Shakespeare In Our Classroom by Carlie Wilson

As we come to an end to our Shakespearean studies, I would like to reflect upon the unit. Considering the fact that Shakespeare is one of our larger and most memorable units this year, I would say that it has really summed up our English class this year. In previous years, I dreaded having to read Shakespeare and found myself only reading translated versions of the text. I couldn't understand why we still had to read Shakespeare in class if it seemed that no one, including teachers disliked the inevitable unit. This year however, I have found an appreciation for the old texts and have picked up a few skills along the way.

Our first day reading Macbeth was a challenge for me. I didn’t understand what was being read and found it difficult to stay focused. When reading it on my own at home I found myself frequently referring to Sparknotes summaries to fully understand the plot. By the second week however, reading Macbeth wasn't so bad after all. I was able to grasp more concepts by using context clues and analyzing root words to help me further understand the play. In class discussions reassured my knowledge of the play and I began to feel good about reading Macbeth.

When the time came to write the Shakespeare in Our Time Essay, I was able to relate to my personal experience with the unit to explain Shakespeare’s relevance in school. However, I was a little anxious about the Shakespeare performance assignment. As I am a reserved student, I didn't feel comfortable performing in front of the whole class; especially since Shakespeare is difficult content. While working with my partner Sarah, we were able to come up with ways to best make our scene interesting while still maintaining the dramatic aura of the original texts. We decided to first translate the entire scene, then break apart important parts. Then we added in stage directions and sound effects to our video which added unique character to the scene. When it came time to present our video to the class we were both nervous. However, as everyone began to share their videos and live performances, the assignment seemed to become less serious and more fun. I also found that I was able to understand the text much easier by performing the scenes and watching others take action. Overall this unit turned out to be very fun and has changed my perspective of Shakespeare. Hopefully next year we will be given the same opportunity to express our creative and literary skills.

The Real Reason We Don't Understand Shakespeare By Sarah West

Our recent study of the play Macbeth in english class has been a challenge at best. The characters were confusing, the Shakespearean language might as well have been foreign, and the long soliloquies seemed to last forever. As it came time to work on our final project (a performance) I decided to reread a specific scene in the play.

Frustrated for the second time, I decided it would be best to look at a translation (though I always intended to perform the original lines) to make sure I completely understood what I was saying and how I should be acting. So, as one does, I googled the act and scene and clicked on the first link I saw. Immediately, as I read the first lines I was pleased with what I found. The play was translated, I could understand it, but key Shakespearean words like "'tis" and "doth" and "hath" still remained, making it feel more authentic. I happily scrolled through the scene, only encountering a few larger words that I could not decipher, yet I completely understood what was happening. I then decided to compare this version on my computer screen to my playbook, so I could connect what I understood to what I didn't.

But to my surprise and complete and utter shock, I found no difference between the two. I had literally just read the same exact scene I had struggled to read and didn't understand twice before, and I didn't even think twice. I'd be lying if I said this did not completely baffle me, and I haven't spent most days since trying to figure out what happened. Did the fact that is was on a computer screen appeal to my technology focussed mind?

This may be true, but I feel the real reason this strange phenomena occurred was because I was under the impression the text was a translation. I was definitely more relaxed, focussed,  and confident going into reading that text. Often when I picked up the playbook that I knew contained confusing language I could feel the stress spread to my whole body, dreading what I was about to do. In that moment of mistaken identity, I was free from all of the stereotypes that surround that book that, I have now found out, psyche me out of actually being able to understand what's written in it.

This had lead me to believe the negative perception of Shakespeare among high school students may be the reason his work seems to be so hard to understand. Maybe it is not the language, but the source it is from that is affecting our perceptions of his plays and poems. Though that is an increasing difficult philosophy to prove since those stereotypes, that date back decades, are not likely to dissipate any time soon. I just know I am forever more calm about, and open to the idea of Shakespeare's writing.