Comparing Romeo In Shakespeare's Romeo And Juliet '

The character that was the most different from play to movie was one of the protagonists, Romeo. For one, he is happier in the beginning of the movie than in the play. In both, Benvolio finds Romeo moping, but rather than whining to his friend about his despair like in the play, he banters the lines with him, plays pool, and is much less pathetic. He is also much less pathetic later in the film when he is banned from Verona. Rather than throwing himself on the floor, weeping into the cobblestones, he’s pretty serious, stoic, etc. He seems heart-broken, but not in hysterics. He is in hysterics later, however, when he is told of Juliet’s ‘death,’ and falls to his knees screaming at the sky, which is a huge change from the scene in the play, wherein Romeo is strangely calm, …show more content…
Again, when he later goes to the potion-seller in Mantua, he is begging him for the poison in the movie, whereas in the play he is calmly explaining to him why Romeo is the one truly selling the poison here, as he is giving him money, and money leads to much more death.
The scene that changed the most from play to movie was the scene in and outside of the Capulet tomb. Firstly, Romeo is being chased by the police the entire way. In the play, he and Balthazar sneak in at night and the watch only arrive at the end, once Romeo is already dead and Juliet is about to climb that long stepladder into the sky. Second, when Romeo tells Balthazar to go, he actually goes, and makes a run for it from the police. In the play, he stays and watches to see what will happen. Third, it’s in a church, rather than in a tomb in a graveyard, which leads into four, which is that there a priest there, which leads into five, which is that Romeo takes the priest hostage to keep the police back, which ties back again to one, which is that the police are there at all. The sixth difference is huge, which is that Paris not there, meaning he and Romeo never fight as they do in the book, meaning he is