Term Paper on "Humanities Till Death Do Us"

Term Paper 3 pages (1191 words) Sources: 6

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Humanities

Till Death Do Us Part" -- wanting to die before growing old

Transposing Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" to the age of "Bonnie and Clyde"

The Renaissance today is often thought of as a decorous time of high art and great thinkers. However, the Renaissance in Italy was actually a bloody, often violent era and location, filled with entrench clan rivalries as well as attempts by great thinkers to lift the spirit of humanity to a higher level of consciousness. The supremacy of the individual and personal desire came to the forefront of the era's philosophy partly because old allegiances to church and nation were disturbed, and Italy in particular was filled with numerous city-states and families, all jockeying for power in a fractious nation. "Italian cities were infamous for their long-lasting, deadly feuds between prominent families" (Brians, 2000).

To shatter this decorous image and bring new meaning to one of William Shakespeare's most famous plays, transposing the bloody environment filled with hatred and passion that characterizes the play of "Romeo and Juliet" seems like an ideal match for the atmosphere and setting of the 1930s Depression-era Texas locale of "Bonnie and Clyde." During this period of American history, because of the desperate economic circumstances of the United States, lawlessness reigned. People lived for the moment, like "Romeo and Juliet" rather than planned for a future. Distrust in received wisdom and government, institutional authority was common, because no one seemed able to fix the problems of the America, just like the Prince of "Romeo and Juliet" is an ineffectual leader of his nation whe

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n he tries to contain the hatreds of the Montagues and the Capulets. In both eras, people romanticized outlaws, like Bonnie and Clyde romanticized themselves and boys like Mercutio and Tybalt settled scores amongst themselves in the common streets in Verona.

It is interesting to note that Shakespeare's play itself was an interpolation, of place and time that was designed to heighten certain themes of a play about "star-crossed lovers." After all, the play was written by an Englishman, but set in foreign Italy: "I think it's very interesting that so many of Shakespeare's plays are set in Italy...They [English playwrights] found something very liberating and very un-English I suppose, about the grand passions, the degree of emotion, the sensuality" (Bell, 2004). "Romeo and Juliet" is not just a play about passionate love; it is also a play about a passion for violence and how a violent society can destroy and generate love, as it also does for "Bonnie and Clyde."

Shakespeare chose to emphasize the youth of his loving protagonists, to make it convincing that they would feel that all that mattered was living for love and living for the moment: "Shakespeare altered the story in a way [from the original source] which is shocking to modern audiences: he lowered Juliet's age from sixteen to just under fourteen...Shakespeare emphasizes the over-hastiness and premature nature of this love affair and probably felt he was underlining this theme at a time when marriage at fifteen was considered by no means shocking, though marriage at eighteen or twenty was in fact much more common" (Brians, 2000).

Bonnie and Clyde met when they were eighteen and twenty-one, respectively. Despite the bloody wave of robberies and murders they left in their wake, a Depression-era nation was captivated by their spree, for it was a display of the power of two individuals to evade the hated federal authorities that were doing nothing to aid economically deprived Americans. The couple romanticized themselves in print with poetry, as "Romeo… READ MORE

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Quoted Instructions for "Humanities Till Death Do Us" Assignment:

“

You must place your adaptation of Romeo and Juliet in one of the following periods: ***The Modern Age

I have chosen to use Bonnie & Clyde as my Modern Age adaptation of the Modern Age period (Time- 1930*****¦Place- Texas) Title of the Play is *****Till Death Do Us Part***** The paper has to play down the gangster theme and relate to the relationship of Bonnie & Clyde in the Modern Age period.

Director *****“ I am responsible for understanding and knowing the philosophy/society of the chosen period and how that philosophy/society is addressed in Romeo and Juliet (Bonnie & Clyde). In this paper the director must draw comparisons/contrasts between the period philosophy which (include mood and events), and the chosen theme for this production. Examples of materials that indicate the philosophy of the period and tying that to the theme and the play are expected.

In this paper as director I must present the area and how the ideas present and support the overall concept of the production. This paper should be 900 words long. This paper should have an introduction, body, conclusion, and reference list. This paper will be going into more detail as far as justification, research, and connection. This paper should be formatted in APA and include the following:

ïƒ¼ The concept/theme of this production and how the overall design will contribute to the concept/theme

ïƒ¼ Key points of the period and their research findings on the philosophy and/or literature of the period (Bonnie & Clyde-1930)

ïƒ¼ Explain the connections between the philosophy and/or literature of the period to Romeo and Juliet.

ïƒ¼ How it exemplify the period/culture and fit the concept/theme of the play

ïƒ¼ Should include a reference page

ïƒ¼ All direct quotes, paraphrases, summarizations of other people*****s work must be cited in-text AND listed in the reference page.

Below is a general example. (Keep in mind that I am doing Bonnie & Clyde)

The Renaissance was a period where humanity was re-invigorated and individuals saw great potential in what could be accomplished in their lives with their lives. *****Romeo and Juliet***** exemplify this feeling of possibility and youth striving beyond the limits placed on them by tradition and society. Romeo and Juliet break tradition and their roles in society with their forbidden love, their secret marriage and their suicides. On the other hand, the Renaissance was also a period marked with great pride and we can see this in the parents of Romeo and Juliet. This pride and self-assertion blinds them to the passion of their children. They are concerned with image, power and prestige, which were also strong Italian Renaissance societal characteristics. Therefore we have selected the theme of, *****the individual versus society***** as our theme for this production

In our production we will present the houses of Montague and Capulet as extremely formal and rich to show this tradition. We will select architecture from the Early rather than Late Italian Renaissance. However the props and decoration for the Juliet*****s room and balcony will be Late Italian Renaissance

Thanks

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