tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post9159370744007051801..comments2024-02-09T16:13:32.416-08:00Comments on Classical Carousel: Romeo and Juliet by William ShakespeareCleohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-67879651386474396152014-11-19T07:48:42.795-08:002014-11-19T07:48:42.795-08:00Yes, I read your excellent review last night! I l...Yes, I read your excellent review last night! I liked your take on the play. I would hesitate to leave out the possible theme of true love, because that is part of what makes the play so tragic, but there must have been a reason why Shakespeare presents Romeo as just coming off a one-sided love affair with Rosaline, and that there are cautions from Friar Lawrence. Again, Shakespeare never completely wraps his stories in a tidy parcel, so you are always left wondering. Which is quite wonderful! Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-62689804021531253722014-11-19T07:42:51.723-08:002014-11-19T07:42:51.723-08:00It's interesting to study a number of Shakespe...It's interesting to study a number of Shakespeare's plays at once, isn't it? You start to see common threads tying them all together. I think I'm going to take a FutureLearn (UK) course on Hamlet in January. In my present course, we will have studied 6 plays in 12 weeks, but in the FL course, we'll study one play in 6 weeks. It should be an interesting comparison!<br /><br />I hope you get a chance to read Romeo and Juliet, Emma. I liked it much more than I thought I would.Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-43122556352746719462014-11-19T06:55:22.705-08:002014-11-19T06:55:22.705-08:00I loved this - I took it as a cautionary tale as w...I loved this - I took it as a cautionary tale as well, but I can really see Ruth's point as well. <br /><br />Great review :)ohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01245931629228090133noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-47800694667273850232014-11-18T11:52:54.719-08:002014-11-18T11:52:54.719-08:00This is on my list to read. I did a course on Shak...This is on my list to read. I did a course on Shakespeare and how his life and the period in which he was living is reflected in his plays and it brought a lot more understanding of them but this is one we didn't read. I remember reading it at school and wonder how I will feel now I know a little bit more about to interpret the play. Good review / post. Emma Litttlefieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06679359639138124138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-73836445612606614642014-11-18T10:48:55.211-08:002014-11-18T10:48:55.211-08:00Well, zounds! This was the movie that I had to ta...Well, zounds! This was the movie that I had to take back to the library but I re-ordered it. Now I'm really looking forward to it. It looks fantastic. Thanks for the tip!Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-9343810059099695072014-11-18T09:32:09.289-08:002014-11-18T09:32:09.289-08:00To be honest...it was hard work! :)To be honest...it was hard work! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-12767625878894990272014-11-18T09:20:04.699-08:002014-11-18T09:20:04.699-08:00OK, if you haven't the time to watch the entir...OK, if you haven't the time to watch the entire movie, here's the 3 1/2 minute trailer: http://youtu.be/J54ZIMw9-uk They did a great job. <br /><br />There was a lot of passion and even nudity, but my mom was liberal about that stuff and believed it was just life and art and natural and Shakespeare, so it was ok for me to watch it. (I was under 10, for sure). But today, I would skip over the bedroom scene, if I let my kids watch it. Ruth @ with freedom and bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15531827758868215023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-91102117045040844882014-11-18T09:11:26.661-08:002014-11-18T09:11:26.661-08:00Wasn't it fun? I think Rosaline was wise to s...Wasn't it fun? I think Rosaline was wise to stay away from Romeo. <br /><br />I see that you're reading The Merchant of Venice next. I haven't read that one yet. I can't wait for your review!Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-67502318914757660782014-11-18T01:39:25.585-08:002014-11-18T01:39:25.585-08:00Passion, fireworks, vendetta's darkness, reven...Passion, fireworks, vendetta's darkness, revenge and fate....there is no end to the words one can find to describe this story. We both have read it in depth and are agreed that Shakespeare is a master storyteller! Rosaline must be one of the most 'talked' about young woman in literature....yet she doesn't say a word in the play! Keep up the good work reading the classics.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-28118045623650789052014-11-17T23:45:41.980-08:002014-11-17T23:45:41.980-08:00After reading a number of plays lately, I've d...After reading a number of plays lately, I've decided that it's not easy to peg what Shakespeare was trying to convey ........ and I think he meant to keep his points ambiguous ...... part of his brilliance is the way in which he does it. You're always thinking, "it could be <i>this</i> ...... yet it could be <i>that</i>" and you are never quite able to figure out which. <br /><br />Since we studied the play in depth, you could see how Juliet was originally more measured with her responses to him, but quite quickly her language became as flowery as his. I'm not certain that it was only lust ....... again, I don't think Shakespeare gives us enough evidence to definitively decide, but it was certainly "ungrounded" love. <br /><br />I do find that the Bard adds usually at least one questionable response from someone to make the plot work; how convenient the letter went astray and how convenient the Friar didn't get to the tomb on time. But with their hormones raging and the swords flying and the poison imbibing, you knew it was going to have horribly tragic consequences. I'm just glad I could pull something positive out of it. <br /><br />A 1968 film? Wow! I'll have to try to find it on Youtube. I have some others to watch but I've been reading through the plays so quickly, I've only had time to watch one movie per play, before moving on. <br /><br />While your mother let you watch films that you shouldn't have, my mother let me read books that I shouldn't have. I still can't believe I read some of the books I did. Parents were certainly less aware during our adolescent-time. How things change. Cleohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13152128642971612433noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7495382709151625398.post-20657319136436071542014-11-17T21:38:34.712-08:002014-11-17T21:38:34.712-08:00I always though Shakespeare just wanted to show ho...I always though Shakespeare just wanted to show how pathetic the rules of society were - that two people just couldn't love one another in peace, such as the way "West Side Story" was based. <br /><br />And then I always questioned the absurdity of their relationship - it was more like lust, not love, as you so eloquently described it (w/o even using the word). <br /><br />Well, I just wanted to comment on the gorgeous Waterhouse. <br /><br />And did you ever see the 1968 film adaptation of R&J? It was my favorite as a young girl. I cannot believe my mother let me watch it. Anyway, you can watch it in parts on Youtube. Ruth @ with freedom and bookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15531827758868215023noreply@blogger.com