Leah's Advice on Studying Shakespeare

Dear Sara,

I always knew you'd follow in my footsteps and become an English major! Since you'll soon be taking a Shakespeare class I thought I should give you some advice on how to handle the class well.

I think everyone is at least a little bit scared of Shakespeare...He represents high culture, a difficult version of English that makes us feel stupid sometimes.. But he is such a huge part of the history of the English language and the development of literature. After taking this class, I feel so much more confident in continuing to read Shakespeare and helping others to enjoy it as well.

My favorite thing that I was able to do this semester was memorize one of Shakespeare's sonnets. I memorized Sonnet 80 and then performed a video of it. It was a really fun way to engage with Shakespeare's writing because I had to put a lot of thought into the emotion, rhythm, meter, etc. Performing has never been my strong suit and so it took a lot of practice but it was also a lot of fun!

Because of the way that Shakespeare is written and talked about, many people have an expectation that it is going to be difficult and that his plays are something to suffer through. However, if you take a step back and have a positive attitude about it, it's much easier to tackle. You can go into a reading of Shakespeare with an expectation that you will enjoy it and that it will be a valuable experience! If you envision it this way, it is more likely to happen!

I've really enjoyed making reading Shakespeare a social experience. Talking about what I'm reading with others helps me to gain new insight into themes, characters, and symbols. I definitely would not have learned so much if I didn't reach out to others to discover what they were learning from the text.

When it comes to writing and researching about Shakespeare, make sure that you branch out--explore ideas that a lot of other people haven't. It's always nice to make new and fresh connections that will enrich the academic conversation that surrounds Shakespeare. There are so many valuable resources out there to help us understand, read about, and write about Shakespeare. But don't ever feel like everything that can be written has been written because you can always add something!

Seeking out social sources is a big help in the writing process as well. Librarians, experts, enthusiasts, anyone else who is interested in Shakespeare and his writings. They can all be of help when it comes to coming up with ideas for papers, blog posts, or personal writings. I know I bounced a lot of ideas off of Alex when it came to writing my paper about the connections between Star Trek and Shakespeare. It definitely made my paper better.

So although Shakespeare might seem daunting at first...just remember that there are so many resources around you. Turning Shakespeare into a social experience makes it much easier to understand and more fun to enjoy! I hope that you are looking forward to your Shakespeare class that will be just ahead.

Love,
Leah

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Leah's Annotated Bibliography (2)

Since Tuesday I have done some re-working of my title, my topic, and my thesis to make it more argumentative and interesting. So please please please let me know what you think!

New title: Human Condition: The Bard as the Basis for the Prime Directive and Other Ethical Beliefs in Star Trek

Thesis: Although many see Star Trek as a superficial science-fiction television show, the culture and popularity surrounding the franchise have come about because the basis of beliefs within the Star Trek universe can be attributed to the presence of William Shakespeare and his writings which portray the human condition and suggest that hope for humanity comes in recognizing ourselves in others.

Many of the sources that I discovered previously will still be helpful but I am still looking as I narrow my topic.

Social Sources: This is the source type that I'm having the most trouble with. I've tried contacting a lot of different people but haven't heard back from anyone.

Brian Rivera is an amateur actor who performed a video version of the "to be or not to be" speech in Klingon. I tried contacting him via twitter (the only contact information I could find) and have not heard back yet. I felt like his acting and interpretation of the Klingon translation of Hamlet would give him a very interesting perspective.

I also tried contacting Kyle Kallgren who is a pretty active YouTube video maker. He made several about the interesting connections between Shakespeare and Star Trek and I liked a lot of what he had to say. I also made an attempt to contact him and have not heard back.

Luckily my husband is what you can call a Star Trek enthusiast and he knows a lot more about it than I do so I've been able to use him to bounce off ideas for my thesis as well as asking him about sources online that he already aware of.

Informal Sources:

Letizia, Anthony. "Shakespeare and Star Trek." Geek Pittsburgh. N.p., 7 Aug. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2016. <http://www.geekpittsburgh.com/shakespeare/shakespeare-and-star-trek>.

This article discusses several of the connections between Shakespeare and Star Trek and contains quotes from an associate of a Shakespearean acting group. He touches on many of the reasons why people are drawn to both Shakespeare’s writings and Star Trek. The overarching themes connect with a lot of people. This is very helpful because he talks about how Shakespeare holds a mirror up to nature but also helps us to understand other people, the basis for the prime directive.

"The Noble Heart of Star Trek." The Noble Heart of Star Trek. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016. <http://thenobleheartofstartrek.weebly.com/>.

This website is like a database of Shakespeare references within Star Trek. It was extremely helpful because it not only references canonical sources but also non-canonical sources that many trekkers agree to be useful in understanding the universe and how it is viewed.

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Leah's Annotated Bibiliography (1)

Performance of a scene from Shakespeare's Henry V in "The Defector"

In my paper, "An Android's Humanity: Discovery through Shakespeare and Star Trek," I assert that Data, an android in the Next Generation series utilizes scenes from Shakespeare's plays in order to understand human nature because Shakespeare is one of the unique playwrights who critically captures the human spirit in a way that resonates with audiences of science fiction.

Scholarly Sources:

Kazimierczak, Karolina. "Adapting Shakespeare for "Star Trek" and "Star Trek" for Shakespeare: "The Klingon Hamlet" and the Spaces of Translation." Studies in Popular Culture 32.2 (2010): 35-55. Web.

This article discusses adaptations and translations of Shakespeare that exist within the Star Trek culture. Kazimierczak brings up some very interesting points that are helpful in analyzing any adaptations of Shakespeare such as those that exist within episodes of The Next Generation series.

Bloom, Harold. Shakespeare: The Invention of the Human. New York: Riverhead, 1998. Print.

Bloom asserts that Shakespeare is one of the first writers to accurately recreate the human condition and gives evidence from a wide variety of Shakespeare’s plays. Since Data’s purpose in re-enacting scenes from Shakespeare was to better understand the human condition, blooms writings will support this theory.

Geraghty, Lincoln. ""Star Trek" in American Studies: An Alien Concept." Science Fiction Studies29.3 (2002): 532-33. Web.

Although this article is very brief, Geraghty accurately describes the over-arching importance of Star Trek within cultural studies. The connections between Shakespeare and Star Trek, two phenomena that have penetrated our culture, are innumerable and allow us to make an interesting analysis.

Reinheimer, David. "Ontological and Ethical Allusion: Shakespeare in The Next Generation." Extrapolation 36.1 (1995): 46-54. Print.

This article discusses how the Next Generation series uses Shakespeare’s philosophies to discuss the nature of humanity. Data, the android character, represents an objective analysis of Shakespearean philosophy while other characters are more subjective. This article provides another analysis of Data and his use of Shakespeare to create a better understanding of humans.

Performances:

Patrick Stewart Full Address Oxford Union. Perf. Sir Patrick Stewart. YouTube. Oxford Union, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSQw2C1CoeQ>.

This is a full video of Patrick Stewart’s address to Oxford Union in which he discusses his acting career in Shakespeare’s plays, Star Trek, and other films. His discussion gives a very interesting perspective from one of the actors of Star Trek about how his acting in Shakespeare’s plays affected his performances.

Roddenberry, Gene, prod. "The Defector." Star Trek: The Next Generation. 1 Jan. 1990. Television.

This episode of Star Tre: The Next Generation is one of the episodes that inspired me to choose this topic. The opening scene consists of a performance of a scene from Henry V as performed by a character who is an Android, using Shakespeare to try to understand the meaning of humanity. This scene is also helpful because Patrick Stewart’s character explains to the Android the reasoning behind using Shakespeare in this way. This episode is one of several where Data performs scenes from Shakespeare.

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To Boldly Go Where No Bard Has Gone Before

My husband is obsessed with Star Trek. He can tell you all sorts of facts and details about the show that most people don't remember. He even spends most of his free time designing starships on his computer. Naturally, since we started dating I've had to learn to love Star Trek as well.

The writers of Star Trek frequently used Shakespeare's plays as inspiration for their episodes. There are a lot of scenes where they recite lines from plays, even acting them out. Other times the plot is based on a Shakespearean play. Even the titles of episodes are frequently a reference. The writers, creators, and actors of Star Trek are huge fans of Star Trek.

Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner, and several other actors in Star Trek began their careers as actors in Shakespeare's plays. They may have had a hand in the large amount of Star Trek references that invade the culture.

Here is one the scenes where Captain Picard uses Shakespeare to save the mother of one of his crew members:

In one of the Star Trek movies, a Klingon character references Shakespeare and tells a member of Star Fleet that "you haven't experienced Shakespeare until you have read him in the original Klingon." This idea that Shakespeare could be an alien writer and that it can be enjoyed in other cultures makes Shakespeare's writing even more interesting in its popularity and timelessness.

I am having difficulty narrowing this topic because there are so many things that I want to write about amongst all of these connections. If I were to focus on one play that is referenced I would choose Henry V because it is included so interestingly included. Data, one of the main characters in the Next Generation, is an android. One of the themes that is included throughout the show is Data's journey to understand more about humanity. Captain Picard tries to help him understand by having him perform Shakespeare. One of the plays that he performs is Henry V. I think the use of Shakespeare in this way is very interesting. I'd really like more feedback to know if this is something I should pursue.

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A Performance of Sonnet 80

Here is my recitation of Sonnet 80:

If you're looking for a more comedic version you can also check out the version my husband made while he was helping me:

Let me know what you all think!

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The Fascinating Character of Cleopatra

Antony and Cleopatra is a play by Shakespeare that I have always wanted to read. For some strange reason it is not commonly taught in English classes so I’ve never had much of an opportunity to read it (I mean, who reads Shakespeare on their own time, right?)

One of the things that struck me when I was doing a little bit of previewing the play was how the role of Cleopatra has come to be seen over the years. There is a very interesting Wikipedia page section all about how the views of Cleopatra have evolved.

One view depicts her as the “manipulative seductress” that you see for most of the play. She sends a servant to tell Antony that she is dead just so that she can see his reaction. She knows what will hurt him the most and told Mardian to say “that the last I spoke was ‘Antony’ and word it, prithee, piteously” (4.13.11-12). She knows exactly how to push Antony’s buttons and keep him attached to her. She is dramatic all of the time and pulls Antony into her sensual world of luxury.

The other view places her as the skilled leader who betrays her lover in order to do what she thinks is necessary to save her country from Caesar. Her fleet turns against Antony in the heat of a naval battle. On Slack, Maddie pointed this out because this is one of the only moments where we see personal sacrifice on the part of the leader. She loves Antony but sides with Caesar to save Egypt. 

Neither Antony nor Caesar seem to have this ability to do what is right despite their personal feelings.

I love the character of Cleopatra because she can be interpreted in so many different ways. She is one of Shakespeare’s most complex characters and sends a message of passion, strength, and intelligence to women.

One of my most recent favorite books is a fictionalized version based on Cleopatra, Antony, and their children. It’s Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran and I think it also gives us an interesting look at Cleopatra and her character in fiction. I think a lot could be learned about her character from analyzing a wide variety of performances and adaptations of Cleopatra of which there are many.

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King Lear--Literary Analysis and Annotation

An annotated example of a reference to the theme of foolishness

Technology and Shakespeare
Utilizing technology in my reading of Shakespeare texts has been an interesting new experience for me. I enjoy the ability that I have to take Shakespeare and his characters with me where ever I go. To me, this demonstrates the mobility that Shakespeare has, not just literally, but also in the way that his themes and characters are applicable to life across decades and even centuries. This thematic reading has contributed to some of the most interesting conversations that I've had with my peers on Slack.

Peer Discussion
The Slack forum that we have for communicating about our readings has allowed my views to be challenged. For example, with our reading of King Leer, it was proposed as an idea that the fool and Cordelia could be played by the same actor. They supported this idea with research they had done, providing both formal and informal sources. I hadn't even thought about this idea before someone else brought this up. That's why I love this method of discussing between class periods because it allows us to be exposed to different ideas before we arrive at class each week.

As a class, we have generally been doing better at doing rhetorical analysis and focusing on the language of plays. Hopefully, this will continue, although personally the thematic analysis is always what I find most interesting and that stands out to me most.

Thesis Building
As I've been doing the reading and contributing to these conversations, I'm always aware of how I can improve my writing of literary analysis. One of the things that I struggle with is creating powerful and clear thesis for my writing. Strong thesis statements, even in less formal situations, allow us to provide our readers with a clear idea of the idea that we are analyzing and providing details to support. Here a few examples of thesis statements that could be used in an analysis of King Lear:

[Policy Claim]- Although King Lear is a play about a king and his court, it should be read as a story about familial relationships because of its central connection with both Lear and his daughters as well as Gloucester and his sons.

[Definition Claim]- Despite the fact that Shakespeare's plays can be interpreted in many different ways, King Lear is a tragedy as demonstrated by the decline of Lear due to his tragic flaw.

[Comparison Claim]- While many insist that Cordelia and the Fool are two separate characters, Cordelia and the fool play a similar role as an advisor of Lear and therefore could be played by the same actor.

[Evaluation Claim]- Even though the play centers around King Lear and his daughters, the fact that Edgar is a better son to Gloucester than Edmund drives much of the plot and develops the theme of filial loyalty.

[Causal Claim]- Although Goneril and Regan's betrayal brings devastation to the kingdom, Lear's pride and hubris lead to the real tragedy at the end of the play.

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The Thoughts of an Army Wife

The fear begins to grip my heart and clouds

My eyes with tears of sadness, doubt, and pain.

His words bring news that has begun to shroud

The future's crystal vision with dark rain—

Uncertainties, which make my mind grow cold.

He'll walk away and try to steel his nerve,

Yet I can see his happiness untold.

Now he will go across the sea to serve

With flag upon his shoulder and his heart.

I am determined to be strong for him

While he defends our country. He’ll depart

And far from him, my light will grow so dim.

To be alone and not know where he'll be—

Is this the sacrifice God meant for me?

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Sunset Fadeth in the West

William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 73 is a classic example of his sonnets on aging and death. It’s part of a series of four sonnets (71-74) that have a similar theme. He utilizes imagery, punctuation, and metaphor to portray his theme of aging and death, yet at the last gives a reminder to his reader that the moments preceding should be enjoyed.

Imagery

Shakespeare uses so much imagery from autumn and winter that paint the picture of a world slowing down, dying, and becoming dark. He talks about the yellowing leaves, the migration of birds, sunsets, dying ashes. The yellowing leaves put in the reader’s mind the images of fall and the weather growing colder (He also uses a similar phrase in sonnet 17, “papers, yellowed with their age”). Birds migrate south for the winter leaving the branches “where late the sweet birds sang” (line 4). Sunsets, of course, signal the end of the day and the fading of the light. The dying ashes that he references come from the last moments of a dying fire. All of this imagery points our minds towards the end of things. This all contributes to the overall theme of the poem about the poet's own aging and approaching death.

Fiery Arizona Sunset

Form/Punctuation

Shakespeare talentedly uses his punctuation and utilizes the form of his sonnet to drive his point further into the reader’s mind. Line 2 is a great example of this. The commas make the reader pause in the middle of the line and the word “hang” is deliberately placed at the end of the line, leaving it to hang in the air. This goes along perfectly with the imagery of that same line, a picture of just a few leaves still clinging to the trees. Eleven out of his fourteen lines end with some form of punctuation, be it comma, semi-colon, or period. The reader is typically forced to at least give a small pause at each of these before continuing the next line. Shakespeare invites us to slow down, enjoy the moments, between each line before hurrying to the end.

Conceit/Metaphor

Shakespeare’s imagery very much plays on the use of metaphor, making the entire sonnet a conceit. This is used in a very similar way in Shakespeare’s sonnet 97. In this sonnet all of his imagery and metaphor refers to the winter time. We get some of the negative imagery concerning winter but at the end are rewarded with a few hopeful lines about the coming of spring. Sonnet 73 does not necessarily have a hopeful ending but points out to the reader that the knowledge of the coming loss of the poet makes their love grow stronger and that the remaining time should be used. T. Fleischmann, contributor to the book Critical Survey of Shakespeare’s Sonnets said about Sonnet 73 that “Although Shakespeare uses other sonnets to rally against death and to seek immortality through art, in Sonnet 73 he redirects that energy away from eternal aspirations and into the present moment…His speaker sees no reason to hide from mortality. Instead, he embraces change as a reason to more fully live in the present.” We are reminded that death, though it may be the end of life, affords us the opportunity to live life to its fullest.

Shakespeare is a master of imagery, form, punctuation, conceit, and metaphor. Sonnet 73 is a popular example of his use of these principles to remind us of the fleeting nature of life as it fades to death while urging us to take advantage of the now in strengthening love and relationships.

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Leah's Draft Sonnet

Army Wife

The fear beings to grip my heart and clouds
my eyes with pools of terror, doubt, and pain.
His words bring news that has begun to shroud
The future's crystal vision with dark rain--
uncertainties, which make the mind grow cold.
He'll walk away and try to steel his nerve
Yet I can see his happiness so bold
Now that he goes across the sea to serve
With flag upon his shoulder and his heart.
I am determined to be strong for him
While he defends our country. My sweetheart,
Away from me, at times I'll feel so grim.
To be alone and not know where he'll be--
Is this the sacrifice God meant for me?


This is something pretty personal that is going on in my life because it looks like my husband will be up for deployment next year. I found that it was difficult to accurately express what I was feeling while at the same time counting syllables, stresses, and trying to rhyme. Does it seem like I was able to get my message across? Are there any phrases or sentences that don't make sense?

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Sonnet 73 Informal Research

Just looking around the internet gave me a few great sources for my sonnet analysis research:

---On the libraries search engine I found this awesome looking book with some analysis of many of Shakespeare's sonnets! It looks pretty good after just skimming it, so I'm excited to look at it more in depth.

---This source might seem a little odd but it looks like I found another class blog all about literature and many of them posted about Shakespeare's Sonnet 73. I thought I'd check this one out too! This source will help me branch out into what our peers outside of BYU are saying.

---This one is also a little different but I stumbled upon it and thought it was neat. This is someone performing Sonnet 73 in ASL. I think it gives us a window into a lot of the emotion and feeling that is meant to be behind this poem, rather than just the words. It's very visual!

---Lastly, even though my husband isn't all that interested in Shakespeare, I always talk over some of my ideas with him. I sat down and brainstormed some topics with him that I could discuss in my paper. It's always helpful to have someone to bounce ideas off of!

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Leah's Analysis of Sonnet 73

Sonnet 73 is the third in a series of four sonnets that all talk about the demise of the poet, general aging, and death. The words "yellow leaves" also seem to allude to the "papers, yellowed with their age," included in sonnet 17. He also uses a lot of weather imagery to create a sense of dying or dreariness.

Sonnet 73 bears the most similarities in form as well with those other sonnets in the series. Sonnet 97 also uses a similar method of using the seasons to express the passing of time, a conceit Shakespeare uses frequently. Overall, in our discussion we felt that sonnets 74 and 97 had the most similarities with 73.

I would summarize sonnet 73 as such:

In me, you can now see the ending of a year,

With yellowing leaves on the trees,

whose branches shake in the cold

where the birds used to sit and sing.

You can see in me the darkening of the sky,

the sunset that fades as it turns dark.

Death puts sleep on everyone.

My life is also a fire,

where the ashes are the youth I used to have,

Just like the death-bed, my life taking over what it used to be made of,

You understand this, which makes your love stronger,

To love well, which you will soon have to leave.

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