In Romeo and Juliet, there is a huge use of what I decided to call metaphorical symbolism. In the play, they are especially used by Romeo and Juliet to romanticize and make their love for each other more dramatic, specifically by Romeo. In newer movie, it seems like the dramatic metaphors effect is emphasized on some lines more than others, but the romance from the metaphorical symbolism is more absent than not. I think the director made these choices because Romeo's dramatic personality is one of the more important things about him, so he/she wanted to bring that out in him (it also helps that his character is played by Leonardo DiCaprio). Juliet is more practical, so I think when Juliet has her dramatic moments, the movie is really focused on her, but moves on without really a "transition" to the next scene, characters parts, etc.
The metaphorical symbolism in the play seems more necessary probably because it's relevant to the time period and it's a play, so it's supposed to sound dramatic and overcompensated, but as a movie it seems really cheesy and cliche because movies, especially now, are more intense and don't use "Shakespearean language". Watching the movies helps me understand the text better because you actually get to see whats happening while the characters are saying certain things, and in the play it doesn't tell you who's doing what at what time and place or anything. It's just people simply talking to each other.
