Shakespeare+Modernized

The themes and ideas of William Shakespeare’s plays are very easily applied to modern life. This is why they can be commonly spied in productions more recent than 400 years ago. While there are many that could be discussed the best parallels that I found are those between __Taming of the Shrew__ and 1__0 Things I Hate About You__, __Romeo and Juliet__ and __West Side Story__, and __Hamlet__ and __The Lion King__.

The parallels between these two productions are quite easy to spot. In an [|essay] i found these similarities as well as differences are clearly shown. Some of the major differences discussed are those between the language used and the general settings. In the movie __10 Things I Hate About You__ the language used is very obviously different than that used by Shakespeare. The settings are different simply due to the nature of the productions. __Taming of the Shrew__ was done as a play while __10 Things I Hate About You__ is a movie. Some obvious similarities between the two are the basic plot and the characters.
 * __Taming of the Shrew__ vs. __10 Things I Hate About You__**



While the complete love that is portrayed in __Romeo and Juliet__ can be found in many other productions one that very closely follows the story is __[|West Side Story] .__ While there are some minor differences that can be found the stories are almost identical. The main difference is that the Juliet in __West Side Story__ (Maria) does not die at the end. Apparently people these days are more faint-hearted than in Shakespeare's time and can't handle so much death. Other than this events and people in __Romeo and Juliet__ are somehow depicted in __West Side Story.__
 * __Romeo and Juliet__ vs. __West Side Story__**



The story of revenge in __Hamlet__, like that of love in __Romeo and Juliet__, can also be found in many other places. A more up-lifting version is __[|The Lion King] __. In both the main characters main goal is to avenge the wrongful death of their fathers. While __Hamlet__ is an obvious tragedy __The Lion King__ ends happily. Although the endings are quite different __The Lion King__ still retains many of the same basic plot points and characters that __Hamlet__ has.
 * __Hamlet__ vs. __The Lion King__**



===While each of these modern day examples differer from their Shakespearian counterpart the main themes and ideas are still there. Looking at things from a different perspective can shed new light on something that may seem difficult to understand. These examples clearly show how we can easily see Shakespeare in our lives today. This is not to say that these modern twists can replace Shakespeare's masterpieces they just make them easier to apply to our lives today.===

Alissa Twining Hour 3