10 Alternate Takes on Romeo and Juliet

Love stories don’t get more acclaimed than Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare’s play presents romance blossoming amid adversity. Romeo of the Montagues and Juliet of the Capulets meet in a chance encounter, and it’s love at first sight. The two teens want nothing more than to be together. The challenge comes with their respective families, who stand fiercely opposed. The conflict soon escalates to deadly levels. In the end, what should be an innocent love affair spirals into a tragedy. Said tragedy has resonated with audiences for centuries. That reverence obviously means it has a wealth of authentic adaptations. Then again, not all renditions are so slavish.

A number of creators approach the plot from different angles. Some are lighthearted parodies poking fun at the tragedy. Others reframe that tragedy and evolve the tale to a new conclusion. A few iterations even do both. You might wonder how one narrative could have so many variations while remaining fresh. However, that’s par for the course with a story so revered. Romeo and Juliet has such a universal appeal that it still inspires writers the world over.

Related: Top 10 Most Accessible Shakespeare Adaptations

10 The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride

The Lion King takes heavy inspiration from Hamlet, so it makes sense for the sequel to do the same with another Shakespeare play. The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride splits the eponymous pride down the middle. On one side are Simba’s supporters; on the other are those loyal to his late uncle’s regime, such as the malevolent Zira. These two factions eventually come to blows, but they also breed a familiar romance.

Simba’s daughter, Kiara, falls in love with Zira’s son, Kovu. Aside from the fact that the characters are all animals, the film spins Shakespeare’s narrative in intriguing ways. The vengeful Zira exploits the budding romance to have Kovu infiltrate the pride as an undercover assassin. Meanwhile, Simba is afraid of being backstabbed like his father, making him overprotective of his adventurous daughter. These angles organically build on the previous film while staying true to the Romeo & Juliet foundation.^[1]

9 Romeo × Juliet

This anime takes family squabbles to a new extreme. Romeo x Juliet presents the familiar Verona setting at first, but things quickly take a gruesome turn. The Montagues mount a coup against the Capulet House, killing most of its members. The realm then falls under their tyrannical rule. The outcome is bloody, but it would likely occur when taking the story’s familial rivalry to its logical conclusion. Of course, that’s not the only result.

Juliet is the sole survivor of the slaughter. The injustice inspires her to fight the Montague regime as a masked outlaw. Known as the “Red Whirlwind,” she wages a one-woman war on her enemies, eventually inspiring others to do the same. Unfortunately, the bloodlust becomes a problem when Juliet meets the Montague heir, Romeo, a gentle soul whom she grows close to. The ensuing drama obviously echoes that of the play, but the rampant bloodshed leads to greater stakes and palpable pathos.^[2]

8 Upstart Crow

Most Shakespearean takes treat the playwright with godly reverence, but not Upstart Crow. This sitcom imagines the writer as an uppity, slightly egotistical outcast who’s constantly impressed by his own genius. In the same vein, his stories come from the mundane misunderstandings he encounters in his daily life. The same goes for Romeo and Juliet.

The first episode focuses on Kate, Shakespeare’s assistant. She finds herself the object of attraction for Florian, the nephew of Will’s friend. The lovesick moron tries buttering her up with flowery poetry, which Will shamelessly steals. The dope even kills himself after finding her poisoned body. In reality, though, her “poisoned” state is a ruse to end their engagement. Suffice it to say the characters don’t feel too good about themselves, but at least the blunder makes for great absurdist comedy.^[3]

7 Rosaline

Everyone knows about Juliet, but what about Romeo’s first girlfriend? Rosaline reframes the story from the perspective of his infamously jilted lover. In that, the iconic couple plays a supporting role while Rosaline reflects on what went wrong and what she wants out of life. Her reflection leads her to scheme against the budding romance, resorting to sabotage to break them up.

From there, the movie makes a hard left into teen comedy territory. It depicts this melodrama as a simple case of adolescent antics, which is exactly what it would be in today’s context. In fact, Rosaline’s angst isn’t dissimilar to Mean Girls or Edge of Seventeen. Cementing that tone is the anachronistic dialogue, painting the characters as even pettier. True, the piece doesn’t quite achieve the laughs it aims for, but “modernizing” a classic fable is always good for a few chuckles.^[4]

6 Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage

Spyro the Dragon has the fire-breathing hero travel to various realms through magical portals. These places usually stay separate, but not always. Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage presents two warring worlds: Zephyr and Breeze Harbor. As Spyro visits each one, he must help fend off the opposing side. Not everyone is so hostile, though.

These conflicting factions have their own Romeo and Juliet. Spyro helps these lost lovers reunite, but the whole scenario is utterly asinine. Romeo is a dimwitted blob with a kitchen pan at a helmet, while Juliet is a lanky bird with a masculine voice. She can fly down to her beau anytime; she’s just oblivious to his presence until Spyro points him out. Never have two idiotic creatures been so mismatched. Luckily, these games thrive on such cheeky gags.^[5]

5 Pocahontas

The Lion King II wasn’t the first time Disney attempted a Romeo and Juliet story. The company adopted this setup for Pocahontas. This historical film portrays the European settlers’ arrival in America, where they clash with the native Powhatan tribe. The chief’s daughter, Pocahontas, doesn’t believe the strangers are inherently evil, so she sets out to discover the truth.

Her search brings her in contact with John Smith, one of the leading frontiersmen. The two curious souls swiftly fall for each other. Unfortunately, their connection doesn’t sit well with either side. Both the natives and settlers view one another as savages who only understand violence. To prevent a war, the unlikely lovers must convince their respective people to see the humanity in their rivals. That conflict would be incredibly compelling if the characters weren’t so bland.^[6]

4 Gnomeo & Juliet

The pun doesn’t lie. Gnomeo & Juliet retells the Shakespearean story with garden gnomes. Elderly neighbors Capulet and Montague constantly bicker with each other, and that animosity extends to their lawn gnomes. The blue and red gnomes carry on the rivalry with a passion. A monkey wrench obviously comes when two opposing colors fall in love, but the tragic drama of their affair instead unfolds through cartoonish comedy.

The movie has a consistently cheeky view of the tale. Not only does it take place in Shakespeare’s home of Stratford-upon-Avon, but the author himself is a talking statue who imparts advice to Gnomeo. The cherry on top is the dialogue, which is straight out of a British comedy. Granted, the flick is never as clever as it wants to be, but it’s entertaining enough in a vacuum.^[7]

3 Slings & Arrows

The theater world can be a crazy place. Capturing that craziness is Slings & Arrows. This show chronicles the misadventures of a theater festival. Each season sees the company put on a different Shakespearean play, but that’s easier said than done. Actor egos, budgetary troubles, conflicting visions, and countless other problems plague the production on a daily basis. You sometimes wonder if these people are certifiably insane.

Such is the case with Darren Nichols. Season 2 sees this subversive hack direct a production of Romeo and Juliet. Sadly, he strips it of all passion. Not only does he stick the actors in robotic, cumbersome costumes, but he forbids them from any contact during scenes. Yes, they can’t look at or touch each other when portraying a love story. The idea is completely antithetical to all logic, yet it’s exactly the kind of nonsense that an avant-garde “artist” would dream up. Self-aware digs like this are what make Slings & Arrows so sharp.^[8]

2 West Side Story

Shakespeare is no stranger to theater, but what about the musical theater? West Side Story answers that call. It basically moves Romeo and Juliet to 1950s Manhattan. Protagonist Tony is a member of the Jets, a local gang composed of Caucasians. They frequently compete for territory with the Sharks, a rival faction consisting of Puerto Rican immigrants. When Tony falls in love with Maria, the sister of the Sharks’ leader, the urban violence comes to a head. These events betray a meticulous adherence to the original story. Sure, the names and dialogue are changed to suit the setting, but the narrative framework is virtually identical. Thankfully, that’s not the sole attraction.

West Side Story is renowned for its songs. The characters often break into bombastic musical numbers. On top of lending incredible energy to the piece, each song oozes the culture of its participants. They define the two gangs beyond just nameless factions or faceless families. What’s more, is that such cultural identity complements the themes regarding racism and immigration. The production may not have much to offer beyond these bops, but they’re more than enough to leave a lasting impression.^[9]

1 Tromeo and Juliet

What you see is what you get. Tromeo and Juliet is Troma Entertainment’s take on the Shakespeare play. Like West Side Story, it shifts the period plot to a modern setting. The families are the rich Capulets and the poor Ques, both of whom have miserable children. Juliet Capulet is set to be married off to the mafia, while Tromeo Que longs for the unattainable Rosie (and her big breasts). Neither of them can predict that they’ll find happiness with each other. As you can see from that description, though, this isn’t exactly the classiest adaptation.

The folks at Troma have a reputation for depravity, a rep which Tromeo and Juliet repeatedly reinforces. The changes it makes to the narrative are equal parts uncomfortable and unpredictable. For instance, instead of killing Juliet, the poison turns her into a mutated cow with oversized male genitals, causing her mafia fiancé to jump out a window to his death. Such violent and sexual shock value is rampant. As repulsive as that prospect sounds, it’s also what draws people to Troma in the first place. There’s an audience for intentionally awful entertainment. You can’t say this flick doesn’t meet that demand.^[10]

fact checked by
Darci Heikkinen