The Tempest: Shakespeare’s Farewell to Theatre Itself
Chillingly beautiful.
When Spring Semester began, I did not expect Studies in Shakespeare to become my favorite class.
I didn’t have any particular disdain for the Bard and his work, moreso indifference. When the average person thinks of Shakespeare, they may think of Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet, right? That was me a few short months ago.
However, what I learned throughout the duration of the course thus far is that Shakespeare had so much more to say than I once thought.
I’ll admit — reading his work is still tough. I have to fight the pulling urge to skim, which is impossible when reading English that is much different than the way we use it modernly. Watching adaptations can be difficult as well, if I’m not focused enough it can begin to feel as if the actors are speaking a foreign language.
Nonetheless, I cannot shake the passion I feel in the class. I am grateful for it, since a genuine spark for learning has been difficult for me to generate since the beginning of the pandemic (cue an old man shaking his fist towards the sky).
Our most recent reading has been The Tempest, a play that I had not heard of previously, that turned out to be Shakespeare’s final solo work. It is estimated that he finished it a little over five…
