6 ms·

For what purpose does memorizing Shakespeare serve? Shakespeare is clever, bawdy, and often amusing, and you have to be even more clever to understand it. A lo

by ant5 16y ago

For what purpose does memorizing Shakespeare serve? Shakespeare is clever, bawdy, and often amusing, and you have to be even more clever to understand it. A lot his wordplay is based on idioms no longer in active use. Take, for example, Act 1, Scene 1 (http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/Romeo_and_Juliet/2.html http://www.shakespeare-literature.com/Romeo_and_Juliet/2.htm...) SAMPSON 'Tis all one, I will show myself a tyrant: when I have fought with the men, I will be cruel with the maids, and cut off their heads. GREGORY The heads of the maids? SAMPSON Ay, the heads of the maids, or their maidenheads; take it in what sense thou wilt. 'Maidenheads' as a colloquial term for a woman's virginity (or more crudely, her hymen). Or Act 1, Scene 3 NURSE And since that time it is eleven years; For then she could stand alone; nay, by the rood, She could have run and waddled all about; For even the day before, she broke her brow: And then my husband--God be with his soul! A' was a merry man--took up the child: 'Yea,' quoth he, 'dost thou fall upon thy face? Thou wilt fall backward when thou hast more wit; Wilt thou not, Jule?' and, by my holidame, The pretty wretch left crying and said 'Ay.' To see, now, how a jest shall come about! I warrant, an I should live a thousand years, I never should forget it: 'Wilt thou not, Jule?' quoth he; And, pretty fool, it stinted and said 'Ay.' The nurse is speaking of her husband and Juliet. As a small child, she 'waddled all about', fell on her face and 'broke her bow'. The husband asks, amused -- when you have more wit, will you not fall on your back? The young Juliet clearly innocently replies 'Ay', likely sending everyone tittering -- to fall on her back when she has more wit is an oblique reference to her having sex (on her back) when she's older (has more wit). It's crude, inappropriate, and -- at least to me -- pretty damn funny, in the story's context. It also has a hell of a lot to do with "words arranged in a particular order", and the nuances of the meanings of words. Memorizing it forces you to study the text more deeply than you likely have before. I've never made use of Shakespeare as a programmer, but I still remember reading his works in school -- and the significant appreciation I had for the art and cleverness of it. I even memorized the entire Queen Mab Speech for extra credit (I'm glad I didn't refuse!). It did help that I went to a private school where the teacher was intelligent enough to explain the word-play to us, and didn't avoid the less appropriate aspects of it.

tkahn6 16y ago
I've found that process of deciphering Shakespeare is as exhilarating as attempting to comprehend a new topic in mathematics. It feels like I'm using the same parts of my brain. I do really enjoy reading and understanding Shakespeare. Memorizing Shakespeare, though, has nothing to do with this process. Of course one needs a working memory of the text to put it all in context, but rote memorization of a passage is orthogonal to understanding it.
- ant5 16y ago
  Memorizing Shakespeare, though, has nothing to do with this process. Of course one needs a working memory of the text to put it all in context, but rote memorization of a passage is orthogonal to understanding it. I can only say that memorizing a large passage of shakespeare was demanding and interesting to me in ways I hadn't anticipated, yet still easier than I expected, and the passage and (positive) experience has stuck with me since junior high school (... and that's a long time).
- mquander 16y ago
  Asking students to memorize Shakespeare is a proxy for asking them to understand it. By asking them to memorize it, anyone with an intellect and an interest will take the opportunity to study it, while still leaving incapable students with a way to make the grade. If you don't think that incapable high school students ought to have a way to make the grade, you have a problem with a lot more than this teacher's assignment. That said, I think there are much worse things a teenager could do with his time than simply memorizing passages of literature. The art that lives in my mind has given me great comfort and inspiration already in my short life.
  - tkahn6 16y ago
    That's an interesting perspective. I think you may be right. The problem is that, when I've understood a passage from Shakespeare -- really understood it -- I still cannot recite it verbatim. I can tell you what it means, I could write a paper on it if you wanted me to, but memorizing it and being able to repeat it back to you word for word has nothing to do with my understanding of it. So, in my experience, it's a really poor proxy to assess one's understanding of the text.

by ant5 16y ago

tkahn6 16y ago

I've found that process of deciphering Shakespeare is as exhilarating as attempting to comprehend a new topic in mathematics. It feels like I'm using the same parts of my brain. I do really enjoy reading and understanding Shakespeare. Memorizing Shakespeare, though, has nothing to do with this process. Of course one needs a working memory of the text to put it all in context, but rote memorization of a passage is orthogonal to understanding it.

ant5 16y ago
Memorizing Shakespeare, though, has nothing to do with this process. Of course one needs a working memory of the text to put it all in context, but rote memorization of a passage is orthogonal to understanding it. I can only say that memorizing a large passage of shakespeare was demanding and interesting to me in ways I hadn't anticipated, yet still easier than I expected, and the passage and (positive) experience has stuck with me since junior high school (... and that's a long time).
mquander 16y ago
Asking students to memorize Shakespeare is a proxy for asking them to understand it. By asking them to memorize it, anyone with an intellect and an interest will take the opportunity to study it, while still leaving incapable students with a way to make the grade. If you don't think that incapable high school students ought to have a way to make the grade, you have a problem with a lot more than this teacher's assignment. That said, I think there are much worse things a teenager could do with his time than simply memorizing passages of literature. The art that lives in my mind has given me great comfort and inspiration already in my short life.
- tkahn6 16y ago
  That's an interesting perspective. I think you may be right. The problem is that, when I've understood a passage from Shakespeare -- really understood it -- I still cannot recite it verbatim. I can tell you what it means, I could write a paper on it if you wanted me to, but memorizing it and being able to repeat it back to you word for word has nothing to do with my understanding of it. So, in my experience, it's a really poor proxy to assess one's understanding of the text.