Everyday there is something that one must interpret whether it is a book, movie, or even the news. One must come to one’s own conclusion about the information they are interpreting. For instance movies are mostly easier to understand then books though the plots may have slight differences.
In the 1996 movie “The Tragedy Of Romeo and Juliet” by Baz Luhrman, there are some major differences between his version and the book “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. One of the major differences is that the book takes place in the seventeen hundreds in Verona, while the movie takes place in the late twentieth century still in Verona. This difference makes the movie to appear of a rather young intellect due to the fact that the movie uses the same language as the book. It seems out of place.
Another major difference is the role of friar Lawrence. In the book the friar had a part of great importance yet in the movie his importance does diminish some. One more major difference is the Capulet’s tomb. In the book the tomb was said to be dark and dingy.
Though in the movie the tomb appeared to be a beautiful almost church like cathedral the tomb had many candles around where Juliet laid. Also she does not lie in a coffin but in a beautiful bed that is encompassed by white sheets. Perhaps the most important difference between the book and the movie is the final scene. In the book the final scene is when Romeo kills Paris and then enters Capulet’s tomb.
When in the tomb Romeo drinks the poison and dies. However in the movie Romeo does not kill Paris at all. When Romeo arrives at the tomb the police surround him. He takes a priest as a hostage so he won’t be shot. When he enters the tomb he walks to Juliet.
This is where the most important difference is. Juliet starts to awaken while Romeo recites his speech. They are both alive and looking at each other for a few seconds then Romeo dies. The biggest controversy is if Juliet had even uttered the faintest noise it may have stopped Romeo from drinking the poison. When a person interprets another’s work the interpreter may loose key values and change the story completely.
Therefore the interpreter must be extremely careful. As in the case of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by Baz Luhrman.
