Romeo and Juliet (Part Three):

Parody or Pastiche?

It is astonishing just how many films and TV shows are based on William Shakespeare’s

plays. Some are obvious, some less so – and one or two you might never look at in quite the

same way again!

This week you will be introduced to the concepts of parody and pastiche and will start to

think about how faithful an adaptation actually needs to be to remain true to the original text

(and whether or not it even really matters).

TASK 1 (optional): If possible, watch Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) and compare it to Baz

Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet (1996) and/or Carlo Carlei’s Romeo & Juliet (2013). You could

present any observations in the form of notes or as a mind map or poster.

THINK: These movies are all based on, adapted from or at least partly inspired by a

Shakespeare play. How close or faithful do you think these adaptations will be to the original

text? (The trailers might help you decide).

“She’s The Man”

(2006)

(Twelfth

Night)

“West Side Story”

(1961)

(Romeo and

Juliet)

“Warm Bodies”

(2013)

(Romeo and

Juliet)

“Forbidden

Planet”

(1956)

(The Tempest)

“10 Things I Hate

About You!” (1999)

(The Taming of the

Shrew)

“The Lion

King”

(2019)

(Hamlet)

https://youtube.com/watc

h?v=yEmcEuS6xm4

https://youtube.com/watc

h?v=7TavVZMewpY

https://youtube.com/watc

h?v=jf67WlthWXk

https://youtube.com/watc

h?v=AxQ9GG6hUDM

https://youtube.com/watc

h?v=07s-cNFffDM

https://youtube.com/watc

h?v=NF1L3NorO3E

A parody is designed to imitate, make fun of or comment

critically on an original work with deliberate exaggeration

for comic effect. It is often satirical or ironic in nature.

A pastiche imitates the style or character of the original

work. It tends to be more respectful in tone to a parody

although it can still be humorous.

THINK: On this slide and the next, do you think that the following are more of a parody or a

pastiche of the original (on the left)? Be prepared to justify your answers!

“The Scream”

by Edvard Munch

(1893)

“The Scream”

by Homer

Simpson

“A Christmas Carol”

by Charles Dickens

(1843)

“The Muppet

Christmas Carol”

(1992)

THINK: The same with these. Do you think that the following are more of a parody or a

pastiche of the original? Be prepared to justify your answers!

“American Gothic”

by Grant Wood

(1930)

“American Gothic” with

Kermit the Frog

and Miss Piggy

BBC’s “Sherlock”

starring

Benedict Cumberbatch

“Sherlock Holmes” by

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

(1887)

THINK: It gets even more complicated when one considers just Romeo and Juliet. Which of

these versions of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy do you think are more of a parody and which

do you think are more of a pastiche? Is it possible to have elements of both?

DID YOU KNOW: Shakespeare himself is believed to have based his story on an Italian tale

The Tragical History of Romeus and Juliet translated into verse by Arthur Brooke in 1562

and retold in prose in Palace of Pleasure by William Painter in 1567. Is it possible that

Shakespeare’s “original” play itself actually has elements of pastiche (or possibly even

parody)?

The following slide (Slide 9) is a storyboard summarising the plot of Romeo and Juliet in just

six slides.

A summary of the play can also be found here: https://www.sparknotes.com/shakespeare/romeojuliet/

This is also a basic

summary of the

entire plot:

You have a choice of two tasks. Choose one of the following:

TASK 2a: Create a storyboard with your own versions of the key scenes depicted in Slide 9. Decide on a style – will

you be cartoony or instead use a more realistic and detailed approach? You could use digital media including

photography to create your storyboard. Be creative!

or

TASK 2b: Rewrite a scene from Romeo and Juliet in your own words. Use your imagination to think of an

appropriate setting, characters and tone.

If you know the play well, you could choose your own scenes to retell, for example the initial fight between the

Montague and Capulet servants or the famous balcony scene where Romeo and Juliet meet and profess their love

for one another.

Whichever task you choose, you will need to decide on an appropriate setting, characters and tone. For example,

does your version depict a doomed romance between two young lovers in a modern day high school? How about a

ghost teen from the past who falls in love with a modern day teen with psychic abilities? Or is your retelling set in

the far, far future where humans mix with robots, aliens and clones? Use your imagination!

Finally, decide if your retelling is more of a parody or a pastiche!