stopping Shakespeare before he starts
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In a message dated 9/6/04 10:37:45 AM, julie@... writes:
<< My sophomore daughter is face-to-face with kids who wish they could go
back in time to kill Shakespeare so that they wouldn't ahve to study him. >>
WELL!
Having just watched Pride and Prejudice (again, the BBC mini-series which is
on DVD) with Colin Firth, the first thought that popped into my mind was to
recommend that everyone here immediately rent or buy the DVD called Black
Adder: Back and Forth. It was the last (most recent, maybe not always last)
installment of the Black Adder series, involves time travel, and Colin Firth plays
Shakespeare. See how Black Adder deals with him on behalf of all school
children thereafter.
I like Black Adder, and Colin Firth, and Shakespeare.
Of my kids, none fear Shakespeare. When Marty stayed with Anne Ohman's
family, they saw a production of The Tempest, with an actor who's a friend of
Anne's and Marty had met him beforehand. As soon as Marty got into the hotel room
at the conference, he told me lots about it, and showed me the program.
When we were packing to leave, he couldn't find that program, and was as close to
grouchy as he had been all weekend when I didn't know where it was either.
We searched, it was located (in my pile of papers) and he was happy again.
He's talked to me a couple of times since then. I have a Classic Comics or
some other kind of illustrated version of it, and I intend to locate that and
leave it on Marty's bed at some point soon.
But "studying" Shakespeare is quite different from enjoying and appreciating
Shakespeare if my kids are any indication.
Another wonderful thing to get if you yourself are afraid of Shakespeare or
marred by previous "exposure" or you didn't have much exposure and would like
more is "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare," also on DVD, by The
Reduced Shakespeare Company. There are only two plays they do at length, but
they... well, you'll see. And you won't be sorry if you do.
Luckily for us all, we can see Shakespeare in our own homes, done by
professionals, and we can pause or rewind or fast forward, we can eat chocolate chip
ice cream or hamburgers (neither of which were known to anyone at The Globe
Theatre), sit on soft couches with kids in our laps, have subtitles playing... I
love DVDs. And I'm grateful to anyone who has ever made a film of
Shakespeare. Netflix has a DVD for rent (which means it's for sale too, but it might
not be so cheap) of some of the earliest silent movies of Shakespeare plays.
Sometimes it's only one scene of a play, and some were very experimental
things with interesting special effects.
Here's something I wrote before any of the three recommendations above were
available, called "Bringing Shakespeare Home" (and I should probably add what I
wrote above to it, now that I think of it; I love the internet almost as much
as I love DVDs--does that make me "media drenched"? <g>)
http://www.unschooling.com/library/essays/essay05.shtml
Ah... It isn't where I can edit it or add to it. ***sigh***
It will have a second address soon, and it will be
sandradodd.com/shakespeare
Ah, I love the internet.
And I can't leave this without a curtsy to Kenneth Branagh, or without
telling you that he is mentioned in the conversation between Black Adder and
Shakespeare in "Back and Forth."
Sandra
Sandra
<< My sophomore daughter is face-to-face with kids who wish they could go
back in time to kill Shakespeare so that they wouldn't ahve to study him. >>
WELL!
Having just watched Pride and Prejudice (again, the BBC mini-series which is
on DVD) with Colin Firth, the first thought that popped into my mind was to
recommend that everyone here immediately rent or buy the DVD called Black
Adder: Back and Forth. It was the last (most recent, maybe not always last)
installment of the Black Adder series, involves time travel, and Colin Firth plays
Shakespeare. See how Black Adder deals with him on behalf of all school
children thereafter.
I like Black Adder, and Colin Firth, and Shakespeare.
Of my kids, none fear Shakespeare. When Marty stayed with Anne Ohman's
family, they saw a production of The Tempest, with an actor who's a friend of
Anne's and Marty had met him beforehand. As soon as Marty got into the hotel room
at the conference, he told me lots about it, and showed me the program.
When we were packing to leave, he couldn't find that program, and was as close to
grouchy as he had been all weekend when I didn't know where it was either.
We searched, it was located (in my pile of papers) and he was happy again.
He's talked to me a couple of times since then. I have a Classic Comics or
some other kind of illustrated version of it, and I intend to locate that and
leave it on Marty's bed at some point soon.
But "studying" Shakespeare is quite different from enjoying and appreciating
Shakespeare if my kids are any indication.
Another wonderful thing to get if you yourself are afraid of Shakespeare or
marred by previous "exposure" or you didn't have much exposure and would like
more is "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare," also on DVD, by The
Reduced Shakespeare Company. There are only two plays they do at length, but
they... well, you'll see. And you won't be sorry if you do.
Luckily for us all, we can see Shakespeare in our own homes, done by
professionals, and we can pause or rewind or fast forward, we can eat chocolate chip
ice cream or hamburgers (neither of which were known to anyone at The Globe
Theatre), sit on soft couches with kids in our laps, have subtitles playing... I
love DVDs. And I'm grateful to anyone who has ever made a film of
Shakespeare. Netflix has a DVD for rent (which means it's for sale too, but it might
not be so cheap) of some of the earliest silent movies of Shakespeare plays.
Sometimes it's only one scene of a play, and some were very experimental
things with interesting special effects.
Here's something I wrote before any of the three recommendations above were
available, called "Bringing Shakespeare Home" (and I should probably add what I
wrote above to it, now that I think of it; I love the internet almost as much
as I love DVDs--does that make me "media drenched"? <g>)
http://www.unschooling.com/library/essays/essay05.shtml
Ah... It isn't where I can edit it or add to it. ***sigh***
It will have a second address soon, and it will be
sandradodd.com/shakespeare
Ah, I love the internet.
And I can't leave this without a curtsy to Kenneth Branagh, or without
telling you that he is mentioned in the conversation between Black Adder and
Shakespeare in "Back and Forth."
Sandra
Sandra
[email protected]
At 02:13 PM 9/6/04, Sandra wrote:
<snip long post with film recommendations>
site and requested both dvd's Sandra recommended. I check out just about
any book or movie anyone here recommends, thank you all.
Now I am off to pack for camping.
Donna in Nova Scotia
<snip long post with film recommendations>
>Ah, I love the internet.Oh yes! While I was reading this message I logged into the library's web
site and requested both dvd's Sandra recommended. I check out just about
any book or movie anyone here recommends, thank you all.
Now I am off to pack for camping.
Donna in Nova Scotia
DJ
I believe I got this bit of wisdom from YOU Sandra, and though I may
be hazy on its source, its content stuck with me: The plays of
Shakespeare are meant to be SEEN -- not READ.
(one day you MUST see the death scene rendition of Broomio and
Trumiette, played by my daughter Truemy and a housebroom.)
Oh churl! drunk all and left not a friendly drop for me! I'll kiss
thy lips! (draws broomstick to her mouth to kiss)
THOU HAST NO LIPS?!!?
be hazy on its source, its content stuck with me: The plays of
Shakespeare are meant to be SEEN -- not READ.
(one day you MUST see the death scene rendition of Broomio and
Trumiette, played by my daughter Truemy and a housebroom.)
Oh churl! drunk all and left not a friendly drop for me! I'll kiss
thy lips! (draws broomstick to her mouth to kiss)
THOU HAST NO LIPS?!!?