Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet This Thesis

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He even looks as though he is going to stay, and make sure that Mercutio is alright, but he is rushed away by the tide of his fleeing and insistent friends. The repeated suggestion that these characters, many of whom are little more than children and none of whom, apparently, have any of the wisdom that is supposed to come with age, do not understand the affects and implications of their actions strengthens rather than undermines the tragedy at the heart of the film, and mirrors the utter meaninglessness of the feud between the Montagues and Capulets that fuels the entire drama.

The prominent roles that violence and sexuality share also underline the overriding masculinity of this production, which is largely based on scriptural suggestion and would certainly have fit Shakespeare's own time and original setting even more than our own. As Barbara Hodgson notes, "Zeffirelli's Verona threw the weight of privilege to masculine power" (Hodgson, 348). This is apparent in many of the moments of dramatic interpretation and also in some of the more subtle aspects of the film. In the final scene, as the credits begin to roll, the men of the two formerly feuding families begin to embrace each other, while the women remain uncertainly still.

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This is a macabre mirror of the way Romeo was always the pursuer, even before the introduction of Juliet, when he lusted after Rosaline. The few female characters in the text are largely driven by what their male counterparts suggest.

One instance of a possible feminine strength, however, is the suggestion of a physical relationship between Tybalt and Lady Capulet (Zeffirelli). This too, however, relies on a typically masculine sexualization, and it is unclear who the instigator or prime motivator of the affair is. Regardless, Zeffirelli's comments about sex, youth, and human folly sparkle in this engaging though somewhat disjointed production.

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