Modernising Shakespeare 1 and 2 & Research

Modernising Shakespeare Part 1  

Romeo & Juliet

Modern Adaptation in 1997

One of Shakespeare's most popular and recognised plays is Romeo & Juliet. It was modernised after the original publication. It was directed by Baz Luhrmann. This time it was intended to educate a particular audience of the ages sixteen to twenty-five. During 1997 there were a lot of Gang Violence going on and as a result to that the Government had the idea that if they used famous relatable attractive personalities in the play the audience could: easily grasp the storyline, learn a lot more from the play; realising it's intentions. After the modernised version of Romeo and Juliet came out parents started to question their children just to make sure they were not involved in such acts. The play was then very successful and so Gang Violence dropped a big percentage after the film. They changed the setting to Verona Beach in the US instead of Verona in Northern Italy.

Coriolanus

Modern Adaptation in 2012

In his debut, Ralph Fiennes plays the character from the obscure Shakespearean play- a warlike Roman general whose pride keeps him from winning the favour of the people in his town and earning high civilian office. When a group of senators unite to have him exiled, he vows vengeance and joins his former enemy as they move towards Rome. Fiennes is the star of the film, his anger alternating between a taut, below-the-surface well of tension and a boiling, spewing rage. The locations ,mostly, really look like underprivileged Eastern block wastelands, and the film is modernised to make use of modern martial attire and current technology. That aspect is often continuous, but it can also be rough and forced.

Richard III
Modern Adaptation in 1995
Starring Ian McKellen as Richard III, as the sociopathic Duke of Gloucester, he is able to attain a terrifying presence that even Al Pacino, who was physically built for the part of Richard III, could not quite conquer in the half-documentary half-fiction Looking For Richard. McKellen is less evil, but he is more sinister energy reaches the depths I imagined. Director Richard Loncraine modernises the film and uses disguised Third Reich imagery as a backdrop to Richard’s forces. He actually takes many liberties with Shakespeare’s text, most of them were successful, which proves that being faithful to the script is a delicate virtue. King Richard’s most famous line, the one about kingdoms and horses, is re-contextualised brilliantly in the modern setting that you tend to get the feeling William Shakespeare himself maybe would have been envious. Richard III thrived as it mixed reality and fiction to solve the problem of  clarifying English royalty's complicated lineage to a 1995 audience.

Modernising Shakespeare Plays Part 2

She's the Man-
As you Like It

The Taming of the Shrew
10 Things I hate about you

Lion King
Hamlet

West Side Story
Romeo and Juliet



HIP HOP History

They say the closet thing to Shakespeare is Hip hop. Hip hop came from black and Hispanic origin, featuring rap with an electronic backings.
Hip hop can relate to Shakespeare as it is also written in the same Iambic Pentameter style as Shakespeare wrote his plays. The Godfather of Hip hop is Gil Scott-Hero, then comes as DJ Kool Herc also known as Clive Campbell and then came Afrika Bambaataa .