Figure 1.-- The image here shows the love-sick Romeo at the beginning of the action before he has met Juliet and when he thinks he is in love with a distant beauty named Rosaline. |
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Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" is a beautiful production of the Shakespeare play. In the text Juilet is said to be 14 years old, and although Shakespeare gives no definite age
for Romeo, he is clearly a teenage boy (probably about 17). The roles were played by Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet. The costuming is sumputous and depicts late medieval-early Renaissance Italian dress very accurately. The young men all wear very short doublets with stockings (very much like modern tights). The image here shows the love-sick Romeo at the beginning of the action before he has met Juliet and when he thinks he is in love with a distant beauty named Rosaline figure 1). Another scene shows Romeo after he has fallen in love with Juliet at the Capulet ball and has rushed to his friend and counsellor, Friar Lawrence, who is gathering herbs in his monastery garden (click on figure 1). Romeo asks the Friar (a priest) to marry the couple secretly, which he agrees to do. Romeo wears doublets--velvet short jackets worn over rather full white shirts. The doublets have semi-detachable sleeves so that part of the shirt can be seen underneath. This was typical dress for a youth of Romeo's age and affluent class.
Franco Zeffirelli's "Romeo and Juliet" is a beautiful production of the Shakespeare play.
Shakespeare based the play on a poem by Brooke and thus sets the story in Italy, It's a
legendary Italian tale.
Shakespeare wrote "Romeo and Juliet" at a fairly early point in his writing, about 1594-55. Shakespeare scholars have generally ranked the play as a bit of fluff compared to the fourt great tragedies ("Hamlet", "King Lear", "Macbeth", and "Othello") that Shakespeare wrote later. "Romeo and Juliet" is a simpler less complex play without the pychological depth of the great tragedies. In recent years, "Romeo and Juliet" has regained a degree of importance, probably more by popular demand that scholarly criticism. It is mow seen as a beautiful play, probably benefitting from several impresive film productions like the one here.
"Romeo and Juliet" is one of the Sjakespeare play common chosen for high school English classes and school play productions.
The Shakespeare play has been filmed numerous times. This is surely one of the better ones.
In the text Juilet is said to be 14 years old, and although Shakespeare gives no definite age
for Romeo, he is clearly a teenage boy (probably about 17). In Shakespeare's time, Juliet would have been played by a young boy. Film versions have usually used adult actors in the major roles. Zefferelli was true to Shakepseare's conception in making the lovers teenagers.
The roles were played by Leonard Whiting as Romeo and Olivia Hussey as Juliet. Leonard Whiting was
close to the age Shakespeare intended when he played the part.
"Romeo and Juliet" is one of Shakespeare's most famous plays. The plot is well lnown and this production uses Shakespeare's actual text from the play. It is the story of star-crossed lovers set in Verona, Italy. It is about two feuding families, the Montagues and Capulets. No one can recall when the feud began and what caused it. Romeo, son of Lord Montague, decides on a lark to attend a ball given by Lord Capulet. He is able to do this because it is a masked ball. There he meets the enchanting Juliet and falls madly in love. That night they exchange vows at Juliet's fanous balcony. Romeo convinces Friar Laurence to marry them, hoping by this action to finally end the feud between the two families.
The costuming is sumputous and depicts late medieval-early Renaissance Italian dress very accurately. The young men all wear very short doublets with stockings (very much like modern tights). The image here shows the love-sick Romeo at the beginning of the action before he has met Juliet and when he thinks he is in love with a distant beauty named Rosaline figure 1). Another scene shows Romeo after he has fallen in love with Juliet at the Capulet ball and has rushed to his friend and counsellor, Friar Lawrence, who is gathering herbs in his monastery garden (click on figure 1). Romeo asks the Friar (a priest) to marry the couple secretly, which he agrees to do. Romeo wears doublets--velvet short jackets worn over rather full white shirts. The doublets have semi-detachable sleeves so that part of the shirt can be seen underneath. This was typical dress for a youth of Romeo's age and affluent class.
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