tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post3352346772378272258..comments2023-12-15T16:08:55.771+00:00Comments on Echoes of a Wayward Mind: Romeo and Juliet (Themed Week Day 3)Sangu Mandannahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-44204136176991091632010-06-02T17:39:46.835+01:002010-06-02T17:39:46.835+01:00Oh! starcrossed lovers in a world gone mad (and 10...Oh! starcrossed lovers in a world gone mad (and 1000 elephants) was done better both before and after R&J. ; j <br />And yes of course, you're right... That hook has been done more recently in forms that are better suited to the current audience.<br /><br />Interesting! I find that staged versions of classical plays (and anything really) usually falls short of what I had imagined. Except if it has something spectacular, like talented actors who can outperform the ones in my mind, or astounding sets/music, etc... But for some reason I can't reproduce that when reading movie scripts. Shrug.Avohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808959359850145003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-15962366105530920572010-06-02T17:32:21.759+01:002010-06-02T17:32:21.759+01:00Haha and yes I would so totally recommend 'Ech...Haha and yes I would so totally recommend 'Echoes'! One day.Sangu Mandannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-67450155666300832352010-06-02T17:31:39.724+01:002010-06-02T17:31:39.724+01:00Well, I was more or less referring to the fact tha...Well, I was more or less referring to the fact that the general 'forbidden love' or 'tragic star crossed lovers' stories have been done better since Romeo and Juliet, rather than any direct retellings of Romeo and Juliet being much better.<br /><br />That said, I quite liked Baz Luhrmann's version when I first saw it a few years ago, though I think it was because it was the first time I had ever seen Romeo and Juliet 'staged' (off the paper) and I marvelled at how much less effective a play is when read on the page instead of watching it being performed in some way.Sangu Mandannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-68016280984693300192010-06-02T17:19:59.768+01:002010-06-02T17:19:59.768+01:00Hmmm... Well, this specific story I first read in ...Hmmm... Well, this specific story I first read in the original form, and I don't really like any of the retellings I've seen of it. <br /><br />Just to name one, do you really think the Luhrmann's Rome+Juliet was "more complicated, sophisticated and geared to audiences of today"? Do you feel it added anything to the original?<br /><br />I'd still rather be forced to reread the original than to be forced to rewatch that movie, however cute they made Mercutio. ; j<br />But over all, I'd rather do something else altogether. Buy myself and read a copy of "Echoes" perhaps. Heheh.Avohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808959359850145003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-57959335943962095882010-06-02T17:08:30.974+01:002010-06-02T17:08:30.974+01:00Alesa, I agree, there are some lovely one liners i...Alesa, I agree, there are some lovely one liners in the play (as in most Shakespeare), but the story and characters, overall, fall short. <br /><br />I think it's partly because we're used to retellings of the story - most of which are more complicated, sophisticated and geared to audiences of today - and so we can't help feeling disappointed by the 'original'.Sangu Mandannahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09464061265952789628noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-75403018322999698132010-06-02T16:48:33.422+01:002010-06-02T16:48:33.422+01:00Haha! Neat everyone agrees. Romeo and Juliet, as c...Haha! Neat everyone agrees. Romeo and Juliet, as characters, leave a lot to be desired... <br />That said, I've always been a Mercutio fan.;j Though I'd be hard pressed to say if it were for more than the beautiful line "Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man"!<br /><br />I suspect that the stupidity of characters is one of the reasons the story is so popular. A catharsis for reaching for the forbidden, a sympathetic moment's shared delight, and the smug reassurance that the forbidden (that most don't reach out for) is rewarded with tragedy and death.<br /><br />I don't agree with Zoe though... Over writing? Provided that you like the style, the style is the main savior of this piece for me. While the story yarn doesn't grab there are some beautiful one liners in there. : jAvohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15808959359850145003noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-65120323444962730712010-05-27T19:04:42.267+01:002010-05-27T19:04:42.267+01:00haven't read this one either. When I think Sha...haven't read this one either. When I think Shakespeare, I think Hamlet. Maybe MacBeth. Meh. Cool times ripping it though!Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03240558531464934666noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-36312628805376919132010-05-26T19:13:47.261+01:002010-05-26T19:13:47.261+01:00I'm actually with you on this one, because Rom...I'm actually with you on this one, because Romeo & Juliet is a big old...meh...for me. Just not interesting - and truly a ridiculous mashup of overwriting and stupid teenage decisions :D But great way to get me thinking about why some literary titans' work just doesn't, well, work.Zoe C. Courtmanhttp://zoecourtman.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-81266218703089725142010-05-26T19:00:41.918+01:002010-05-26T19:00:41.918+01:00I think Romeo and Juliet appealed to me more when ...I think Romeo and Juliet appealed to me more when I was a teenager and everything seemed way more tragic and "life sucks." Now that I'm in my 30's, all I can think is, "Where are your damn parents?" The theme itself (forbidden/doomed love) is universal, but the main characters are stock (smooth-talking teenage boy and whiny, clingy teenage girl). Still, I must admit that I love those stories of star-crossed lovers...Jenniferhttp://acanofcornorsomething.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8431434319456176027.post-42620336253360037812010-05-26T18:57:00.716+01:002010-05-26T18:57:00.716+01:00I can't stand that story, because I feel like ...I can't stand that story, because I feel like it's not a love story at all but an example of stupid selfish teenagers. Romeao hardly even knew Juliet, was he really in love with her? He was "in love" with someone completely different at the beginning of the story. I hate how melodramatic and idiotic both of them are throughout the whole thing. <br />Sorry for the rant, I just really hate that story!Lindseyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09445235926125001773noreply@blogger.com