Shakespeare on the Scene

Sex, drugs, and violence are usually a potent combination, and only William Shakespeare could develop them into a masterful, poetic, and elegant story. In the play, 'The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet,' all these aspects of teenage life absorb the reader or watcher. It is understood that Hollywood would try to imitate this masterpiece on screen, and it has done so in two films: Franco Zeffirelli's 1968 'Romeo and Juliet' and Baz Luhrmann's 1996 'William Shakespeare's …

…more relevant to a modern viewer. The 1996 version of the play consequently captures the spirit of Shakespeare's writing: to entertain any audience. Said the director, Baz Luhrmann of the film: The idea behind the 'created world' was that it's a made up world composed of 20th century icons, and these images are there to clarify what's being said, because once [the viewer understands] it, the power and the beauty of the language [work] its magic.