Finally I found a blog on everything Shakespeare. At first I thought it would be a review of all his works, and adaptation of his works for shows, but it turned out that the blogger manages to use Shakespeare’s quotes and works and integrate it with current events.
Impressive! :-) Here is someone who really knows what Shakespeare is about, apart from a literary point of view. I feel so much more enriched reading his musings of the great bard’s works.
His latest post made me reflect. Yes, why Shakespeare? When I was young, I read the abridged version of his works. Only in upper primary or so before I started reading some of his original works.
At that point in time, I understood not a single word. I asked this question (which years later, someone asked me the same question), “Why did he not write in a language which everyone understands? Why must he use such a ‘weird’ language?”
People may not believe this, but Literature was not my best subject until upper secondary. In fact, I almost flunked Literature and History in Secondary One. Those were my worst subjects.
When I entered secondary school, I thought the examination questions were just like normal comprehension questions, so I gave precise answers in a few sentences.
It was after I did badly for the mid-year examinations that I realized the questions have to be answered in an essay form with paragraphs, not point form. Anyway, I did very badly for my first Literature examination.
I remember that semester we did poetry and short stories. Because I answered everything in just a few sentences, I could not even make the grade to pass. I was cursing and swearing at why I needed to do such hard subjects.
At that point in time, I wanted to give up. I really thought reading for pleasure was so much better than reading to answer examination questions. Then Shakespeare changed my life.
“Romeo and Juliet” was the first text I studied, although I have read the abridged version. I have read the original “As You Like It” and “Macbeth” the year before and was not really impressed.
But after studying “Romeo and Juliet”, I fell in love with the book, with the author (although he has been buried for almost half a millennium), and with the subject itself.
I do not know whether it was because this is Shakespeare’s most touching play, or whether it was due to the fact that I had a British native as an English and Literature teacher who taught English in a way no one has ever taught before, but that semester, my Literature grade went from a D to an A.
And from then on, I read not just for pleasure, but for literary analysis. Reading is just movement of words if no feelings were involved. But when one gets emotionally attached to a book, reading will then become enjoyable.
And through Literature, I learnt to appreciate History, because Shakespeare based most of his plays on historical events before his time. And the more I read, the more I researched, the more interesting I found the subject to be.
At a time when science subjects were looked up upon and Humanities were frowned upon, I chose the road less travelled. I wanted to do Literature and History. Except for the fact that my mum forced me into the triple science combination, quite a large part of my life was involved in my two favourite subjects.
So why Shakespeare? He changed my life. He taught me the beauty of the language. He taught me how to read. And most of all, he taught me how to feel.
So if anyone asks me this question again, I will say Shakespeare will teach you things beyond what is in his works. He will improve your language, will enable you to appreciate the beauty around you, and will make you a more feeling person.
Impressive! :-) Here is someone who really knows what Shakespeare is about, apart from a literary point of view. I feel so much more enriched reading his musings of the great bard’s works.
His latest post made me reflect. Yes, why Shakespeare? When I was young, I read the abridged version of his works. Only in upper primary or so before I started reading some of his original works.
At that point in time, I understood not a single word. I asked this question (which years later, someone asked me the same question), “Why did he not write in a language which everyone understands? Why must he use such a ‘weird’ language?”
People may not believe this, but Literature was not my best subject until upper secondary. In fact, I almost flunked Literature and History in Secondary One. Those were my worst subjects.
When I entered secondary school, I thought the examination questions were just like normal comprehension questions, so I gave precise answers in a few sentences.
It was after I did badly for the mid-year examinations that I realized the questions have to be answered in an essay form with paragraphs, not point form. Anyway, I did very badly for my first Literature examination.
I remember that semester we did poetry and short stories. Because I answered everything in just a few sentences, I could not even make the grade to pass. I was cursing and swearing at why I needed to do such hard subjects.
At that point in time, I wanted to give up. I really thought reading for pleasure was so much better than reading to answer examination questions. Then Shakespeare changed my life.
“Romeo and Juliet” was the first text I studied, although I have read the abridged version. I have read the original “As You Like It” and “Macbeth” the year before and was not really impressed.
But after studying “Romeo and Juliet”, I fell in love with the book, with the author (although he has been buried for almost half a millennium), and with the subject itself.
I do not know whether it was because this is Shakespeare’s most touching play, or whether it was due to the fact that I had a British native as an English and Literature teacher who taught English in a way no one has ever taught before, but that semester, my Literature grade went from a D to an A.
And from then on, I read not just for pleasure, but for literary analysis. Reading is just movement of words if no feelings were involved. But when one gets emotionally attached to a book, reading will then become enjoyable.
And through Literature, I learnt to appreciate History, because Shakespeare based most of his plays on historical events before his time. And the more I read, the more I researched, the more interesting I found the subject to be.
At a time when science subjects were looked up upon and Humanities were frowned upon, I chose the road less travelled. I wanted to do Literature and History. Except for the fact that my mum forced me into the triple science combination, quite a large part of my life was involved in my two favourite subjects.
So why Shakespeare? He changed my life. He taught me the beauty of the language. He taught me how to read. And most of all, he taught me how to feel.
So if anyone asks me this question again, I will say Shakespeare will teach you things beyond what is in his works. He will improve your language, will enable you to appreciate the beauty around you, and will make you a more feeling person.
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