Reading the Classics Part One

For Collo this semester, every UHS freshman had to complete or work on a project that would take a minimum of twenty hours. Originally, I intended to volunteer at one of the local hospitals, but things didn't work out for that. So instead, I decided to fulfill part of one of my long term goals I mentioned on my blog last semester: reading some classic literature. I have read numerous pieces of literature and watched their film adaptations in order to compare the two, and thus far, my favorite film adaptation of the pieces I have read is The Merchant of Venice. I chose to read this work because I read a couple of Shakespearean plays in high school and wanted to read another one. This work in particular is not my favorite of Shakespeare's; that would be Much Ado About Nothing; however, the 2004 film adaptation I watched was extremely accurate and brilliantly done. The artistic liberty taken only added to the film while remaining true to the play. The film essentially quotes Shakespeare verbatim; however, the acting that goes along with the script helps in understanding the play. Sometimes Shakespeare can be a pain to understand, but watching this film adaptation only made me have a greater appreciation for the play itself.