Starting Shakespeare

If you cannot understand my argument, and declare ``It's Greek to me'', you are quoting Shakespeare; if you claim to be more sinned against than sinning, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you recall your salad days, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you act more in sorrow than in anger; if your wish is farther to the thought; if your lost property has vanished into thin air, you are quoting Shakespeare; if you have ever refused to budge an inch or suffered from green-eyed jealousy, if you have played fast and loose, if you have been tongue-tied, a tower of strength, hoodwinked or in a pickle, if you have knitted your brows, made a virtue of necessity, insisted on fair play, slept not one wink, stood on ceremony, danced attendance (on your lord and master), laughed yourself into stitches, had short shrift, cold comfort or too much of a good thing, if you have seen better days or lived in a fool's paradise - why, be that as it may, the more fool you, for it is a foregone conclusion that you are (as good luck would have it) quoting Shakespeare; if you think it is early days and clear out bag and baggage, if you think it is high time and that that is the long and short of it, if you believe that the game is up and that truth will out even if it involves your own flesh and blood, if you lie low till the crack of doom because you suspect foul play, if you have your teeth set on edge (at one fell swoop) without rhyme or reason, then - to give the devil his due - if the truth were known (for surely you have a tongue in your head) you are quoting Shakespeare; even if you bid me good riddance and send me packing, if you wish I was dead as a door-nail, if you think I am an eyesore, a laughing stock, the devil incarnate, a stony-hearted villain, bloody-minded or a blinking idiot, then - by Jove! O Lord! Tut tut! For goodness' sake! What the dickens! But me no buts! - it is all one to me, for you are quoting Shakespeare. - Bernard Levin, quoted in The Story of English, p. 95.

When I signed up for a Shakespeare class in college, I was so excited, because it was being taught by a professor I really liked. I couldn't wait--which plays and sonnets would we cover? Would we lean more towards the comedies or the dramas? No emoticon in the world can convey my disappointment when I discovered that we were going to cover the histories. The histories? Oy. Dull. I didn't do very well in the class, largely because I had a very hard time keeping track of who was related to which person, and who was fighting with the other, and who was an ally. That's not a family tree; that's kudzu.

One of the basic tenets of the classical model of education is an emphasis on the classic literature. In lower elementary, you read a picture book about Hamlet. In junior high, you read a novelization. By the time you get to high school, you're ready to read the original. You're not bogged down by the plot or the characters, because you already know it so well, so you can really focus on the language. It loses a lot of the intimidation factor.

This year, we're doing the Middle Ages & Renaissance for History. When I friend offered to take Sarah to see Richard III for free, I jumped on it. But I knew I had to prepare her for it so that she didn't get lost in trying to follow the plot.

I've found two great Shakespeare resources if your kids (or you!) are just starting out.

Shakespeare: The Animated Tales
This is a 4 disc set, with three 25-minute episodes per disc. I thought it was a great format for introducing the story, and both girls really got into Richard III, down to yelling at him when he went into battle that they hoped he would die. "I hope his mother's curse comes true!" They immediately wanted to watch Julius Caesar, and were disappointed that we had to return it before we had time to watch Hamlet. We have two more discs reserved at the library as well, and I'm sure the last one will also make an appearance in our DVD player eventually. It isn't traditional animation, but that didn't bother us at all.

Shakespeare Stories
The link I included only goes to the Richard III book. There is a whole series of a dozen Shakespearean plays that have been retold for elementary readers. Again, it's a good place to start.

As for full length movies, Ian McKellan's Richard III is amazing. A little too intense for our family to watch right now, though. I'll be very interested to hear what Sarah thinks of the version she sees. We've recorded A Midsummer Night's Dream (with Mickey Rooney as Puck), which we'll watch fairly soon. Lauren is especially interested in that, since she recited his final speech at Salem's talent show a few weeks ago.

When it comes time to do the History Fair this spring, I'm really hoping they want to do something Shakespearean, but in order for that to happen, I would probably be the one to end up doing it!