On Shakespeare, Vampires, and Originality | Teen Ink

On Shakespeare, Vampires, and Originality

August 6, 2011
By KiraKira PLATINUM, Cardiff By The Sea, California
KiraKira PLATINUM, Cardiff By The Sea, California
35 articles 0 photos 217 comments

Favorite Quote:
Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, pity those who live without love -Albus Dumbledore


I am no Juliet.
I am no Romeo.
You are no Shakespeare.
Please let me elaborate, if you have not decided to navigate away from this page because of a wounded ego. Yes, I have been in love (passionate, screaming, painful, beautiful, cursed… the adjectives go on and on). But in no way can I relate to Romeo and Juliet or their story. For one thing, I did not get married in secret, and I did not decide to commit suicide over my ex. And another thing… Juliet’s fourteen. And how old is Romeo? And he was deeply in love with this Rosaline person just the day before he met Juliet, so how reliable is he in the first place? Hmmm… let’s keep going shall we? They met on Sunday, then (woah!) they kill themselves on Thursday morning. Ok, I get it, it’s true love. But you know what? Shakespeare took all of these little flaws and made it beautiful. It’s only good the first time around, just like the whole vampire plot line (which is being beaten to death as we speak).
So, do you understand what I am trying to get at? LET ROMEO AND JULIET REST IN PEACE. You are no Shakespeare, and it’s no use updating the piece to your own little life. Because let me tell you… it’s not original, and you are just looking for a way to relate how miserable you are about breaking up with your boy/girlfriend or how much in love you are with them. Pick up your pen, pencil, crayon, writing utensil and write your story. Your own jewel – use your experience, pour out your soul, and make it your own. Don’t relate it to any literary masterpiece. You are the master of your work. If each life is unique, if each character is new, if each experience has a fresh twist, then it will be a master piece. Don’t fall back into the perfected Mary Sue and Larry Stew stereotypes (or what I call them: Bella and Edward. Sorry Stephenie Meyer).
Open your eyes to your personal world of writing – not what others have already written, but what you have seen, felt, dreamt, heard, smelled. This power is your own. USE IT.
After all, I am no Shakespeare, and neither are you. I am myself. Who are you?


The author's comments:
This is a rant.

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This article has 2 comments.


on Nov. 23 2011 at 6:16 pm
camohunter19 GOLD, Sedro-Woolley, Washington
14 articles 13 photos 128 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Girls are so queer you never know what they mean. They say No when they mean Yes, and drive a man out of his wits for the fun of it." "Violence is never the answer! It is a question, and the answer is yes."

Holy cow! I loved that piece, it's what been trying to get my fellow classmates to do for the past year.

on Aug. 14 2011 at 8:22 pm
inkblot13 PLATINUM, Auburn, New York
41 articles 1 photo 160 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;If I knew where poems came from, I&#039;d go there&quot; <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> - Michael Langley, &#039;Staying Alive&#039;

Even thought a rant (lol), this was really good. I liked the last line a lot, but that doesn't mean I agree with it 100%. While no one can really write like Shakespeare, that doesn't mean we can't aspire to be write like him and make our mark in the literary world. Still, nice job!

Bravo!

SamE (PS- check out some of my stuff?)