The Authorship Debate

Good day my fellow bloggers!

How was thy morrow? Personally, I had a packed morrow. I performed my Macbeth assessment in front of my peers today, and all I can say the play was full of surprises. So is this week's blog post. 

Why

1. After this blog past, me and you have to take our own separate paths unfortunately, yes this is my LAST post.
2. Do you know that there are a myriad of conspiracies about who Shakespeare really is? (oh boy :( )
3. I thought the six week blog entries were the homework requirement for this term, but then the 28 pages long Macbeth booklet shows up. (yeppie!)

I really don't understand why people are still scrutinizing Shakespeare's life and work and trying to create conspiracies that are based on MERE assumptions. Assumptions are NOT a reliable source, they are mostly bogus.  Just because some desolated anti-Shakespeareans decided they didn't want to do their English essay or they found Shakespeare brilliant work unfathomable, that is no excuse to pick on him and write conspiracies that have no strong evidence to reinforce their notions.

A piece of advice to y'all :) 

Can you PLEASE leave the poor man REST in peace?

The last thing he wants, is to be picked up on by absurd notions about how he didn't write his work, or about the different Shakespeare's that existed other than him. C'mon HOW MANY doppelgangers can Shakespeare have? -_-

The answer is, NONE.

So the punch line is,

Shakespeare at the end of the day is the Bard of Avon, the man who introduced nearly 3,000 words into the English language, and who is second quoted after the Bible. The conspiracies about him can assume whatever they want, but at the end of the day he's the  man whom influenced the English language, and he's the man who I am very fond of his work.

 

Now excuse me, I have to get back to my Macbeth booklet!

Fare thee well, fellow bloggers <3

Shakespeare's Relevancy

This week’s blog post might be short for a major reason.

Although I avoid watching television music competition franchise such as “Arab Idol”, I simply cannot resist this season.

Why?

Well, this is the first time a Palestinian contestant gets qualified to join this competition  and let me tell you this contestant is not only innately handsome, he also has the finest vocal range my ears have ever heard *-*

Don't you agree with me?

Mohammad Assaf (the Palestinian contestant)

Just 3 days ago, we encountered the annual “Nakba Day”.. can you believe that Palestine has marked 65 years of occupation?

 Palestinians today stand by the distorted face of their homeland, while the distorted face of nations ignore their cries for help.  Which is why I consider Mohammad Assaf Palestine's portal to freedom and justice, if he wins, he will be able to channel the shrills crying for justice in Palestine to the world. 

..and just as I consider Mohammed Assaf Palestine’s portal to equity, William Shakespeare was England's portal  to evocative language and dramatic structure. With his unique style his work was added to our English class syllabus. There’s no doubt that Shakespeare is relevant today. After all his work encompasses themes and issues that are still relevant today and can be related to. William Shakespeare’s characters tend to possess a special quality, they are fallible which makes them SO real to his readers. For a matter of fact, if Shakespeare wasn't relevant today, we (students) wouldn't be able enclose this certain mental discipline in analyzing the English language. We also can not forget the words and phrases, that Shakespeare introduced, which remain in all of our vocabularies on daily basis.

So how dare we question his relevancy today?

Shakespeare in the Media

Some people argue that Shakespeare’s image was vandalized with the emergence of modern media adaptations of his work, but I believe that this is a mere paradoxical statement.

YOU NAME IT, WE GOT IT. From newspapers, magazines, films, television and internet, Shakespeare and his work had been adapted in today’s media in all forms. However, not all the adaptations depicted his original work, a lot of the adaptations were depicted  in a humorous  or modernized approach, so that his work can suit today’s atmosphere.
This unique approach has stirred a lot of attention and became a portal for a new audience, that enjoyed and understood Shakespeare's work better with this unique approach. However, Shakespeare’s devotees were not fond of this renovated approach, they preferred the conventional approach that Shakespeare used.

Whether you prefer the conventional or modern approach, BELIEVE ME, there’s something for everyone due to the countless adaptations of Shakespeare's work in today's media, so don’t stress out that you won’t find anything because you’re selective.

I came across two different adaptations of Macbeth, and I thought that I would share them with you. Below are the video excerpts.. enjoy!

1. Macbeth in a conventional approach

2. Macbeth in a modern approach

 Now my question to you: do you prefer Shakespeare's conventional or modern approach? I personally prefer both, but I am more fond of the conventional approach :)

To modernize or not to modernize?

Shakespeare's Plays

Greetings fellow bloggers!

I will be discussing a controversial topic today.. Shakespeare’s plays. It’s about time you learn more about Shakespeare’s work from a magnified scope. Get your virtual suitcase ready, we’re flying to London! Yes, you heard me, LONDON.  The question is why?

Well, my Confessions of a Shakespeareaholic  fans, it’s about time you get your first hands-on experience and learn more about Shakespeare’s plays.

The first question you might want to learn about is, what were Shakespeare’s plays like?

Well, Shakespeare was one of the most prolific playwrights. He presented his poems in the most artistic approach. His plays had many flowery language such as, similes, metaphors, alliterations.. which don’t only escape a cliché approach, but use words in other than their literal sense to enhance the way a thought is expressed. Thus Shakespeare created his own stance in the Elizabethan era, that is still kept today. A good example of that would be,  how were still incorporating his works in today’s educational curricula.

Now you might have started wondering, did Shakespeare’s plays focus on one specific genre?

Well how shall I answer that.. really? How can someone so extraordinary stick to one genre in all his plays? Shakespeare’s 38 published plays my friend.. incorporated four different genres ranging from comedies to tragedies to histories, and late romance. Many people argue on which genre generally defines his plays, but the majority agree that  Shakespeare’s most famous plays are tragedies.

On a personal scale, I find Shakespeare’s most popular plays in the tragedies include, Romeo and Juliet, and Macbeth. Following his most popular comedies would include, The Merchant of Venice. Following that, Shakespeare’s most popular histories would have to include, Henry V and Richard III.
That’s my opinion anyways, what do YOU think his most famous plays were?

Shakespeare's 38 plays listed.

Shakespeare’s Plays Today

Shakespeare taught us that love can conquer and destroy, that people trust what they cannot see, and that human ethics are easily manipulated. His plays are a fraction of his array of work that goes beyond the lessons of an English high school subject. The plays he wrote still play a dominant role in entertainment today. He inspired people to pursue literature, to develop different philosophies and notions, and challenge conventional ideals. Shakespeare coined many words we use every day and brought revolutionary ideas to the way literature is written.  Thus it’s pretty ridiculous when we hear controversies if he actually wrote his published plays, because some people believe that it’s impossible for someone with no proper education to write such marvelous plays, well the sad truth is.. he didn't have to be proper educated to create his masterpieces, there is no excuse for being who YOU are!