WOW-Even Shakespeare Can't Get The Book Banning Break?
Even William Shakespeare can’t get a break on the book ban. Who knew it would come to this. Well. That MacBeth was a little rough. In my ninth grade literature class we girls had to learn Lady Macbeths “out damn spot” speech. Ms. Martineu was such a hippie. We absolutely loved her. I attended high school in the Detroit City School System and Bill Shakepseare had it going on in the urb’s also.
If students can’t even read Shakespeare in American high schools due to its “raunchiness”, I guess the Bible is off limits. That Old Testament was not go PG. I mean Sodom and Gomorrah. Those daughters, the incest. Wow.
To all the students out there-if you can’t read Romeo and Juliet or Taming of the Shrew in class, I would like to give your my top 5 Shakespeare films you can watch at home while streaming on your favorite site.
I give them all a 👍🏾 thumbs up.
Much Ado About Nothing(1993)- Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thompson, Denzel Washington, Keanu Reeves, even Michael Keaton (Batman) was in this one.
Romeo and Juliet (1996)-Leonardo DICaprio, John Leguizamo, Harold Perrineau ( was was so good as Mercutio), Paul Sorvino and even Paul Rudd.
King Lear (2018)- Sir Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Emily Watson, and Andrew Scott.
Othello (2014) - Denzel Washington (as Othello - seriously- not some white guy in black face- IKR), Kate Winslett, Matt Damon, his twin (kidding) Ben Affleck, Natalie Portman, Orlando Bloom, and Al Pacino
(Check out the movie Serpico this was not Shakespeare, but pretty darn close and based on a true story).
The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021) - Denzel Washington (as Macbeth, damn he was good in this role), France McDormand, Brendan Gleason, Alex Hassell, Bertie Carvel, Miles Anderson, and James Udom (so good in the Sandman on Netflix).
By now you may have noticed a theme Yes! Denzel. He does Shakespeare so wonderfully.
Shakespeare is a Classic. You can’t learn Shakespeare from exerts, you can’t learn Shakespeare from cliffnotes. Shakespeares words must be spoken to be understood, must be heard to be appreciated. I say to Florida, and all other states that have now banned African American AP, AP psychology, Womens Studies, Shakespeare, the Bible? Who are you afraid of? Virgina Wolfe!
Know this if a 13 year old girl from Detroit, Michigan can recite a speech she was made to learn by some far out hippie style english Lit Teacher and fall in love with William Shakespeare and learn to love books and reading. Today is a good day.
CellyBlue - I Do Know this.
Those who seek to place us in thrall,
they fear knowledge most of all.
*Shakespeares words must be spoken to be understood, must be heard to be appreciated.*
A wonderful piece, but that was my favorite line. We had to read Shakespeare at my high school but we didn’t get see it or hear it. Which is, of course, the way it was meant to be appreciated. To paraphrase Churchill, I had finish school before I could begin my education.
To really freak out the squares, watch Julie Tamor’s film of Titus Andronricas