Monday, February 28, 2011

Bite A Sheep, Sheep Biter!

So this is my attempt to squeeze another post into February, right before March dances into 2011. I'm teaching Shakespeare (A Midsummer Night's Dream) right now, actually wrapping it up. It's been another fun year in the classroom. Reading, acting, performing, slinging insults (sheep biter!), snickering at the word 'breast,' it's all part of teaching twelve year-olds. But now that I've read the play like fifty times, I've come to realize a significant part of Shakespeare's brilliance.

He wrote stories within stories, wrapped up in themes within themes, tied together with purposeful characters and meaningful settings. Every piece in Shakespeare's work, from the woods outside of Athens to the little Indian boy, has a reason for being there. Nothing is arbitrary. Not even the insults. Thou painted maypole!  

Read a little. Learn a lot.      
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7 comments:

  1. Delving into "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - bliss!

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  2. I guess this means I need to re-read some Shakespeare. Maybe. Someday.

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  3. I love A Midsummer Night's Dream...

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  4. Robert - it can be blissful, and quite painful.

    MG Higgins - reread at least one Shakespeare play and see what it does to you.

    Sharon - as do I!

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  5. You are such a great teacher, I bet! We have a teacher at my daughter's school who dabs in Shakespeare every year. The kids actually love it...there's a play and everything.

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  7. Anita - Thanks for stopping by. A play and everything? Imagine that. No, but seriously, Shakespeare is meant to be acted, not read in a desk. Reading Shakespeare like a book is like singing a novel instead of reading it. Does that make sense?

    Happy Whisk - Thanks!

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