Often times people say that William Shakespeare was and still is a legend. They are correct. It is amazing how Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet written centuries ago can be better than Franco Zefferelli's movie production of Romeo and Juliet, which had much better technology to work with only decades ago.
Although the movie appeared better, it left out some major parts. The play had better mood and plot details which made it much more dramatic and by far a better presentation.
One major difference between the play and the movie occurs in mood. An example of this is the marriage scene. In the marriage scene of the play, Romeo and
Juliet act very serious. The reader can tell this by the way the two speak.
Romeo says that the Holy Words the Friar speaks can make something without an equal (Act II, Scene 6, Line 4) which is a very intelligent thing to say.
Whereas, in the movie they kiss and giggle the entire time. This leads the viewer to believe that Franco Zefferelli wanted the two to look like fools, that they could not do anything the way it is normally done because they are children in search of quick love. This is bad because it is not very realistic. In real-life, young adults would take the matter seriously because they know it is a major step in life. Because the play is not entirely trying to make the two look bad, it is the better production.
Another major difference in the mood of the play and the movie is in the funeral scene. The funeral scene of the play is a very serious event. Juliet's family is very upset and think that they are the cause of her "death". Also, the Friar soothes the family of the loss of young Juliet's life (Act IV, Scene 5, Line 65). However, in the movie version of the funeral scene, again everyone is sad but this time the Friar lets out a giggle as he pretends to pray for Juliet. This is a major difference because if someone had seen the Friar giggle, it may have changed the