Romeo And Juliet Vs Wizard Of Oz Analysis

“I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…” “O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” How many times have people heard these quotes before, but not in their actual stories? Chances are it is several times. This is one of the reasons The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and The Wizard of Oz are both considered classics. The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and The Wizard of Oz are classic stories because of the remakes and spin-offs they inspired, how they are seen in our culture today, and their timeless appeal to many people. To begin, there is a collection of re-makes and spin-offs of Romeo and Juliet and The Wizard of Oz, including sequels and prequels. For Romeo and Juliet, there was Romeo + Juliet which was made in 1996, and gave the story in a modern setting, but with an interesting twist: the setting and characters were set in a modern era, while the dialog was taken exactly from
the original text that Shakespeare wrote. There was also Gnomeo and Juliet, made in 2011, which told a version of the story in a funnier and kid-friendly way. In 2013, just two years ago, a re-make of the famous story was made yet again. There are also many spinoffs of the original Wizard of Oz. Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Returns made in 2013 was made as a sequel to the original film created in 1939. A spin-off one may have heard of more recently is Oz the Great and the Powerful made in 2013, featuring James Franco as the infamous Oz, in a prequel to the original movie. NBC recently broadcasted yet another spin-off of The Wizard of Oz called Wiz! These stories are remade again and again because of the fact that people seem to love them. Likewise, Romeo and Juliet and The Wizard of Oz show up often in our culture today. People know the stories when they are reminded of them. The saying, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…” from The Wizard of Oz, is heard in books, movies, or on the streets. The Wizard of Oz has become a part of our culture, and everyone who quotes it and hears it knows it recognizes the story. Subsequently there’s always little girls who, when acting as the Wicked Witch of the West, will dramatically say, “I’m melting!” and then fall to the ground in a heap. It has been heard by many. Furthermore, the story of Romeo and Juliet is used in Toy Story 3, when at the end of the movie, see and hear a reference to the two lovers. The hedgehog is Romeo and a little green alien is Juliet. The hedgehog Romeo says, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks?” and little green alien Juliet later says, “Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” This goes to show that Romeo and Juliet and The Wizard of Oz are heard everywhere. Additionally, both stories have had a timeless appeal to our society.
The Wizard of Oz was made in 1939 and grossed $22,202,612. Romeo and Juliet was made in 1968 and grossed $42,000,000. Both of these books and movies are still read and watched today, and will be for a long time into the future. If one were to look online at the reviews of these movies today, one will see that everyone gives these timeless movies at least 4.5 or 5 stars. Many of the online critics give the movies high marks today. We might even be telling our children and grandchildren about these stories; how we had to read them and actually enjoyed them. Perhaps these stories will be re-made again and again more in the future. So in short, The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet and The Wizard of Oz are both classics because of the many re-makes and spin-offs they produced, how they show up in our cultures and society, and their timeless appeal to a large number of people. The next time one hears, “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…” or “Romeo, O Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” one will know it is from a classic
story.