Romeo and Juliet: Modern Versions

In class, we have been reading Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet. Throughout the unit, I have discovered how many modern remakes of this plot line there have been. The play by Shakespeare was one of the greater works in history, and it is still being recreated today. I figured that I could add something a little more interesting to my blog by making a list of some of these modern remakes and discussing them. All of these remakes show the legacy and impact of Shakespeare's great love story.Who knows, maybe watching one of these remakes will help you get a better understanding of the play!

1. Romeo and Juliet(1968 film)- directed by Franco Zeffirelli- This film version of Romeo and Juliet sticks to the initial script and setting. It takes place in the original time period and is a director's take on the film.

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2.William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet(1996 film)- This film version of Romeo and Juliet sticks to the original script, but takes place in a modern setting of Verona Beach, and the characters are much more modern. This creates a contrast between the way the characters talk and the setting.

 

3. West Side Story- Believe it or not, West Side Story was actually inspired by Romeo and Juliet. Although the plot and the characters are not entirely the same, the general storyline is close enough to see the similarities. It is an American musical set in the early 50s in New York City

 

4.Gnomeo and Juliet- This is an animated film version of Romeo and Juliet. It is a modern and quirky take on the plot, and is meant to be a comedy version with the characters being garden gnomes.

 

 

5.Romeo and Juliet(2013 film)- This film version is the most recent and modern. It uses the original setting of Elizabethan Verona similar to Zeffirelli's adaptation, but does not stick to the original script.



 



 

 

6. Love Story by Taylor Swift- This final adaptation of Shakespeare's famous love story is a modern song by pop-country artist Taylor Swift. It is most definitely influenced by Shakespeare's play and shows the legacy of the story.





Divergenet: Questions/Predictions

I just recently finished Chapter 15 in Divergent. One thing that I have noticed about this novel is that the end of each chapter definitely leaves you hanging. After finishing chapter 15, many questions and predictions formed in my head. Chapter 15 is about the visiting day when Beatrice gets to see her parents. Only her mother comes, and her mothers reasoning of why her father didn't is that he had to "work". However, her mother acts very strangely toward the end of the chapter. She seems to know quite a bit about Dauntless, being an Abnegation. At the end of the chapter, Beatrice realizes that her mother was once Dauntless, before she chose to be an Abnegation at 16. Beatrice's mother also somehow knows that she is Divergent, and knows how dangerous it is. I believe that Tris's mother was also told she was Divergent at the aptitude tests. She seems to know more than anyone should unless they were Divergent themselves. A questions has also formed after reading this chapter and that is why has Four been acting so strange lately? He was particularly rude to Beatrice's mother when he met her, and has just been acting weird lately. That is the only updates I have for today! Once again though, this book is getting extremely exciting and I would recommend checking it out!

Romeo and Juliet: Comparison to Film Versions

As you most likely know, recently in class we have been reading and analyzing the famous Shakespearean play "Romeo and Juliet". After reading each scene, we have been watching two different film versions of the scene, which include a film version that is true to the Elizabethan Era in which the play was originally intended to be set, as well as a different film version which includes a more modern take on the play's setting, which affects great deal of the play, however, but sticks to the original script. In viewing all three versions of the play, I have noticed many differences. However, each take on the original script allows for a better understanding of the play. For instance, after reading only the script, some of the details about setting, as well as the characters actions can be somewhat foggy, because the script includes only their words. After viewing the film versions, I was also able to pick up the tone in which certain words were meant to be said, which I hadn't been able to do after just reading the script. For instance, I believed Lord Capulet to be a light-hearted, calm man when just reading the story, but after viewing the films, I realized that he was not calmly scolding Tybalt, but completely yelling at him. Therefore, the film takes also impacts characterization. Despite the differences between all three versions, they all have the same theme and true impact and meaning behind each scene, and viewing the films has greatly impacted my understanding of the story of "Romeo and Juliet." Therefore, I highly recommend watching each of the film versions if you plan on reading the play. Below, I have included the trailer for each.
Romeo and Juliet (1968 film version)

Romeo and Juliet Trailer(1996 film version)

Divergent: So Far/ Characters

After getting off to a slow start with Divergent, I'm actually pretty far into it. I've been able to get a sense of characterization so far, and I also have some questions and predictions. Starting with characters, I would like to first discuss the main character, Beatrice, or "Tris", the new nickname she gives herself when she joins Dauntless. For most of the characters in the novel, the faction which they choose reflects their character. For example, dauntless would be fearless, Abnegation would be selfless, Amity would be cheerful and happy, Erudite would be smart and witty, and Candor would be honest. However, Beatrice is slightly more complicated than this. This is shown towards the beginning of the novel, when she finds out during the faction placement tests that she is divergent, which is said to be very dangerous and means she has the traits of the factions Dauntless, Abnegation, and Erudite. Tris is unlike all of the other characters in this way. She is fearless, but responsible, selfless, but also thinks of herself at times, and witty but not overly book smart. I can predict that she will be a dynamic character, as she will likely discover who she truly is throughout the novelAnother two characters whom I would like to discuss are Four and Eric, who are the leaders of Tris's initiation into Dauntless. Eric is pure Dauntless, which isn't necessarily a good thing. He will probably also be a static character, since he does not seem very susceptible to change. He is fearless but also ruthless and violent, unlike Four, who is also fearless but is responsible, reserved, and composed. He knows the difference between doing something fearless, and doing something insane. There are a lot of different interesting characters in this book, and it really makes the novel more interesting and suspenseful.

I would also like to state a couple of questions and predictions I have in the novel so far. First of all, I am curious to why Divergent is made such a big deal in the book. So far, Beatrice's divergence hasn't really impacted the plot a whole lot in the novel. I predict that this will play a more important role to the plot as the novel progresses, because such an importance is placed on the idea. Also, I am curious as to why Four seems to like Beatrice so much and feel so much sympathy toward her. He seems to show some favoritism toward her, and gives her advice on fighting, as well as the decisions she makes. I predict he almost has some kind of romantic interest in her. That is all I have so far for today, other than that I would definitely recommend reading Divergent to anyone! I think that it is going to be really big, almost comparable to The Hunger Games and it is going to be made into a movie this Spring!

New Book: Divergent

As of Sunday, I started a new book, Divergent. I've heard some really great things about this book, and it was recommended by a lot of people. I'm not a huge science fiction fan, but I did enjoy reading Matched by Allie Condie, and heard it was similar to this. I know I recently mentioned that I would have liked to read another Nicholas Sparks novel, and I picked up The Notebook this weekend, but after reading the first couple of pages, I just wasn't feeling another Nicholas Sparks novel right now, after just finishing one. I plan to read The Notebook as soon as I finish Divergent, however.

Moving on from my current situation, I just started Divergent, and so far, it seems to be a fairly interesting novel. I am not far at all, but I have a general idea of what it is going to be about. I can tell that it is going to follow some of the general themes of the majority of the science fiction novels that I have read(The Hunger Games, Matched, The Giver,and The Uglies). For instance, in all of these novels, including Divergent, there is a society that controls everything people do. In all of the novels I have read so far, the main character has been part of some sort of uprising or rebellion against the society. I predict that this will happen in Divergent as well, because I can already sense that the main character is not content with the way she lives in the Society. The thing that is different about this book, is the way that the Society is divided. There are five factions; The Erudites, The Dauntless, The Abnegations, The Candors, and The Amities. What makes this book different, is that the factions are not divided by what people are good and skilled at, but what quality they feel is most important to honor in life. For example, the main character belongs to the Abnegations. The Abnegations believe that being selfless is the most important quality to have. The Dauntless believe that being fearless is the most important quality. Each of them have  their own special quality which they honor. Each child is born into a faction, but when they become adults, they are allowed to choose which faction they wish to be a part of, but if they chose to leave their faction, they must leave their family behind.  I found the whole idea of  the factions to be something  kind of interesting and different . Overall so far. I have a feeling that this is going to be a good book, but  I will keep you posted!
Amazon book reviews

I Need Book Reccomendations!

As you probaly know, I recently finished my novel Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks. It was only about two days ago, and I am currently searching for a new book. I really enjoyed reading Safe Haven, and I found it to be something that I could actually enjoy reading. For my next book, I want to read something similar, becuase I'm kind of into that genre right now. I was thinking that I would preferably like to read another Nicholas Sparks book, such as The Lucky One or The Notebook, and I have already read his novels The Last Song and A Walk To Remember. However, I am also always open to any good novel. I know some other authors like Jodi Piccoult and Sarah Dessen have novels like this as well. I also enjoy most other genres, including science fiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction, mysteries, and classics. If you have read a good novel recently, please let me know by commenting on this post! It would be very much appreciated:) I plan to begin a new novel by my next post, and begin to review it.