Love+Story

 =Love Story - Taylor Swift =



We were both young when I first saw you ((They are both very young in the play with Juliet’s 14th birthday very soon while Romeo only a few years older than her)) I close my eyes And the flashback starts I'm standing there On a balcony in summer air ((Referring to a famous scene in the play where Juliet is standing on her bedroom balcony talking to Romeo standing below.))

See the lights See the party, the ball gowns I see you make your way through the crowd And say hello, ((Romeo and Juliet meet at the Capulet’s party which Romeo is taken to by his friends. Once he entered the party he saw Juliet from ‘across the crowd’ and is taken with her beauty.” He then goes to talk to her although it is not an actually ‘hello’))

Little did I know That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles ((Is not mentioned in play))

And my daddy said stay away from Juliet And I was crying on the staircase ((Romeo wasn’t told to by Juliet’s father to stay away from her but Juliet was told that if she didn’t marry Paris she would be cast out. In this way it was similar to the play but changed around to still have the same meaning. When he tells her this she is crying on the staricase in her house. I tell thee what: get thee to church o' Thursday, Or never after look me in the face: Speak not, reply not, do not answer me;))

Begging you please don't go, ((This happens in the play when Romeo is at Juliet’s house after their marriage but it is not in the same context as with the previous line.))

And I said, Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run ((Come up with a plan with Friar Lawrence to fake Juliet’s death. The plan was once the funeral was over and Juliet woke up in the Capulet’s tomb Romeo was going to come and save her and they were to run away together. "Take thou this vial, being then in bed, And this distilled liquor drink thou off; Now, when the bridegroom in the morning comes To rouse thee from thy bed, there art thou dead: Thou shalt be borne to that same ancient vault Where all the kindred of the Capulets lie. In the mean time, against thou shalt awake, Shall Romeo by my letters know our drift, And hither shall he come"))

You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess It's a love story baby just say yes So I sneak out to the garden to see you We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew So close your eyes Escape this town for a little while ((Does not happen in play))

'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter ((Scarlet letter meaning unobtainable. That Romeo can not have Juliet because she is a Capulet and he in a Montague.))

Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel ((The nurse tries to convince Juliet that Paris is a good man and would make a good husband if she married him. “As Paris hath. Beshrew my very heart, I think you are happy in this second match, For it excels your first” ))

This love is difficult, but it's real ((Considered star crossed lovers which over come many adversities during the play))

((Alternate ending from here onwards)) Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess It's a love story baby just say yes I got tired of waiting Wondering if you were ever coming around My faith in you is fading When I met you on the outskirts of town, and I said

Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone I keep waiting for you but you never come Is this in my head? I don't know what to think He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring

And said, marry me Juliet You'll never have to be alone I love you and that's all I really know I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress It's a love story baby just say yes

Taylor Swift’s ‘Love Story’ is a modern song interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. Because it is a modern interpretation there are very major alterations in the song compared to the original play. Although it follows the same original plot line of meeting at a party falling in love but not being able to marry it is at the end that the artist has changed the story.
 * Similarities and Differences:**
 * Song: **

‘And said, marry me Juliet You'll never have to be alone I love you and that's all I really know I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress It's a love story baby just say yes’

In ‘Love Story’ Romeo and Juliet get married after Romeo talks to her father who suddenly changes his mind. This is opposed to the story of miscommunication of Shakespeare’s play where the two die for each other. In the original play Juliet’s father also threatens to disown his only daughter if she didn’t marry Paris; none of which is mentioned in ‘Love Story’.

There are a few reasons as to why the story has been changed through this song mostly surrounded by today’s modern media. Looking at stories being created in our modern lives in any form of media happy endings are becoming a more common ending. The song is a fantasy interpretation of how people wished love was like; happily ever after with your one true love.The target audience of this song would also have been taken into account while writing this song. A happy uplifting ending seems more fitting for the radio and teenagers as well as young adults to enjoy. []
 * Video Clip: **

The video clip to this song is also another interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. A large portion of the video focuses on Taylor Swift dressed up in the appropriate Romeo and Juliet era and is standing at a balcony which could be related to the famous balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet. The rest of the video is loosely based on the actual play however it has been altered. With these alterations it shows a more romantic and cheerful depiction that goes hand in hand with the lines from the song. It also displays a much more glamorous version of Romeo and Juliet although it does stick to the theme of the 16th century through the setting and costumes. It shows its own interpretation of the party scene where the two meet although by their accounts it’s during a dance. This would be an understood alteration as during the video clip the song is playing and hence would not be able to add the talking scenes of the two being introduced as in the play. The entire video clip has to show their story through actions and lyrics and has portrayed it well.

As expected the most common value presented in this song was love. From this value of love comes the problem with family. In the song Juliet’s father tells Romeo to stay away from her which could have been for a number of reasons but all based on family values. “And my daddy said stay away from Juliet” This brings up individuality where Juliet’s family is trying to tell her who to love and how to feel but she stays strong with her own views. “Romeo save me, they try to tell me how to feel” There is then her fear of isolation and loneliness if she wasn’t able to be with Romeo. “Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone I keep waiting for you but you never come…” At the end of the song new values of joy and marriage are brought up when Romeo proposes to Juliet and all their problems are solved. “Marry me Juliet You'll never have to be alone” By the ending the story has come back to the original value of love. “It's a love story baby just say yes”
 * Values: **