The Bard of Avon

     William Shakespeare is so widely debated. Some people hate Shakespeare, and some love his work. It's even believed by some that Shakespeare didn't write all of his plays and sonnets. I personally love reading and performing his plays. You have to admit that Shakespeare has a lot of value in and of itself.

• One of the things that can't be denied about Shakespeare was how much he understood about humanity, and how he managed to incorporate these themes and ideas into his plays. For instance, Macbeth is one of the many plays that reveals key weaknesses of humanity, such as man's desire for power, and how man can easily be corrupted so that we act with only concern for ourselves.  

• Shakespeare contributed so much to the written word. The plot lines of his stories are often replicated and modified in more modern literature. Shakespeare also invented new words and insults that are still used today. For instance, "your mom" jokes originate from Titus Andronicus, as well as Timon of Athens, both plays by William.

• Shakespeare is not only invaluable to the studying of literature, but also to actors.  Shakespeare is useful in that since sometimes the meaning is difficult to comprehend at first, that actor is forced to dissect every word in order to ensure understanding. Then when it is performed, the actor is forced to put meaning into every word in the play, in order to make the sometimes hard to understand lines very clear to the audience. This is an excellent skill to have, as it aids the actor in giving more and more authentic performances.

• Shakespeare is also great to memorize.  If I memorize lines for a modern play, I usually forget most of the lines within half a year. I still remember Shakespeare that I memorized from two years ago though.

• One difficulty about Shakespeare is that if an actor does happen to forget their line, it's more difficult to improvise Shakespeare than to improvise more modern English. There's always many possible solutions to an actor forgetting their lines on stage though, so this is only a minor drawback.

     Most schools in North America teach Shakespeare throughout high school. The students sit through monotone re-enactments by students at the front of the class, and all students are advised to take copious notes on the plot and quotes that support different themes, and these notes are tested with quizzes and essays. I suppose this is fulfilling the purpose of curriculums to teach students to identify themes, and effectively explain their ideas, but this study of Shakespeare is certainly not inspiring any love for his work in most students.
    No play comes to life until it is read aloud by committed actors, or even better, seen visually.
       I think if students were required to put on a full length Shakespeare play and go through the process of exploring and developing characters, they would come out with a deep understanding of the play, as well as a bigger appreciation for Shakespeare's art.

     Most people that I talk to haven't seen a Shakespearean play performed. When you have a chance, go see a Shakespeare production. Hopefully you'll notice the power and magic that can harnessed onstage.