My gracious liege,
You won it, wore it, kept it, gave it me;
Then plain and right must my possession be:
Which I with more than with a common pain
‘Gainst all the world will rightfully maintain.
Shift around the letters, and it becomes:
Conan is leaving the Tonight Show due to lip-wag wars with Leno. What frustrates him mightily? Someone imply to an eligibility-limit arrangement?
I subscribe to a service called “SiteMeter” which allows me to see a limited amount of information about my visitors. One thing that I can see is if someone finds my site via a Google search, and what they were searching for.
It’s been a while, but every now and then I check in on what searches people have done to find themselves at Shakespeare Teacher, and to respond to those search terms in the name of fun and public service.
In celebration of the fact that I’m moving the Googleplex to Sundays, I’m going to double my usual 6-for-me/6-for-you format and give you 12 of each. Full disclosure: I actually started this post some time ago. All of the following 24 searches did bring people to this site in the same week; it just wasn’t this past week.
Enjoy!
william shakespeare’s teachers
I kept getting hits for this search, and couldn’t for the life of me figure out what people were looking for. Then, I realized that they were searching for this TED lecture on how schools kill creativity, given by Sir Ken Robinson in 2006. It’s almost 20 minutes long, but well worth watching. I should have posted this a long time ago.
freud and arrested development
I think they were looking for the actual psychological phenomenon, and not my analysis of a sitcom. But this post now ranks fourth in this particular Google search. The Internet is a funny place.
if shakespeare were alive today, who in history would he write tragedy about?
Shakespeare’s take on George III would have been well worth the staging. He probably would have also had a go at William III and the Glorious Revolution. We’d probably still be staging the famous Battle of the Boyne scene and debating whether or not Shakespeare was a secret Jacobite.
two monarchs reigned during shakespare lifetime. the bu
The two monarchs were Elizabeth I and James I. I’m not really sure what the rest of your question was going to be.
what do shakespeare’s play show about religion of the time
Shakespeare lived between two periods of severe religious strife. The mid-16th century was marked by radical shifts in English religious life described in greater detail here. After Shakespeare’s death, growing religious tension between Catholics and Protestants would lead to civil war and the execution of King Charles I. Compared to these two periods of violence, Shakespeare’s England was relatively stable religiously, though obviously there was still some unrest.
People have looked to Shakespeare’s plays for clues of where he fell on the question, but there’s no concrete evidence either way. Most of his plays are set either before the Protestant Reformation or in Northern Italy (which was solidly Catholic at the time) so Shakespeare – seemingly by design – didn’t have to deal with the religious issue much. One notable exception is Measure for Measure, which takes place in Vienna. If you would like to read Shakespeare’s scenes depicting a Protestant official debating the death penalty with a Catholic novice, you will find them here and here.
the religion in king lear
King Lear takes place in pre-Christian Britain. The characters make various references to Roman gods such as Jupiter and Apollo.
what inspired shakespeare to write macbeth?
Queen Elizabeth died in 1603, and Shakespeare had spent much of his career writing popular plays about her famous ancestors. When James I ascended the throne, Shakespeare wrote a play about his ancestors to honor the new king.
Note that the bloodthirsty Macbeth is not one of these ancestors. Rather, the noble Duncan, Malcolm, Siward, Banquo, and Fleance are the ancestors of James depicted in the play. Oh yeah, and the first seven of the show of eight kings. See below.
how does the vision of the eight kings make macbeth feel
Not good. Concerned about a prophecy that says that Banquo’s decendants will be kings, Macbeth demands to know whether all that he has done has been for the benefit of another’s line. The witches show him eight kings, and Banquo’s ghost who points to them as his. These eight kings correspond with the eight actual Stuart kings of Scotland. The eighth king is James himself.
shakespeare plays for junior high students
Well, I suppose the conventional answers are Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. But I’ve had some success with Othello and Cymbeline which aren’t exactly the first plays that come to mind when I think of the term “age appropriate.” If you can find a way to help students make it their own, the experience will encourage them to appreciate Shakespeare, no matter which play you choose. Go with a selection that you’re passionate about, and maybe your enthusiasm will be infectious. Or, if you’re really daring, describe a few of the plays to the students, and let them choose which one they want to work with.
jack cade henry 6th monologue
Ah, Jack Cade – one of Shakespeare’s most under-recognized comic characters. Propped up as a claimant to the throne, the rough-hewn Cade promises to kill all the lawyers and ban literacy. The famous scene is here and you can find Cade monologues here and here.
does everyone play the queen from cymbeline as purely evil?
She’s pretty clearly evil, and I’ve never seen her played any other way, but that’s as far as I can go. I’m sure someone has played her otherwise. Does anyone have another experience, or an idea of an alternate interpretation?
“nymph fly” tempest
This makes me very curious. Were they looking for my Tempest lipogram? Or did they have another reason to search for this? It seems pretty specific to me. Hmmm.
I leave the task of responding to the remaining search terms to my readers:
why teach shakespeare
what would you change about macbeth
henry vi jimmy carter
romeo juliet boal technique
what creative artists did shakespeare admire?
why people like genghis khan
3 levels of shakespeare
activities to introduce macbeth
what technology did william shakespeare used
shakespeare “they fight”
how has shakespeare changed our expectations of tragedy to aristotle in romeo and juliet
The 8th grade class I’ve been working with on Othello has finished their video project, and it is now available for public viewing. Enjoy!
The students watched last year’s Cymbeline video before we began the project, so they could think about what they’d like to do as they read Othello. I’m really happy with the way it turned out. Feel free to share this video with anyone you think would be interested.
Where’s the cook? is supper ready, the house trimmed, rushes strewed, cobwebs swept; the serving-men in their new fustian, their white stockings, and every officer his wedding-garment on? Be the jacks fair within, the jills fair without, the carpets laid, and every thing in order?
Shift around the letters, and it becomes:
The wry new Jib-Jab video sketch, featuring President Obama, is rife with insightful humor. We elected this shrewder president on his refreshing superhero identity charge. Now, his nerves of steel must contend with many divergent dire tasks.
Remember that Karl Fisch video “Did You Know?” that I posted in March 2007? Well, DeLisa just sent me the 3.0 version, and I think it’s worth a repost, not only because of the snazzy new visual design, but also to note the updates over the past two years.
One of the interesting changes is that, while both videos end with the question of what it all means, only the original goes on to answer the question – “Shift happens.” The newer video discards the lame pun, and leaves it to the viewer to decide what it all means. And so, here’s what it all means to me.
More information about the project here. The video has received over 1 million hits, spreading awareness about an important issue, and making a powerful statement about activism in the information age.
My organization just held an event today that had 7th grade students giving persuasive PowerPoint presentations on current events issues ranging from gun control to the death penalty. I served as emcee, and had a lot of fun riling up the students about speaking out on issues and taking an active part in their democracy.
Perhaps for the next round we should consider using video. I’m already planning a project with students to create Public Service Announcements about environmental issues. Creating current events PSAs in social studies class seems like the logical next step. I’ll keep you posted.
UPDATE: In the post, I said that the video has received over 1 million hits. Actually, the video topped 1 million views on its first day.
I’ve always been a fan of both Rahm Emanuel and The West Wing, but only just learned, via The Media Dude, that Rahm was the model for the fictional Josh Lyman.
Josh Lyman, of course, becomes Chief of Staff for Matt Santos, as life continues to imitate art…
I was impressed by McCain’s gracious concession speech. Typically, during these speeches, the conceding candidate’s supporters boo the winner, affording the candidate the opportunity to be portrayed as a healer by urging post-election unity. In this speech, there was some of that, but it was kept to a minimum. And when John McCain said that America had come a long way as evidenced by the election of an African American as president, the audience applauded and cheered. In my entire life, I’ve never seen a crowd applaud the opponent during a concession speech.
Obama’s speech was beautiful, as we knew it would be, but more than anything else, it was the willingness of the Republican crowd to drop the partisan rancor to acknowledge a landmark moment in American history that filled me with hope for the future of our country.
I’ve been watching reruns of The West Wing on Bravo. Lately, they’ve been showing episodes from the last two seasons. I am a huge fan of the show, but only have the first four seasons (the Sorkin years) on DVD, so this is a big treat for me. In some cases, I’m seeing episodes that I probably haven’t seen since they first ran.
The show is about the fictional Jed Bartlet presidency. The last two seasons focus largely on the primaries and general election to appoint Bartlet’s successor as president. After a tough primary battle, the candidates are the newcomer, charismatic Democrat Matthew Santos (Jimmy Smits), and the veteran, moderate Republican Arnold Vinick (Alan Alda). It’s a race that uncannily mirrors the current presidential contest. Watching the fictional campaigns and their behind-the-scenes strategizing was enough fun the first time around, but watching them during this election season really makes you feel like you’re sitting on the front lines.
These shows were made years ago, so they can’t really be about Obama and McCain. Or can they? My cousin, Boywonderesq, pointed me towards a New York Times article that outlines how the current Democratic nominee was, to no small degree, the model for his fictional counterpart. The article describes other similarities between the two campaigns that nobody could have predicted.
As might be expected, there are considerable differences between the two scenarios as well. First of all, Obama is way ahead in the polls, and has been for some time. The Matt Santos campaign was well behind for most of the campaign. Also, Vinick is forced to compromise on some of his issues, but refuses to pander on issues where he feels strongly. John McCain’s Straight Talk Express has been off the rails for over a year now.
I’ve always liked and respected Senator McCain. He was a national hero. He was a bipartisan leader. And, yes, he was a maverick. More than anything else, watching these reruns of The West Wing gave me a glimpse into something I feel cheated out of: the chance to see that McCain, my McCain, run for president. Instead, the desire to win and the stress of the campaign trail has made him seem like little more than a snarling, pandering, rambling shell of his former self.
Senator McCain was on Saturday Night Live last night. He was relaxed, amiable, and even funny. One thing seemed clear to me: he knows it’s over, and that he’s lost. There was the old John McCain, ready to reach across the aisle one last time and have a good laugh at his own expense.
I doubt Obama will follow the example of Matt Santos and offer McCain Secretary of State. But I must admit that episode seemed a little less silly than it did when it first aired.
