Leonardo DiCaprio speaking Shakespearean dialogue, love or lust, and illegal drugs, become a strange product when put together, but are the base of Luhrmann’s film adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. The adaptation Romeo + Juliet is a film adaptation of Shakespeare’s original, but set in a modern day Miami like city. The characters use guns instead of swords, but still speak in Shakespearean English. This film’s modernization of everything except the dialogue caused it to be misunderstood. However, this type of adaptation was successful in another Shakespeare based film, Macbeth. This movie still retained the original text’s dialogue, but used a modern setting that fit and even enhanced the text. Macbeth was set in a war period with a Soviet Union
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The relationship of the Macbeths was not described in the text, but the film introduced this theme with their actions towards each other. The process of their relationship is a perfect example of Teams & Couples. Teams are united by one common goal and separate once that goal is accomplished, but Couples are bound by their love for each other. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were connected as a Couple, as husband and wife, before the crimes. But during and after the crimes, their relationship weakens to only a Team and later separate, as shown in the progression of their hands. In the beginning of the film, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth hold each others’ hands with no hesitation right before they execute their plan. For example, while walking to the party, they hold hands, which shows their unity as a Couple and a Team (Goold 34:09). They are bound together by their love and common goals; they both complete the other’s weaknesses. But as the movie continues, they drift apart because of the effects of their crimes. For example, before the Macbeth’s attend a celebration, Macbeth forcefully grasps Lady Macbeth’s hand (Goold 1:16:41). He holds his hand out, but Lady Macbeth reluctantly takes it. Before, they held hands with no hesitation, but now Macbeth had to use force. Lady Macbeth’s uncertainty shows her fear of what Macbeth has become due to the murders he has since committed. The way they held their hands differed from before, which conveys the decline of their relationship as both a Couple and a Team. Once Macbeth became courageous enough and Lady Macbeth was not needed to persuade him anymore, their relationship deteriorated until they were barely held together by title. Lady Macbeth was the strong willed partner of their union, but was affected by the guilt of their crimes and gradually lost her mind. While Macbeth started out as the coward
The relationship of the Macbeths was not described in the text, but the film introduced this theme with their actions towards each other. The process of their relationship is a perfect example of Teams & Couples. Teams are united by one common goal and separate once that goal is accomplished, but Couples are bound by their love for each other. Macbeth and Lady Macbeth were connected as a Couple, as husband and wife, before the crimes. But during and after the crimes, their relationship weakens to only a Team and later separate, as shown in the progression of their hands. In the beginning of the film, Lady Macbeth and Macbeth hold each others’ hands with no hesitation right before they execute their plan. For example, while walking to the party, they hold hands, which shows their unity as a Couple and a Team (Goold 34:09). They are bound together by their love and common goals; they both complete the other’s weaknesses. But as the movie continues, they drift apart because of the effects of their crimes. For example, before the Macbeth’s attend a celebration, Macbeth forcefully grasps Lady Macbeth’s hand (Goold 1:16:41). He holds his hand out, but Lady Macbeth reluctantly takes it. Before, they held hands with no hesitation, but now Macbeth had to use force. Lady Macbeth’s uncertainty shows her fear of what Macbeth has become due to the murders he has since committed. The way they held their hands differed from before, which conveys the decline of their relationship as both a Couple and a Team. Once Macbeth became courageous enough and Lady Macbeth was not needed to persuade him anymore, their relationship deteriorated until they were barely held together by title. Lady Macbeth was the strong willed partner of their union, but was affected by the guilt of their crimes and gradually lost her mind. While Macbeth started out as the coward