romeo and juliet....?

Question

ESSAY
Romeo and Juliet is a complicated story. In order to understand it, one should watch the movie instead of reading the book. This is because of three reasons; the sounds, the setting provided, and the actors. The special effects are really effective. The sounds let one know when something good or bad will happen. This is helpful when trying to comprehend Shakespeare's language. The setting, Shakespeare rarely explains the setting, but the movie did a better job, it made it seem genuine and it made me see the characters as actual people. Thirdly, the actors can also help to convey the meanings of the words through their emotions. The actors recite the engaging lines better and make it sound more real. The scene with Romeo and Juliet falling in love almost makes one cry in the movie. In the book, a teenager girl would just start laughing, because it was all so senseless and not very believable. When watching the movie, the lines are more charming.

what do u think? ending ideas?

Answer 1

the only reason that people like the movie better is because they have no real imagination themselves, or they are just too lazy to use it. the beauty of literature is that when reading a story, you can create your very own mental picture of what is happening. movies of books, while entertaining, are partly for people too lazy to pick up the book and read. God forbid they should actually have to think.

the reason that people like the movie better, is that they haven't or refuse to read enough literature to sufficiently expand their vocabulary to an extent where they could easily comprehend shakespeare's way of writing. today, many ignorant people scorn shakespeare and dickens because of their extensive use of the english language. i'm sure that if those two great writers could see us today, they would hang their heads in shame at the deplorable state that human intelligence has fallen into. i am not saying that everyone is stupid and that no one uses their God-given intelligence. I am merely stating the facts that people in general have become lazy and depend on outside sources for imaginative stimulation.

now we come to the movie itself. you brought up several points points which i will now answer. 1) the special effects are really effective. counterpoint: romeo and juliet is not a science fiction film. there are very few "special effects" that cannot be recreated on stage. 2) the sounds let one know when something good or bad will happen. counterpoint: the whole point of diologue is to express what is going on in the eloquent expression of speech. i have seen productions of romeo and juliet performed by five actors, each playing multiple roles with little more than simple costumes and no props. and there was NO music. it was astounding. the whole point is to hear how this wonderful story is expressed in speech, not special effects or creepy and/or light-hearted music. 3) shakespeare rarely explains the setting. counterpoint: it happened in verona, italy. mutiple settings are adequately expressed in the script. failure to recognise this is failure to comprehend the language. failure to comprehend the language is the result of poor education and lack of more extensive reading (lazyness). 4)the actors can also help convey the meanings of the words through their emotions. counterpoint: if you knew what you should know about literature, especially shakespeare, you would know that it's the other way around: emotions are expressed through words. that's the whole point of shakespeare's plays. to express stories through elegant speech. he is very descriptive in his writing, there's no reason that seeing someone act out the play, especially on the silver screen, should convey its meaning any better than reading the play with insight and imagination. 5) in the book, a teenage girl would just start laughing. counterpoint: yes, well, in my experience, the average 12-18 year-old girl is partially if not completely airheaded anyway.

i know that literature is not everyone's thing. i'm not trying to make it so. i'm merely trying to open your horizons about literature. most people have seen more movies based on books than read the actual book. and i did like the romeo and juliet movie (the one with leonard whiting). i thought that it did a very nice job of portraying the story. however, i will never say that it was better than the written or stage-performed work.

back in shakespeare's time, people didn't have radios or tvs or ipods or cellphones. their best form of entertainment came from the stage. men did all of the acting, even women's parts. they used very few props if any at all. the stage is still one of the best forms of entertainment. movies are great, but sometimes you just can't get the same emotional and physical expressions of the stage.

p.s. the beauty of shakespeare is that he didn't need elaborate sets or props to convey his plays. he used the beauty of the english language.

p.p.s. your paragraph wouldn't pass for an essay. the bare minimum of an essay contains five well-written and preferrably longer paragraphs. slap four more paragraphs onto yours, and you'll have a suitable essay.

Answer 2

There have been lots of movies made from this play. You should mention the name of the specific movie you are writing about so the person reading will know what you are talking about.
You should address the original question the teacher asked you to write about. Put the original question at the top of the page.
You make statements but you need to present some reasons for each claim you make. You say it is complicated. Explain the complications. You say it makes more sense if you watch the movie. Not everyone agrees with that, so you have to present your reasons for saying so.
Every sentence you write could have two or three more sentences explaining what you mean, with examples. If you do this you will have a longer and more meaningful essay.

Answer 3

The first thing to remember is that William Shakespeare wrote Romeo and Juliet as a play, not simply a story. One of the remarkable attributes of Shakespeare was that he didn't give elaborate set direction, but rather left it up to the director to interpret the play as he saw it. This is the reason movies such as 10 things I Hate About You (based on taming of the shrew), She's the Man (Twelfth Night) and Romeo + Juliet work. Because they are able to give a modern interpretation to a very old story. Had Shakespeare placed intricate details into the work, they would have been much more limited in their execution of a movie version. Reading a Shakespearian play is not intended to be read like a novel. You shouldn't expect that going in. Instead you have you use your imagination and bring the characters to life in your own way. In my opinion, that's much more inspiring than watching a movie where the imagination part is done for you.

Answer 4

I agree with bake, but I wanted to add something. You have to be careful when writing about Shakespeare from a movie when you are suppose to write from a play. A teacher can tell the difference. Everytime that I have seen Shakespeare's plays in movie form they are often very different from the others when they are the same play.

Answer 5

Sometimes when one reads a book and watch the movie afterwards....they tend to like the book much better....but in your case watching the movie of Romeo and Juliet may be better for you although you still won't understand the dialogue....when I was in high school there was this great website that translated the dialogue for all of Shakespeare's plays......

Good Luck Mami!!!!

http://nfs.sparknotes.com/romeojuliet/page_4.html

Answer 6

Shakespeare came not to educate you, but to entertain you. By all means, see the movie. But also read the play, along with commentaries on it, to help you fully understand it. Then watch the movie again (or better yet, a live performance) and be even more entertained.

Answer 7

Romeo's mother Lady Montague dies before Romeo and Juliet because she was upset when Romeo was exiled! Alas, my liege, my wife is dead to-night; Grief of my son's exile hath stopp'd her breath:

Answer 8

OK, i suggest you put 'In the book, a teenage girl' rather than a teenager girl. It sounds better!
What is your essay question? Make sure that in the end you answer the question!

Answer 9

I do not agree with your stance but I suppose I can see your view....All you need to do is back up your points more.....good luck.

Answer 10

You are doomed