Teaching Shakespeare to a bunch of eighth graders? would be a cakewalk, thought I. All set with a PPT on the Globe Theater, I marched into the classroom full of faces as anxious as I was. The first day didn't go as expected and I came back to the staff room drained, disappointed and dejected. While staring out of the window at the passing train speeding to its destination, I realized that I could never make them love the Bard, till I renewed my love for him.
The night spent in revisiting Shakespeare made me realize what I had been missing all these years, spent in the toil of everyday life...my love for the evergreen Bard. The Merchant of Venice was the one to begin with. The last time I was introduced to it was some fifteen years back. Those days it used to be reading for the love of marks and I could never understand how my English teacher could be so fond of someone who wrote in such an 'alien' language.
With the passing days and Acts, Shakespeare started working his magic on me all over again. 'Experiencing' him is way more pleasurable than just 'reading' him. My last encounter with Venice and its 'Merchants' was solely biased in favor of Antonio and Shylock had come across as the hard core villain. This time I somehow saw the humane side of Shylock, if he can reportedly have one. Going into the details of the play for the sake of teaching, made me learn so much about it and its creator.
Shylock's "...Hath not a Jew eyes" speech has always moved me. When I was in school, I felt Shylock deserved such a treatment. This time when I was in school, I was moved by the injustice meted out to the marginalized Jew. In the larger context of today's world, it still holds to be true and marvelously Shakespeare had the vision to put it down so long ago.
The varied layers of human emotions and the co-existence of contradicting traits is worth evoking myriad thoughts. There isn't a single emotion that has been left untouched by the great Bard. You identify with one single character and at the same time with all the characters because there is something of someone that's in you. You fall in love not only with the characters but with their creator as well, for the beauty expressed by the lines is unparalleled as well as reflected between the lines.
It's 1:30 in the morning and I'm still bursting with energy and excitement because writing about Shakespeare is making me think about him and thinking about him is filling me with life. But, by the look of my super sleepy husband, I think its time for me to go and hit the bed. So, wish you and myself a very good night as I plan to dream of the Bard!!!
The night spent in revisiting Shakespeare made me realize what I had been missing all these years, spent in the toil of everyday life...my love for the evergreen Bard. The Merchant of Venice was the one to begin with. The last time I was introduced to it was some fifteen years back. Those days it used to be reading for the love of marks and I could never understand how my English teacher could be so fond of someone who wrote in such an 'alien' language.
With the passing days and Acts, Shakespeare started working his magic on me all over again. 'Experiencing' him is way more pleasurable than just 'reading' him. My last encounter with Venice and its 'Merchants' was solely biased in favor of Antonio and Shylock had come across as the hard core villain. This time I somehow saw the humane side of Shylock, if he can reportedly have one. Going into the details of the play for the sake of teaching, made me learn so much about it and its creator.
Shylock's "...Hath not a Jew eyes" speech has always moved me. When I was in school, I felt Shylock deserved such a treatment. This time when I was in school, I was moved by the injustice meted out to the marginalized Jew. In the larger context of today's world, it still holds to be true and marvelously Shakespeare had the vision to put it down so long ago.
The varied layers of human emotions and the co-existence of contradicting traits is worth evoking myriad thoughts. There isn't a single emotion that has been left untouched by the great Bard. You identify with one single character and at the same time with all the characters because there is something of someone that's in you. You fall in love not only with the characters but with their creator as well, for the beauty expressed by the lines is unparalleled as well as reflected between the lines.
It's 1:30 in the morning and I'm still bursting with energy and excitement because writing about Shakespeare is making me think about him and thinking about him is filling me with life. But, by the look of my super sleepy husband, I think its time for me to go and hit the bed. So, wish you and myself a very good night as I plan to dream of the Bard!!!
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