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Post by rowand on Mar 13, 2011 15:45:07 GMT -5
I have found that Romeo and Juliet is pretty hard to read. It's really weird when I turn the page to read the next line but find the translations and have to look to the page opposite it to keep reading the story. I takes a while to get used to, at least. I find that reading with the audio greatly increases my understanding of what is going on and of the moods of the characters. Often times, the actors will laugh without the text saying so, so I get a totally different reaction to what is happening.
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Post by elizagf on Mar 13, 2011 16:22:58 GMT -5
I think that Romeo and Juliet has gotten easier for me to understand. I've found that words are used multiple times throughout the story, which helps me recognize them. Listening to it helps immensely in comprehending the language. The text does not portray the tone of the characters voice like the audio does. I've also realized that I don't have to understand every single line to understand whats going on.
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Post by janicet on Mar 13, 2011 17:12:31 GMT -5
I found that the reading the language isn't as complicated as it was before, especially while listening to it instead of reading it on my own. Listening to people reading the scenes aloud made it easier to understand. Also, I was a bit surprised while reading Act 1 Scene 5. The way how Capulet didn't make a big deal about Romeo, a Montague, being at his party and how Romeo and Juliet fell in love was a bit shocking.
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Post by rachelp on Mar 13, 2011 18:42:58 GMT -5
Reading Romeo and Juliet has gotten a lot easier now that I am used to the language. I have found that listening to the recording online is most helpful. It displays the tone of voice that the characters are using, which is sometimes difficult to decipher when reading it alone. It also helps to hear each character's voice because it is easier to picture them and remember who is who and what each character's personality is like. Because I am now acquainted with Shakespeare's writing style and I have been using the recording, I only had to reread one section in Act 1 Scene 5; lines 75-83, unlike in the beginning of the play when I reread almost every sentence.
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Post by celinas on Mar 13, 2011 20:05:02 GMT -5
I agree with Rachel, reading's gotten way easier now that I'm more used to the language. I'm generally not near a computer when I'm doing my reading, but I'd like to be more frequently so that I can listen to the recording - that was a HUGE help in class. I'm enjoying the story for the most part; I think reading it last year was a huge help, because I was already familiar with a lot of the story/dialogue and could spend more time focusing on the meaning behind all of Shakespeare's metaphors. Overall, I'm enjoying it.
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Post by sarinaw on Mar 13, 2011 20:10:07 GMT -5
It is defiantly easier to read the book while listening to it. just reading makes understanding the language very hard to understand. at first it was very hard to look back and forth to understand the vocabulary. as you read farther along in the book you pick up more vocabulary and understand everything more. it is much more enjoyable when the language flows.
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Post by Romeo and Juliet 2 on Mar 13, 2011 20:11:05 GMT -5
I think that the book is kind of fun. Romeo is like a love sick puppy in the beginning, and only now does he finally find the girl he actually loves, not the girl he thinks he loves. Unfortunately, this kind of is a little challenging because he is not supposed to really talk to her. But Shakespeare really took the forbidden love them to a real big level. I think when we saw the movie and they said Shakespeare really could write the human experience this was an example. The whole idea that love is hard when society doesn't like it is common throughout all media (TV, movies, books, etc) and Shakespeare really got it right. All this makes it easier to read because we see this kind of idea all the time, and therefore can make all kinds of connections to it. But also, when I read the text I can pretty much always get the main ideas out of it so the plot makes sense, but individual words, phrases, or sentences can be extremely confusing and just incomprehensible, for me.
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ryans
New Member
Posts: 13
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Post by ryans on Mar 13, 2011 20:12:28 GMT -5
that was a little awkward, that last post was from me, Ryan, I forgot to log in :/
so here it is again
I think that the book is kind of fun. Romeo is like a love sick puppy in the beginning, and only now does he finally find the girl he actually loves, not the girl he thinks he loves. Unfortunately, this kind of is a little challenging because he is not supposed to really talk to her. But Shakespeare really took the forbidden love them to a real big level. I think when we saw the movie and they said Shakespeare really could write the human experience this was an example. The whole idea that love is hard when society doesn't like it is common throughout all media (TV, movies, books, etc) and Shakespeare really got it right. All this makes it easier to read because we see this kind of idea all the time, and therefore can make all kinds of connections to it. But also, when I read the text I can pretty much always get the main ideas out of it so the plot makes sense, but individual words, phrases, or sentences can be extremely confusing and just incomprehensible, for me.
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Post by tuckerm on Mar 13, 2011 20:18:28 GMT -5
While i was reading Romeo and Juliet, it came off as confusing. I would repeat lines, trying to understand it, but it wouldn't come to me. I realized that in order to comprehend the dialogue in Romeo and Juliet, you should listen to it on the web site and or try to read it out loud. now that i have found this tool i have been able to understand it so much better!
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annag
New Member
Posts: 9
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Post by annag on Mar 13, 2011 20:23:48 GMT -5
At the beginning of the book, I was pretty intimidated by the language. Now, with listening to the text being spoken and having a character to identify the words with, the reading has gotten much easier. I am more able to distinguish feelings, and when someone is being serious or not.
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Post by andrewh on Mar 13, 2011 20:24:47 GMT -5
I think that the book is so rewarding once you get an understanding of its language. I definitely agree with what everything everyone's been saying about the great themes and plot twists in the play, but I think the language is an asset, not a pain: the text is poetry; a work of art in itself. Merely getting the drift of what characters are saying isn't enough, it's how they say it: "O, she doth teach the torches to burn bright". Because of this, I think the recording gives you way more than "no-fear" ever could.
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Post by ribhie on Mar 13, 2011 20:29:33 GMT -5
I feel that Romeo and Juliet, although hard to read is a very good book in itself. The language is different and confusing to decipher, but when deciphered this book is the classic love story. I feel that listening to the recording online is very helpful as you can sense whats supposed to be funny and get a better feel on the actors emotions.
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Post by lianab on Mar 13, 2011 20:45:28 GMT -5
As we have gotten further into Romeo and Juliet, I have found that I'm getting more used to the language. This makes it easier to follow and get into the plot. Another thing that has really helped with that is listening along as I am reading. Hearing the tone of the speaker's voice really helps me better understand the message that they are trying to convey.
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Post by rachelk on Mar 13, 2011 21:05:09 GMT -5
Romeo and Julie seems to be getting easier to read now that I am learning the language. THe audio is helping me read too. I can hear the characters speaking and the background noise helps you picture the scene. At first, reading Romeo and Juliet was a challenge for me, but now it's much easier.
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Post by nikitar on Mar 13, 2011 21:53:41 GMT -5
For me, the language of Romeo and Juliet is very cryptic at first, but definitely the listening to someone reading it is helping a lot. Now that I am more familiar with Shakespeare's writing style, the plot is becoming clearer, and I am finding it to be actually interesting, and understandable. Additionally, I am making modern connections to texts and movies of today's time. Although it is still difficult to tell what is going on in a particular scene at a particular time, the audio helps and the in-class discussions help as well.
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