From Shakespeare to Rom-coms: How did Classics turn into Cliches
And why as creators it is dangerous for you
And why as creators it is dangerous for you
Cliché ideas are like that familiar tune you can’t help but hum along to. We all recognize them, and yet, they persist in our stories, as if they’re timeless classics.
And in a way they are classics. At least, they once were.
Here’s how classics turn into cliche:
Think of a plot where —
Girl meets boy
Boy likes girl
Girl likes boy
A little bit of rendezvous happens
Tragedy strikes
Declaration of love takes place
And voilà, you get your “happily ever after.”
Shakespeare penned this narrative in the 14th century. And we still eat it up like anything.
For our comfort movies, we go back to the same repeated romantic comedies, just with a different tragedy or hiccup.
So why does this plot persist? One reason I can think of is because we are evolutionary humans who all go through the same cycle of death to life, experience similar vital moments in our lives.
And ask the same questions about life when in existential crisis.
For a 13 year old girl who has just found her new crush, ‘happily ever after’ is the ultimate dream and movies and books projecting a HEA brings her dream to a semi-reality.
So there you have your repeated customer with hearts in her eyes waiting for you to give her a dose of contemporary romance based on her era.
Even though there always be someone to suck up your cliche content. You should avoid using it, as relying on it makes you blend into the crowd, far from being truly remarkable and adds you to the pile of being forgettable.
So what’s the antidote to cliche?
The antidote to cliche is curiosity.
The more curious you are, the more you know about something.
And the more you know, the more you know what’s done before.
So you have to make a habit of standing out and coming up with almost original ideas to stay remarkable.
The creators who have created something truly remarkable have either created something truly original or added their unique spin to cliched narratives.
‘The Notebook’ still holds a special place in every romantic’s heart because, while familiar, it brings something fresh to the table.
Shakespeare was a master at this, infusing his distinct style into tales like Romeo and Juliet, creating clichés that now are a huge part of literature.
In fact, he is the creator of so many cliches that we now see floating everywhere and so often use like —
green-eyed monster
In a pickle
The world is your oyster
Love is blind
Break the ice
Cliches are ideas without surprise, where readers can predict what the authors are going to say just by looking at the title.
Here’s a contradictory thought though,
Sometimes we look for cliches, because we need something predictable and familiar for the comfort of our heart.
When today’s 17 year old watches Grey’s Anatomy for the first time. They get the same kick and entertainment as someone else did 18 years ago when the show first came out in 2005.
Recently someone came up to Katherine Heigl and asked if she knows Izzie Stevens. Izzie is one of the characters on the show and then further asks Katherine is she is the mother of Izzie Stevens.
When Katherine herself played Izzy Stevens 18 years ago.
So you see the fandom generated is also the same. And this is just 18 years.
The fandom for Pride and Prejudice is still the same after 200 years. I hear you Mr Darcy’s fans.
And don’t get me started on Shakespeare fans, its been almost 400+ years.
Cliches are hard to banish from our thoughts because their sheer familiarity makes them appealing
— their familiarity offers a certain amount of reassurance to creators as well, a guarantee that the creator won’t be misunderstood.
Almost every other reader of romance novels expects to see a happy ending, a tragedy, a meet-cute between main characters.
Coming up with good ideas is not a matter of genius, but rather a challenge of seeing clearly and thinking sensibly.
So just remember,
Cliches will always find an audience, but you and your content will be lost with time.
Leave them with something to remember you by.
Signing off
— Akanksha (आकांक्षा)