The story of Romeo and Juliet is one of the greatest love stories of all time. The opening of William Shakespeare's timeless tale Romeo and Juliet starts with these words, "Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona, where we lay our scene, from ancient grudge break to new mutiny, where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life." (Prologue, 1-6). This opening distinguishes the vendetta of the Capulets and the Montagues as being a bloody civil feud. It also summarizes the love of Romeo and Juliet as being conflicted by their fates. This opening has the same words as that of Baz Luhrmann's version of Romeo and Juliet. These two interpretations of this great tale are both very similar and very different at the same time.
             From the start of the movie, where there is a news reader's face on a television screen, we know that Baz Luhrmann's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet will not be like that of Shakespeare's version. The beginning of the movie is much different than the beginning of the play. In the movie, Verona is shown as a city on a beach, but Verona is actually a landlocked city in northern Italy. Baz Luhrmann chose the beach as the setting in the beginning of his movie, seeing it creates a cheerful mood. Later he switches to a darker and dim setting as the play gets emotional and depressing. In the first scene Sampson says, "Gregory, on my word, we'll not carry coals." (I,i,1) This shows that Gregory and Sampson are servants. In the movie they aren't shown as servants, but more as gangsters.
             An immense difference is at the Capulet party. The party is a normal party in the play. Baz Luhrmann makes the Capulet party a costume party, because it was a simple way of explaining why Romeo wore a mask to the party. The real reason was, because uninvited guest had a tradition of wearing masks to ...