An interview with William Shakespeare

A Leap into the past

This year we have studied William Shakespeare and his works .Our class 3BSA has been very interested in this topic that we have dealt with great pleasure . Therefore some days ago Our English teacher had a surprise for us: a time machine capable of transporting us to any era. After much excitement and discussion, we decided to journey back to 1601, to the heart of Elizabethan London, to witness a live performance at the Globe Theatre.

As the time machine activated, we found ourselves amidst the bustling streets of London, the air filled with the scent of roasted chestnuts and the sounds of merchants. We made our way to the iconic Globe Theatre, eager to experience the magic of Shakespeare’s plays firsthand.Suddenly we met Shakespeare and we began our conversation

Student: Mister Shakespeare, it’s an honour to meet you.

Shakespeare: The pleasure is mine. You seem… out of place.

Student: Indeed, I come from the future. My class and I travelled back in time to meet you and ask some questions.

Shakespeare: Fascinating. What brings you to my abode?

Student: We attended a performance of “Hamlet” at the Globe. I was particularly intrigued by the female characters, especially Ophelia and Gertrude.

Shakespeare: Ah, Ophelia and Gertrude. Their stories are very complex.

Student: Ophelia’s descent into madness was heartbreaking. What inspired you to create such a tragic character?

Shakespeare: Ophelia represents the innocence and vulnerability that can be crushed by the machinations of court politics and betrayal. Her madness is a reflection of the chaos around her.

Student: And Gertrude? Her quick remarriage to Claudius raises questions about her loyalty and motivations.

Shakespeare: Gertrude’s actions are open to interpretation. Is she complicit, or merely a woman trying to survive in a patriarchal society? I leave that to the audience to decide.

Student: In “Romeo and Juliet,” Juliet is portrayed as a young girl even though determined. How did you approach describing her character?

Shakespeare: Juliet embodies youthful passion and the struggle between personal desire and familial duty. Her courage in pursuing love, even in the face of dire consequences, is a testament to her strength.

Student: Lady Capulet, on the other hand, seems distant from Juliet. Was this intentional?

Shakespeare: Lady Capulet represents the traditional expectations placed upon women, often at the expense of emotional connection. Her relationship with Juliet highlights the generational division.

Student: And what about “Othello,”? Desdemona’s unwavering love and tragic end are powerful. What message were you conveying through her character?

Shakespeare: Desdemona’s purity and devotion contrast sharply with the jealousy and manipulation that lead to her death. It’s a commentary on the destructive power of unfounded suspicion.

Student: Emilia’s role is also significant. Her realization and confrontation of Iago’s deceit add depth to the narrative.

Shakespeare: Emilia serves as a voice of reason and truth. Her courage in exposing the truth, even at great personal risk, underscores the importance of integrity.

Student: Lastly, Lady Macbeth’s ambition and subsequent guilt are central to “Macbeth.” What drove you to craft such a multifaceted character?

Shakespeare: Lady Macbeth challenges traditional gender roles, displaying ambition and strength. However, her descent into guilt-induced madness reveals the psychological toll of unchecked ambition.

Student: Your portrayal of women is remarkably nuanced for your time. What influenced this approach?

Shakespeare: I sought to reflect the complexities of human nature, regardless of gender. Women, like men, possess a spectrum of emotions and motivations worthy of exploration.

Student: Thank you for your time, Mister Shakespeare. This conversation has been enlightening.

Shakespeare: Safe travel, my friend to the future. May your journey be filled with discovery.


3BSA

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A Conversation Between Two Romantic Poets

 

Exploring Shakespearean Plays: the main role of women

Shakespeare’s themes

Women and love

An obsessive desire for love and power lies at the center of Shakespeare's tragedies. In these dramatic plays-also in the sense of a game-Shakespeare's heroines play an active role. Juliet is a 14-year-old girl who, in her absolute love for Romeo, finds the strength to oppose her parents, her relatives, and an entire society that denies her the right to love. Few scenes in Shakespeare are as brutal as the one in which Juliet's father, upon hearing that she refuses to marry Count Paris-her family's chosen husband- savagely insults her, while her mother refuses to respond to her pleas for help.

Women and vulnerability

Shakespeare emphasizes this aspect of her character, often portraying her as wishing she were a man; Macbeth himself remarks on how much more of a man she is than he is. Through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare explores this dimension of human nature more effectively than he does with most of his male characters-perhaps with the exception of Richard III.Shakespeare's tragedies, women often embody vulnerability, caught in the tension between their own desires and the oppressive forces of society and the men around them. Desdemona and Ophelia are both tragic examples of how female vulnerability is exploited and ultimately leads to their downfall. Desdemona, in Othello, is a woman who loves with an intense sincerity, but her vulnerability lies in her unquestioning loyalty to her husband, Otello. Despite her strength of character, her innocence and trust make her susceptible to Otello's growing jealousy and doubt.

Ophelia, on the other hand, in Hamlet, represents a different kind of vulnerability. She is a woman without agency, controlled by the men around her -her father, Polonius, and her lover, Hamlet. The loss of her father, combined with Hamlet's rejection and cruelty, drives Ophelia to madness. Her vulnerability is not only emotional but also reflects her limited role in a world where her identity is defined by the men she serves or loves.

Women and power

In the eternal struggle for power that runs through world history and everyday society, Shakespeare's heroines do not conform to stereotypical female behavior. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth is not merely a complement to her husband, but rather the driving force of the play: the witches' prophecy and Macbeth's ambition seem to serve merely as tools for her immense desire for power. Shakespeare emphasizes this aspect of her character, often portraying her as wishing she were a man; Macbeth himself remarks on how much more of a man she is than he is. Through Lady Macbeth, Shakespeare explores this dimension of human nature more effectively than he does with most of his male characters-perhaps with the exception of Richard III.

FRANKENSTEIN OR THE MODERN PROMETEUS

SHAKESPEARE OUR CONTEMPORARY

"Shakespeare forever"

Over four hundred years have passed since William Shakespare stopped writing, however his poetry and plays are as vivid and alive today as they were back then. Who doesn't know the tragic love story of Romeo and Juliet or the famous soliloquy of Hamlet:“to be or not to be”? But with so many modern stories and writers, why should students continue to study Shakespeare?

There are several reasons why everyone should be encouraged to read the plays of one of the world's most famous literary figures. His works certainly have extraordinary storylines, his plots and his writings still inspire the modern books, films and TV series.

The themes are universal and the characters are so interesting, for instance the most famous stories talk about Macbeth's desire of power and ambition, the tragic love of Romeo and Juliet due to the conflict between their families, the evil influence of jealousy that takes Othello to kill his wife and himself and also the revenge and the doubts of Hamlet after the murder of his father.

Shakespeare has explored every area of human emotions and has created characters that grab the audience's attention. There are a lot of different characters like kings, villains, murderers, lovers and witches. Reading Shakespeare also encourages readers to use the imagination and learn about different topics of today’s world like the ambition of politicians or the femicides due to jealousy or love.

Another important part of Shakespeare’s plays is his language,in fact he introduced a lot of new words and phrases that are still in use today such as:”A heart of gold”,”Knock Knock!Who’s there?” and ”All of a sudden”.Unfortunately many people who use these phrases don’t know that they are using Shakespeare’s language.

There is no better way to become a better reader than to study Shakespeare,it can be difficult,but it can be rewarding.His writings and themes are timeless and full of meanings that are still important today.We can still learn a lot from his plays,we can understand the history behind his writings and we can learn by the messages left by him.

To sum up, “Shakespeare was not of an age, but for all time”, his plays were read in the past, read in the present and will continue to be read in the future. He will always be a modern writer.

written by Delia Luciano and Fausto Cipriano
class 3BSA

LAVORI REALIZZATI DAGLI ALUNNI DOPO LA LETTURA DEI LIBRI, NELL'AMBITO DEL PROGETTO "READ ON"

Literature & Music: il magico legame tra letteratura e musica, quando poesia e note si incontrano

A cura della prof.ssa Patrizia Martone e della classe 5 ALM.