09.19.06
Music in Shakespeare’s Language
In his works, Shakespeare is renowned for his use of “music” in language, for words that lucidly and famously evoke what it sometimes means to be human. He is also famous for vibrant characters and themes that ring true in all of us, irrespective of culture, age or geographical location.
How can you help students understand the power of his language, appreciate the beauty of his speeches and recognize the universality of characters and themes in Shakespearean and contemporary discourses?
September 20, 2006 at 10:56 am
My first thought when I read this entry on the “music” of Shakespeare’s language is of a recording by the musical artist Loreena McKennitt called “Cybeline” (from “The Visit,” Warner Brothers records, 1992). This beautiful, haunting renditions of the song by Guiderius and Arviragus (Act IV, Scene 2) begins, “Fear no more the heat o’ th’ sun.” Hearing this bit of poetry sung gives vitality and meaning to the meaning of the words as a recitation does not. I wonder if students might be eased into Shakespeare’s works by first examining the meaning of popular songs they enjoy–ones that also address some of the “human condition” issuesand conflicts in Shakespeare’s work–followed by an examples such as McKennitt’s interpretation. If we can bear it, we might ask students to adapt short portions of a play or sonnet themselves. This might mean listening to “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” with a rap beat, but since making literature accessible and relatable to students is important to me, I will endure it.
This is just an initial idea. I think that Shakespeare is so complex and so timely that when presented with just a little creativity and an extra step or two, his work can be enjoyed by high school students.
(McKennitt, by the way, also has musical interpretations of “Greensleeves”–lyrics included–and Tennyson’s “Lady of Shalott.”)
September 27, 2006 at 2:58 pm
[...] Cynthia offers to expand the definition of language beyond words by drawing on another means of meaning representation such as music. Ed calls for paying careful attention to difference and repetition in Shakespearean and the way these devices affect the reader. [...]
November 17, 2006 at 4:07 pm
I think this post recognizes an important challenge in any English Language Arts teacher’s career–making Shakespeare and his renowned collection of works accessible to today’s fast-paced (and often impatient) students. Some students automatically bristle when they hear they will be reading Shakespeare in their English class. They assume it will be “hard,” and that they won’t understand Shakespeare’s language. Furthermore, they often don’t recognize the relevance and “universality” inherent in Shakespeare’s works. I believe that one thing educators can do to help students grasp the power of Shakepeare’s language is to first explain the context and time in which Shakespeare was writing. For example, there was no dictionary in Shakespeare’s day. Oftentimes Shakespeare would have to make up a word to use in one of his plays. Shakespeare engineered many new words that we still use today. I think that by telling students some interesting background information like this they might become more interested in Shakespeare’s works. I think it’s also important to make Shakespeare relevant for students. To do this I think it’s a matter of making them see that the storylines in Shakespeare are timeless, and are probably situations that many students have dealt with themselves. For instance, a teacher could illuminate the father/daughter conflict in Romeo and Juliet–what teenage girl hasn’t felt stifled by her father at one time or another?
I think teachers need to approach Shakespeare thoughtfully, with their students in mind, in order to teach his plays most effectively.
November 20, 2006 at 5:40 pm
I think the obvious way to appreciate the “music” of Shakespeare’s language is to hear it spoken. But not just read aloud in the classroom from a text book class after class. That can put even the stuffiest Shakespeare enthusiast to sleep! As Rex Gibson posits in Teaching Shakespeare (1998), these words were meant to be put into action. Film can certainly be of assistence in the classroom in facilitateing appreciation for the language. I am thinking especially of films that incorporate modern day settings into the language. Baz Lurmann’s adaptation of Romeo and Juliet will pull students into the “foreign” language of Shakespeare by juxtaposing the unfamilier language with the “native” language of guns, pool halls, sports cars, hookers, limos, boardwalks,and cigarettes. Eventually, those who felt they couldn’t understand the language will begin to pick up on it with the aide of visual language as a rienforcer. And if there is ever a possibility to take the class to a live performance this can be another great way to let the language begin to seep in. The action and excitiment of live bodies adds other langauges to the picture (such as body language and physical props) that can aide in the understanding of the words.
November 24, 2006 at 9:16 pm
I agree with Cynthia about easing students into the language of Shakespeare. I would suggest having them re-write Hamlet’s soliloquy from the perspective of a famous person and then have them recite it to the class. At the end of the recitations, have a student read Shakespeare’s original language and solicit comments on how the language affected the interpretation and emotional impact of the soliloquy.
November 29, 2006 at 12:08 am
I think most students are turned off by Shakespeare’s language because it is so far removed from what they hear and speak — it’s almost like a foreign language. How would we feel if we suddenly had to read an entire novel in Spanish and analyze it? It would probably take a lot of time and effort just to understand the basic plot, leave alone the nuances of the language.
For this reason, I think it is important to start simple and build up when helping students understand the beauty of Shakespeare’s language. After discussing the plot in simple terms, or after reading a passage, choose one important quote. Break this quote down into simple words. Ask them how this simple sentence connects with what is going on in the scene the quote is from. Then choose one word from the original quote and have the students look it up and define it. Break this definition down into a more simple definition and discuss it. Then replace the simple word in the simple sentence with this original word from the original quote (it sounds complicated, i know, but stay with me). Keep doing this until you have changed the simple sentence back into the original quote. This way, they can better understand the nuances of his language.
It could also be helpful to take a day out and explain to the students a brief history of how English evolved. Many of them may not be aware that English was spoken differently — once this problem is cleared up, they may not be so reluctant to read Shakespeare!
November 29, 2006 at 10:38 am
What intersting comments on Shakespeare’s language. I agree with Radhika’s statements that language must be broken down into understandable pieces for the students. One of the biggest “fears” in reading Shakespeare is not being able to understand the wording and the lines of iambic pentameter. Radhika’s approach gives a simple, clear and managable way for students to get into Shakepeare’s head and learn his language.
I also agree with Jenn’s comments that to hear the “music of the language,” you must hear it spoken aloud. The more students are saying the words and hearing the “melody”, the better they can understand it.
Perhaps students could also compare the context of Shakespeare’s language with their own. The teacher could give a sentence in Elizabethan English and have the students change it into modern English. Then the teacher could give a sentence in modern English and have them “translate” it into Elizabethan English. Here the teacher could stress the improtance of what Lisa Delpit calls the language of power. Students can get into the discussion of how contextual “Standard English” has become. I would like to hear their responses!
November 29, 2006 at 11:54 am
I agree with the many suggestions made by everyone so far, and I firmly believe in the use of film to pull the students into the language. The version of Hamlet which features Mel Gibson provides a wonderful modern day actor that everyone knows who is speaking the eloquent and intricate language of Shakespeare. The students in my class could not understand anything in the plot (even with dictionaries and discussing many lines one by one - they were simply lost) until we watched the film. After watching the film, the language in Hamlet made much more sense, and the students could grasp and follow the words much easier without shutting down and disengaging.