Some of the Many Romeo and Juliet Balcony Scenes

The first version I watched was from the 1968 movie; which I believe did the best job in portraying the scene to it’s full potential. In this adaptation, the young actors were dressed in clothing from the play’s original time period and stuck to the script; there was not any modern language used. In the background, flute, and then some string instruments, set the scene with dim lighting outside of Juliet’s balcony. The lighting, music, and the use of all earth tones gave the scene a natural and calm, soft feeling. That being said, there was light which poured out of Juliet's bedroom created a natural spotlight on her. Because of this, Juliet became a center for attention in the scene and Romeo could easily find her.

In the second version I watched, Gnomeo and Juliet, the entirety of the scene was different from the 1968 adaptation. Personally, I think that Gnomeo and Juliet would be an ideal version of Romeo and Juliet to show to children or a younger group of people who may be struggling with understanding the original shakespearean work. It would be perfect to show them this version because while it uses modern language, it incorporates humor (and not just by having the characters be gnomes) and demonstrates clearly the  feud between the two families by dividing them up into teams of red and blue. During the scene, vibrant colors are used to represent which side the gnomes belong to, and there is even light-hearted music (that is very Disney-esc) to set the scene. After Gnomeo begins to interact with Juliet, there is a tremendous amount of innocent comedy when he sets off her towers display, which prompts loud music and colorful banner to pop up- which in reality, acts as comedic relief in a dramatic, romantic scene by changing the mood of scene.

Next, I watched the Royal Shakespeare Company’s version. While I thought it did a good job of portraying the emotions between the two characters, it was my least favorite adaptation. I believe that this scene was too informal; at one moment Juliet was sitting while hanging her barefeet over the balcony and Romeo was fussing with his hoodie. Unfortunately, these minor details distracted me from the scene. Further, I felt that Juliet was dressed more properly than Romeo, which  made me think that they belonged in different social classes. Additionally, the director decided to not have any background music and to limit the lighting. On the stage, there was limited illumination, however on Juliet, there was a bright stream of light.  

Finally, I watched the version with Dicaprio and Danes. I liked this version, specifically for the repeated use of water. To me, water resembles rebirth. This was very symbolic because once Romeo and Juliet exchange vows, it is as if they become a new person. I think the director specifically had this scene be in water for that reason. When Juliet runs into Romeo and then falls back into the water, this shows her innocence and youth. At the same time, it shows that Juliet may not be able to completely control her emotions with Romeo either.

While each version had many similarities, their differences is what make them stand apart from one another. Overall, each adaptation was well executed in portraying emotion and Romeo’s and Juliet’s goals in the scene.