Romeo and Juliet Effects of Censorship - 2175 Words

Romeo and Juliet has always been one of Shakespeares most popular plays (Bryant xxiii) This play, like Shakespeares other works, is a tribute to his discernment of the human soul (Lipson and Lipson 1). The Elizabethan people of that time saw in the drama a reflection of their own life and experience. It’s appearance, then, was human rather than analytical or educational. Romeo and Juliet is one of the worlds greatest plays because Romeo and Juliet are what Shakespeare has made them Lipson and Lipson 11). Shakespeares works depend on language. One of the most important dimensions of Shakespeares language is imagery. Through the use of metaphors, similes, symbols, passages of heightened natural description, Shakespeares writing,†¦show more content†¦Presenting a certain age group with an abridged version protects that age group (and even the teacher) from morally objectionable material, however, it seems that this not only distorts what the writer (in this case, Shakesp eare) originally intended, but it also treats what once existed as nonexistent. Shakespeare knew the human mind, and its most minute and intimate workings, and he never introduces a word, or a thought, in vain or out of place...He never wrote at random, or hit upon points of character and conduct by chance; and the smallest fragment of his mind not unfrequently gives a clue to the most perfect, regular, and consistent whole (Coleridge 183). In many respects, the imagery or dramatic irony aspects, the graphic, figurative, rich language that Shakespeare is so noted for is lost. The preciousness of youth remains untouched by the hands of a genius. Fundamental writing principles of contrasting characters such as Mercutios wit to Romeos can never be explored or examined and are sacrificed for the sake of innocence. Perhaps one might think that the above examples are trivial in tampering with the true meaning Shakespeare had in mind. Another example will bring us to Act One, Scene 3. This scene (according to the abridged version), introduces us to Juliet, her mother, and the nurse: NURSE: Of all the days of theShow MoreRelatedEssay on Music Censorship880 Words   |  4 PagesMusic Censorship The tall, lanky fifteen-year-old ambled slowly up to the counter and tossed his music selection toward the clerk. The salesman began to ring the sale up in his routine manner, but just then something caught his eye. It was a small black sticker on the corner of the CD. This sticker plainly read explicit lyrics. As the teenager fumbled through his pockets searching for a method of payment, the clerk gave him a questioning glance. Could I see some identification pleaseRead MoreThe Negative Effects of Censorship3189 Words   |  13 Pagesdemocrats, and free-speech thinkers hold the claim that censorship violates our so-called unalienable rights, as it has been proven throughout many court cases. Censorship in the United States is detrimental because it has drastically and negatively altered many significant events. Censorship allows governments more control of society than they already have, slowly progressing governments utilizing censorship to a dictatorship. Often times, this censorship can lead to immense rebellions. A good exampleRead MoreRay Bradbury s Fahrenheit 4514443 Words   |  18 PagesHer Before? Intertextuality is the interrelationship of different texts and works of literature and how each text is shaped by another. 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The rhyme scheme of this sonnet goes as follows: ABA/BCB/CDC/DED/EE. In the last stanza Frost does something genius, he ends the terza rima simultaneously as he ends his sonnet. Frost doesn’t just use this rhyme scheme because he wantsRead MoreThe Rise Of The Elizabethan Theatre1846 Words   |  8 Pageswestern storytelling as the Elizabethan era: an era which sparked exponential growth that would be built upon for centuries to come. Since its very beginning, Elizabethan Theatre has had a marvelous impact on the lives of everyone it touched, with effects that can be seen to this day. The Rise of the Theatre The great Elizabethan Theatre, as many great things do, began small -- so small, in fact, that actors were hardly revered. They made their debut as simple men of entertainment who, whether inRead MoreAnalysis Of Dmitri Shostakovich And Sergei Prokofiev2012 Words   |  9 Pagesexample of this setback is evident in the reaction to his ballet Romeo and Juliet, his first official Soviet work. The Bolshoi ballet claimed that it was â€Å"undanceable† and Soviet officials claimed about his work â€Å"betraying Shakespeare† due to the happy ending (Ross 264). This humiliation, caused by bad reviews by party officials, seemed to be common for composers within Soviet Russia. Artists with too much independence were subject to censorship, vilification, and even death. This sense of humility wasRead MoreAnalysis Of Huxley s Brave New World Essay4045 Words   |  17 Pagesthese aspects into his novel where the Controllers misuse this information to oppress the people in his nove l. Totalitarianism was also a real upcoming issue as Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, and Mao Tse-Dong strive for absolute control and power by censorship and mass murder. Plot Summary: The novel starts off in the Central London Hatching and Conditioning Centre where the Director and Foster are giving a tour to a group of boys. There they learn about certain processes that allow the Hatchery to produce