So I have begun reading A Midsummer Night's Dream and I am enjoying it a lot more than I did Richard II. A quick few things that have caught my attention in Act I:
"The course of true love never did run smooth"... How true!! Perhaps this is one of the reasons that Shakespeare's work has endured centuries, because he can speak to the heart and emotional chords of his audience.
Also, the play that the common men are working on seems to me to be familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on it... two lovers, forbidden by feuding families, suicide... hmmmmm. I know I've seen this somewhere else....
I am enjoying the plot build up, and am excited to keep reading.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 30, 2011
beginning Richard II
Okay, so before I read The Tragedy of King Richard the Se.cond here is what I did:
- Looked up the SparkNotes of Richard II, as well as the Wikipedia page
- From this I understood the basic plot, got to know the characters and was ready to dive into the actual text.
- This helped me to understand some of the basic historical information such as:
- This play was prohibited from being performed in England because the character of Richard II was extremely easily related to Queen Elizabeth. Both being weak, and the play being in favor of replacing the existing monarch.
- What I noticed was that the language is beautiful.. more to come on this!
Friday, January 21, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Hamlet [3.4]
My favorite part of Hamlet: Act 3, Scene 4. There is some great dialog in this scene.
He kills Polonius:
"How now? A rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!"
He confronts his mother:
"Have you eyes?" he asks her. She replies that "These words like daggers enter in my ears"
He sees his father's ghost, but his mother does not (which raises the question as to if there really is a ghost, or if it "is the very coinage of [his] brain").
He explains his sanity (or lack there-of):
"I essentially am not in madness, But mad in craft."
And thus begins the RAGE of Hamlet.
Which has led me to think of other characters in literature and film who have been brought to rage, the insane, murderous rage.
Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills in Taken.
Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight.
Mattie Ross in True Grit.
Clytie Supten in Absalom, Absalom!
The Butler in The Tell-Tale Heart.
Ammon in the Book of Mormon (Alma). (Sorry, but he did cut off a lot of arms... RAGE).
He kills Polonius:
"How now? A rat? Dead for a ducat, dead!"
He confronts his mother:
"Have you eyes?" he asks her. She replies that "These words like daggers enter in my ears"
He sees his father's ghost, but his mother does not (which raises the question as to if there really is a ghost, or if it "is the very coinage of [his] brain").
He explains his sanity (or lack there-of):
"I essentially am not in madness, But mad in craft."
And thus begins the RAGE of Hamlet.
Which has led me to think of other characters in literature and film who have been brought to rage, the insane, murderous rage.
Liam Neeson as Bryan Mills in Taken.
Heath Ledger as The Joker in The Dark Knight.
Mattie Ross in True Grit.
Clytie Supten in Absalom, Absalom!
The Butler in The Tell-Tale Heart.
Ammon in the Book of Mormon (Alma). (Sorry, but he did cut off a lot of arms... RAGE).
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Billy Shakespeare
This disgusts me. It is hard to watch, so if you want to skip to the "Billy Shakespeare" part go to 0:52
Why?
I was talking with my cousin about my Shakespeare class, and he asked me why Shakespeare is still studied today, and what made his work last so long and become so famous. Oh, that's easy, its because he came up with some really great original works! Oh wait... he didn't. Hmmmm...
The Necessary Shakespeare gives plenty of examples of modern day Shakespeare, both in film and on stage, which helps keep his legacy alive. But still, why make more productions? According to the text, voluntary class enrollment (unlike mine) in Shakespeare courses in colleges and universities is rising. But still, why read and study Shakespeare? The text says that every reader needs to answer that question for him or herself, but also asserts that "Shakespeare is an extraordinary poet and he excels in the breadth and incisiveness of his depictions of human experience".
Shakespeare did write a LOT, but there is more than just quantity that made Shakespeare so enduring.
Shakespeare popularized the basic archetypal characters and plots that we use today. Yes, he plagiarized. But he improved what he stole, and because of that the basic characters, plots and story-lines that he used became the base of which most all literature comes from, even today.
I am going to explore this question more thoroughly throughout the semester. I want to know why I have to take this class, why Shakespeare is still in modern culture and literature, and why his works are still celebrated today.
The Necessary Shakespeare gives plenty of examples of modern day Shakespeare, both in film and on stage, which helps keep his legacy alive. But still, why make more productions? According to the text, voluntary class enrollment (unlike mine) in Shakespeare courses in colleges and universities is rising. But still, why read and study Shakespeare? The text says that every reader needs to answer that question for him or herself, but also asserts that "Shakespeare is an extraordinary poet and he excels in the breadth and incisiveness of his depictions of human experience".
Shakespeare did write a LOT, but there is more than just quantity that made Shakespeare so enduring.
Shakespeare popularized the basic archetypal characters and plots that we use today. Yes, he plagiarized. But he improved what he stole, and because of that the basic characters, plots and story-lines that he used became the base of which most all literature comes from, even today.
I am going to explore this question more thoroughly throughout the semester. I want to know why I have to take this class, why Shakespeare is still in modern culture and literature, and why his works are still celebrated today.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Learning Objectives/Goals
Part of the Shakespeare class assignments is to achieve some basic learning outcomes. Here is my plan:
1. Gain "Shakespeare Literacy"
a. Breadth- Read Hamlet, a number of sonnets (let's say become very familiar with 6), read The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
b. Depth- Research, analyze, study, blog about one of the plays I read, not sure which one yet. And do the same plus memorize a sonnet or two.
c. Performance- I'm keep my ear to the ground to find out local performances that I can see, I really would like to see as many as I can, at least 2.
d. Legacy- I'll probably blog about what I learn as I progress through the semester. (Is that too weak?)
2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically
This will be done through a number of posts... focusing on the sonnets and plays that I choose to focus on.
3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively
Still working on this... I'm thinking of making some YouTube videos of performances of different scenes, but making it my own, doing something creative. In other words... TBD.
4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
This blog will do a good job of that, and I'll try and find some other ways to share Shakespeare.
Ohhhhh boy. So basically my plan looks pretty weak. I'll enhance it as I go along, for now I'll stick to my reading of Hamlet.
1. Gain "Shakespeare Literacy"
a. Breadth- Read Hamlet, a number of sonnets (let's say become very familiar with 6), read The Tempest, and A Midsummer Night's Dream.
b. Depth- Research, analyze, study, blog about one of the plays I read, not sure which one yet. And do the same plus memorize a sonnet or two.
c. Performance- I'm keep my ear to the ground to find out local performances that I can see, I really would like to see as many as I can, at least 2.
d. Legacy- I'll probably blog about what I learn as I progress through the semester. (Is that too weak?)
2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically
This will be done through a number of posts... focusing on the sonnets and plays that I choose to focus on.
3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively
Still working on this... I'm thinking of making some YouTube videos of performances of different scenes, but making it my own, doing something creative. In other words... TBD.
4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
This blog will do a good job of that, and I'll try and find some other ways to share Shakespeare.
Ohhhhh boy. So basically my plan looks pretty weak. I'll enhance it as I go along, for now I'll stick to my reading of Hamlet.
Hello
My name is John Kendrick, and I am an English major and swimmer at BYU. I created this blog to document my experiences and research with Shakespeare as I take the required Shakespeare course for English majors. My previous encounter with Shakespeare has been very limited, just what my other English classes have required, read Hamlet, analyze a few sonnets, see a theater production or two... nothing too extensive. I am excited to really DIVE into Shakespeare and engulf myself with his works, biography and analysis.
I love being an English major. I kind of stumbled into being an English major, but am so glad that it worked out! I have loved getting to know the famous works and authors of the world. Some personal favorites are James Joyce, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and Lord Byron. Maybe through these next few months William Shakespeare will make his way onto my list of favorites.
I have been reading Hamlet, which as I mentioned I have read before for another English class. However my first encounter with Hamlet had the feel of something like a chore. I just plowed through it to get through it. This second time around I am really taking the effort to delve into it, really get a feel and learn for myself why this production is such an important part of the literary cannon. I am looking for extra help... readings, videos on YouTube, extra notes, not to mention the wealth of information that is in our text, The Necessary Shakespeare. I'll post the helpful things I find.
I love being an English major. I kind of stumbled into being an English major, but am so glad that it worked out! I have loved getting to know the famous works and authors of the world. Some personal favorites are James Joyce, William Faulkner, Ernest Hemingway, and Lord Byron. Maybe through these next few months William Shakespeare will make his way onto my list of favorites.
I have been reading Hamlet, which as I mentioned I have read before for another English class. However my first encounter with Hamlet had the feel of something like a chore. I just plowed through it to get through it. This second time around I am really taking the effort to delve into it, really get a feel and learn for myself why this production is such an important part of the literary cannon. I am looking for extra help... readings, videos on YouTube, extra notes, not to mention the wealth of information that is in our text, The Necessary Shakespeare. I'll post the helpful things I find.
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