1. I want to study the historical and cultural context of Shakespeare's works. In order to understand the full impact of each play, I should understand the important issues of the time. I should also research the cultural norms of the English society.
2. I want to try to understand the emotion that Shakespeare is channeling through his characters. I love music. In fact, I am a music minor and I have written a few songs. Writing music is all about fully understanding an emotion or situation. I want to take a monologue from one of Shakespeare's plays, modernize it lyrically, and put it to song.
3. I am interested in how much Shakespeare has influenced the English language. I know he has had a profound impact on our vocabulary, but I would like to look at how often he is referenced in other important literary works that came after.
4. I want to compare modern makings of Shakespeare's plays with the originals. For example, the movie "She's the Man" is based on the play "Twelfth Night". I want to find a couple of different example such as these, and compare the storyline of the modern telling with the original. Compare characters, emotions, themes, etc.
5. In order to share awareness of Shakespeare with my friends, I would like to put on a mini-production of a Shakespearean play. To make it interesting, I would want to take different adjectives (happy, angry, jealous, immature, indifferent) and write them on slips of paper and put them in a hat. Then have each performer draw from that hat, and act out the parts based on what they drew.
6. I want to try to better interpret Shakespeare's meaning. So, to facilitate this I want to take one of Shakespeare's acts and change the translation to a more modern interpretation.
7. I want to attend a live production of a Shakespearean play if possible. In order to get the full effect of the work, which was written and intended to be performed, I think viewing it in the way it was intended would be an interesting experience.
8. We all know about Shakespeare's literary works. I would be interested to learn more about the man behind the pen. What was his private life like? His upbringing? His everyday affairs? His family? His faith? All of these things influence a person, so they would have had influence on his writing as well. I want to see if there are any parallels between his characters and his real life experiences.
So, that's what I have so far! I think this is going to be a really fun semester. :) See you tomorrow in class!
