This morning, Moo told me she’s begun reading Romeo and Juliet. I asked her if she thinks she has a good grasp on it. She said she doesn’t care because she doesn’t like Shakespeare. I gasped. I tried to sell Shakespeare.
“Really? Is he too brilliant for you?”
“I guess.”
“But Moo, he made up words, just like you!”
“Mmhm.”
“We still use them all the time!”
“Mmhm.”
On and on I blathered.
Shit English majors say.
Nothing I said got more than a polite nod.
A polite nod to Shakespeare.
THE BARD.
My parents tried to sell me word games, good-for-you cookies, golf, gardening, coasters, music, auto racing, doing the dishes immediately, tact, arts n’ crafts, getting my hair out of my face, cooking and baking, waiting for marriage, love of travel, thyme, bird watching, hot weather, weak coffee, and something called “saving”???
Eh, ya win some, ya lose some.
And you?
Jot!
joeyfullystated 
This “saving” thing of which you speak. Can you elaborate?
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Hah! I dunno, it was somethin about like how some people have enough shoes and books and they just cook their own food at home and then they have something called ‘extra money?’ I never quite understood, more of a you-can’t-take-it-with-you kinda person, myself.
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Im more of a John Milton fan. Othello is one of my favorite stories though.
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OTHELLO IS MY FAVORITE ❤
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Are you fuckin’ kiddin’ me? You must be the only woman in the multiverse who loves Othello. I’ve never met another. This is like no liking to go to the grocery / loving to go to the grocery. A difference, but we love each other nevertheless.
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NOPE.
“She loved me for the dangers I had passed, and I loved her that she did pity them.” Oh it wrings me out. I love many of them, but Othello is my favorite.
And yes, vive la difference!
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If only it wasn’t Shakespeare 😉
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Aww. Pity.
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Yeah, parental sales pitches don’t seem to work like they used to.
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I wonder if there are some courses offered nearby so that I can learn more about Shakespeare. I will look into it.
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YOU SHOULD. PS: I told Moo about pupkus. You also got a polite nod, so you know, you’re right up there with Shakespeare in her book!
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🙂 As Carole King once put it:
Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose
And sometimes the blues get a hold of you
Ah, just when you thought you had made it
I always enjoyed Shakespeare and started the girls on his works with simple versions, working our way up each year of homeschool. At one point, we went to a production in downtown Cleveland and when the curtain went up, our younger daughter disparagingly said something to the effect of, “Eww, a modern production!” Quite funny.
janet
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P.S. The Bard is much better when read aloud or seen live.
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Well of course! I don’t think teachers attempt to assign reading plays anymore. Today in Moo’s class they practiced casting Shakespearean insults 😛
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The Mister and I love the Shakespeare as does Sassy, so at least we got that ONE kid! lol
I have liked a few modern ones, love 1996 — and the MUSIC, ooh! but I have also preferred more of the English productions.
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Ha! I remember when my mom tried to sell me on dress lengths that went to the knee when I was in high school. This was during the 70’s, the time of short skirts and hot pants. Thank goodness I learned to sew my own clothes.
I’m not sure what to think of Moo and her lack of Shakespearean excitement. I’ve not read all of his works and I’d be lying if I said I completely understood him, but I’m always held captive by the plays I attend.
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Well ya know, the plays are the thing 😛
It’s just sad. The Mister and I do love the Shakespeare. I feel sad she doesn’t. But she has her non-fiction… and her rocks…
I am glad you got to show off your legs! Sewing FTW!
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Weak coffee? Coasters? Oh, dear.
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I KNOW! When they visit, I like to take the coasters off the tables and watch them hover and wince. Haha!
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haha! I love that!!
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ME TOOOOO! 🙂
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Romeo and Juliet is the only one I ever remember reading and I liked the movie (the old one with Olivia Hussey and Leonard Whiting, although the Leonardo DiCaprio version was okay.
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LOVE the 1996 one 🙂
Okay, I kinda love them all, and I think the English productions are better overall.
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Hair? What hair? Pfft. 😉
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*exhales an upward huff*
*hair moves briefly*
I know, right?
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😉 hehe
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She’ll understand some day…until, I guess it will be all Greek to her! 🙂
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🙂
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Let her watch Kenneth Branagh do the plays. He’s cute – and makes them come alive.
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Doesn’t he though? It’s like that man was born to Shakespeare!
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There’s still time to win Moo over, I do believe, Joey, as she starts connecting the dots from Willie S to things that relate in her world.
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I sure hope so!
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Miss Sunshine said they are about to Romeo & Juliet and the teacher asked in anyone is willing to act out parts in class. She’s a big NOPE. Even though her mother spent all of high school in theater classes. And her paternal grandmother taught English to high school Seniors for a time and ran all the plays in the county for the recreation department for a different time. lol.
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*start*. My mind works much faster than my fingers.
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You. You know my pain. LOL Sometimes the apples do fall far from the trees! 😛 Thank you, Amy!
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Lol. You do win some and lose some. What else can you do?
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🙂
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Mary and I were just talking about this. Neither one of us is especially enthused about Shakespeare. De gustibus non est disputandum.
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Vero.
A pity still. (For me)
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Seeing a good version of the play, or movie, and of course having a teacher who takes the time to translate and put it all into historical context certainly helps a lot. I was lucky to have that with most of the Shakespeare we studied in highschool and came out of the experience loving the Bard. But I can see how it might not be an easy thing for everyone to fall in love with. Perhaps a different play with a different teacher at a different time…who knows, she may still surprise you.
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I sure hope so. She may well be the odd-woman out on this, but there is hope, hm? Thanks!
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In high school Shakespeare’s language was hard to understand. Plays and movies helped. In college I played the role of Helena in A Midsummer Night’s Dream and have loved that play ever since. I hope Moo gets to see some Shakespeare movies or plays.
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I hope so too. She’s seen a few. It’s apparently not her thing at this point.
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She’s still young. 🙂
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Shakespeare was a no-go for me until I saw a live play. Then it was pure love!
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🙂
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I got somewhat lucky with my two regarding Shakespeare. I found a series of his works written in Old English on one page and the opposite page had the modern English equivalent which helped them both so much and they got through several of his works. By the time they were in High School, they were less afraid of the old English. Big Baby Boy bought the complete works in Old English while in College. It wasn’t even on his required reading list!
I won’t go into all the things I tried to sell them that were complete fails!
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Haha, fair enough.
Well done. A good concordance goes a long way!
I was an English major and Shakespeare was a contributor to that decision. The Mister isn’t even a word person and STILL his Shakespeare collection is one of his prized possessions.
❤ True Love Components!
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Indeed! ❤
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Maybe start her off with some of the funny sonnets? 130 is a hoot, might warm her up to him a little.
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How do I say this… ?
Moo is not a child who can be…. enticed. LOL Suggestion is not welcome. She must be directed, ordered. She’s not like my other kids that way.
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lol! The boy is the same as far as reading goes. This is probably the thing we butt heads on the most, he is just so resistant to trying out the books I suggest to him. When he eventually does, he enjoys it, but he doesn’t like for me to recommend stuff. *rolls eyes*
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I KNOW! And doesn’t it make you crazy, because it’s your thing? You’re all, I KNOW STUFF, MAN! and people be like meh, no thanks.
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