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Essay / How Shakespeare presents the character of Juliet in...
In Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare presents Juliet as a crucial role in the text. Throughout the play, Shakespeare allows the audience to see the character develop from a wide-eyed girl to a confident young woman over a short period of time. The nurse mentions in both the film and the book that Juliette "is not fourteen." How long does Lammastide have left? insinuating that Juliette is thirteen years old. The fact that the nurse is aware of Juliette's young age and her mother is not, suggests that the nurse is more responsible for Juliette's education than the mother. This notion is supported in the film directed by Franco Zeffirelli, in scene three of the first act, where the nurse holds Juliet in a warm embrace as if she were her own daughter. The concept of a child from a wealthy, aristocratic family being raised by the staff would be understandable and quite common. However, to a modern audience, even though we live in an age of nannies and babysitters, it would be absurd for a mother to not know her own child's birthday and generate sympathy for said child. A one-year-old girl, Juliette is of an age that lies on the border between immaturity and maturity. This is evident from her first appearance in scene three of act one, where she is depicted as an obedient and sheltered girl. Zeffirelli highlights this youthful appearance by choosing an actress with a youthful glow. When she first enters, Juliette runs to answer her mother's call with light, warm music playing in the background, which enhances the scene, allowing the audience to first see Juliette as sweet and cheerful. Although it can be assumed that music would also have been used in the play, it would not have been used as the middle of paper...... of the film. This can be identified as a tactic of Zeffirelli, used to attempt to enhance the feeling of love between the main characters, as it allows the audience to see Juliet as nothing but sure of loving Romeo. This is one of the more negative aspects of the film, because when asked to list Juliette's most important qualities, her determination, maturity, and tactful attitude are all key facets. However, the character's vulnerability and immaturity are also key attributes, and could be seen as the characteristics that allowed Juliette to gain the strength to end her life. Therefore, removing these traits from the film prevents the audience from getting a clear idea of why a confident young woman like Juliette would end her life for another, thus diminishing the impact and dramatic effect that suicide creates.