Blog #3: Why should we study Shakespeare?

After the completion of Hamilton, my class and I are beginning to study the works of William Shakespeare and the question we were first presented with was, ”Why is it important to learn or teach about Shakespeare?” Through this blog, I have decided to tackle this question through several aspects, kinda like Shakespeare would but in the Twenty-first century, less educated, teenager.

Shakespearean Studies

My class and I shortly analyzed and discussed about the play Tempest, and also the author William Shakespeare. William Shakespeare was an English poet. His exact birth date is unknown but estimated to be April 1564 and he died in the month and year April 1616. He is one of the biggest writers of English.He wrote plays, sonnets, poems and narrative poems. His plays are available in many languages and they have been staged several times. One of his most famous plays is known as Tempest. The play is about love, power, betrayal, and forgiveness; the incorporation of magic and strange mythical characters are included in this play. However the play demonstrates a world not so different from the one of today.

Studying and learning from Shakespeare is important because his works are robust and they can enrich a reader’s life in many ways. For instance, his works are very rich in the English language and are a good source of learning the language. Shakespeare contributed many words to the English vocabulary and they are still in use today.While in class getting introduced to the life, background, and achievements of William Shakespeare, I began to become perceptive to the English language. Further, Shakespeare’s works are a challenge because they are not very easy but once a person is able to study them and understand there is a feeling of accomplishment. The language is powerful and through it, one experiences the capability of drama. The messages in his plays are relevant even today. Shakespeare talks about elements such as power and demonstrates how corrupting power can be mainly to greedy people. For instance, in his play-writing named Tempest, he shows how people in power find it difficult to balance their private and public lives and how the people in power manipulate the masses for selfish interests. This can be best attributed to the protagonist Prospero from Tempest, and this is just one example of a characteristic that can be identified in his plays.

Shakespeare has remained relevant through several hundred years. Students can resonate with the prominent message of his play. The scripts are a good source for English literature and knowledge. Shakespeare is the foundation of modern language and therefore it would be severe to remove him and his writings from history.

Rhetoric

• “I am never ever going to rob anyone for you and never, never ever give in to your sinful wish.”
• ”I would die if you asked me to sing in front of my parents.”
• “He is a tiger.”/”He is brave.”