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?

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.

Anyone get the feeling that @blondebombsite13 cannot follow Shakespeare on stage and gets absolutely lost?

I would watch the film and then go through each act on Cliffnotes to make sure he has understood what happened.

They are a very easy read. Mine read them from about 7 I think. At 14 they just read MacBeth again prior to seeing a production...as did I!

I've just ordered the shakespeare stories and the dyslexia friendly version too, so thanks again!

I think the joy of many of the ‘same plot, different settings’ films / books is from ‘being in on the joke’ through already knowing R+J itself.

So OP and her DS could definitely extend their film-watching (and cement his knowledge of the plot and themes) by eg watching Gnomio and then talking about similarities, differences, key themes, omitted characters and scenes etc.

I’m like this too, the first few minutes of the play seem impenetrable then something “clicks” and it starts to make sense, if the actors are good. I have been to at least one performance of a Shakespeare play where it was clear the actors didn’t really understand what they were saying and it was incomprehensible as a result.

We did audio play versions - various versions out there, films, modern english version one side original language other book - children's versions and graphic novels - you tube clips - my DC liked .

There is quite a bit out there to help.

They did okay and all helped a bit - but nothing brought the play alive for them like the theater performance - both times the globe but unfortunately after they'd finished GCSE study by then so they did know the play well (but hated them) but saw them much more positively afterwards.

The R+J film is an excellent introduction to the play. Precisely because he will understand what's going on.

You're making it unnecessarily complicated and priming him to believe Shakespeare is incomprehensible.

It's also OK to not understand every word of every sentence.

You could tell him the story of Romeo and Juliet before you show him the film. It could help him to follow it if he has an idea about what happens. You have to tune into Shakespeare's language, but once you have got your ear attuned to it, it becomes much easier to understand. I think he will be fine.

I've always found it easier to watch them first, then read. After all, Shakespeare wrote them as plays to be watched, not books to be read!

Just wanted to get my point across @TeenToTwenties

Yes there’s stuff going on in the background of his stories, political intrigues, but not getting them doesn’t mean you don’t understand Shakespeare. The primary to tertiary themes are obvious in any performance. You just need to be able to afford decent seats to watch the actors’ expressions as they talk.

The Marcia Williams Shakespeare comic versions are also really fun. We had a Greek Myths one as kids as well and used to read them all the time.

There is a version that was made in Lockdown that is good, some of the actors you might recognise from TV.
The Lockdown Romeo and Juliet, I just checked Google.
You might try a Graphic Novel version.

This is what I mean though. Even at a basic level I struggle to even grasp the plot. It’s very wordy and I find the actors speak very fast and breathlessly, which is all very impressive, I don’t deny, but I just can’t keep up.

We show that film version of Romeo and Juliet to our English classes before they study the play. Gives them a good sense of the characters and plot.

The film hasn’t aged well imo.
i was captivated by it as a teen but i re watched it with my teens are it was slow and dull.