I really love Shakespeare

I do. I love teaching Hamlet and Macbeth; I always kind of preferred Macbeth, but this year I became a true believer in Hamlet's majesty. Maybe it is the enthusiasm of my two AP classes, or maybe it's the magnificent Kenneth Branaugh treatment - a four-hour extravaganza, but I feel like I finally truly "get" why it's considered by many to be the finest play ever written in English. The title character takes his audience through so many different emotions: exasperation, pity, horror, and admiration. Yes, he's a procrastinator, but maybe that's why he resonates so much with us. Few of us can identify with Macbeth - he's fascinating, but, let's be honest, he's a bit cartoony. His wife, though - WHOA!!! - she's what makes the play so great, but, still, I don't ever get that emotionally involved in the Scottish play, especially compared to the Greek plays it is so reminiscent of.

I find it a worthy challenge to try to make high school seniors see how Shakespeare can speak to them. Luckily, there are SO many resources out there to help. I think I'd like to go back to school and learn more about the Bard - maybe next semester?