Essay On Forbidden Love In Romeo And Juliet

‘Romeo and Juliet’ is a play written by William Shakespeare on 1597, which illustrates a tragic love story between a son and a daughter of two opposing families, the Montague and the Capulet. ‘Romeo + Juliet’ is a modernised version of the play, interpreted and directed by Baz Luhrmann on 1996. Both Shakespeare’s play and Luhrmann’s film both illustrates the theme of love “romantic yet forbidden love” in act 2 scene 2 by characterising Juliet differently, changing the setting, and the tone.
Juliet is characterised differently in order to accentuate the ‘romantic love’ between Romeo and Juliet. “...And yet no further than a wanton's bird; Who lets it hop a little from her hand, like a poor prisoner in his twisted gyves …” (Romeo and Juliet, Act II Scene ii, lines

From this, it portrays Juliet as a dominant character towards Romeo, which gives the audience a feeling of Juliet not loving him that much; hence reduces the ‘romantic love’.This phrase could also emphasize how their love is forbidden. As this bird cannot fly freely, which is a metaphor to both Romeo and Juliet who gets limitation in who they can love. However, they are now loving each other, which means the rope tied to a bird is now cut off, and the owner now needs to chase them around; This is a foreshadowing to Romeo and Juliet’s relationship, as well as the ending of the story to express the ‘forbidden love’. Luhrmann has characterised Juliet more innocently by Juliet’s reactions, and the eliminations of lines, when Romeo offered her a marriage. (Luhrmann, 1996) Juliet gradually changes her face expression to look like she is more excited, and to express how willing that proposal is for her, as seen that she almost immediately approved his