In what ways does a film open up a Shakespeare play to a wider variety of meanings, and in what ways is film a limiting factor? Discuss with reference to ROMEO and JULIET

Paradoxically, Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, incorporates ideas which provide a wider variety of meanings whilst also making us aware that film can be a limiting factor. The creation of new dimensions for principal characters opens up the text, to a wider variety of meanings. However, by spending time developing central characters, the Shakespearian text is drastically cut and many characters and themes are lost This film version does much to portray both Romeo and Juliet …

…Whilst it is undeniable that film reaches an audience that may not otherwise experience the work of Shakespeare, it is also true that sacrifices are necessary. Such sacrifices are often made at the expense of the text, as in this instance, in order to focus attention on the lead roles of Romeo and Juliet. BIBLIOGRAPHY Coleridge, S T., Shakespearian Criticism ed. T. Middleton Raysor, Dent, London, 1974. Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet ed. G. Blakemore Evans, Cambridge, 2000.