Play in Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet

In this week's readings, Derrida argues that in order to afford ourselves the possibility of play, we must embrace a "world of signs without fault, without truth, and without origin which is offered to an active interpretation." Derrida's discussion immediately reminded me of Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet, a provocative adaptation of Shakespeare's classic play.

Romeo + Juliet Trailer

Through linguistic bricolage, the film appropriates Shakespeare's original text and uses visual action to play with meanings, rendering sword as a gun and Queen Mab as a psychedelic drug. Furthermore, the dialogue is removed from its generally understood terministic screen, forcing us to re-imagine terms such as forsooth and soft! in the realm of pop culture, not academia. The film uses these appropriations to suggest that Shakespeare's plays should not be confined to their center; they are fluid and open to infinite interpretations (interpretations that may cause considerable anxiety within the curmudgeon-y and often fetishistic university). The possibilities for play within the film, however, are limited by the film's attempt to re-imagine Shakespearean drama through Shakespearen drama. The narrative story-line and traditional language remain intact, and the overall adaptation would be considered a "scandal" only in the realm of Shakesperean inquiry.

Play also manifests itself in the religious imagery of the film. Icons, statues, and cathedrals saturate almost every scene and contribute to the play of meaning already at work within the dialogue. This appropriation of religion forces us to re-examine our concepts of the sacred and the secular. Again, the terministic screens by which we understand "reality" are bent to accommodate new meanings. The terms bright angel, god, and idolatry shape this alternate reality where young lovers are martyrs, neon crosses are relics, and "When Doves Cry" is a benediction.

As I briefly mentioned above, play with a long-revered author such as Shakespeare often meets with resistance and anxiety. This anxiety is not only present within academia; it can surface even in a discourse with a self-professed hatred of Shakepeare. I experienced this first-hand when I showed the film to my 10th grade English class. Romeo + Juliet seemed like the perfect way to cap our Shakespeare studies and reinforce the relevancy and accessibility of his plays. Instead of appealing to the students, however, the film unsettled them. Seeing Romeo and Juliet re-imagined in their contemporary world challenged their traditional understanding of the text. Instead of embracing the opportunity for play and exploring the possibilities within the film, they longed to return to the safety of terms quizzes, study guides, and objective "truth."