Perfect timing--a chapter about Shakespeare while we're reading Shakespeare! As I've pointed out several times--there are an endless amount of allusions to Shakespeare throughout our culture. I've even heard allusions to Shakespeare on the soap opera The Young and the Restless! (Yes, I watch it. It's trash. I love it. But hey--if they're quoting Shakespeare it can't be that bad!!!)
Why? Because Shakespeare's plays, plots, and characters are real life. Even though we may not see actual ghosts on the top of our castles, we (as a society) deal with step-parents, lost love, jealously, mental illness, war, murder, and all of the countless other subjects of his plays, on a daily basis. I think that's why Shakespeare is used so much still today. His plays mirror the many aspects of our lives.
What do you think? What allusions can you remember? Did any of those listed in the chapter sound familiar? Why do you think Shakespeare is so popular?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
32 comments:
This chapter surprised me. I had no idea that so many things we hear almost daily relate back to Shakespeare. One of the quotes he lists, "All the world's a stage, / And all the men and women merely players," surprised me. i Never knew that was from Shakespeare, even though i've heard it a thousand times over.
I recognized quite a few of these from Shakespeare's plays; the most famous being "To be, or not to be,that is the question." I think One reason he si so popular is that his plays are timeless. They plot line is very realistic, and dramatic which keeps people's interest. One allusion from Hamlet is when Hamlet says that comparing his father to Polonious is like comparing himself to Hercules.
I recognized most of the lines the author gave as examples. I did not realize that the titles he listed were allusions to Shakespeare. Another popular one I can think of is "Et tu, Brute?" from Julius Ceaser, used when a character has been betrayed even by their closest friends. The great thing about Shakespeare and the thing that makes him so worth quoting or alluding to is his diction. Shakespeare was a playwright. Everything he had his characters say had to lend a sense of drama. Add that to the novelty of his phrasing next to modern-day words and it's easy to see why his work is still so central. He uses words beautifully and no matter who you are, his lines inspire reflection.
While reading this chapter, I recognized a bunch from the list given to be from Shakespeare's plays. Some of them were, well of course, "To be, or not to be, that is the question" and "Get thee to a nunnery," and I also regcognized "To thine own self be true." There were others, but those were just a few. I think that one of the reasons that Shakespeare is so popular is because of these famous lines. Of course, you probably wouldn't say that to your boyfriend or girlfriend now in the same way, but they are so meaningful. He definitely knew what he was doing, and he made it into a very realistic plot. People can more than likely read a book or poem and pick out if that author was referring to Shakespeare because his lines are so quote worthy and amazing!
well Shakespeare is pretty much a beast. I have seen a t.v. show that was done in the early 90's when we were young. It was Cincinatti WKRP. The sports guy for the radio station was on the ledge because he had been denied once again by the lovely secretary. While out there he randomly starts with the "To be or not to be" speech. Also in the movie, Billy Madison, Billy and his opponent in the Academic Decathalon had to recite the same speech. Billy won. And like you said i think Shakespeare is so popular because we can relate to in everyday life.
This chapter was pretty much just a review of what we were talking about in class last week. Shakespeare is used everywhere because he has quite a way with words. Alot of the words on the list looked very familiar because we had just got done reading them in hamlet. Shakespeare write plays that are true down to the core and that is why everybody is still reading his plays and quoting him everywhere they go.
Shakespeare is still popular to this day because many of the drama that he wrote about is still current today. The wittyness of how it is written though is why we love it. There is scandal, mystery, murder, and of course love. All are characteritcs of what common shows and books we like currently. "Double, double, toil and trouble."...isn't that a Mary-Kate and Ashley movie? But yes "to be or not to be, that is the question," must be the most famous qutoes from Shakespeare. I wonder why?
Shakespeare is still popular because he didn't ever write about anything contemporary. There are no characters that were pop-culture icons of his time. Therefore, he doesn't mention anything that we can't understand. The stories are about human nature, and it hasn't changed. We still deal with these things in our own lives. For this reason, and because of his eloquence, people still borrow his words.
I did recgonize things from this chapter that Shakespeare said like "To be or not to be." I think that shakespeare is still popular today because of the way he wrote, all of his stories seem to pull you in.
One reason why shakespeare is so timeless is because he did not write about popular things in his time.shakespeare can be classified as a timeless writer because the things that he wrote about are things that people still go through.
i think shakespeare is so popular because it is a hard read and shakespeare wrote about many problems people still deal with daily. whether it be a tragic love or a dysfunctional family, as in Hamlet's case, people can relate to what shakespeare writes about. he is sarcastic and adds a touch of humor in there to make it catchy and enjoyable. i cant say that i like all of shakespeare but i can definitely relate to some of it.
Everybody thinks Shakepeare is so hard to understand. I do agree. But so many of his lines are used in everyday speaking. Just like the ones in this chapter and the ones we went over in class. Shakespeare is probably so popular because he has been around for so long and as been read by so many people.
It seems like everywhere we turn, something is from Shakespeare. Have you heard of the phrase "every dog has his day"? It could have come from Hamlet. Other instances are things in other stories. Shakespeare might be so popular because a lot of important values or thoughts may have originated in his plays.
While reading this chapter i recognized a few of the quotes, and some of them i didn't even know that Shakespeare said. I recognized the "To be or not to be." That is a major quote in Shakespeares history. A while ago i knew that line just because i heard it and i didn't even know that it was from Hamlet. But people know his lines and quotes. Not just because they are oddly worded, but they have so much meaning behind them.
It suprised me how many of those quotes I recognized even though I haven't read everything Shakespeare.I can remember countless times while watching simple T.V. shows like Fresh Prince or Jimmy Neutron and hearing one of the listed quotes from this chapter. I distinctly remember hearing "what a rouge and peasant slave am I" on an episode of Fairly Odd Parents. This just proves that Shakespeare has continued to be so popular because his themes are classic and timeless in how they still relate to human experiences now.
"to be, or not to be, that is the quetion" is the main quote i remember from shakespeare. in his stories he always talks about things that are realistic and may happen on a daily basis. that is why i think he is so famous.
While reading this chapter I realized that I've heard most of the quotes listed numerous times, even though I've never read some of the plays they've come from. I find it interesting that people today can still relate to the problems and behaviors of the characters in Shakespeare's plays after all of these years. I think that's the main reason why he's so popular.
This Chapter was kind of better than the last ones. ME and mister Shakespear don't really see eye to eye because I would almost rather watch paint dry than read one of his plays, however the man was brilliant. He always found a way to put something in there that was pertaining to real life, which kinda made the plays better.
Not to be confused with my post from Chapter 5, Shakespear and all of his inventive "one -line" sayings, if you will, are still thriving in our modern culture. Although I have heard of merely one of the quotes listed in this chapter, I will take everyone's word that they are said all the time. I mean if they say them in The Fairly Odd Parents, then they have to be around. As you said Mrs. Thompson, his work his about real life. He wrote about human nature and how we communicate and respond to one another, and it hasn't changed.
Wow shakespeare was a beast an still is "to be or not to be that is the question" thats my favorite an I choose to be. But the reason why shakespere is still a huge factor in modern culture today is because he made it every word he wrote the book on drama we today use his plays as how to guides as how to right books an pays not to mention today's familys are so disfunctional just like in hisplays.
i didn't realize that Shakespeare's works are used in so many things, both today and in the past. I've seen many movies remakes that I can't make an allusion. But the quote "To be, or not to be" is the most recognizable one. I think that Shakespeare is popular because everyone can relate to a least one of his writings.
I agree that SHakespeare's mowrk is reflected in modern movies, tv, and even commercials. How may times have you heard "bubble, bubble, toil, and trouble"? Those three witches in MacBeth weren't even that original when he depicted them as the Greek fates.
I agree with you mrs. Thompson. I think Shakespeare is still used today because it relates to the everyday life still today. I have noticed that throughout Hamlet there is a lot of drama, romance, and lies which are all characteristics of the everyday life of highschoolers. In the list of quotes i actually recognized more than i thought i would. I recognized several from Hamlet and "To thine own self be true" was mentioned in the movie "I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry."
I think the main reason that Shakespeare is so popular today still is because he was ahead of his own time. He wrote about things that interests us now. He has deaths, scandals, comedies, and pretty much anything else that you can think of. One of the main reasons that I, personally, like Shakespeare is because he was so witty. He was always able to get a jab in at something he didn't like somehow and he always did it in a quick, funny sense.
I think it's amazing how many of those sayings you hear all the time, but don't even realize where their from. I think he's popular because his work is about things that everyday people go through. He might exaggerate it and make it seriously dramatic, but we can usually all relate.
A few of the quotes were familiar to me from shakespeares plays like how he compared how ugly claudius is compared to hercules being his dad. i think he is so popular because all the problems in his plays are still problems today.
it really suprised me how many things we hear almost daily that can relate to Shakespear. The "to be or not to be" quote was really the only quote i remember. This chapter he talks about realistic events and i think that's why he's so popular.
Wow...There are so many things that come from Shakespeare that we hear all of the time...I didn't know that "Double, double toil and trouble;/Fire burn and cauldron bubble" came from Shakespeare...I think that Shakespeare is so popular because he has wrote things that still relate to people even now-a-days...They love how Shakespeare was born in another time yet wrote things that they can understand...
Like most of the other students I recognized some of the plays. Like Mrs. Thompson said Shakespear is used in every way imagined. I cant count how many times I've heard one of his famous lines. Just listen!
I think the reason Shakespeare is so popular today is because like most students said, the subjects of his plays and the characters in them are so closely related to problems and people we deal with today. It is very easy for the reader/viewer/listener to put himself into the story and relate to whats goin on in one of Shakespeares plays. You hear the phrase "To be or not to be" in tv shows all the time and even in cartoons. If a phrase that was coined so long ago can be used in tv shows and cartoons today, then it must be easy to relate to...
i agree with j-bark. shakespeare's phrases and lines from his plays are heard everyday. especially in other books and movies. also his plots deal with real life issues and not fantasy things that no one would know about.
Post a Comment