Now, if you were to make a version of yourself, how would you do it? Would you retain most of your original self or put some twist to it?

Question

Shakespeare's Juliet asked, 'What's in a name?'. Well, we might also ask 'what's in a play'? After all, it's possible that more people have seen a film adaptation of a Shakespeare play than have read one of his works cover to cover.

 The fact that we watch movies to learn about literature begs the question: what differences exist between the original text and its filmed version? Comparing examples of Hamlet across media--in literature, film, opera, stage, and painting--begs questions of how each retelling adds its own unique twist.

 Now, if you were to make a version of yourself, how would you do it? Would you retain most of your original self or put some twist to it?

Answer 1

One obvious difference between an original Shakespearean play and a modern filmed version is the language used; some adaptations use a slightly modified form of the Shakespearean language used in the play, but the setting and context of the film is usually completely different from the setting of the play, so it doesn't always carry the same significance or impact on the story as a whole. People often make modern versions of older plays and texts to pay homage or imagine them differently, with a crucial plot twist or difference - could this be to help modern audiences relate to the original more? Is it to promote originality in today's era of repurposing older concepts and refashioning them? Referring to Hamlet specifically, how do the characters' appearances differ across media? Are their motives different? What do they say and how do they think? Remember that Shakespeare wrote Hamlet through his eyes and his perspective of the world; society has changed quite a bit since then.

If I were to make a version of myself, I would probably add some twist to the new version, but just because I'm curious about what that would change in my life until this point and how others would perceive me. Good luck in your research!