Conclusion of Titus 9/24

Today in class helped me to realize how one book or play in this case, can provoke endless opinions, thoughts, and class discussions. Although I and many people do not sympathize with Aaron, a few classmates had very valid reasons as to why they actually sympathize with Aaron and his character within the movie. I wish we could have dug a bit deeper into the text and compare those students opinions. As discussed, in the hanging scene, the movie provides a lot more emotion and depth than the literature itself, giving Aaron more dignity and ownership than Shakespeare had originally bestowed upon the character.
Shakespeare's tragedies are surprisingly less detailed than than the cinema presentations. This obviously gives the actors and directors more independence to present their play as the wish. However, in the case of Titus, I think it should have been presented closer to the text. It is a bit over the top at times (as many Shakespearean movies are) as well as drawn out in a few scenes, specifically the ending. As I said in class, most of these performances are modernized for their audience and as a result, can be a bit pop cultured. Consequently, I wish that there was another rendition of the Titus in film version to compare it to. Romeo and Juliet is one of the Shakespeare Tragedies that does have two versions and can provide a good visual comparison. All in all, I did like Titus and am very interested to see how our classmates portray these interesting characters.

Play Day #1 and Titus Andronicus at first glance 9/17/08

Reflecting on yesterday's class, I found our group work to be very productive and interesting. As the Romeo and Juliet group, we have decided to make the play from a females point of view, since we are all indeed women. I am playing Juliet, Kathryn is playing Romeo, and Sarah and Angela are handling all other male roles within the play (changing the Friar to a nun, and Capulet into Lady Capulet). It should be an interesting performance with many interesting acting choices, scene blocking, and dialogue changes. All in all, I am very excited to begin practicing.
Today's class on the other hand was rather entertaining and unique. I am very interested to see how Titus is handled within class since today's discussion illustrated many different opinions on how Shakespeare wanted his play to be understood and professed. The movie itself is very "camp" as I pointed out in class due to its very serious plot line and quick scene changes. However, after reading Shakespeare's play itself, I found the piece to be rather Pastiche (with thin lines of Parody weaved within). Very similar to a Journey music video or even Luhrmann's rendition of Romeo and Juliet, the plot itself is meant to be a tribute / celebration of the work itself. However, in attempt to create a Pastiche performance, I believe some of the overacting and scenery / props create a bit of a spoof within the piece. In general, I am learning a great deal about Shakespeare and gathering many great ideas on how I will teach Shakespeare in my English classes. I am very interested to see how Monday's class will pan out after more classmates watch the movie and read more in depth into Titus Andronicus.

Acting out Romeo and Juliet 9/10/08 @8:40pm

Today's class was a fun and entertaining experience. I loved how we as a class were able to choose scenes from one of Shakespeare's great works, Romeo and Juliet, and actually act them out in front of a live audience. As individual groups, blocking, casting roles, practicing, and performing the specific scenes was a lot more stressful than one would imagine. Because my group consisted of six different people, it was hard to try and find one scene that would allow six parts. To conquer this dilemma, my group combines scenes 1 and 2 of Act 4. Ironically, many people seemed to have the same difficulties and ended up choosing the same scenes. Some classmates seemed to stress over the similar scene choices, however, I found it to be more helpful and entertaining than if everyone chose different scenes. We as a class were able to see how one scene can be portrayed / understood differently simply by watching the actors individual acting choices on stage. I as Juliet played the 12-year-old as a feisty girl looking for a way out, others chose to play her as more of a damsel in distress, looking for assistance. This exercise was a great preview into the unique acting choices that will be professed in our future productions of Shakespeare at his best!

Second blog on the film, Romeo and Juliet, submitted 9/3/08 @ 2:40pm

The dramatic cinema portrayal of the classic Shakespeare play, Romeo and Juliet, is a rather youthful rendition of Shakespeare at his best. Starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, these two actors attempt to recreate their famous characters while still adding personal characteristics to each individual role. When reviewing the scenes last night as well as in class this morning, I was able to get a better understanding of the scenes themselves as well as the characters' acting choices including facial expression, body language, and voice tone. In general, Danes and DiCaprio handled their roles very well. However, there were a few scenes containing "overacting" such as Juliet and Friar's scene after Romeo's banishment or Romeo's intensity before killing Tybalt after Mercutio's stabbing. Their facial expressions of eye popping, blood red faces, and rolling of intense tears along with wailing body motions, and vocal screams, adds a bit too much drama for one scene. With that said, I love this rendition. It is teenage-centered helping students such as a 14-15 year old Freshman appreciate the works of Shakespeare in a different, less "stiff" light.