Shakespeare

Sarah is taking an afterschool Shakespeare class this year.  She is doing it with a group of homeschoolers from church.  When we were approached about the idea in the fall, it seemed like a great way for Sarah to gain exposure to Shakespeare that would help her in later classes, and solidify some friendships at the same time.  The homeschoolers are required to do much more for the class than Sarah (read lots of plays, write papers, etc) but Sarah has mostly been going for fun, and doing the minimal amount of reading to keep up.  I've been fine with that, since she has a full load at school and is also busy with piano, fencing and other activities.  But she's still been learning a lot.  They've learned about the language, history, and culture and are now learning drama skills and acting out scenes from the plays.  Good stuff.

Well, a few weeks ago the teacher of the class proposed that the parents and families read some Shakespeare along with the students for the last few months of the class.  The plan was for each of the five families to pick a play for the group to read and then host a book-club type discussion for the play.   The goal was to promote lifelong learning and show our students that this was a priority to us as well.  As part of our reading, we were supposed to identify lines from the play that we liked and thought we could incorporate into our family conversation and culture.  The idea was intriguing to me--could I really get my children to walk around quoting Shakespeare?  However, it was also overwhelming.  How could I find time to read aloud Shakespeare as a family?  And would we even understand it?  I hadn't read any Shakespeare since high school, and I had found it difficult and depressing then (We read Hamlet and Macbeth.)  But I agreed to try.

The first play chosen was The Merchant of Venice.  Our discussion was set for Friday night.  We started it only a week or so prior, because David and Sarah were in Washington DC and we had to wait until they got home to begin.  In between homework, scriptures and bedtime, we tried to read a bit here and there.  We had a big push on Sunday afternoon.  Then the week got busy with ballet, violin, piano, baseball, scouts, young women activities, the Blue and Gold Banquet, and BYU basketball games.  David had to bow out so he could prepare for his medical boards.  Kate and Ben were bored and quickly left the room whenever we began.  But we pressed on.  We finished Friday night at 6:15, just in time for our discussion. 

And I have to say, I LOVED it!  Definitely loved it.  I guess I have learned a little bit of something in the last twenty years, because I didn't find it nearly so difficult to understand this time around.  Granted, there were still words and phrases that I didn't understand, and I'm sure that I could have benefitted from a Shakespeare-era dictionary and some cliff notes, but for the most part, I got it.  And loved it.  Oh yeah, I said that already.  But I really did.  The story was exciting and suspenseful.  The language was enchanting, witty and moving.  There were funny characters full of puns and serious soliliquies on justice and mercy.  It is no wonder that his work has been around for centuries.  My girls were captivated.  I can't wait to read the next one. 

Here are some of our favorite quotes:

Act 3, Scene 3: Shylock: 
Thou call'dst me dog before thou hadst a cause,
But, since I am a dog, beware my fangs.

Act 3: Scene 4:  Portia:
I never did repent for doing good, nor shall not now.

Act 1, Scene 2: 
Portia:  Good sentences and well pronounced
Nerissa:  They would be better if well followed.

I have found a treasure!

Now, on to Taming of the Shrew.