Alright, so Love Story is a song written by Taylor Swift that presents the tale of Romeo and Juliet with a happy ending. Prepare for some analyzing.
What major themes are strongly represented?
-Onia Vncit Amor - Love conquers all
-Individual vs. Community
How true to the text does the film remain?
- Not at all
How true to the plot does the film remain?
- Uh...I'd say about 20% true. Romeo and Juliet meet at a dance and get married. Everything else seems to be left out.
What is lost/gained by diverging away from the plot?
-More money. Alright, that's a little rude, but you lose a lot
What minor characters receive more screen time and how does that affect the play?
-No minor characters at all. Father gets brief mention. You lose a lot of character development between Romeo and Juliet. But it doesn't seem too necessary because she's relying
How does the costume/setting/language/cultural representation affect the themes in the play?
-No tights for the men, I can appreciate that.
How do the actors portray certain characters? Again, how does this affect the themes represented?
-Taylor Swift is Juliet.Would Shakespeare be rolling over in his grave if he knew about this interpretation?
-Distinct Possibility. Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy. If Shakespeare felt his message could be adequately represented within a romance, they would live. I'm not hating on Taylor Swift, she is entitled to her opinion about the play, but I don't think it appropriately represents the main themes.
What kind of interaction is there between main characters?
-Parents & Juliet - A primary difference in the story told by Taylor Swift is the fact that the parents know about the tryst and forbid their children from spending time with one another. Despite this she states that she won't let them decide how she's going to live her life. In this instance, she borrows heavily from the theme of love (Love Story) and Individual vs. Community. Rather than obey their families, they choose to continue to see one another and let love overcome.Conclusion
-I think this essentially encapsulates what Romeo and Juliet has become to society. A powerful love story that somehow had the wrong ending written in. It's fodder for Romantic Comedy. We don't want a tale of hate and bitter resentment, with passionate but potentially foolish love. We want a tale of slight rivalry with a love that makes everyone come to their senses. A lot of the themes and lessons of Romeo and Juliet are lost in this version. Again, I recognize that Taylor Swift wasn't trying to perform a strict interpretation of the play, but rather saw similarities within her own life and the story. Yet, I still think it shows that a lot of people miss much of what actually happens in the play. Too much spark notes, not enough real reading of the text.
