Weekend Art: Romeo and Juliet re-imagined
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene, From ancient grudge break to new mutiny, Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean. From forth the fatal loins of these two foes A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life; Whose misadventured piteous overthrows Do with their death bury their parents' strife. ~/~ A glooming peace this morning with it brings; The sun, for sorrow, will not show his head: Go hence, to have more talk of these sad things; Some shall be pardon'd, and some punished: For never was a story of more woe Than this of Juliet and her Romeo. |
One of Shakespeare's most popular plays, Romeo and Juliet There have been many attempts to present Romeo and Juliet for modern popular culture, some more successful than others. Below the fold, a few interesting takes. |
Perhaps the best-known film version (if now chiefly due to its popularity in English lit classes!) is the 1968 Zeffirelli classic, which is a relatively faithful conversion of the play to the screen. The balcony scene is shown below left. A more modern version is the 1996 Luhrmann
take, which retains the Elizabethan language but updates the setting. The "balcony" scene now takes place in a pool; shown below right. Of course, there are numerous versions that borrow heavily from the plot but don't make use of the script or setting -- for example, the 2000 movie Romeo Must Die
(an action flick starring Jet Li, Aaliyah, and DMX -- and yes, it's as awesome as it sounds).
Romeo and Juliet has also served as inspiration for everything from ballet (for example, the Prokofiev score which pico described and linked
and which inspired this week's theme) to rock music -- for example, the Dire Straits
song which includes these lyrics:
Juliet when we made love you used to cry
You said I love you like the stars above I’ll love you till I die
There’s a place for us you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong... Juliet
In the end, though, Shakespeare's script stands on its own. Probably my favorite lines from the play are in this exchange , in which Juliet is attempting to persuade Romeo to stay, that it is still night; he realizes day is dawning but is willing to remain with her anyway, risking death for love:
JULIET
Wilt thou be gone? it is not yet near day:
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate-tree:
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.
ROMEO
It was the lark, the herald of the morn,
No nightingale: look, love, what envious streaks
Do lace the severing clouds in yonder east:
Night's candles are burnt out, and jocund day
Stands tiptoe on the misty mountain tops.
I must be gone and live, or stay and die.
Previous installments in the weekend art series:
Feb 24: Madonna of the Yarnwinder and art theft
Mar 01: Pros and cons of digital cameras
Mar 08: Barber's Adagio and interpreting classical music
Comments :
wilt thou be gone
is what juliet said, and it's what the world needs to say to the outdated hack who wrote these outdated soap operas as well. I do however like the weekend art idea.
Heh
Glad to hear you like the series, but don't even start talking trash about Shakespeare =)
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Interpreting Shakespeare
The Canadian TV show Slings and Arrows
(2nd season) involved a production of Romeo & Juliet (also Macbeth, and first season was all about Hamlet). The show did a great job of exploring the different ways that the same old words can be interpreted by different actors and directors. And it was very funny. I recommend it if you are at all interested in Shakespeare, and really even if you're not!
We are the environment. There is no distinction. What we do to the earth we do to ourselves. —David Suzuki
Thanks for the tip
I've been looking for a new series to get into and this one looks pretty fun.
(Fixed your link.)
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
shakespeare , I am smitten
I am a hopless romantic about anything Shakespeare, esp. Romeo and Juliet , my mother told me the story when I was about 7 ( I was smitten then ) , I read it much later of course and it only sharpened the " love conquers all " feeling of the story , this is the ultimate story of youth versus age old rivalries ... it speaks to so much of our prejudice's and our bias and our parental misplaced love ... it speaks of transcendance , it speaks of hate for the unknown ( enemy ) it speaks for every petty thought we have of our neighbor who is different ...... it is the ultimate dilemma , would you like your child to run off with the enemy or be dead ??? Clearly some would still choose " dead " ..... I am always reminded of a sad sad situation here in Arkansas where a young( teenage ) man killed his ( pregnant ) girlfriend rather than face the wrath of his family and Church ...and it seems so Shakespearian to me ...... so we still have the pattern repeated ....... sad world ......
sligowoman
Me too
Good point about the real-life parallels -- pretty messed up that 400+ years after he wrote the play the same tragedy can still play out.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Great topic, Brendan -
a little surprised you didn't go the most obvious route, but that gives me an excuse to post this:
Another favorite is the song Radiohead wrote for the Luhrmann film. The lyrics are definitely inspired by the story, with a little modern-day updating. This is one of my absolute favorite songs of theirs, in live performance:
God I love that song. Classic track from OK Computer. Here's a fan-made video
using the studio cut + scenes from Zeffirelli's film.
But probably the most famous music-related rendition of Romeo and Juliet is Tchaikovsky's overture, a piece of music that everyone knows but much fewer know by name. It's been used in so many commercials, you almost instantly think of a young couple running across a field to embrace each other:
That's only a small excerpt from the overture, but it's the part everyone knows.
I have to admit, Romeo and Juliet isn't my favorite play of Shakespeare's, but it's definitely prompted some of the best artistic reinterpretations.
Saint, n. A dead sinner revised and edited. - Ambrose Bierce
"Exit Music (for a Film)"
I never caught that it was tied to R &J. It's been a favorite of mine for years, and now I can look at it (listen to it?) in a new light. Thanks.
Here is the Radiohead song from the actual Luhrmann film (on the soundtrack). It is not as good of a song as "Exit Music," but the video shows a lot of scenes from the film (not a professional edit, but not bad either).
One of my professors gave my favorite interpretations of the play. He said the line rhythms and Tybalt's recognition of Romeo's voice at the party necessitate Romeo having a stuttering problem. I don't know if it is true, but I thought it an amusing insight.
R & J is not my favorite Shakespeare play either, but it is often simplified in popular culture when it is actually very complex by dealing with issues of tragedy (we English majors argue over whether it is actually a tragedy according to the Aristotelean definition) and fate.
Thanks Brendan.
By the way, I did not get to comment on the classical music thread last time, but as far as Russian composers, Rachmaninov is definitely my favorite, and I don't think anyone mentioned him did they?
We are all mediators, translators. - Derrida
http://signicide.blogspot.com/
Heh
One of my professors gave my favorite interpretations of the play. He said the line rhythms and Tybalt's recognition of Romeo's voice at the party necessitate Romeo having a stuttering problem.
I was just talking with someone the other day about [over?] analyzing Shakespeare. To me it's a fun intellectual exercise but I can see how some people find it a bit stretched at times =)
So, what *is* your favorite play by him? [also to pico!]
(Regarding Rachmaninov, do/did you play piano by any chance?)
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
I hate to be so conventional,
but Hamlet by a walk. It's the play that keeps on giving.
I'm told I'll appreciate Lear more as I get older.
Saint, n. A dead sinner revised and edited. - Ambrose Bierce
Interpretation
Interpreting works and finding things below the surface are part of my job. Some of it is a bit of a stretch (even Freud said something to the effect of "sometimes a cigar is just a cigar"), but other times they are fairly persuasive in creating new meaning. There are many different approaches to a work, and each adds its own lens to focus a perspective. That's why remakes are interesting. Authors (or directors) have their own interpretation of the significance of works, and so will emphasize one aspect while downplaying others. For example (if my memory serves me correctly), there is a bit of criticism of religion in R & J with the friars serving as the catalyst for precipitating the lovers' suicides (mocked as Juliet's was at first). This is not taken up in WSS or the Luhrmann version (as far as I know--could be wrong).
My favorite Shakespeare play depends on the genre. The histories are not immediately comparable with the tragedies and same with the comedies. For the histories, I like Richard II because it nicely integrates many tragedy elements into it. For tragedies, I like both Hamlet and Othello. For a comedy, I like Midsummer Nights Dream (very fairy-tale-ish) or Taming of the Shrew (clever insights about relationships). If I had to choose one of Shakespeare's works though it would have to be his sonnets (is that cheating since you stipulated 'plays'?). Then I would have to agree with pico and say Hamlet. How about you? What are your favorites?
Personal question (answer if you would like to): are you a teacher? If so, of what?
I do not formally play the piano, but I have a great appreciation of it. Do you? I am going to start my son here in a few years, then perhaps he can teach me if my fingers are not warped and decrepit from all my typing. :-) Even if I did play, I think Rachmaninov's songs would drive me crazy if I tried to learn them.
We are all mediators, translators. - Derrida
http://signicide.blogspot.com/
All good choices
I also love Hamlet, there is such depth to it. Even the minor characters are extremely well drawn.
I'd add Henry V for the Agincourt speech
alone.
I have taught in the past, but it was math and science. I'm a bit out of my league here with the art stuff but it's loads of fun =) I played cello. I keep meaning to pull it back out... sigh. One of these days.
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Talk Show Host!
It's been so long since I've seen the Lurhmann film, I forgot that song was on the soundtrack. I like it a lot ("I'll be waiting / with a gun and a pack of sandwiches" - what a great line!), especially live
.
Here's what Yorke said about "Exit Music (for a film)":
Saint, n. A dead sinner revised and edited. - Ambrose Bierce
Oh wow, I left out WSS
Independentminded will never forgive me! Shoot, can't believe I blanked that one. Thanks for posting that =)
I should get OK Computer...
Come, my friends. 'Tis not too late to seek a newer world -- Tennyson
Yes,
you should. :)
Saint, n. A dead sinner revised and edited. - Ambrose Bierce
I second that. - NT
We are all mediators, translators. - Derrida
http://signicide.blogspot.com/