Modern Shakespeare Research Paper

Modern Shakespeare? Can It Be? William Shakespeare, an English playwright, wrote numerous plays and sonnets throughout his years. Some of his most famous works range from The Twelfth Night, a comedy, to Othello, a tragedy, to Richard III, a history. Shakespeare uses examples in his literature to teach his readers the importance of love, honor, and loyalty. Throughout his many stories Shakespeare teaches his audience about ambition and greed. As well as teaching young children good morals, he also writes about history and mythology. Teachers across the world have been teaching their students about Shakespeare and having them read his works, but some teachers think it is time for a change. These select teachers prompted the question: should

Many people argue that Shakespeare is timeless, but it might be more correct to say that Shakespeare is “endlessly malleable” or “consistently applicable” (Holleran), meaning that the same situations can happen anywhere and anytime. This argument seems to be the case for some of Shakespeare’s plays. In fact, many of his plays have already been made into film adaptations. Some of the most popular movies among the younger generation include Romeo and Juliet (1996), She’s The Man (2006), and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). While these do not all hold the same name as their original counterpart, that is the biggest discrepancy found. One characteristic all of these movies have in common is that they all hold true to the above criteria for adaptations: they have the same plot line. While the timing and setting are different they have the same ideas as the play throughout the movie. As a matter of fact the people working on the 1996 rendition of Romeo and Juliet went so far as to name the guns the same names as the swords in the original play. The storyline of the movie adaptation is still the same; however, star-crossed lovers from different families. It is the little facts like these that showcase how the goal is not to drastically change the entire piece: they are simply changing the setting, a little of the language, and the time to make it easier to understand. The magic of Shakespeare’s work lies in its ability to connect with audiences no matter what. In freshmen year of high school, my English class read Romeo and Juliet in the original text. After struggling through reading it as a group, our teacher told us that we would be watching the movie. The movie; however, was Gnomeo and Juliet. Although the two seem completely different, they actually hold more in common than one thinks. There are two rival families, two young people who fell in love