IN LEARNING
Shakespeare's power of imagination was as fertile as that of any man known to history, but he had another power which is quite rare in the high tech, fast-paced world of today: the power of absorbing or assimilating the fruits of reading. Spenser, Milton, Burns, Keats, and Tennyson had a like power, but probably none had it to quite the same degree as Shakespeare. In his case, as in the case of the other poets, this power of assimilation strengthened and rendered more robust the productive power of his imagination.
IN LANGUAGE
Shakespeare's readers can find themselves caught in a series of implicit choices where, for example, a particular wording or phrasing may correspond to a specific stylistic effect, which is used by the author to persuade the audience. All of Shakespeare's plays draw on the resources of rhetoric, which is not considered as a mere method of composition, but also a tool to experiment with language. Linguistically, Shakespeare's manipulation of language serves to construct characters, conflicts, and themes. As readers of his texts and audience members of his plays, we are challenged to analyze Shakespeare's choices at the levels of word and phrase, and at a more abstract, figurative level, specifically in relation to how those word and phrase choices reveal power or powerlessness. In this regard, we focus on sound devices, such as alliteration and onomatopoetic phrasing, a range of metaphoric usage--chiefly metaphor, imagery, and symbolism. Technically, we complete a simple analysis of metrical features, such as iambic meter, rhythm, and rhyme. Through the study of Shakespeare's works, we can draw clear connections between the meaning elicited from a text and how Shakespeare went about creating that meaning stylistically.
IN LIFE
Shakespeare never goes stale. And there are good reasons for that. Through the years, Odyssey scholars have studied the plays of
A Midsummer Nights Dream, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night, Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth, Taming of the Shrew, Much Ado About Nothing, and
Hamlet. As your experience with Shakespeare's texts expand, so does your understanding and appreciation of the author's work and its connections to life. Shakespeare has been done and redone hundreds of times in settings as varied in time and place as one can imagine. Shakespeare had a profound understanding of humankind: our struggles, our desires, our hopes, and our fears. These common sufferings and triumphs connect the characters on his stage with those people we meet in real life. This is what it means to be universal. No matter how old we are, where we live, or in what time, all boundaries can fade to nothing in a tale of Shakespeare. As the characters fall in love, so do we; as they grow enraged at injustice, so do we; as they are overcome with jealousy or humiliation, we blush crimson right along with them. The brilliance of Shakespeare comes through his mastery of the mechanics of the English language to elaborate on his intrinsic knowledge of the human psyche.
IN LOVE
Each year, the English Speaking Union invites students and their teachers/directors who share a love and enthusiasm for the Great Bard to participate in their National Shakespeare Competition. It all starts in the classroom. Schools all over the country conduct in house, school-wide Shakespeare competitions in which scholars present a memorized monologue of no more than twenty lines. After the school selects a winner, they are sent along with other scholars across their state, to compete at the branch level. This time, they present their monologue and one of Shakespeare's sonnets.
The lucky scholar selected at the branch level is then flown out for a week-long trip to New York
City, where they dine, are entertained and have the opportunity to mingle with other branch winners and students of the infamous Julliard School. The grand finale, however, is that each student gets to perform his/her monologue, sonnet and a cold read on the stage at Lincoln Center in the National competition. The competition is stiff. Every scholar brings with him or her a uniquely brilliant interpretation of a beloved work. The judges no doubt agonize over their decision, but only one lucky scholar will be chosen as the grand prize winner. This scholar will win an all-expenses-paid trip in the summer to study at The Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. A second-place scholar at the competition will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to study Shakespeare with other classical actors in Staunton, Virginia, including tuition, transportation, food, and accommodations. The third-place scholar wins a $500 scholarship from The Shakespeare Society of New York City.
Here below, enjoy watching the winning performances of 2015 and 2016. Then, you will watch an inspirational, educational video by the creators and actors of the Oscar award-winning film,
Shakespeare in Love. I promise you will enjoy it! It is about 45 minutes in length, so allow for some time to put your feet up, brew some tea or hot chocolate, and enjoy! It looks at the life and art of William Shakespeare through the lens of his play,
Romeo and Juliet. For your post, please comment on the story, what you learned and anything specific that impressed you, and then see how it all comes together at the end: summary, poetry and then...the color! It is DEFINITELY worth the time...for, as we know, "Never was a story of more woe than that of Juliet and her Romeo..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ApO737h61M
