Dear Tom,
Any suggestions on making Shakespeare more appealing to today's college students?
I am teaching a freshmen literature class this semester. Out of 21 students, only three managed to get to the end of Othello--even when I gave them the option of watching a performance instead of reading it.
Although characters like Iago are eternal (backstabbing acquaintances are timeless), and I worked hard to establish other points of connection, the language and pacing seem to put them off.
Approaching the Bard
Moderator: Forum Moderator
Forum rules
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Start new topic to post your question. One question allowed per member per month. Ask one concise question per post, and please refrain from including information and comments irrelevant to your question.
These questions are for Tom to answer, so please do not be tempted to post a reply to someone else’s question. If you want to make a comment, post it in the Fan Community → About Tom’s Newsletters and Answers to Questions subforum.
Please do your research before asking a question and try not to ask questions which Tom has answered before – either here or in interviews such as the Doctor Who Magazine articles available on this website in the Doctor Who section. If your question is factual, please try googling it first to see if you can find the answer.
Questions about whether Tom will appear at a convention or in a particular programme or film are wasted questions as he cannot talk about any offers in advance, and the moment agreement is reached, he announces the news on his website.
Tom will answer a MAXIMUM OF 15 QUESTIONS PER MONTH.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY
Start new topic to post your question. One question allowed per member per month. Ask one concise question per post, and please refrain from including information and comments irrelevant to your question.
These questions are for Tom to answer, so please do not be tempted to post a reply to someone else’s question. If you want to make a comment, post it in the Fan Community → About Tom’s Newsletters and Answers to Questions subforum.
Please do your research before asking a question and try not to ask questions which Tom has answered before – either here or in interviews such as the Doctor Who Magazine articles available on this website in the Doctor Who section. If your question is factual, please try googling it first to see if you can find the answer.
Questions about whether Tom will appear at a convention or in a particular programme or film are wasted questions as he cannot talk about any offers in advance, and the moment agreement is reached, he announces the news on his website.
Tom will answer a MAXIMUM OF 15 QUESTIONS PER MONTH.
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
Approaching the Bard
by The Weary Professor on December 9th, 2011, 9:44 am
- The Weary Professor
- Posts: 14
- Joined: December 23rd, 2010, 8:00 pm
- Location: Lincoln Park, New Jersey, USA
Re: Approaching the Bard
by Tom Baker on December 21st, 2011, 1:44 pm
Dear Prof,
What a task!
I have been asked something similar here but can't remember what I said. I imagine I commiserated with the poor teacher. I remember a dedicated teacher of French telling me that the young men in her class thought that the French accent made them sound like cissies! The poor teacher was in despair.
And so when you are faced with enthusing young people to speak Shakespeare it has to be conceded that ordinary mortals often speak like Gods. And who speaks like a God in modern times? Banality is the modern ticket. And so your task is made difficult. In the early scene in Hamlet, Horatio notices the sun is peeping, it is dawn and Horatio says: "But, look, the dawn in russet mantle clad walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill". And Hamlet and the soldiers are not amazed!
And then Romeo, INSANE with love for Juliet wishes that he was a glove on J's hand that he might touch her cheek. They are human beings who speak fabulous language. It must not be made ordinary just so the actors can feel modern. Love transforms people, so does fear and so does greed and so does fatigue and in great drama the characters are human but their words words are divine. And the divine language elevates the humans. I suppose poetry is elaborate and that may intimidate the students. I have just listened to some very old Shakespeare recordings from 1890-1937. Voices from another time and how quaint they sound, and SO slow.
I am afraid I can only offer sympathy.
Good luck from Tom
What a task!
I have been asked something similar here but can't remember what I said. I imagine I commiserated with the poor teacher. I remember a dedicated teacher of French telling me that the young men in her class thought that the French accent made them sound like cissies! The poor teacher was in despair.
And so when you are faced with enthusing young people to speak Shakespeare it has to be conceded that ordinary mortals often speak like Gods. And who speaks like a God in modern times? Banality is the modern ticket. And so your task is made difficult. In the early scene in Hamlet, Horatio notices the sun is peeping, it is dawn and Horatio says: "But, look, the dawn in russet mantle clad walks o'er the dew of yon high eastern hill". And Hamlet and the soldiers are not amazed!
And then Romeo, INSANE with love for Juliet wishes that he was a glove on J's hand that he might touch her cheek. They are human beings who speak fabulous language. It must not be made ordinary just so the actors can feel modern. Love transforms people, so does fear and so does greed and so does fatigue and in great drama the characters are human but their words words are divine. And the divine language elevates the humans. I suppose poetry is elaborate and that may intimidate the students. I have just listened to some very old Shakespeare recordings from 1890-1937. Voices from another time and how quaint they sound, and SO slow.
I am afraid I can only offer sympathy.
Good luck from Tom
-
Tom Baker - Site Admin
- Posts: 623
- Joined: October 27th, 2009, 1:31 pm
2 posts • Page 1 of 1
Return to Questions for December 2011
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests
| web design london : pedalo limited | Website and contents copyright © Tom Baker Ltd 2009 except where stated otherwise | ||