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Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 3.15.97: Top | Help
Sorry for shouting, but I feel very passionately about this subject.I am a high school senior and have been a passionate lover of Shakespeare for the past two years.
(Ironically enough, my appreciation for the Bard started not when I read Romeo & Juliet in 9th grade or Julius Caesar in 10th; rather, it was when I saw SSE perform Hamlet two years ago. That was my first experience with Shakespeare on the stage, and it changed my perception of his works forever. I notice that SSE is the Shakespeare Web's resident company -- a hearty KUDOS to you all!)
Anyway, back to Merchant. One of the reasons that I feel particularly passionate about this play is because I am currently ACTING the part of Antonio in a student-directed production of MoV! Two other seniors and myself chose to do this play precisely because it is a "problem play" and because of the provocative nature of the issues contained therein. (We figure, if we're graduating we might as well go out with a bang!)
So are we, a group of high schoolers, incompetent to evaluate the issues involved in Merchant? Are we not ready to deal with the prejudices of the people in the play? Can we not distinguish between what a character believes and what is moral and ethical?
Give me a break.
To deny students the privilege of reading a play like Merchant in the classroom is to insult the intelligence of each and EVERY high school student in this country. The same goes for banning books like Huck Finn. We are so concerned about our kids not knowing the difference between reality and fantasy on the movie screen, but the way to solve this problem is not by denying students the privilege to read about many different types of people!
Should Merchant be taught? YES. Should it be supervised? YES. The teacher should point out that yes, Antonio is anti-Semitic with a passion, and Gratiano and the two S-guys that hang around Antonio are just as bad. BUT the teacher should also point out that Bassanio, Portia, and Nerissa are not anti-Semitic, and that Antonio's prejudices eventually wind up putting our good Merchant in neck-high trouble when his bond comes due. The students should also see a GOOD theatrical production (or video) of the play, so they can grasp innuendoes in the spoken word that so often go unnoticed during a dry reading.
Oh dear. Am I actually suggesting that high school teachers get off their butts and TEACH Shakespeare? Am I suggesting that they use a play as a vehicle to describe and evaluate people, relationships, and prejudices? Am I suggesting that they encourage students to actively discuss and critically analyze a text? Am I suggesting that they not insult the intelligence of their English classes?
You're bloody right I am. Our students deserve nothing less.
Regards,
~R~Posted by Rogue on March 31, 1997 at 13:57:33
In Reply to "Should Merchant of Venice be taught at High School level? " posted by Tricia Scow on March 28, 1997 at 07:48:49
Replies | Post Reply | Shakespeare Queries From Genuinely Interested Students 3.15.97: Top | Help