DS12 and Romeo and Juliet - help me make a decision!

[eternityabove]

My 12 year old ( dyslexic, very young for his age) has been invited by his school to see Romeo and Juliet as a play in the theatre. He does not want to go but asked if we can watch a film of it at home. So we are going to show him that version with Leonardo Di Caprio and Clare Danes. Which I think is a brilliant adaptation of the play..

They will later be studying R&J in school.

However, I have always needed to read the Shakespeare play before seeing a production to understand what is going on. So my dilemma is:
If I read R&J with him before showing him the film, will this put him off ( I am sure he will find it dull as dishwater)?
Or if I show him the film will it be engaging enough that he will enjoy it or will it put him off as he won't understand a word they are saying?

When I gave him examples of how they speak in R&J ' Romeo, Romeo wherefore art thou?' ' If you ask for me tomorrow you will find me a grave mean' ' You have made worm meat of me.' He exclaimed ' That's not english!' Which I think gives an indication of how he is going to struggle with the language. He struggles with normal modern English let alone Elizabethan!

So, do I read R&J with him before showing the film, or just show the film?

Gove’s ‘thing’ about Shakespeare in KS2 does mean there’s quite a lot out there for the 9-11 age range.

I didn't even know such things existed! Thanks so much! Are there dyslexia friendly versions of other books? The school has not been very helpful with helping him with being dyslexic.

Can you read a summary of the story first? There are some good ones around

I just want to say a huge thank you to everyone on this thread - you have all been so helpful and I sincerely appreciate it.

I honestly thought people would just mock me for posting this. Without going into details, life is tough for me right now and it has meant so much to have you all being so nice and helpful like this.

Thank you all!

I find with Shakespeare that your ear tunes in to the language pretty quickly if you are watching a performance, but that won't work if you are reading it. So I'm with the dive straight in and watch the film camp.

They are designed for KS2, and I have had them in Y4/Y5 classrooms, though Y6 have also used them if explicitly teaching Shakespeare. They are short and easy to read - much more so than many KS2 books - but ime are less immediately accessible and interesting to children than their size, word count and presentation would suggest.

So, readable from 7 at least but probably more appropriate for 8-11, or for KS3 children needing an accessible intro.

My, very academic, Y11 didn’t enjoy the film at all. I had assumed that she would easily understand it and follow the plot (I did at the same age). She found the language an impenetrable barrier. Not so much her dyslexic Y8 brother who has also enjoyed performances of Midsummer Night’s Dream, Merchant of Venice etc.
Which is to say that I think it may vary by child. I think that watching the film almost cold is a good first bet. Maybe a quick reprise of key plot points first?

The OP has actively rejected the live version offered by the school - an interesting decision..!

Yes most of the set texts I've found have dyslexia friendly versions. And schools generally know next to nothing. Getting kids to use useful stuff at secondary is another challenge

look into getting hold of a set of overlays that can be used in all sorts of situations. Otherwise a blank page above and below. Kindle offer a facility where it shows one word at a time, if you get the speed right it's a winner

the line your reading.aa many different means of inputting the information into the brain as possible.

Look at dyscalculator online for maths

Summarise the story first.

Isn't Gnomeo and Juliet meant to be good too?

I think that the advantage of a film is that you can pause, re-watch, take a break, discuss something that’s unclear etc etc. A play can be an overwhelming experience all in one go, especially in a school group with travel, peer interactions etc to deal with as well.

Thank you, yes. It was DS who didn't want to see the play. He also doesn't really like the cinema, he prefers watching films at home and that is our saturday night treat together. It seems sensible to me that his first exposure to Shakespeare should be in a medium he actively likes and enjoys and has chosen himself.

And yes, it also means I can stop and explain any bits he is struggling to understand.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.

This is true, but I absolutely cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and am amazed that people can.

When we did Shakespeare at school / college, we read them and dissected them line by line, worked out what was going on and analysed it.

But when I watch it on stage or screen I’m just absolutely lost

Can anybody relate? I’m not a stupid person, I just find the language so flowery and archaic and they speak so FAST.

the words just tumble out of them and I have no idea what’s going on.