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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 5 page essay that examines how two films, Zeffirelli (1968) and Luhrmann (1996), present Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, concentrating on the characterization of Juliet in the balcony scene. The writer argues that this characterization reflects on the status of women in society in general as a "temptress" of masculinity. Bibliography lists 3 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khjulch.rtf
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temptation. Not only does the church interpret sex as sin, but women "tempt" men away from the defining characteristic of manhood, i.e., violence. This characteristic of Western literature is quite
evident in Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. Examination of two film versions of the play, Franco Zeffirellis 1968 version and Baz Luhrmanns 1996 version of the Shakespearean classic demonstrate how the
portrayal of Juliet has moved progressively more toward that of a temptress who lures the innocent Romeo into a physical relationship, where Romeos inclination was to worship female beauty
from afar. This point is clearer if one begins with Lahrmanns Juliet. Crystal Downing places Luhrmanns version of the play within the context of Petrarchan poetry, which was extremely popular
in Shakespeares era (125). Petrarchan poetic conceits are translated into oxymorons by the love-sick Romeo, as he agonizes over a different girl prior to meeting Juliet, the unseen Rosaline:
"O heavy lightness, serious vanity" (Downing 125). Rosaline is never seen on stage, but rather remains a construct of language, a Petrarchan ideal woman. When Romeo first addresses Juliet in
the famous balcony scene, he begins with the opening quatrain of a Petrarchan-style sonnet (Downing 126). Juliet, however, is not content to be a passive subject, and interrupts Romeo, finishing
the second quatrain and then the third, on her own (Downing 126). In so doing, she overturns the Petrarchan convention wherein the woman is always the "absent other, "
who is objectified by male gaze (Downing 126). In so doing, Juliet becomes what Richard Rorty has described as a "strong Poet," that is an ironist who "recognizes the contingency
of ones vocabulary while simultaneously seeking to generate new metaphors" (Downing 126). As this makes clear, Shakespeare obviously meant for his audience to see Juliet as more than a mere
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