Examples of Contextualised Shakespeare Plays

In class today we learnt about the different contexts that we can perform Shakespeare's work in. Many companies/films have changed the context of Shakespeare's work; an example of this is the 1996 film 'Romeo And Juliet' OR the current production of 'Othello' at the National Theatre in London. The main reason for changing the context of Shakespeare's traditional work is to create a new, exciting piece that will appeal to new, contemporary audiences. 

 The 1996 film 'Romeo & Juliet' is another interesting contextualisation of a traditional Shakespeare Play- Romeo & Juliet; William Shakespeare's 16th Century masterpiece. The film is set in modern day Verona, Italy and everything from costume to ways of transport screams modern contextualisation! (current for 1996 anyway!) With the exception of the dance (fancy dress) where Romeo is wearing a knight's costume and Juliet in a plain white dress, the cast wear clothes that you would expect to see people wearing on holiday. I think this works as it makes the setting seem more believable. Unlike the traditional play, this film is based around the suburb of 'Verona' which includes 'Verona Beach', which is, essentially a beautiful beach and it's clear that it is meant to be a place in California due to it's beautiful golden sand. The feuding families Similar to Macbeth On The Estate, the characters are made to look and feel like gangsters in their 'gangs'. For example, the directors use of guns and motorbikes not only make the film a lot more modern than a traditional version, they really emphasise the fact that the two families are powerful, frightening and genuinely want to cause harm to each other. What I find most interesting is that Romeo even takes an ecstasy pill before going to the Capulet's fancy dress party which highlights the modern contextualisation of the film as Romeo does NOT take an ecstasy pill in the traditional version. The Characterisation is very interesting in this film. What I like about this film is that it retains the original Shakespeare Dialogue yet the characterisation is still very different due to to the change in context. The Montague's, in particular, I find the Montague's to be particularly immature and boystorous- this is emphasised by the ecstasy pill that Romeo takes. I also find that in this version, Romeo and Juliet's relationship is a lot more graphic (sexually) then it would've been in the original version. Of course this is because of the change in audience and how in today's days 'sex sells'! It also of note that Mercutio's character is played by a black actor (Harrold Perrineau) in this film.

 Unfortunately, back in Shakespeare's time there wouldn't have been any black actors on stage and this definitely wouldn't have happened. The use of lighting in this film was nothing particularly special as in a film the lighting is very natural and realistic- you wouldn't have any 'red lighting' in real life whereas you could in theatre. However, it is definitely right to say that on the whole this film is a lot brighter then what the original would've been like- although this is due to the fact that the context is different and is set in a sunny paradise! However, what is still clear in this version is the night/day; dark/light theme that was there in the original. Rome and Juliet find comfort and safety in the dark (as they can't be seen). Yet they find daylight to be dangerous as it's impossible to hide they're relationship when everyone is around. Sound-wise the film includes a lot of music by 'current' artists like Radio Head. This again appeals to the 1996 audience. Both Romeo and Juliet kill themselves like in the original, however, in this film Juliet shoots herself in the head and dies instantly after realising Romeo has poisoned himself. In my opinion, this is a fitting ending as it shows the difference between Shakespeare's time and the modern world's technology (of guns ect).

 The Tempest (2010), like Rome and Juliet (1996), is a film that has been translated from one of Shakespeare's original plays. Perhaps the most interesting difference to the original stage version is the fact that the film's Antagonist, Prospera, is a woman when in the original Prospera is male. Prospera is played by Helen Mirren, who's career started in the 1960's with the Royal Shakespeare Company. The costumes used in The Tempest actually gave costume designer Sandy Powell an Academy Award Nomination. The costumes stay true to the play's Elizabethan heritage but are more 'punky' and actually look quite futuristic. I believe the reason for making the costumes 'Futuristic Elizabethan Punk' are to appeal to the modern audience.

 Of course, the aesthetical set differences between a stage version and film version are obvious- it's going to look a lot different. But, essentially, The Tempest (2010) stays very true to the original as the scenes used in the play are also used in the film- it's just a lot more visually clearer where they are.

 The use of making Prospero a female is very interesting, however, essentially she is not actually Prospero. The play has been adapted so that Helen Mirren plays 'Prospera' who's husband (The Duke Of Milan; Prospero) has been killed. She gets accused by his brother of killing her with Witchcraft and is sent off on a boat to die with her 4 year old daughter. Of course, the fact that Prospero (Prospera) is a woman in this production means that the characterisation of this character is completely different. Prospera may be a strong woman, but she is still essentially a woman which means her body language and gestures are womanly- opposite to the original; quite literally. I believe the director has made the decision to change the sex of Prospero to create an original and innovative take on a Shakespeare classic.

The use of sound in this film is a world away from the sound that would've been used at the Globe during Shakespeare's days. Of course, the fact that this is a film means that a lot more sound is possible- including non-diegetic music to help set the moods and tones of each scene. The non diegetic music used in this film really does help create themes of emotion like suspense, fear ect. However, I must admit that the whines of an electric guitar do seem a bit out of place in what is, essentially, meant to be a simple play. However, I can't say that either one is better as both are completely different.

 The new production of Othello at the famous National Theatre in London also uses a very interesting contextualisation of the original play of the same name. This new, contextualised version of Othello is not set in Venice, like the original. This adaptation based around Othello, a soldier in the Iraq War who is turned against his own wife to the point where he feels so strongly about her supposed 'cheating' that he kills her. Other adaptations of Othello have been accused of being 'overly racist' but it is clear that in this production, the only 'real' racist is Desmedona's Father 'Brabantino'. Of course, back when Shakespeare wrote Othello, the thought of a black man falling in love with a white woman was a

Costume:
 The main piece of costume used in this production is the army's Desert Combat Uniform. This really emphasises the setting of the play, as well as highlighting the fact that the characters are in a war zone.

Set:

Characterisation:

Sound:

For each one, you should discuss:

-   costume – how does it help us to understand the setting? How is this different from the costumes that Shakespeare’s actors would have worn?

-   set – what has the set designer chosen to include? Why? How is this set different to what Shakespeare’s audiences would have seen?

-   Characterisation – how are the characters speaking and moving? How is this different to how Shakespeare’s actors would have spoken and moved?

-   Lighting – how does this differ from the Elizabethan theatre experience?

-   Sound – how does this differ from the Elizabethan theatre experience? (A clue – when my Mum and Dad went to see an Elizabethan style production of “The Tempest” recently, the Thunder and lightning was done by a big metal sheet behind the backdrop and a load of drums)