Explain How Luhrmann Has Appropriated the Fight Scene

Luhrmann’s effective use of setting, characters and costumes in the fight scene between the Romeo and Tybalt appropriate the original fight scene my William Shakespeare. Initially, by using the beach as a background, Luhrmann creates a modernistic context, by portraying the mis-en-scene. The mis-en-scene contained shops, power lines, vehicles, advertisement billboards and palm trees which indicates how Luhrmann wanted to change the setting from a 16th Century, Renaissance era play to a 21st Century movie. Also, the main fight revolves around an old stage-like building, which encompasses the details for how Mercutio dies. In the original, Tybalt and Mercutio have a sword fight and Mercutio gets wounded. To keep a similar train of thought, Luhrmann allows Tybalt to use a broken shard of glass from the debris, which allows Mercutio to speak a few lines. Moreover, as Mercutio screams the words “a plague on both your houses!” multiple times before his death, behind him the weather abruptly changes. Pathetic fallacy accentuates a change in mood and atmosphere, from fun and cheerful to sinister and fateful. While this occurs, the music and lighting both go from becoming modern pop, bright and cheerful to becoming sombre, dark and slightly cynical. Luhrmann cleverly uses this sinister and cynical atmosphere to foreshadow the ‘terrible fate’ of these ‘star-crossed lovers’. In stark contrast to the original, Luhrmann has emphasised physicality and violence among both groups. This modernises context and adds a visual appeal to an otherwise ‘boring’ swordfight. Additionally, costuming in Luhrmann’s appropriation is highly modernised in comparison to the original. Both the Montagues and the Capulets wear their coat of arms on weapons and have specific colours, accentuating a modern, gang mentality. As well as this, Luhrmann has changed props, such as swords to guns, walking to vehicles and costuming to create a contemporary context and plot. All in all, Luhrmann effectively...