<span class='italic'>Romeo and Juliet</span> and the Western

doi:10.1017/9781009200905.007

Chapter 6 - Romeo and Juliet and the Western

from Part II - Extending Genre

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 October 2023

Douglas M. Lanier

Edited by

Victoria Bladen ,

Sarah Hatchuel and

Nathalie Vienne-Guerrin

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Victoria Bladen: Affiliation:
University of Queensland
Sarah Hatchuel: Affiliation:
University Paul-Valéry Montpellier
Nathalie Vienne-Guerrin: Affiliation:
University Paul-Valéry Montpellier

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Summary

Here I will be interested in points of resistance and incompatibility between Shakespeare and film genres, in particular the case of Romeo and Juliet and the Western. One might expect that Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare’s most bankable play, would be an obvious candidate for adaptation into a Western, one of cinema’s most popular genres. In theory, it is certainly possible to bend the play and the genre in each other’s direction. In practice, however, Romeo and Juliet has seemed difficult to adapt as a Western. Why this is so tells us something about the limits of Shakespeare’s adaptability within film genres.

Keywords

Romeo and Juliet adaptation film genre the Western

Type: Chapter
Information: Shakespeare on Screen: Romeo and Juliet , pp. 95 - 109

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009200905.007 [Opens in a new window]

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Print publication year: 2023

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References

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