...Romeo and Juliet: The Movie I believe that this play/movie is based off of a conflict theory. The reason I say this is because both families here are trying to gain power and also trying to be the dominant family. As I go into detail on this movie it will explain the conflict theory. William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet is fully summarized in Shakespeare's prologue: "Two households, both alike in dignity, in fair Verona where we lay our scene. From ancient grudge break to new mutiny where civil blood make civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes, a pair of star crossed lovers who take their life" (Universal, 1996). This movie is a masterful culmination of the director's phenomenal ability to create a powerful introduction, to select a realistic, but surreal setting, to choose realistic actors, and to enact specialized dramatic effects. Sitting in the theater, watching this movie for the first time, I heard static break in to interrupt the beginning credits. A newscaster, sounding serious, came on the screen in a special report. I sat up to pay attention. She was reporting a tragedy that had recently happened in some place called Verona. I was pulled in thinking it to be a true special report. Ah-hah!! It was a trick. A trick to get people to do just what I did. Trained are we to listen to newscasts, our life-line in present day society, where we receive a lot of our information. A trick, and...
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...characters in Romeo and Juliet and the speakers in the sonnets you have studied. Love is presented through the use of characters, themes, linguistic, structural and contextual references. That pieces are ‘Romeo and Juliet’ written by William Shakespeare, ‘Sonnet 116’ by William Shakespeare again, ‘Sonnet 43’ by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, ‘Sonnet 130’ by Shakespeare and also ‘Sonnet 18’ again by Shakespeare. They were all written in the time that was considered the Elizabethan Era. A religious theme is set in both Romeo and Juliet and sonnet 43 to convey the attitudes to love. In Romeo and Juliet the theme of religion is used to express their love between each other and suggesting it is similar to religion can impose that it is a life-long commitment and will always be there even if they lose faith. At that time their attitude towards religion was very strong and it was their integral, which links to the love between Romeo and Juliet that now they have found it fully they will be part of each other’s’ lives for eternity. In Act 2, scene 2 Romeo states that Juliet’s eyes were “Two of the fairest stars in all of heaven” this is conveying that Juliet is angelic. Angels are referred to as innocent, Godly, pure and a good person; so although Romeo does not know a lot about her or even spoken to Juliet he is still portraying her as someone who is greatly looked up to and has, in the eyes of a religious person, the huge authority as they are seated with God. Romeo describes Juliet as a “messenger...
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...It could be argued that Romeo and Juliet is the most popular of William Shakespeare’s thirty-seven plays. In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare uses many different approaches to keep the whole audience interested. These assist in creating his ability to attract a wide audience and are a great contributor to Shakespeare’s success. Shakespeare uses foils to highlight various attributes of characters. Two foils in Romeo and Juliet are the Nurse and Lady Capulet, Juliet’s mother. The foils highlight certain traits of each other. Shakespeare uses the contrast between the Nurse and Lady Capulet to emphasize the difference between their relationships with Juliet, but it emphasizes other differences too. One significant difference between Juliet’s caregiver...
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...To put Romeo and Juliet into perspective, you will need to know a bit about William Shakespeare, the origins of the story, and its influence today. Shakespeare William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564. His father sold gloves and became an important person in the town. William, one of eight children, was the eldest son, and probably educated at the local grammar school. He married when he was only 18 and his wife, Anne Hathaway, was eight years older than him. They had two girls and a boy (who died aged 11). Nobody knows how Shakespeare began to write, or when he entered the theatre. But we know he became a leading member of the theatre troupe known as 'The Lord Chamberlain's Men'. The company proved very popular, and later, when King James I granted it the right to perform at his court, became known as 'The King's Men'. Shakespeare wrote more than 30 plays for 'The King's Men', making it the most important theatre company in the country. He often wrote parts for particular actors, too. He was very successful and wealthy in his time, and his work has remained very popular ever since Romeo and Juliet in Popular Culture The basic story, of two young lovers from opposing families in Italy, had been popular for hundreds of years before Shakespeare wrote the play. However, there is no evidence Romeo or Juliet ever actually existed. We think Shakespeare based the play on a poem he had read. What makes Romeo and Juliet special is how Shakespeare tells the story...
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...The Development of Juliet's Character Throughout William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Juliet is first introduced to us in Act 1 Scene 3, where we learn about Juliet’s character. We know she is a polite, obedient girl. We can see this in the line where she says: “Madam, I am here. What is your will?” (Act 1 Scene 3 L78). This shows that Juliet is a well-mannered girl because she addresses her mother as Madam. This quotation also shows Juliet as obedient and always willing to help her mother because she says: “What is your will?” This scene also tells us that Juliet is thirteen and has never considered marriage, something which would have been common for girls her age at that time. She is still pure and innocent. “It is an honour I dream not of.” (Act 1 Scene 3 L66). From this scene we can observe that Juliet has a closer relationship with the nurse rather than with her own mother. “Faith, I can tell her age unto an hour.” This example shows how well the nurse knows Juliet. Shakespeare shows us that Juliet is still of the age where she does what her mother asks of her, without question. In the same scene again she says “Well, think of marriage now.” Which also shows us that Juliet does what her mother says. In Act 1 Scene 5 the first conversation between Romeo and Juliet is in the form of a sonnet (poem of sixteen lines). Romeo and Juliet take it in turns to speak; which shows how perfect they are for each other. A good example: If I profane with...
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...William Shakespeare was perhaps the world’s greatest writer and playwright. In his lifetime he wrote 154 sonnets, two long narratives, and 38 plays, as well as several other smaller works. Some of his most famous plays include Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, Othello, King Lear, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, The Taming of the Shrew, A Midsummer Night’s Dream Much Ado About Nothing, As You Like It, Richard III, Henry V, and King John (Wikipedia.org). According to Alchin, “He is the most widely read of all Authors and the popularity of the Life and Works of Shakespeare, in English speaking countries, is second only to the Bible” (William-shakespeare.info). Shakespeare continued to write up until his death in 1616. Interestingly, upon Shakespeare’s...
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...Themes of Love and Hate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet 1 Themes of Love and Hate in William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet Romeo and Juliet is a play about two young lovers, whose love was destined for destruction from the beginning because of the hatred between the two families, Montagues and Capulets. Therefore, the themes of love and hate are very important in the play as the plot is driven by these two themes. Shakespeare brings out the love between the two rivals through Romeo and Juliet and their relationships with the Friar and the Nurse. I want to argue that in the play, the themes of love and hate are closely linked. To show this, I have selected some of the most important scenes in the play, which illustrate the idea that love and hate are closely bound together. The first example is the chorus, which is found at the beginning of the play, in the prologue. It is a short summary of what the play is about. The chorus is in the form of a sonnet and sonnets were often associated with love in the time of Shakespeare. However, the words of the chorus seem to emphasize the idea of hate although there are some words about love. “From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.” (Prologue, 3-4) These two lines are about the feud between the families. It shows that it is a feud, which has been brewing for many years. By repeating the words civil, Shakespeare is stressing the fact that they are all civilians...
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...The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, is an unusual story of two young lovers coming from rival families. Their love is portrayed by Shakespeare as being forbidden and complicated, though the couple risks consequences just to be together. Throughout their story, the intensity of their relationship increases immensely to the point where they die for each other. These actions would be taken as a sign of true love because no one would go this far to be with someone they just crossed paths with a few days ago. The relationship appears to be very desperate with many commitments being made but audiences have made up the idea that this tragedy was in fact cheesy and over exaggerated, thus making it a comedy as much as it is a tragedy....
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...Shakespeare Blog “William Shakespeare is still relevant to modern students” From this proposition I believe that the works of William Shakespeare is still relevant for the students of today. I’m a 15 year old student in High School that believes in this statement. People fight the fact that his teachings are too hard as they don’t understand his highly out dated language that is not commonly used towards them in other subjects, therefore they are not used to the language. This prevents them from having the interest to continue reading his scriptures. Although you actually have to really think about it. For starters think about how many times you’ve used these so far in your life including as a child: Addiction, Assassination, Belongings, Uncomfortable and Eyeball. These are just some of the words that we use today. There are also sayings that people still use to talk...
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...with words; one such example would be that of a professional writer (Merriam-Webster) William Shakespeare, by definition, was exactly that: a wordsmith. Shakespeare’s use of the English language has had many sources quoting off a staggering number of the words he had created, from 1,700 (No Sweat Shakespeare) to 2,000 never-before-seen words (Panganiban). Whatever word count we choose to accept, it does not begin to reduce the creative genius behind this amazing man. Words that you and I use, in our everyday language, as well as phrases, and common day slang that we utilize in conversation with our peers were, more often than not, conceived by Shakespeare. The words and phrases often first appearing in his plays, but also commonly used in his writings, along with his command of the English language and creative genius, is staggering. According to Shakespeare professor, Louis Marder, “Shakespeare was so facile in employing words that he was able to use over 7,000 of them – more than occur...
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...ROMEO AND JULIET Verona city in Italy is where the upsetting story of the unlucky love affair was set. Romeo a Montague and Juliet a Capulet are 'a pair of star crossed lovers who took their lives in an attempt to bury their parents strife'. The Montague's and the Capulet 'both alike in dignity,' were engaged in an ancient feud, which sadly nothing but the death of their children could stop. Romeo and Juliet two adaptations. Franco Zeffirelli [1968] Original version Baz Luhrmann [1996] Hollywood version Luhrmann chose Leonardo Di Caprio to play Romeo and Claire Danes as Juliet. * The updated Luhrmann picture best captures the essence of Shakespeare for the present-day viewer. Through the ingenious use of modernisation and location, while preserving Shakespearean language, the spirit of Shakespeare emerges to captivate a large audience. * Luhrmann modernises "Romeo and Juliet," through constant alterations of the props, which entice the audience into genuinely feeling the spirit of Shakespeare. * First, the movie starts with a prologue masked as news broadcast on television. This sets the scene of the play by illustrating the violence occurring between the two wealthy families, the Montagues and the Capulets. * In Luhrmann's film, the actors, instead of carrying swords with them, hide guns in their shirts and wield them expertly. * The death of Romeo and Juliet is (as always) blamed on the post office, for not delivering the letter properly...
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...Helping loved ones is always the right decision if it leads to happiness. In the play Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, Friar Laurence and Nurse assist in the marriage of Romeo and Juliet and allow them to remain in love without their families finding out. These characters play a big role in the lives of both lovers and would be crushed to see them pulled apart. Due to an ancient feud between their families, Romeo and Juliet are forbidden to be together. Friar and Nurse are right to help Romeo and Juliet carry out their plans because they believe that they can not bring an end to their passionate love and they only want what is best for them. Throughout the beginning acts, Nurse and Friar realize that no matter what they say to...
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...presence of Carnivalesque is an important factor for understanding the production “Romeo + Juliet” by Baz Luhrmann. The Carnivalism concept was devised by Mikhail Bakhtin, who said it embodied life taking form of a typical carnival. It is essentially the way things can be obscured in life, or rather what is normal in life being turned inside out (Welsh, 152), which can easily be applied to Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. Without the elements of Carnival, it is likely this love story would have never been possible. Due to the overwhelming amount of Carnivalism in this film, many perceive it as though the true nature of Shakespeare’s tragedy has been lost in its exuberant elements and that “the film’s spectacle constantly overpowers and overwhelms the poetry” (Welsh, 152). Despite this common belief, Luhrmann was brilliant to use Bakhtin’s ideas to enhance the hidden undertones that were present in Shakespeare’s play. Carnivalism makes “the world of this film perverse and confused... The lines are often right, but the context is most peculiar” (Welsh, 153) so that we are no longer able to...
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...should expect a mutual understanding. Negotiation and the will to compromise, as well as shared effort and time are all needed for love to work out. In order for these to play out, one has to understand the other. However, modern day presents love to us as something irrevocable, something that will come without hard work. People expect love to land by their side and then progress to a happily-ever-after ending. Nonetheless, that is not the case. It is not the fairy tale that everyone anticipates as demonstrated in the play Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. While the two lovers shared a passionate love, it ended tragically. The short story “Love Must Not be Forgotten” by Zhang Jie shares the same theme, her love did not conclude happily. Neither put forth the effort to understand each other. Thus their love did not move onto the next step. Love is an emotion. To be able to love a person, one must first feel the emotion of love itself, not lust. Romeo doesn’t seem to be able to make the distinction between the two. His sudden jump of love interests sets his emotional values into the spotlight. Amidst his confessions of love, the main driving point is Juliet’s beauty, putting his feelings for her into question. While he claims that love is the reason behind his pursuit, his young age as well as his attitude regarding love, suggests more of feelings of lust. The mother from “Love Must Not be Forgotten” is also in love. However, her love borders on the edge of an unhealthy...
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...William Shakespeare was is one of the most influential and creative authors, playwrights, actors, and poets in the history of mankind. Shakespeare accomplished a plethora of goals and is well known for many of his pieces such as Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, and Julius Caesar, and famous sonnets and poetry such as “ Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer’s Day, “ We know of him but what about the background, what made William Shakespeare, who he was, who exactly was William Shakespeare? What was his life like before he was famous, what happened during his later years, who did he become, and what lasting effects or cultural impacts did Shakespeare leave as his legacy? The great man that wrote many pieces that we use everyday in schools across the world...
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