Romeo and Juliet DUE 10-15-12 @ 8:15 a.m.

[Mr. Daiss]

What problems have you encountered while reading Romeo and Juliet?  Have you found Shakespeare's writing difficult? Or are you able to make sense enough of the text?  Have any specific passages been bothersome?  Cite specific examples and use details in your responses so we can pay extra-close attention to sections of the play in our discussions.

[jpark]

the way Shakespeare wrote the book is difficult. Like the way  the characters talk. IT"S THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY HELLO??? hahahaha! I understand somewhat of this book better than Fahrienhiet but the way the characters talk is so weirrd and hard to understand. THere'a also alot of metaphores <-- idk how to spell it!

 

TYBALT
What, drawn, and talk of peace! I hate the word,
As I hate hell, all Montagues, and thee:
Have at thee, coward!

 

they like to say thee and Ay alot....

[kparys]

    I find this book a little difficult. I can understand the story line so far, but the poetry that Shakespeare writes in this novel is confusing to me and a few others. As Jinnah said, this book is old English and uses a lot of thus and thou in the form of blank verse. Furthermore, this book is written (as you may already know) in iambic pentameter, so it uses a lot of metaphors and sonnets. I think this book is a good choice to learn about old English writing and culture, and apply these life lessons to our own.

 

Example of verse in context, a sonnet/ metaphor: ABABCC

“When the devote religion of mine eye

Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fire;

And these who, often drowned, could never die,                                        

Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars.

One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun

Ne’er saw her match since the world begun.”

                                                -Romeo 1.3.95-100

[kparys]

    I agree with Jinnah, this book is difficult to understand sometimes. If reading poetry and understanding metaphors comes easy to you, then this book is a good choice. I think that the farther we get into this book, the more practice we will have for annotating and better understand this form of writing. So don’t give up, I promise that practice makes perfectJAs we reach the near end, I think we can start to better conclude the form, content, and eventually get down to the meaning and moral for our lives.

[jkramer]

While reading Romeo and Juliet I find it difficult to understand the style of writing he uses along with the words he uses. The adjectives are not like the ones used by writers of this day. Also, the order of words he uses is different from what I am used too, kind of like Yoda. Due to the book being written in iambic pentameter it makes it confusing while reading it. Although the writing style is different I am able to make sense of the overall story and what he is saying.

 

I'll look to like, if looking liking move.

But no more deep will I endart mine eye

Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.

                                                               - Juliet 1.4.103-5

                     
On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[jkramer]

I agree with Kayla that the play being written in poetry makes it very confusing and hard to grasp. Also, the fact that it was written in a different time period means that they style of language used will be much older and will use more of 'thy' and 'thou'. The use of metaphors and sonnets, although it may make the writing have a beautiful sound, it makes it hard to understand the overall meaning of the story. But with practice and time I think that we will be much more adept at reading poetry and have a broader understanding of Shakespeare and the different types of literature.

[taaron]

i find the way the book is written hard to read.  In his book, Shakespeare uses words like "thy" and "thou". 

As is the bud bit with an envious worm Ere he can spread his sweet leaves to the air, Or dedicate his beauty to the sun.

quotes like this one to me are hard to understand.  hopefully after reading the book for awhile though, it will be easier to understand and wont have as much trouble recognizing certain parts and and understanding what they mean.

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[zallen]

One problem for me would be how the book is written. I find it hard to comprehend it in play form. The way Shakespeare made the characters talk is another thing that is difficult for me to understand. Most of the time I need for someone to explain to me what Shakespeare meant with his passages for me to understand what is going on.

Benvolio:

Tut, man, one fire burns out another's burning;

One pain is lessened by another's anguish.

Turn giddy, and be helped by backward turning.

One desperate grief cures with another's languish.

Take thou some new infection to the eye,

And the rank poison of the old will die.

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[zallen]

I agree with Jinah when she says that the book is hard to understand because of the way it is written and the way that Shakespeare makes the characters talk.

[gparsons]

          I agree with Zach. Some of the ways Shakespeare makes the characters talk is weird and confusing, but this was written like a very long time ago. Back then this was probably like Twilight, Hunger Games, or even any of those big broadway plays. In my mind i always try to keep an open mind when reading the scenes. You never know what something might mean in the text or how important it will be to the rest of the story. There's not really text that i find confusing. if you try to listen with an open mind you'll get the gist of what the characters are trying to say. However a text that seem really interesting to me is this.

        Romeo

      Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs;

      Being purged, a fire sparkling in lover's eyes;

      Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.

      What is it else? A madness most discreet,

      A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.

        

        Romeo and Juliet is a great book. I've read it before,but it's great to read with a class. Especially, when we all act it out. It helps understand it a whole lot better.

[hyun]

I agree with Kayla and Jillia. It is written in different style. The different words, different ways of writing, and metaphors are hard to understand at the same time. We don't use words like "Thou", "thy", and "tut". The way book is wrotten as poetry don't really help. I can understand a little better when Mr. Daiss explains it to us and after I read it twice. I like Zach's example:

 

Benvolio:

Tut, man, one fire burns out another's burning;

One pain is lessened by another's anguish.

Turn giddy, and be helped by backward turning.

One desperate grief cures with another's languish.

Take thou some new infection to the eye,

And the rank poison of the old will die.

 

I don't get this kind of parts:

 

Romeo:

Alas that love, whose view is muffled still,

Should without eyes see pathways to his will!

Where shall we dine?-O me! What fray was here?

Yet tell me not, for I have heard it all.

Here's much to do with ahte, but more with love.

Why then, O brawling love, O loving hate,

O anything of nothing first create!

O heavy lightness, serious vanity,

Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms,

Feather of lead, bright smoke, cold fire, sick health,

Still-waking sleep that is not what it is!

This love feel I, that feel no love in this.

Dost thou not laugh?

 

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[Jasmine Lee :)]

                 “Romeo & Juliet” is a bit harder to understand because it was written like… 450 years ago, but I think by reading/acting it as a class makes it easier to understand.  I find that the way it is written is a bit WEIRD, but I still understand the text.  One of my favorite things about “Romeo & Juliet” is that even though they both know that are sworn enemies that does not stop them from loving each other. (1.5.152-5)

Juliet:

My only love sprung from my only hate!

Too early seen unknown, and known too late!

Prodigious birth of love it is to me

That I must love a loathed enemy.

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[jpark]

I agree how Kayla says Shakespeare's poetry is confusing and it's a good choice to learn about old English! Good job K!

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[aherndon]

I have not had many problems with understanding the story.  The way Shakespeare used different words such as thou and shall and other words that were used a long time ago made it kind of difficult to read but I could still understand the big picture and pick out some of the main points.  One of the quotes that i had trouble understanding was- "True, I talk of dreams which are the children of an idle brain, begot of nothing but vain fantasy, Which is as thin of substance as the air and more inconstant than the wind, who woos even now the frozen bosom of the north and, being angered, puffs away from thence, turning his side to the dew-dropping south."  -Mercutio 

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[aherndon]

I agree with Jinah because i have the same problem with understanding the old english words. 

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 9:14:06 PM UTC-4, jpark wrote:

[dclaxton]

Personally, i am having trouble with Shakespeare's writing style and use of "old-timey" words.  I understand what he is trying to say but it is still pretty confusing. I also don't like the nurse and how she speaks.  She just rambles on and on making no real sense at all.  The old syle language would be harder to follow if the book didn't have the little guide thing on the left of each page.  For instance, the word coz whenever Benvolio talks to Romeo.  If the left guide hadn't been there i probably wouldn't know that it meant cousin unless someone told me.  Overall the reading ofthis book is going well.

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[dclaxton]

I agree with Jinah about the old words in the book.

[aletaylor]

I agree with Jinnah. This book is very hard to understand. The way it is written is like oh my how do i read this. Most things i do understand but the hard part is the poems. It is very confusing on what he means by his poems. 

"When thy eyes touched mine

for the very first time

I knew it would be forever

That we were meant to stay together

And I had to keep my faith

Because my only love sprung from my only hate"

If they did not have the summary in the beginning of the different scenes then i would not ge the book at all. I wish they would just speak english like we do. 

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[mstroud]

This book has been a little challenging to understand some parts of it so far. I can understand the story line and the whole picture of the book. I guess just how the characters speak throws me off a bit. The order of the wording is different and some of the sayings have different/weird meanings than I thought. I feel like over time as we continue to read, I will understand the story better.
    Benvolio
Alas that love, so gentle in his view,
Should be so tyrannous and rough in proof!

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[mstroud]

             I agree with Grayson! Saying that back then this book was like our popular books today or the big Broadway plays so I feel like everyone read this book and understood it well then. Now we don't talk like or use the same wording so it's harder to understand now. I also agree with you Grayson when you said you keep and open mind throughout this book. There are always little things being said that I try to catch on to. It's definitely easier that way.

         

       

[aherndon]

The way he words these sentences make it very confusing but i was able to understand the overall point of this quote by Mercutio.

[aherndon]

I personally think that Fahrenheit was harder to understand though.  Except for a couple of old english words here and there, this book is pretty straight forward.

[kdoerksen]

Much of Shakespeare’s writing is hard to read only because it is older English and very poetic at times. There are also many words were common slang at the time, and do not make sense to us. In Romeo and Juliet a nurse says “what jaunt have I” meaning she has been “running all over the place” (126-27). Despite his sometimes difficult to understand writing, the story is still relatable. This is because it deals with common humor relevant to almost anyone who reads it. When Shakespeare wrote his plays, he put in lots of humor to keep poor, uneducated people happy if they did not understand the plot. That is why we can still laugh at the jokes that were put in this old play.

[kdoerksen]

[etenney]

The writing of Shakespeare is very difficult to read and understand but most of the time it's not too difficult to make sense of. Not many things have been bothersome that are easy to come up with off the top of my head. 

I'll look to like, if looking liking move.

But no more deep will I endart mine eye

Than your consent gives strength to make it fly.

                                                               - Juliet 1.4.103-5

On Wednesday, October 10, 2012 12:24:06 PM UTC-4, Mr. Daiss wrote:

[etenney]

I agree with Alex completely. Fahrenheit was very difficult to understand.

[kdoerksen]

            Most of the class says the book is difficult to understand because of its writing. The plot itself is actually pretty simplistic. For example, even though Fahrenheit 451 is written in more modern English it’s complex ideas and metaphors are way more difficult to understand the related dilemmas of teenage love. Romeo and Juliet’s English is still extremely more modern and comprehensible as opposed to another old, classic work of English literature such as Beowolf.

[jocoates]

The “Old English” has been a little difficult, but not too difficult to where I don’t understand the main points.  Shakespeare’s writing is difficult, but I am able to understand it because of the explanations on the even-numbered pages and the in-depth discussions that take place in class.  However, I still don’t understand Mercutio’s story about the fairy on pages 45-49.  I also don't understand what Romeo means in Act 1, Scene 4, when he says,

I am too sore enpierced with his shaft

To soar with his light feathers and so bound

I cannot bound a pitch above dull woe.

Under love’s heavy burden do I sink.

What does that even mean?  Quotes like this in Romeo and Juliet confuse me.

 

[jocoates]

I agree with Kaden.  I think that if Shakespeare hadn't wrote the book in poetic (sonnet) form, it would be a lot simpler.  I never thought about the common slang part.  Good thinking, Kaden!  That is why it is so difficult to understand at times.  The common humor can relate to almost all readers, when it was first written and now in modern society.  I like that you mentioned that he put in all differnt types of things (jokes/plot/romance) so that the play could be for all audiences.  The audience could vary from an old lonely man to a young couple to a baby (partly because the baby wouldn't know what was going on).  Great job, Kaden.

[wkerdasha]

I have found Shakespeare's writing to be a little difficult because he uses words that half of us cannot even pronounce. Also the way that the characters talk makes it very hard to comprehend. I agree with Zach that sometimes I need someone to read the passages so that I can understand what the characters are saying to each other. We also must remember that this book was written a couple hundred years ago.

Benvolio:

Tut, man, one fire burns out another's burning;

One pain is lessened by another's anguish.

Turn giddy, and be helped by backward turning.

One desperate grief cures with another's languish.

Take thou some new infection to the eye,

And the rank poison of the old will die.

[jnazon]

Mostly everyone seems to be saying the same thing an i have to agree the "old-english" can be quite cryptic at times. It's like a trying to learn a different language you try to make sense of it with your current sate of mind, but can't because it's so different form what you're used to. And of course like other languages they form their own slang and just makes it a it harder than it needs to be. It just takes getting used i'm sure once everyone (myself included) get the hang of it, it will just be easier to understand. Course to me it's still a hassle since the story is really simple an can be shorten greatly, but the poetic writing style lengthens the book.

[csquires]

The probelms I have encountered is all the old language that is used. The writting isn't that difficult, it just takesa little longer to grasp that 21st cetury books. Serving man: "God gi' good e'en." 1.2.61. Ihave no clue what that means, and the left side "easy understanging romeo and juliet talking for dummies" is not helping me. I like how we act out as a class and you explain to us what everything means. the work sheet has helped a little it makes you try to understand the certain parts the questaions talk about so you can understand whats going on. There is one question that I don't know and that we have already passed in the book (number 6). I think the book is easier to understand than Fahrenheit 451.

[rcowart]

I totally just about agree with everyone on how difficult it is to read Shakespeare. There is alot of words in the book that I do not understand but like Jinah said it was written a long time ago and we are in the twenty first century. Jillia puts a good point out there that we are not used to the type of writing that Shakespeare writes or the type of style as well, so it is going to be some what hard to understand it. Most of the time I get what is going on in the story, its just some parts its hard to picture whats going on. By putting the book in "play" form does help alot though. ~~~~~ 

                        "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night as a rich jewel in Ethiop's ear; Beauty too rich for use, for earth too dear!"

 

~~~~~~I think this is a very good quote. It is somewhat hard to understand.

[mnelson]

Well, honestly, I have not understood more than about ten words from reading the play. Shakespeare writes in a way that I am not used to and have not ever seen. He uses a lot of different terms and poetry has never been my thing. 

[mnelson]

Exactly. I read this and my mind just goes blank. It's like reading Hebrew 

[jpark]

i also agree with Alex H. F451 was much harder. It was pretty hard to understand because in our days, things like that don't really happen, but from what I heard bout Romeo and Juliet, everyone finds love and ect.... But don't really commit suicide or what they do.

 

But it's hard bc it uses old English.

[tpatten]

I found the story to be difficult to read and understand. Shakespeare uses old language and poetry to tell the story, which a lot of people had difficulty understanding it. I barely know what everyone is saying in the book till Mr. Daiss explains it to us. They use words like doth, art, Ay, thou, thee, marred, tut, thy, and many other poetic words that were used hundreds of years ago. I agree with Rachel, the book is a little easier when it’s in play form.

[nkelley]

I do find the style in which Shakespeare writes rather cumbersome to read, but it was pretty simple to adapt to it with Mr. Daiss's help. The book's definitions on the left page are also a nice aid in correctly understanding what Shakespeare is getting at. For instance, this quote from Romeo:

"Why, such is a love's transgression.
Griefs of mine own lie heavy in my breast,
Which thou wilt propagate to have it pressed
With more of thine. This love that thou hast shown
Doth add more grief to too much of mine own.
Love is a smoke made with the fume of sighs;
Being purged, a fire sparkling in lovers' eyes;
Being vexed, a sea nourished with loving tears.
What is it else? A madness most discreet,
A choking gall, and a preserving sweet.
Farewell, my coz." -Act 1 Scene 1 Line 192

At first, I had little idea what he meant other than that he was talking about love. After examining the previous page, and looking at the definition of the first four lines on the left, I realized that the beginning was talking about how Romeo was only brought farther down by Benvolio's sympathy, and the rest of the passage was speaking of various characteristics of love.

[nbowden]

I love this book, it's just so cool. But yeah, I do find it difficult. I mean it's Shakespeare. I think of it like learning a new language though, like when you learn a new language, you slowly get to be good enough at it to where you can look at a sentence and know many half the words, and put them together and substitute the rest and still make sense of it. I found the whole Paris and Juliet thing bothersome, just because she is 13 and he is way older. To think of myself in her position, even younger, I just can't imagine what Juliet is going through. And the fact that her father is practically giving her off, just to benefit the family's social status.

[nkelley]

It is true that many of the words we don't understand were considered slang during Shakespeare's life (think of all the slang words we use today, what would Shakespeare think of them?). Although it may be difficult to understand it at first, you could take most of the humor out of the play and make it sound more modern. This, in turn, makes the story easy to relate to.

[rgarvin]

In Romeo and Juliet the way shakespeare writes is almost annoying. I get the idea of of having ryming patterns, but I wish he wouldn't use such elaborate details on stuff. For example he will write this two paragraph thing all to say the girl is pretty. The thou's and hath's are also quite confusing. Outside of that the story really is fine except for some wording he may call something. overall the story is understandable for the most part.  

[pdaugherty]

I don't like how Shakespeare wrote the dialogue, I mean seriously we get your point you could say something in one sentence but oh no it's got to be a page long mumble fest.  (Sampson 1.1.3) my naked weapon is out.  Quarrel, I will back thee.

That is confusing and no one talks like that he could have just said, "I'm gonna stab you bro, so watch out!" or something but once again with the confusing words.

[pdaugherty]

I and almost everyone else agree that the way people talk is annoying.

[acarithers]

I agree with everyone else that have been talking about how their way of talking is a bit weird and difficult to understand most of the time. In some cases, you really have to go back and think about how certain words are used in context in order to find out what they are actually talking about. (Well, that would be the case if the book didn't have the definitions for some of the words listed in the book itself). Did ordinary people back in the time period this was written in even fully understand what all of it meant after just reading it once?

[rirappa]

Shakespeare's writing style is very hard to read because not only is old words such as thou and dost but he also writes in poem and I don't understand poems all that well. Then when people go on and on talking all of the poems kind of drag together and I don't get it because there is so much on one page. When daiss talks about how a charecter is introduced I kind of sit there and just agree because I don't really understand hopefully as we move through the book it will make more sense.
Romeo act 1 scene 2 95-100
when the devout religion of mine eye
Maintains such falsehood, then turn tears to fire
And these who, often drowned, could never die,
Transparent heretics, be burnt for liars
One fairer than my love? The all-seeing sun
Ne'er saw her match since first the world begun.

[rirappa]

Yes I agree with everyone because the book is very hard to read and I don't like it that much. Also the lines everybody used confused me so thanks guys. This makes me wonder if anybody in class gets this book so far