Most people do not often associate Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet with Dreamworks Shrek.

But then again, most people do not have an acute knowledge of both works. Shrek is a modernized Romeo and Juliet. Shrek definitely parallels Shakespeare in many different ways including characterization, humor, plot, style of writing, symbolism, figurative language, etc. One of the strongest parallels that connects both works is the characterization in each story. Three of the strongest connections between characters are Romeo and Shrek, Juliet and Fiona, and Rosaline and the Fairytale Prince. Romeo and Shrek are just two of the many characters in both story lines that are parallel to one another. Both characters are the male leads. They represent the fact that sometimes women can be stronger than men. In both stories, they fall in love with someone they arent supposed to. In Romeo and Juliet, Romeo falls in love with Juliet at first glance. He tells her in Act I, Scene 5 lines 95 and 96 My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand. To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss. He wanted to kiss her at first words, he was so in love. Romeo and Juliet werent allowed to fall in love because they were in different families who hated each other. Even though Shrek and Fiona didnt fall in love at first glance, they were not supposed to fall in love because of their class. Shrek, being an ogre, and Fiona, being a princess, were polar opposites of each other and the romance between them wasnt common practice. Shrek and Fiona fall for each other in the end because of the connection they had in the beginning. I also believe that Romeo and Shrek could be considered outcasts in their respective stories Romeo was one, an outcast because of how womanish he was and, two, because he was exiled. Shrek was considered an outcast because he was an ogre. He was looked down upon because of the prejudice against his kind. The stereotype that all ogres are mean and gruesome worked against him when it came to his importance. Juliet and Fiona is another set of characters with many similarities. They run into the same problem as their respective love interests. Juliet and Fiona fall in love with someone who they arent supposed to be capable of loving. To me Juliet and Fiona symbolize the fact that women can sometimes be considered stronger than men. Just as Juliet was strong and didnt cry about her misfortunes in Romeo and Juliet, Fiona stood up for herself and showed she could handle herself if she was ever caught in a dangerous situation. In the screenplay, it says that Fiona does a quick series of martial arts moves to defeat the men. When Romeo was on the floor crying in the Friars cell, Juliet was rationalizing Tybalts death without letting one tear escape her eye. She was staying calm believing in the notion that she and Romeo would work out a plan to be together forever. In the same aspect, Fiona showed that she was as much a man as Shrek by beating up the Merry Men in the forest. She displayed the fact that handling herself was no problem and that she didnt need any help when in came to defending herself. Similarly, Juliet and Fiona were both locked up in the sense that they were helpless when it came to their fate, in the beginning at least. Juliet was forced to follow her fathers wishes until she decided to take charge of her own fate. Fiona was literally locked up in a tower with no control over her fate until Shrek and Donkey slayed the dragon and rescued her. Another strong characterization connection is between Rosaline and Fionas imaginative Fairytale Prince. In Shakespeares play, Rosaline is the infamous woman we never meet that Romeo is in love with. In Shrek, the Fairytale Prince is the imaginative person Fiona thinks will rescue her from the dragon. To me, Rosaline and the Prince symbolize infatuation in both storylines. Rosaline is the woman that Romeo cannot have because she has sworn a vow of chastity. The Prince is an idea that Fiona is in love with. Romeo and Fiona are both in love with someone they cant have twice in one story. These two characters represent ideals. An ideal is defined as A conception of something in its

absolute perfection (http://www.thefreedictionary.com/ideal). Both Rosaline and the Prince represent an ideal love in Romeo and Fionas minds. By associating Romeo and Juliet and Shrek, it is easy to understand how many storylines piggyback off of another. Shakespeare is classic literature while Shrek is a modern day comedy. After connecting characters in both stories, I was able to understand how classic literature is still relevant to todays society. By involving classic literature in modern story lines, our society can ensure that classic literature will never die.