For the purposes of this analysis, I chose Gnomeo and Juliet, a 2011 comedy animated feature. While the plot of the cartoon is comparatively loosely associated with the events of the original, some of the most iconic scenes and messages still carry through. For example, the Balcony scene, which serves as the point in time where Romeo learns of Juliet’s feelings through her monologue on a balcony. When viewing Gnomeo and Juliet, the fact that the balcony scene is going to happen is supported by a strong Point-of-View Shot, where the audience can see a single tower and Juliet standing upon it (“Narratology Terms”). The shot obviously shows Gnomeo’s perspective as he is trying to listen in on the girl’s monologue (“Gnomeo & Juliet: “Balcony” Clip”). As a whole, the scene works in fulfilling the same role as the original, establishing a strong presence of danger and confirming the love between two young souls.
Another scene that is worthy of consideration is the “death” scene of the film. Compared to the original, this rendition is much more lighthearted, since no characters actually die. Instead, the audience and the side characters are led to believe that the pair is dead, leading to their unlikely peace agreements between the two gnome families (“Gnomeo and Juliet | Gnomeo and Juliet’s Death”). As the grudges of the past are being buried, the pair emerges from the rubble, unscathed. Comparatively, this portrayal of the death scene goes principally against what the original one stood for. Instead of showing a grim and dark result of generational hate, it decides to embrace hope and cooperation. The themes of the original play highly resonate with people of all generations, which explains an extraordinary number of adaptations Romeo and Juliet has received. With the prevalence of conflict in the world, and love being among the most universal topic for art, this work of Shakespeare will never go out of fashion.
Works Cited
“Gnomeo & Juliet: “Balcony” Clip.” YouTube, 2011, Web.
“Gnomeo and Juliet | Gnomeo and Juliet’s Death.” YouTube, 2020, Web.
“Narratology Terms.”College of Liberal Arts – Purdue University, Web.