July 4, 2023
It\’s only a matter of time before some American student and his/her parent(s) are sufficiently offended by the bawdiness of ol\’ Willy — that Shakespeare is subsequently pulled from the English curriculum of that particular school district.
I wonder how it hasn\’t happened yet? Or, if it has already occurred, why I haven\’t heard about it yet?
I\’m not sure how other English teachers present Shakespeare to their classes, but I imagine it is quite a difficult enterprise without addressing the sexual innuendo (which I always did!).
I don\’t think I would have lasted very long in today\’s educational milieu.
Drawing from Romeo and Juliet — which has been part of the American public school curriculum forever — I cite a couple of examples whereof I speak — with regards to the aforementioned \”sexual innuendo.\” (Shakespeare scholars will have many more examples to give for that \”earthiness\” inherent in the works of the bard.)
Do you bite your thumb at us, sir? Doesn\’t the teacher have to explain this question and how it leads to the subsequent altercation — because it is a precursor to our contemporary flipping someone off; or giving them the finger; or, giving them the bird.
Or what about — A bawd, a bawd, a bawd. So ho! says Mercutio to Juliet\’s nurse? Don\’t students need to understand that Mercutio is calling the nurse a prostitute?
And what about King Lear\’s two daughters named Goneril and Regan — which I was taught (by a learned Shakespearean) to be a pun on the STD, gonorrhea.
Gosh! I\’m on a roll!! Let\’s examine Lady Macbeth\’s plea for the spirits to unsex her so that she could deal Duncan the death blow with a male hand — fearing that her female hand would be unable to accomplish the task. (Talk about gender identity confusion!)
The future looks bleak for the titan of the English language. He will not survive the censor\’s scissors if the Unwoke have their tunnel-visioned way! Being able to appreciate Shakespeare underlies most of the nation\’s English programs! Even Dr. Seuss is meant to eventually lead American students to an appreciation of the Master: Shakespeare casts a shadow over all that is English in US.
I should admit at this juncture that I am a Baconian and believe that Sir Francis wrote works attributed to Shakespeare from his exile in Germany. But that doesn\’t really matter — the Unwoke will go after the works attributed to the bard and his themes — which remain relevant to this day.
It\’s enough to make one Cry! Havok!
I wonder if Oedipus Rex and Antigone will go before or after Shakespeare — with their inescapable accounts of incest?
I also wonder when Animal Farm will become a \”classified\” reading? So far it has been spared (probably because the Hezbollah [Unwoke] mistake it for a benign fable?). But if six Dr. Seuss books were taken off the shelves — it\’s only a matter of time before the Hezbollah catch up to George Orwell (we\’re way past 1984).
Seems that there is no rescuing our public education system from the grasp of the Unwoke: led by Mr. 451 himself, Ron Desantis, and joined by many other illiterates. If Dr. Seuss is taken down, can Shakespeare be far behind?