Date of Award
5-2007
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Legacy Department
English
Committee Chair/Advisor
Rivlin, Elizabeth
Abstract
This thesis is an audience-centric study of the socio-political aspects of three late twentieth-century film versions of William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet: Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996), Lloyd Kaufman's Tromeo and Juliet (1996), and Andrzej Bartkowiak's Romeo Must Die (2000). It explores how each film utilizes popular culture and late twentieth-century American society in tandem with themes and concepts from Shakespeare's play. It then analyzes the different techniques each director used to create a sense of recognition for the audience through the use of these various elements. It looks at how Luhrmann's film worked to bring Shakespeare's language and characters to a new audience. It then discusses how Kaufman's film uses the idea of Shakespeare to challenge the establishments of both art and society. Finally, the thesis ends with a discussion on Bartkowiak's film and the movement towards Hollywood Shakespeare.
Recommended Citation
Way, Geoffrey, "Wherefore Art Thou, Romeo?: A Study of Three Late Twentieth-Century Film Adaptations and Appropriations of Romeo and Juliet" (2007). All Theses. 116.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/116