates from traditional times. It is the very essence of this human experience that can be translated within any generation, at any given point in time that makes the story of Romeo and Juliet so unique and universal. It is the pureness of young love that is captured through this romantic tragedy that makes it a classic and a relevant story for many generations to come.

(Romeo and Juliet (Baz Luhrmann – 1996), (2008). Romeo and Juliet – Radiohead. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzwJI0WYLVk [Accessed 26 May 2015].)

Analysis

Romeo & Juliet

Medium — Silent Film

Year — 1911

Director — Barry O’Neil

(Rings, Things and Fine Array, (2012). Romeo and Juliet (Thanhouser 1911) silent shakespeare. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDUnJYCROm8 [Accessed 8 May 2015].)

1. What is the core focus?

Silent films, without the luxury of speech, had to rely heavily on body language to accentuate what was happening in each scene. This adaptation of Romeo and Juliet is the same, with rather over-the-top gestures and facial expressions. Also featuring in this adaptation are “dialogue intertitles, which … were used to convey dialogue, and expository intertitles, which provided supplemental narrative” (The History of Silent Movies 2015). However, despite the importance of the aforementioned essential elements, the core focus of the film is the music that plays throughout. The music sets the mood for each scene, flowing from an uptempo, happy composition to become slow and mournful.

2. How does this adaptation reflect the time in which it was made?

This adaptation takes the form of a silent film, a genre that was highly popular in the early 20th century (and formed the groundwork for the major motion pictures we are accustomed to today). Therefore, the form itself reflects an era in film-making. Furthermore, due to the length of the film, cuts had to be made to the original text, meaning that background knowledge of Romeo and Juliet is almost required for the purpose of interpreting small semiotic signifiers throughout the short film.

Every movement in this adaptation is highly exaggerated and overt, for example when Juliet hides in the trees and a lady is “searching” all around for her. This stylistic feature of the text reflects a popular acting style, though this style was soon rejected as the film industry began to incorporate more realistic acting (The History of Silent Movies 2015).

Another thing to note about old films in general is that “early filmic adaptations frequently [retold] events in strictly chronological order” (MacCabe 2011, p. 49), as flashbacks were too confusing for viewers.

3. How does the form influence the message and relatability of the text?

The message may be slightly difficult to gleam from this adaptation should the viewer not already have knowledge of the original text. The intertitles featured within the framework of the text, however, aid the viewer in making sense of what is happening, though none of the character interactions can be heard.

As the film is so short, there is very little time spent setting the scene for the story or developing the characters, particularly the rivalry between Romeo and Juliet’s houses, which is of central importance to the plot. Additionally, there are no intermediate scenes in between crucial plot points, so the short film consists of a constant flow of action.

The elaborate costumes, over-emphasised movements and reliance on choice quotes from the original play to tell the story influence the manner in which the audience relates to the text. As each of these elements is far removed from real life, the relatability of the text may be low, though it is important to consider that silent films were not made to be representations of real life but a form of entertainment.

West Side Story

Medium — Film

Year — 1961

Director — Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise

(MOVIECLIPS, (2013). West Side Story (4/10) Movie CLIP – America (1961) HD. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YhSKk-cvblc [Accessed 17 May 2015].)

1. What is the core focus?

In West Side Story, the core plot points remain the same as in Romeo & Juliet, and both texts end in the tragic deaths of their protagonists. West Side Story, whilst inspired and heavily influenced by Romeo and Juliet, required the development of completely new characters, script and soundtrack.

There are a number of essential elements that feature prominently in the film, including choreography, music and colours. These elements draw the focus of viewers to the tensions between characters. There is minimal speech at the beginning of the film; relationships are established physically through exaggerated body language, dance sequences and group formations (through which viewers recognise the hierarchies within the two gangs). Even the fight sequences are portrayed through dance. This physicality continues throughout the whole film, evoking a mood reminiscent of youth and carefreeness. Additionally, the rival gangs are differentiated from one another through the colours they wear; Sharks most often wear reds and purples, while Jets wear yellows and browns.

Each of these elements refreshes the classic story of Romeo and Juliet, exploring how the medium of film can bring to life the intricacies of literature through visual representations.

2. How does this adaptation reflect the time in which it was made?

The key difference between Romeo & Juliet and West Side Story is the setting and context in which the adaptation is placed.

This adaptation is targeted at regular people who feel the pressures of society as a result of the circumstances they were born into. The film reflects, in a way, the social and economic struggles of the 1960s, through the portrayal of young people becoming involved in dangerous activities.

3. How does the form influence the message and relatability of the text?

Transforming the story of Romeo and Juliet into a new adaptation in the form of a musical creates numerous opportunities to explore the visual aspects of the story, which in its original form existed only in the reader’s imagination. It is important, as MacCabe et al. note in True to the spirit: film adaptation and the question of fidelity, to “acknowledge film adaptations as uniquely cinematic, rather than viewing them simply as translations into another medium of the essence of the world” (p. 41). Thus, when analysing West Side Story, the aim should be to deconstruct the cinematic elements as opposed to the literariness, which is lacking.

West Side Story refreshed the classic tragedy by giving the story a contemporary context and bringing the text to the big screen. In a sense, West Side Story revived the tale of Romeo & Juliet. Though the message of the text is similar as the original themes of family struggles and forbidden love are relevant even in the modern day, West Side Story enables today’s audiences to identify more clearly with the characters, who are not high born but rather regular people dealing with the tribulations of growing up and dealing with outside pressures.

West Side Story

Medium — Film soundtrack

Year — 1961

Composer — Leonard Bernstein

(Best Soundtracks Ever, (2014). West Side Story – [Full Audio]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k19YZKdKI60 [Accessed 12 May 2015].)

1. What is the core focus?

The primary purpose of the soundtrack is to highlight key moments in the development of the plot and character relationships. Each song sets the tone for a particular scene, connecting events and, in particular in the prologue, punctuating the characters’ actions. There is also speaking within a number of the compositions, as characters switch between singing and speech. Listeners recognise that this is a common feature of theatrical songs.

2. How does this adaptation reflect the time in which it was made?

To begin, this original soundtrack was composed especially for this musical film. The music reflects the two prominent cultures portrayed in the film — the USA and Puerto Rico, illuminating yet another difference between the characters.

3. How does the form influence the message and relatability of the text?

The soundtrack of this film is inviting to audiences, drawing them into the action and influencing their emotions as they watch the film. Music plays a fundamental role in any film and particularly musical films, bringing together a wide audience and in this case, rendering the story of Romeo and Juliet more accessible to younger generations. The range of songs within the film, from love ballads to upbeat songs with edge to them, offer something for people with all different tastes. The stark contrast between songs also illustrates the differences in and tensions between different characters. The lyrics are highly relatable, as a number of songs are about love, which is universal, and others are just catchy.

Gnomeo & Juliet

Medium — Animated Film

Year — 2011

Director — Kelly Asbury

(Touchstone Pictures, (2010). Gnomeo & Juliet Trailer. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3_5nEAM7yw [Accessed 13 May 2015].)

1. What is the core focus?

Romeo and Juliet has always been a tragedy dealing with the serious themes of familial obligation and forbidden love. Taking this story in the context of gnomes in rival gardens, the creators of this adaptation managed to inject humour into the film and bring the concepts down to a level appropriate for children. This is the core focus of this film; the way the medium of animation changes the story.

2. How does this adaptation reflect the time in which it was made?

This adaptation was released only four years ago, and so incorporated both the technologies and also the ideologies of the modern age. It is seemingly a mix between a neoclassic imitation — transforming the classic tale of Romeo and Juliet into a children’s story placed in a new context (Leitch 2007, p. 103), and a pastiche — “mimicry without any of parody’s ulterior motives” (Leitch 2007, p. 116). In the present day, remixing is more common than ever and there is a conception that there is no such thing as an original idea. This film incorporates one-liners, famous actors and popular songs alongside a classic story, to create a complex, multilayered “remix” that showcases existing work in a new and imaginative way.

3. How does the form influence the message and relatability of the text?

By taking a step back from the seriousness of the original play, the scriptwriters for Gnomeo and Juliet were able to take creative license and mock their own adaptation. For example, at one stage in the film Gnomeo speaks to a statue of William Shakespeare, who explains how the story is supposed to end. They then have the following conversation:

• Gnomeo: They both die? What kind of an ending is that?
• Shakespeare: My dear boy, this is a tragedy.
• Gnomeo: Yeah. you’re telling me mate. It’s rubbish!
• Shakespeare: Rubbish…
• Gnomeo: There’s got to be a better ending than that.

This conversation, and many others, are all oozing with cultural references. There are also jokes relying on word play and audience expectations of where the story should go. In this case, the form of the text revitalises the story and inverts the traditional model of telling this story. This adaptation is highly relatable to children, simply because of its creation in the medium of animation, and to adults who can appreciate the clever references and developments made throughout the span of the film.

One of the main things to recognise about adaptions is that, adapting a media text is not necessarily down grading the quality of the original work. Each adaptation is unique in its own rights and provides various new ways to interpret a classic text or idea. Just because a text reflects a traditional idea, does not mean it is diminished in value.