Different Interpretations of the Prologue
The prologue of Romeo and Juliet is a prologue that can be performed in many different ways and can incorporate many different ideas. Luhrmann in his 1996 production of Rome and Juliet takes a very different and much more modern approach to the prologue than Zeffirelli in his 1968 production.
The prologue in Zeffirelli version is filmed in a very different way to Luhrmanns’. The first time the prologue is read in Luhrmanns version is by a women reading the news. She reads it in a way a typical newsreader would read it in today’s time. This draws in the watcher because obviously having a TV there suggests that it’s modern and Romeo and Juliet is a very traditional, old play. To have it modern draws in the audience because it’s a different approach and it’s also more relatable when it’s set in the modern day. The prologue in Zeffirellis version, however, is filmed in a different way. Whilst one man reads the prologue the camera slowly pans over Verona. It is a very calming prologue. The narrator reads it out slowly and with a calming tone where as in Luhrmanns the narrator reads it in a much more dramatic tone that suggests something dramatic is going to happen. This draws the reader in because the audience in because they feel like to have a calm start to such a tragic play, then there will surely be a massive contrast which is true because Act 1, Scene 1 is a fight scene in the marketplace of Verona. The two different prologues draw the reader in in two different ways. Whilst Zeffirellis is calming and gentle and provides contrast for the audience, Luhrmanns is much more dramatic and provides a build up of drama to the audience which captivates