Rewritings - Shakespeare

When Shakespeare wrote his plays, he couldn’t think that they would become famous. In fact, nowadays, everyone knows who Shakespeare was, and he’s one of the most famous playwrights in the world. Today, we can find a lot of different rewritings of his plays, such as Hamlet or Romeo and Juliet? But how do they revisit Shakespeare’s plays?

Firstly, it’s important to introduce these rewritings of Romeo and Juliet. The first was produced in 1996 by Baz Luhrmann, and the second was composed in 1980 by Dire Strats. Both relate the story of an impossible love of two young adults, such as the original pay, but there are some specificities too. In fact, Buz Luhrmann revisits Shakespeare with a modern movie where young actors played, like Leonardo DiCaprio. Contrary to him, Dire Straits preferred to write a song, relating a dialogue between Romeo and Juliet. However, even if these two rewritings of a Shakespeare’s play have specificities, both wanted to have another vision about it.

Moreover, studios like Walt Diney Pictures wanted to revisit some other Shakespeare’s plays, like Hamlet. With another vision of the play, the creators adapted it : they created The Lion King. In my opinion, if animals speak and sing, and if death is just suggested, all the dramatic elements can be more adapted than the original play, for a young public. In addition, I think another way to keep a “classic” story alive.

To conclude, these three rewritings of a Shakespeare’s play have their common points and their specificities, with their original inspiration. Moreover, I think that revisiting authors like Shakespeare is a way to show our love for literature. In fact, if some people think that classic stories are boring, rewritings can be more appreciated by them, and it’s also a way to adapt these stories to a large public, like children.

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