The Lost Play

King Oeneus and his wife Althaea have a baby boy.  Three fates (maybe witches in our story?) tell Althaea that when the log on the fire burns out, her son, Meleager, will die.  She puts out the fire, and locks the log in a box.  Years go by, and Meleager grows up.  He has a good friend, yet to be named.  Meleager really likes this girl, Atalanta.  There is a big hunt for a wild boar, and Atalanta wounds it before Meleager finishes it off.  Meleager gives the victory to Atalanta.  This makes his brothers and uncle angry, and they say some rude things about her.  Meleager gets very angry, and although his friend tries to calm him down, Meleager ends up killing his brothers and uncle.  When Althaea learns about what her son has done, she takes out the log and throws it on the fire.  Meleager dies.  There should also be a subplot for the friend, who has his own romance going on.  His might actually have a happy ending.

Shakespeare March Madness

Here it is!  The final list of competitors.  Who do you think will win and why?

Let the games begin!

Shakespeare saves lives

Okay, I just remembered that one of my favourite TV shows, Warehouse 13, did a Shakespeare episode.  If I can find a clip, I will post it, but here is the basic idea.  In Warehouse 13, agents go searching for artifacts, items that belonged to famous people and took on a sort of essence.  For example, Edgar Allen Poe's pen enticed a boy into writing dark poetry for and about the girl he secretly loved.  In the Shakespeare episode, Season 3 Episode 1, People keep dying, but of impossible causes.  For example, a woman opens a note, and then is suddenly bit by asps that weren't there, and only existed in Egypt.  Just before she died, she quoted Cleopatra's last line, "O Antony - Nay, I will take thee too."  The next man to go is stabbed while he is alone in a room, also after reading a letter.  He has eight stab wounds, and his final words are "Et tu, Brute?"  They eventually go visit a former Warehouse agent, Myka, and figure out that pages from Shakespeare's lost folio are what cause the deaths.  The only way to keep from dying once you touch and look at a page is to say the last lines before the paper burns.  This was a fabulous episode, and goes to show how a knowledge of Shakespeare can save lives. :D

Richard III

Okay, to continue analyzing characters, I would like to take a look at Richard III and what might have motivated him.  Richard strongly disapproved of the way his brother, King Edward IV, has been carrying on.  Edward IV was very much a ladies man, and he married a woman from a lower family instead of his original betrothed, who was more of his station.  Richard loathed Queen Elizabeth and her family, rightly feeling that they were using Elizabeth's new status to force their way into court.  Since Edward IV's son and heir, Edward V, was still fairly young, Richard had been made regent until he came of age.  Unfortunately, Richard would not have been able to stop Edward V's mother and uncles from influencing the boy, especially after he was old enough to rule on his own.  This makes Richard's actions seem a little less villainous.

Words and Worth

King Lear shows the importance of looking beyond appearances and into the heart of a matter.  When Lear asks his daughters how much they love him, the eldest two, who are Married, say that they love him more than anything.  The youngest, who is still single and as we discussed in class, was probably the one taking care of her father while her sisters were off living their own lives, calls them on this, saying that if they loved their father that much, they would have no room for their husbands in their hearts.  She also states that when she marries, she will give half of her love to her husband, and half to her father.  The king is angry at this, but later realizes that Cordelia, the youngest, was the honest child who loved him best.   The moral of the story?  Always think before you act, and value honesty over flattery.

We also discussed in class how maybe Cordelia should have been willing to flatter her father a little, as she did love him.  I believe that Cordelia might have always been the good, loyal child, who honoured her parents while her sisters were spoiled and frivolous, caring only about themselves and how much money and power they could get.  Cordelia had always shown through her actions and attitude how much she loved her father, so when he asked all his daughters to tell him how much they loved him, she was probably frustrated that he couldn't already see it in the sacrifices she had made for him.  When her sisters used flattery to gain his favour, I think she would have been disgusted that her father couldn't see past their flowery words and into the ways they had abandoned him and used him.  In this case, I think Cordelia was standing up for herself, and refusing to vainly flatter a man who ought to know she loved him as much as a daughter could.  I admire her bravery, as she must have known the possible consequences to actions, yet she remained true to herself despite that.

Queen Margaret, Act IV scene 4

I love how sharp Queen Margaret is with her words.  Here is my favorite scene in the entire play.

• Queen Margaret. So, now prosperity begins to mellow
  And drop into the rotten mouth of death.
  Here in these confines slily have I lurk'd,
  To watch the waning of mine adversaries.
  A dire induction am I witness to,
  And will to France, hoping the consequence
  Will prove as bitter, black, and tragical.
  Withdraw thee, wretched Margaret: who comes here?

[Enter QUEEN ELIZABETH and the DUCHESS OF YORK]

• Queen Elizabeth. Ah, my young princes! ah, my tender babes!
  My unblown flowers, new-appearing sweets!
  If yet your gentle souls fly in the air
  And be not fix'd in doom perpetual,
  Hover about me with your airy wings
  And hear your mother's lamentation!

• Queen Margaret. Hover about her; say, that right for right
  Hath dimm'd your infant morn to aged night.

• Duchess of York. So many miseries have crazed my voice,
  That my woe-wearied tongue is mute and dumb,
  Edward Plantagenet, why art thou dead?

• Queen Margaret. Plantagenet doth quit Plantagenet.
  Edward for Edward pays a dying debt.

• Queen Elizabeth. Wilt thou, O God, fly from such gentle lambs,
  And throw them in the entrails of the wolf?
  When didst thou sleep when such a deed was done?

• Queen Margaret. When holy Harry died, and my sweet son.

• Duchess of York. Blind sight, dead life, poor mortal living ghost,
  Woe's scene, world's shame, grave's due by life usurp'd,
  Brief abstract and record of tedious days,
  Rest thy unrest on England's lawful earth,
  [Sitting down]
  Unlawfully made drunk with innocents' blood!

• Queen Elizabeth. O, that thou wouldst as well afford a grave
  As thou canst yield a melancholy seat!
  Then would I hide my bones, not rest them here.
  O, who hath any cause to mourn but I?

[Sitting down by her]

• Queen Margaret. If ancient sorrow be most reverend,
  Give mine the benefit of seniority,
  And let my woes frown on the upper hand.
  If sorrow can admit society,
  [Sitting down with them]
  Tell o'er your woes again by viewing mine:
  I had an Edward, till a Richard kill'd him;
  I had a Harry, till a Richard kill'd him:
  Thou hadst an Edward, till a Richard kill'd him;
  Thou hadst a Richard, till a Richard killed him;

• Duchess of York. I had a Richard too, and thou didst kill him;
  I had a Rutland too, thou holp'st to kill him. 

• Queen Margaret. Thou hadst a Clarence too, and Richard kill'd him.
  From forth the kennel of thy womb hath crept
  A hell-hound that doth hunt us all to death:
  That dog, that had his teeth before his eyes,
  To worry lambs and lap their gentle blood,
  That foul defacer of God's handiwork,
  That excellent grand tyrant of the earth,
  That reigns in galled eyes of weeping souls,
  Thy womb let loose, to chase us to our graves.
  O upright, just, and true-disposing God,
  How do I thank thee, that this carnal cur
  Preys on the issue of his mother's body,
  And makes her pew-fellow with others' moan!

• Duchess of York. O Harry's wife, triumph not in my woes!
  God witness with me, I have wept for thine. 

• Queen Margaret. Bear with me; I am hungry for revenge,
  And now I cloy me with beholding it.
  Thy Edward he is dead, that stabb'd my Edward:
  Thy other Edward dead, to quit my Edward;
  Young York he is but boot, because both they
  Match not the high perfection of my loss:
  Thy Clarence he is dead that kill'd my Edward;
  And the beholders of this tragic play,
  The adulterate Hastings, Rivers, Vaughan, Grey,
  Untimely smother'd in their dusky graves.
  Richard yet lives, hell's black intelligencer,
  Only reserved their factor, to buy souls
  And send them thither: but at hand, at hand,
  Ensues his piteous and unpitied end:
  Earth gapes, hell burns, fiends roar, saints pray.
  To have him suddenly convey'd away.
  Cancel his bond of life, dear God, I prey,
  That I may live to say, The dog is dead!

• Queen Elizabeth. O, thou didst prophesy the time would come
  That I should wish for thee to help me curse
  That bottled spider, that foul bunch-back'd toad!

• Queen Margaret. I call'd thee then vain flourish of my fortune;
  I call'd thee then poor shadow, painted queen;
  The presentation of but what I was;
  The flattering index of a direful pageant;
  One heaved a-high, to be hurl'd down below;
  A mother only mock'd with two sweet babes;
  A dream of what thou wert, a breath, a bubble,
  A sign of dignity, a garish flag,
  To be the aim of every dangerous shot,
  A queen in jest, only to fill the scene.
  Where is thy husband now? where be thy brothers?
  Where are thy children? wherein dost thou, joy?
  Who sues to thee and cries 'God save the queen'?
  Where be the bending peers that flatter'd thee?
  Where be the thronging troops that follow'd thee?
  Decline all this, and see what now thou art:
  For happy wife, a most distressed widow;
  For joyful mother, one that wails the name;
  For queen, a very caitiff crown'd with care;
  For one being sued to, one that humbly sues;
  For one that scorn'd at me, now scorn'd of me;
  For one being fear'd of all, now fearing one;
  For one commanding all, obey'd of none.
  Thus hath the course of justice wheel'd about,
  And left thee but a very prey to time;
  Having no more but thought of what thou wert,
  To torture thee the more, being what thou art.
  Thou didst usurp my place, and dost thou not
  Usurp the just proportion of my sorrow?
  Now thy proud neck bears half my burthen'd yoke;
  From which even here I slip my weary neck,
  And leave the burthen of it all on thee.
  Farewell, York's wife, and queen of sad mischance:
  These English woes will make me smile in France. 

• Queen Elizabeth. O thou well skill'd in curses, stay awhile,
  And teach me how to curse mine enemies

• Queen Margaret. Forbear to sleep the nights, and fast the days;
  Compare dead happiness with living woe;
  Think that thy babes were fairer than they were,
  And he that slew them fouler than he is:
  Bettering thy loss makes the bad causer worse:
  Revolving this will teach thee how to curse.

• Queen Elizabeth. My words are dull; O, quicken them with thine!

Queen Margaret. Thy woes will make them sharp, and pierce like mine. 

 I color coded the characters to make it easier to follow.  The highlighting is also color coded.

Yellow - this shows all the times I noticed rhyming.  Although Elizabeth and the Duchess might have rhymed and I missed it, Queen Margaret rhymes a lot.  When she has one line answers, she rhymes off the last line somebody spoke.  I think the rhyming is a way for Queen Margaret to express her joy at the suffering in the house of York.

Pink and Orange - Pink is when Elizabeth asks a rhetorical question and Queen Margaret, while orange is when the Duchess asks a question and Margaret answers.  Some of these questions are meant to be rhetorical, which makes Queen Margaret's replies come across as accusations and gloating.

Blue - I used blue for the speech where Margaret uses the metaphor of Richard being an Hell Hound.  This seems like a pretty vicious accusation, especially after Richard put forth the image of himself as a more pious king than his late brother.  The harsh language is just another reason I love Queen Margaret.

A Happier Ending

Cap O Rushes
So this links to a story that is very similar to King Lear, but has a much happier ending.  A man had three daughters, and asks them how much they love him.  The eldest two give elaborate responses that they don't really mean, but the youngest, who was also the king's favorite, says that she loves him as fresh meat loves salt.  He gets angry and sends her away.  She eventually finds work in a powerful house, the son falls in love with her, and at the wedding feast she asks the cook to use no salt in the dishes.  Her father, who was sitting next to her, started to cry after he tasted the food, telling the girl about his daughter, and saying he now realizes that he was wrong.  She reveals herself and they all live happily.

The American Shakespeare Center's Education Department Blog: Shakespearean March Madness: Who Makes the Playoff...

This sounds totally awesome! The best part is, to recommend a competitor, you have to use evidence from the actual plays! I really want to follow this.

The American Shakespeare Center's Education Department Blog: Shakespearean March Madness: Who Makes the Playoff...: Those of you who have been following our blog for at least a year now will remember last year's Shakespearean March Madness game. For the e...

A Villain we Love to Hate

For my personal play, I have read Richard III.  The main character, Richard, is a villain who kills his friends and kin, similar to Macbeth.  However, unlike Macbeth, Richard never repents of his crimes.  He remains evil to the end, and thus becomes a character we love to hate.  The historical King Richard was probably not as villainous as Shakespeare made him out to be, but the victor is the one who writes the history, and the Lancasters would have wanted to look as noble as possible in order to help solidify their claim to the throne.

The plot for the play is as follows:  Richard and his two brothers have taken over the crown of England.  Richard, knowing his brother Edward is ill, works to  have his other brother executed before Edward dies.  After his two brothers are gone, Richard goes to get his nephew and the heir to the throne, Edward V.  Eventually, he convinces people that Edward V and his brother, Richard the Duke of York, are bastards, and thus unable to inherit the crown.  This leaves him as the only legitimate heir.  After he is crowned, he has his nephews killed in order to secure his claim to the crown.  Eventually, he kills off enough people that the nobility begin to support the Lancaster heir, Henry VII.  In a final battle, Richard dies, and Henry marries the young Elizabeth of York, in order to end the feud between the two houses and strengthen his kingship.

Lancaster and York
the two families, Lancaster and York, both spent many years fighting over the throne of England.  The series of civil wars led by the two houses were collectively known as The War of the Roses, as the two houses used the red or white rose as their symbol.  They were actually two branches of the same family, the Plantagenets.  This period of upheaval was difficult for everybody in England.

Queen Margaret and Queen Elizabeth
Queen Margaret was the wife of King Henry VI, who was killed by Richard and his brothers.  Her son, Edward, was also killed by the Yorks.  As a final blow, Richard married her daughter-in-law, Anne.  At the beginning of the play, she curses Queen Elizabeth, that she might end up in the same position as herself.  Towards the end of the play, Queen Elizabeth has also seen her husband die, her two sons murdered at the hand of Richard, and Richard has proposed to marry her daughter, also named Elizabeth.  The old Queen's curse has come true, and both women have followed the same path.

What Really Happened to the boys Edward and Richard?
Nobody really knows for sure what happened to Edward V and his brother Richard.  While it is possible that their uncle, Richard III, killed them, there are also many other people who had opportunity and motive to have the boys murdered.  For example, Henry VII could have killed them, as he would also have been threatened by their claim to the throne.  Although two bodies were found under the stairs in the Tower of London, there is still no hard evidence that they belong to the princes.
  I definitely want to look into this a little bit more.

Richard III
So back to Richard, why do we love to hate him?  He is a disfigured man who felt that the only way to prove himself was through fighting.  His mother felt that he was bad from a young age, and this probably colored the way she treated him.  He seems to be a product of both nature and nurture.  His surroundings led him to become the man he was.  His villainy makes a strange sort of sense, which probably adds to his appeal.  He is not only evil, but he is good at being evil.  Shakespeare sets up Henry VII as the hero of the play, but he only appears in one or two scenes.  While I knew that Richard dying was a good thing, I was also sad to see him go.

Engaging Shakespeare Creatively

For my birthday I brought cupcakes to class.  Since this is a Shakespeare class, I decided to put Shakespeare quotes and character names on them.  Here is the picture:

The cupcakes, from upper left across to lower right say: Out Out (with a spot), Romeo, Not to Be, Ariel, A Horse, and To Be.

Can you name those plays?

Reaching Out

okay, so I was looking for comic strips that allude to Shakespeare, and I found a blog that not only had a Foxtrot Comic with references to Shakespeare, but also related Shakespeare to Star Trek and examined a number of different versions of the dagger speech from Macbeth.  Here is the blog: http://bardfilm.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

and here is the comic, since it is at the bottom of the blog.  I thought it was pretty funny to see two nerdy kids using Shakespeare so creatively while the older sister is trying to study Shakespeare.

orite, says that she loves him as fresh meat loves salt.  He gets angry and sends her away.  She eventually finds work in a powerful house, the son falls in love with her, and at the wedding feast she asks the cook to use no salt in the dishes.  Her father, who was sitting next to her, started to cry

I think this comic is the epitome of engaging Shakespeare creatively.  The boys are enterpreting the quotes to suit their environment, all the while annoying the sister.

Music of Shakespeare, his words and stories

I have been looking around and discovered that there are quite a few songs that were influenced by Shakespeare's various plays.  I am going to list a few of them:

Love Story by Taylor Swift
  She sings about a forbidden love that continues to flourish in secret, comparing the boy to Romeo and herself to Juliet.  This one has a happy ending.

Check Yes Juliet by We The Kings
  Again, there is the common theme of a forbidden love.  The boy is telling the girl to run away with him so they can be together.

Oor Hamlet by Adam McNaughtan
  This tells the story of Hamlet in blunt form.  A Scottish band sings the song, and use the word "damned" in reference to Claudius's fate.

Hey Juliet by TMNT
  A guy saying that he likes this girl named Juliet, and wants to be her Romeo.

Double Trouble from Harry Potter
   The choir sings the song, and the lyrics are from the witches' scene in Macbeth.

Maybe I should try taking a part of a play and putting it to music, like a folk song tune. . .

Back to The Tempest

As I was looking at some songs, I found one by Loreena McKennitt titled "Prospero's Speech" which has lines from The Tempest as the lyrics.  It is cool to see how a speech can easily become a song.  I enjoy Loreena McKennitt's ballads like "The Highwayman" and "The Bonny Swans"  so it was cool to find another way to enjoy her music.  It also goes to show that Shakespeare is Everywhere!

Engaging Shakespeare Creatively

I want to work on finding new ways to engage Shakespeare creatively.  I will make sure I take time each week to do something creative with the plays we have been working with.  The first one will be tonight or tomorrow morning.

Hamlet: the Finale

Fencing!  Except that it is made out to be more of a wager that a duel of vengeance.  Hamlet refuses to drink after the first bout, even though he doesn't realize that it is poisoned.  Gertrude starts to drink to Hamlet, and does so even though Claudius tries to stop her.  She has ingested the poison.  Laertes makes a dirty swipe and sheds Hamlet's blood.  He then discovers that Laertes has been fighting with an open blade, and cuts him the same way that Hamlet was cut.  Gertrude then dies, telling Hamlet she was poisoned.  Laertes admits that the blade was poisoned and they will both die, stating that the King is at fault.  In a cold fury, Hamlet cuts Claudius with the poisoned blade and makes him drink the poisoned cup.  Laertes begs forgiveness and says Hamlet is not to blame for any of the deaths.  Finally, Hamlet succumbs and gives his farewells.  David Tennant does a fabulous job of acting this out, first jesting, and then commanding Horatio to live and tell his story so others may see what has happened.  You can see that he is very close to Horatio, but I also get the feeling that Hamlet is ready to embrace death.

Farewell, Ophelia

While the gravediggers are making Ophelia's grave and talking to Hamlet, you see that the ground is littered with skulls.  This implies that they have been using the ground for mulitiple burials, which makes sense when you see how small the graveyard is.

My only thought when Laertes holds the dead Ophelia once more, my only thought was: DISTURBING!

It takes them a minute to recognize Hamlet, but as soon as he reveals himself, Laertes goes after him.
What is it with these boys and Ophelia's dead body?  I mean, I guess I can somewhat understand the situation, but it still seems a little creepy.

Rosemary for Remembrance

Ophelia reenters the scene when her brother has returned, holding the plants I showed in my earlier post.  She gives her brother the piece of rosemary, and then pansies.  Once again, she is wearing only her shift.  She gives Claudius Fennel and Columbines, and gives Gertrude Rue while keeping some for herself.  The daisy goes to the other man standing in the room.  Ophelia has bloody scratches on her harms, and her shift is filthy.  Laertes sheds a tear for his sister, showing that he actually does care for her.

Ophelia's journey to madness

Okay, about 2:15 into the play, when Ophelia is acting crazy she strips off her outer clothes, and then leaves at 2:19.  Just warning you all.  Gertrude tries to cover her, but she shrugs it off.  I think this could almost be seen as symbolic of the way she has always obeyed her father and let him guide her, and now it has stripped everything from her and ruined her life.

Let's Review

Okay, so this tells in sixty seconds what I spent over three hours watching.

Hamlet is put into a restraining chair while the King and others interrogate him about where he hid Polonius' body.
Hamlet remains flippant to the end.

Hamlet faces his mother

When Gertrude tells Hamlet that he has offended his father, Hamlet gets very angry, since the man his mother terms to be his father is actually his father's killer and his uncle.  Hamlet blames his mother as being equally guilty.  When he hears a noise, he shoots Polonius, who dies almost instantly.  It was a very dramatic moment, since Polonius was hiding behind a glass door, so the bullet that took his life shattered the mirror.

The ghost appears to Hamlet and tells him to leave his mother alone.  Gertrude cannot see the ghost, and thinks that Hamlet is hallucinating.  The look that the ghost gives Hamlet is full of pity and disappointment.  I feel sorry for Hamlet.  Even though his father wants Hamlet to avenge his death, Hamlet receives no help nor encouragement from the ghost.  If anything, the ghost manages to torment him even more.

The prize worth the price

Hamlet compares himself to a pipe, saying his "friends" believe he is easier to play upon than a pipe.  Polonius is to the point where he is simply trying to do anything he can to get Hamlet to go to his mother.

Claudius admits to the audience that he murdered his brother and feels guilty for it, but he values his prizes too much to atone for what he did. 

Hamlet sees his uncle praying, and is ready to kill him, but doesn't because he is worried that Claudius will go to heaven if he dies while repenting.  Unfortunately, Claudius is unable to repent, but Hamlet does not know this.  Hamlet is cruelly logical as he decides on a course of action to ensure that Claudius goes to Hell.

Hamlet and the play within the play

When Hamlet starts directing the actors, it is almost as though Shakespeare is speaking through him, telling people how not to act his words.  Hamlet does respect the lead player.

For the play, everybody is dressed formally, and Hamlet is sitting on the floor with his shoes off and sprawled on Ophelia's lap.  He is very out of place in this scene.

Hamlet records the dumb show, which is definitely a little bit risque with it's implied actions, even though all the actors are men.
The actual play is a more serious version of the same skit.
The King is NOT Amused.

David Tennant as Hamlet

He has such great facial expressions, like when he repeats "except my life" a little over an hour into the movie.

Hamlet gets so into the play, you can almost feel bad for Polonius, who keeps getting shushed.

1:21 into the movie, Hamlet yanks off the security camera and says "Now I am alone"  before going into his monologue.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern give their report to Claudius and Gertrude: I know that they are stuck between the choice of loyalty to their friend and obeying a king, but it still seems like a betrayal of Hamlet's friendship.

Ophelia, indecisive

Okay, in theory I feel sorry for Ophelia, but I also think she needs to get a backbone.  She is too passive a character, letting everyone lead her around and influence her thoughts.

Polonius goes senile?

Okay, Hamlet takes a blood oath for his father.  Earthquake voice of the ghost, creepy!
Hamlet tells his friends that he will be acting crazy, and demands they swear on his sword on to give him away.

Polonius is getting old, and also tends to ramble, as seen in the next scene.  The messenger makes a quick exit to stop Polonius's talking.

As Ophelia reenters the scene, I am once again struck with the way she seems to be trying to look younger with the way she dresses and even the way she acts.

The Ghost of Hamlet Past

Hamlet sees the ghost!  There is a steaming fog about him.  This is the first time Hamlet implies that he doesn't particularly care to live.  Okay, total Gandalf moment.  This is random, but the ghost's angry voice reminds me of Gandalf when he says "You Shall Not Pass."  It has an echoy quality that lends it power and mystery.  Patrick Stewart plays both Claudius and the ghost.  He was also in XMen and Star Trek.  Ironically, he voiced Bill Shakespeare in Gnomeo and Juliet.

About Ophelia

Okay, maybe I should have called this one Ophelia.  She seems to be a mature young woman, possibly even older than her brother.  It doesn't seem right that her brother is giving her a lecture.  I realize that Leontes and Poloneus expect all men to act as they would, but it seems odd.  Fortunately, her reaction is more sarcastic than listening.  Her father and brother are all about appearances, with little care for actual goodness or badness.

Laertes and his Father

Cornelius is Cornelia.  When Laertes begs permission to return to France, his dad, Polonius is whispering what he should say to him.  This seems to show that at least Polonius thinks that his son lacks some of the social graces necessary to win the king's favor.

Camera on Camera

Okay, totally awesome!  You see the ghost, and then the scene cuts to the camera, where you see three men backing away and showing a cross to nothing!  Five minutes into the movie :D

Hamlet with David Tennant, a movie adventure

Okay, so today I am watching Hamlet and blogging about it.

In the opening, you do not see the ghost, but view the men from where he would approach, and then the view changes to a security camera.  This gives the scene a very eerie effect, as you feel as though you are the ghost approaching them.

Update on Learning Outcomes

There are five learning outcomes for my Shakespeare class, and I would like to take some time to evaluate how I have worked to reach those goals.
1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy
     I have read many different genres of Shakespeare plays, and learned a bit about Shakespeare's background.  So far, I feel like I have done fairly well with this one.
2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically
     While reading the plays, I have been able to make connections and see ways in which Shakespeare can cross different times and places.  I also went to see a play, and wrote an analysis on that.  Finally, I plan to watch Hamlet, and blog about that experience.
3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively
    So far, I have read parts of the plays to myself, and have worked on ways to improve my dramatic readings.  I also want to make a soundtrack for Hamlet.  Hopefully today :D
4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
    Well, I have talked to my aunt, a big Shakespeare fan, about things I have learned from reading the plays.  I have also talked to random people at work and at the bus stop about Shakespeare.  It is amazing to see how many people are familiar with it.  Finally, I have used my blog posts to share Shakespeare.
5. Gain Digital Literacy
     I have learned how to blog, and I will be using Skype to talk to my teacher.  I have also found video clips and added them into my blog.  The class itself is done through digital conferencing.  Ovearll, I have become much more comfortable with these aspects of technology.