Ancient and Modern Elements in Julie Taymor's Adaptation of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus
Roman coliseum . . . Formica kitchen
Armored warrior . . . Armored tank
Gregorian Chant . . . Hard Rock
White toga . . . Metallic business suit
Ancient Rome . . . Modern America
At first glance, these categories appear entirely incompatible, unable to exist together. However, in Julie Taymor's adaptation of Shakespeare's Titus Andronicus, we find that they are compatible after all. With elaborate sets, stunning costumes, and a remarkable film score, Taymor blurs the boundaries that divide them and creates a world that accommodates both ancient Rome and modern America.
The film soundtrack was an important element in creating the juxtaposed world that Taymor desired. Taymor selected Elliot Goldenfall, a veteran composer for the stage and screen whom she had known for twenty years, to head the scoring. Their long association served them well in this endeavor - the final film score was both stunning and effective in combining ancient and modern musical elements. Goldenfall manipulated four main musical styles to score the film (symphonic, jazz, hard rock, and aria), and each style represented particular emotions.
The opening scene in the coliseum is a particularly potent display of Taymor and Goldenfall's artistic creativity. Warriors covered in gray armor, stoic faces smeared with a bluish-gray paste, march resolutely into the coliseum. As they move into formation, Goldenfall uses the powerful sounds of symphonic music to instill a feeling of triumph. Horns blare victoriously. Footsteps are marched in a steady andante, matched with heavy drums. A strong male chorus joins the music, the singing reminiscent of modal G...
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...us, and various dignitaries enter the dining room, Goldenfall inserts a muted Italian aria, like one heard in a fine Italian restaurant. Considering the nature of the scene and the audience's knowledge of what is to be served, the aria serves to increase audience disgust. And as the beautiful music wafts through the background of the scene and Tamora eats the flesh of her own sons, the revulsion is intensified. It is almost a relief when the scene erupts into violence.
It is not an easy task to fuse modern society with that of ancient Rome. However, under Taymor's direction the sets, costumes, and film score accomplish just that. In particular, by combining modern and archaic music styles, Goldenfall successfully augments the effects Taymor strives for. The result is a high-powered film that takes Shakespeare's classic to levels it has not previously been taken.
Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus demonstrates how aggressive challenges and divisions are born out of conflicting belief systems. For example, because the Roman citizens, the Goths, and Aaron the Moor all differ in matters of consciousness, tension ensues. Nicholas Moschovakis comments extensively about these clashes in his essay ““Irreligious Piety” and Christian History: Persecution as Pagan Anachronism in Titus Andronicus,” and Moschovakis not only magnifies persecution, but he remarks extensively about the major elements in Titus Andronicus that can be understood as anachronistic. While Moschovakis carefully and thoroughly observes the Shakespearean realms of violent “human sacrifice,” the “relevance of Judeo-Christian sacrificial discourses,” the anti-papist Elizabethan attitudes, and other religious and pagan traditions, Moschovakis plainly admits that “Titus evades all attempts to be read as partisan invective” (Moschovakis 462). Because Shakespeare included a wide range of conflict and overlapping belief systems, assertions tend to become, as Moschovakis puts it, “curiously inconsistent” and “overshadowed” (Moschovakis 462). What can be claimed as transparent in Titus Andronicus, and what I think is appealing to the masses, is that Shakespeare drew upon the major controversial motifs in human history and religion, and he included the evils of hypocrisy which allow for realistic interest regardless of what your religious or political stance is. Moreover, I would argue that Shakespeare exposes a more obvious anachronistic element that can serve in expanding Moschovakis’ arguments. Titus Andronicus demonstrates the time honored obsession over first born sons, and because the play includes a first born son in each family t...
Baz Lurhmann’s creation of the film Romeo and Juliet has shown that today’s audience can still understand and appreciate William Shakespeare. Typically, when a modern audience think of Shakespeare, they immediately think it will be boring, yet Lurhmann successfully rejuvenates Romeo and Juliet. In his film production he uses a number of different cinematic techniques, costumes and a formidably enjoyable soundtrack; yet changes not one word from Shakespeare’s original play, thus making it appeal to a modern audience.
“Little Caesar.” Magill’s Survey of Cinema (June 1995): n. pag. eLibrary Curriculum Edition. Web. 14 Apr. 2011.
Julie Taymor’s film adaptation of Shakespeare’s Titus Andronicus has many theatrical elements that aid in creating an interpretation of the written play. One of the most prominent elements that Taymor uses is color. Taymor uses color to develop Shakespeare’s characters. Many times throughout the film, color is used to represent a character’s mood or their hidden agenda during a scene. We also see color used to represent good versus evil. The three colors that are most widely used during the movie to show symbolism and imagery are black, white, and red. While there are some references to color in the written text of Titus Andronicus, Taymor’s use of color allows the viewers to see a more clear representation of mood, tone, and character. The colors may be used in costume or in setting. Regardless of how they are used each color plays a large role in distinguishing the tone that is being set for a scene or character.
Shakespeare, William. "Titus Andronicus" The Norton Shakespeare. Ed. Stanley Wells & |Gary Taylor. New York/London, W.W. Norton Company,1997. 371-434
The reader is introduced to an insight of Titus Andronicus’ cruel nature, after he ignores Tamora’s cry to have her first-born son saved from his sacrifice to revenge the lives of his sons that her Goth people took. This new interpretation of Titus as a ruthless murderer heavily contradicts the reader’s first impression of Titus that Marcus gave the reader. Marcus initially leads the reader to except that Titus is good and honorable man. Titus’ sudden act of violence makes the reader realizes that he has two sides to his character: the relentless warrior and the beloved hero. However as the play unfolds, an individual can realize that everything that occurs throughout the play is connected to the initial sacrifice. It is evident that Titus’ character goes through many changes, the not one but many sides of his personality are revealed.
Jackson, Shirley. "The Lottery." The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvan Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 989.
Walker, Elsie. "Pop Goes the Shakespeare: Baz Luhrmann's William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet." Literature/Film Quarterly 28.2 (2000): 132-139. 7 April 2001.
‘Titus Andronicus ‘is a play by William Shakespeare that went to become very popular during his time. The play was performed in Rome after the defeat of the Goths by the Romans. The Goths were people from German who invaded their country. Throughout the play, violence can be seen inform of brutal murders, sexual violence and mutilation, suicide, wars and conflicts. This is normally heightened by the urge of the characters to revenge. Examples of such cases include: the raping and mutilation of Lavinia, Titus’s daughter and the killing of Alarbus. Shakespeare presents stage violence that makes the audience concentrate and understand in a better way.
One of the most celebrated plays in history, “Romeo and Juliet”, was written by William Shakespeare in the late 16th century. It is a story about two lovers that have to meet in secret because of an ongoing family feud. Tragically, because of their forbidden love Romeo and Juliet take their lives so they can be together. In 1997, a movie was adapted from the play “Romeo and Juliet”, directed by Baz Lurhmann. However, as alike as the movie and the play are, they are also relatively different.
William Shakespeare once told us, "All the World’s a Stage" —and now his quote can be applied to his own life as it is portrayed in the recent film, Shakespeare In Love. This 1998 motion picture prospered with the creative scripting of Tom Stoppard and Marc Norman and direction of John Madden. The combined effort of these men, on top of many other elements, produced a film that can equally be enjoyed by the Shakespeare lover for its literary brilliance, or for the romantic viewer who wants to experience a passionate love story.
This is basically a collection of short stories and they provide information about the subjectivity in the works of Lahiri. Furthermore writer discusses about family, gender, relationships, conflicts, identity and nationality in lahiri’s fiction (Dhingra 2). The writer explains that Lahiri’s writing style is realistic and also her highlighting of human events in her fiction like death of husband in The Namesake, giving or rejecting the name of a new born baby, pregnancy, being a father or mother which many reader can relate (introduction xvi). Except subjectivity in writer’s fiction or issues of name this research tells nothing about shifting of identities and their effects on the lives of immigrants. Lahiri’s purpose of writing such fiction is to mirror the bitter realities of immigrant’s life. She herself has faced all these problems in her life while living between two cultures. She describes shift in identity and reasons behind this thing. Shifting identities need to be searched in a broader way. In the first chapter of the book Ethnicity as Intertextuality: Instantiations of “deep time” Floyd and Dhingra discuss issues of ethnic identity in Lahiri’s fiction no doubt if a person is struggling for ethnic identity, it is always hidden in past (10). In her novel The Namesake Lahiri tries to
...ecome alarming as these machines could become very complex. With new forms of computers on the horizon, the exposure and availability is greatly increasing. It is true that computers bring a lot of benefits however they also enhance the potential for unimaginable chaos. The day will come, sooner than we expect, when humans will no longer be needed to maintain the earth. Computers will for instance, be able to control vehicles and other devices. Providing all the computers are programmed correctly then nothing can go wrong however if one small program fails this could result in disaster. As humans we must take heed of the power of computers and try to maintain our role in the world as the ruling beings and ensure that we are still in a position where we are able to control technology as it will be all too easy to suddenly discover that technology is controlling us.
Two of the greatest masters of British literature, Shakespeare and Chaucer, tended to look to the classics when searching for inspiration. A lesser-known example of this lies in an ancient tale from Greece about two star-crossed lovers. There are many variations on the names of these lovers, but for the purpose of solidarity, they shall henceforth be referred to as “Troilus and Criseyde” for Chaucer and “Troilus and Cressida” for Shakespeare. Chaucer’s “Troilus and Criseyde” offers up a classic tale of love that is doomed, whereas Shakespeare’s “Troilus and Cressida” is not only tragic but also biting in its judgment and representation of characters. This difference may be due to the differences in time periods for the two authors, or their own personal dispositions, but there can be no denying the many deviations from Chaucer’s work that Shakespeare employs. Shakespeare’s work, by making the characters and situations more relatable, builds upon Chaucer’s original work, rather than improving it or shattering it.
Greek and Elizabethan theatre, while similar in some respects, had a few large differences. The Greeks believed in a certain unity of theme, which was prevalent throughout the production. Greek plays were often drawn from myth or of historical significance, so it seems that only ki...