WHY SHOULD STUDENTS STUDY SHAKESPEARE? Shakespeare, one of the well-known and famous play writers for centuries around the globe whose plays are worthy for students to study. Shakespeare wrote lots of plays which are still broadcasting around the world by movies, dramas and shows for instance, Romeo and Juliet. Shakespeare used brilliant literary devices in all of his plays, however, his plays are hard for younger students to interpret. Shakespeare’s plays were all written between the times when England was still using old English, so lots of students won’t be able to distinguish which words’ definition Shakespeare was referring to.
Reid Patterson November 20, 2014 ENGL 231 The Importance of Shakespeare Even I knew about Shakespeare as a child. I’m honestly not sure how I knew about him and that he wrote the amazing, but tragic story of Romeo and Juliet. I didn’t grow up in a household that loved him or his works, but somehow I still was able to be aware of how great he was at writing. I learned about him in junior high, and realized he could write with intense precision. My English teacher from High School once conveyed that Shakespeare played a hand in shaping our English Language.
On how they would kill kings now, it was much different than how Macbeth & Lady Macbeth did. While reading this story it caused the reader to be more interested in how things went ages ago and wanted to know more about Macbeth and his future after killing King Duncan. We learn the olden days language, words and how they used to speak. Also it is a very interesting play and we could learn so much about history and know how interesting it was. The play is very interesting from a criminal mind perspective.
The interesting thing though that many people wouldn’t think, is that the themes in Shakespeare are, in fact quite common in our day to day lives. A large amount of teenagers would say the plays are too old and that the connection has been lost forever, especially through the complicated language, but this is not the case. It is quite the opposite! What do you see in Shakespeare’s plays? Jealousy, love, betrayal; are these themes not still apart of today’s society?
Mark Twain was and still is a literary idol for writers to always look up to, and the way he wrote he even became a political figure in America. To change his work without his permission, legal or not, is morally and ethically inappropriate. Carol Lucas said, “I think that if one is to edit Twain and omit what one might think is unacceptable, then one has to start in Shakespeare, the Roman and Greek comedies, most French and British comedies of the 18th and 19th centuries, and so on. Might as well rewrite all of history” (). Through this quote one can easily see how editing Twain’s masterpiece would be a queue for editors around the world to go and edit every inappropriate word of a dead writer’s work.
The truth is that many of these decisions that Macbeth makes or follows is based on what the witches told him. One example of this is when Lady Macbeth convinces him to kill Duncan in order to become king. She specifically says, “Glamis thou art, and Cawdor, and shalt be / What thou art promised. Yet do I fear thy nature / … / That I may pour my spirits in thine ear, / and chastise with the valor of my tongue” (1.5.16-17, 27-28). In this quote Lady Macbeth is thinking about the witches prophecy and how she can make it come true.
Completely stunned by the first words coming out of this new, intimidating teacher, I was excited for an English class for the first time. Growing up I absolutely dreaded reading and writing. Literature as a whole was the bane of my existence. However, this teacher changed it all for me. Mr. Alessandri had us read Silence of the Lambs, Dune, and numerous short stories.
When she says “What need we fear who/ Knows it, when none can call our power accompt?” (5.1.37-38). In making a comment on this, it not only gives away the fact that she did indeed commit murder, but also that she and her husband, Macbeth, need not worry about people knowing who they had killed if they were able to retain power. The fact that Lady Macbeth was so hungry to for power that she was ready to kill will lead to her self destruction, which would result in her insanity. This demonstrates how ambition can cause destruction. Ultimately, the hallucinations of bloodstains on Lady Macbeth’s hands are what symbolize the guilt and lack of innocence.
Only Canadian Literature in Grade 12 What is it that grade 12’s learn in English class in the country of Canada? The one thing that is not taught is Canadian literature. All across Canada, grade 12’s are being taught Shakespeare and other American or British playwrights. Sure the writings are excellent pieces, but how are they relative to our Canadian Heritage? This essay will prove that graduating students must be taught only Canadian literature in grade 12 rather than the aspects of American and British literature.
From the moment the witches planted the idea in Macbeth’s mind, there was nothing stopping him from becoming king. Macbeth was determined and ready to grab what he wanted, even if it was for the wrong reasons, and involving the most heinous of crimes. “If chance will have me king, why chance may crown me without my stir.” Shakespeare used two main writing techniques to depict ambition in this play; the structural feature of dialogue and the language feature of imagery. Since Macbeth was written as a play, what Shakespeare wrote was made up of only dialogue in script form as well as stage directions on the side. He did brilliantly in using the dialogue to portray what characters were feeling and thinking.