Modern Shakespeare, Wednesday, Periods 1 & 2
Karla's class took place in an ordinary classroom, though she'd taken a leaf from Lady Ghanima's book and had all the desks cleared out, replacing them with cushions and over-sized beanbags, as well as a few padded chairs. They were going to be watching movies this session and Karla saw no reason why everybody shouldn't be comfortable. When the class entered, they'd see her lounging across a small loveseat, waiting for them to find a spot they wanted to claim as their own.
"Ambition," she said when everyone was settled. "Pride. Love, lust, and hatred. Anger. Fear. A question of what truly is the measure of a man. A truly staggering number of puns and dick jokes. I fell in love with Shakespeare when I was a student here," in no small part due to Ender Wiggin "and it was his depiction of human nature that did it. What is the best course to take for a son who finds that his mother has married his uncle--who is also his father's murderer? How much blame can be attributed to a man who kills his king, but is urged into the deed by others? What is a suitable punishment for a man who believed lies and gossip to the point where he repudiates his bride? Or, in another play, kills her? William Shakespeare wrote a great many plays across a great many genres, but in the end, they all come back to one central theme: people's motivations. By writing about people, truly recognizable people, Shakespeare plays have survived multiple centuries--a real feat in this short-lived world--and are still popular and relevant today. Had you gone to a normal high school, you likely would have read several of his plays before graduation. In this class, we'll be watching movies."
She straightened in her seat, feet finally hitting the floor. "Not just any movies; modern retellings of his classic plays. Many old classics are filmed and then immediately shown on the Black and White Period Piece Old Lady Boring Movie Channel, or whatever it's called," Karla dismissed the question with a wave of her hand "--of interest only to people who liked the original work. But Shakespeare's plays are constantly being updated, modernized, and retold, thus reaching out to new audiences all the time. And the reason for that is because his characters and his plots work regardless of what time period they're set in. They're problems and issues that people still face today, if in slightly altered forms: fears of infidelity, questions of one's legacy, ambition and advancement, falling in love, interpersonal problems. prejudice."
No one had promised this was going to be a light and cheerful class, kids. Even if it was a summer workshop. "So, first, introductions. It's a tradition that spans back to my time here, too. I am Karla, graduate of the class of 2013, though it's been about six years in my world since I graduated, rather than three." Really, that long? Mother Night! "When I'm not teaching here, I'm the Queen of the Territory of Glacia." She also served in the First Circle of the Dark Court, but there didn't seem to be any Kaeleerans in the room this year, so she left that off. "Today, for your introductions, name and class, favorite Shakespeare play and why if you have one--no worries if you don't--and tell me what you think this Shakespeare quote means: The worst is not, So long as we can say, 'This is the worst.' Or, if you'd prefer something slightly less macabre, try God has given you one face, and you make yourself another."
And with that, she was pointing at a student. "And you are?"
"Ambition," she said when everyone was settled. "Pride. Love, lust, and hatred. Anger. Fear. A question of what truly is the measure of a man. A truly staggering number of puns and dick jokes. I fell in love with Shakespeare when I was a student here," in no small part due to Ender Wiggin "and it was his depiction of human nature that did it. What is the best course to take for a son who finds that his mother has married his uncle--who is also his father's murderer? How much blame can be attributed to a man who kills his king, but is urged into the deed by others? What is a suitable punishment for a man who believed lies and gossip to the point where he repudiates his bride? Or, in another play, kills her? William Shakespeare wrote a great many plays across a great many genres, but in the end, they all come back to one central theme: people's motivations. By writing about people, truly recognizable people, Shakespeare plays have survived multiple centuries--a real feat in this short-lived world--and are still popular and relevant today. Had you gone to a normal high school, you likely would have read several of his plays before graduation. In this class, we'll be watching movies."
She straightened in her seat, feet finally hitting the floor. "Not just any movies; modern retellings of his classic plays. Many old classics are filmed and then immediately shown on the Black and White Period Piece Old Lady Boring Movie Channel, or whatever it's called," Karla dismissed the question with a wave of her hand "--of interest only to people who liked the original work. But Shakespeare's plays are constantly being updated, modernized, and retold, thus reaching out to new audiences all the time. And the reason for that is because his characters and his plots work regardless of what time period they're set in. They're problems and issues that people still face today, if in slightly altered forms: fears of infidelity, questions of one's legacy, ambition and advancement, falling in love, interpersonal problems. prejudice."
No one had promised this was going to be a light and cheerful class, kids. Even if it was a summer workshop. "So, first, introductions. It's a tradition that spans back to my time here, too. I am Karla, graduate of the class of 2013, though it's been about six years in my world since I graduated, rather than three." Really, that long? Mother Night! "When I'm not teaching here, I'm the Queen of the Territory of Glacia." She also served in the First Circle of the Dark Court, but there didn't seem to be any Kaeleerans in the room this year, so she left that off. "Today, for your introductions, name and class, favorite Shakespeare play and why if you have one--no worries if you don't--and tell me what you think this Shakespeare quote means: The worst is not, So long as we can say, 'This is the worst.' Or, if you'd prefer something slightly less macabre, try God has given you one face, and you make yourself another."
And with that, she was pointing at a student. "And you are?"