Monday, August 17, 2009

Chapter 6

I think I've mentioned this at least a couple fo times, but there are an endless amount of allusions to Shakespeare throughout our culture. I've even heard allusions to Shakespeare on the soap opera The Young and the Restless! (Yes, I watch it. It's trash. I love it. But hey--if they're quoting Shakespeare it can't be that bad!!!) Why? Because Shakespeare's plays, plots, and characters are real life. Even though we may not see actual ghosts on the top of our castles, we (as a society) deal with step-parents, lost love, jealously, mental illness, war, murder, and all of the countless other subjects of his plays, on a daily basis. I think that's why Shakespeare is used so much still today. His plays mirror the many aspects of our lives.

What do you think? What allusions can you remember? Did any of those listed in the chapter sound familiar? Why do you think Shakespeare is so popular?

17 comments:

  1. I don't really read that much so I can't recall any books that involved an allusion from Shakespeare. I have however watched "West Side Story" when I had Mrs. Buchanan and I saw in that how it goes right along with Romeo and Juliet. I think Shakespeare is so popular, because he is widely known and he was a very wise author.

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  2. I think that Shakespeares stories and characters are relatable to real life and that that is why they are still used today. In the book the author mentioned how Shakespeares works have been recreated multiple times in works such as plays, movies, and books. And as you said Mrs. Thompson you can find allusions even on soap operas!!! The allusions that stuck out the most to me in this chapter were- double, double, toil and trouble which i heard actually on a mary kate and ashley movie from way back when, to thine own self be true i heard on countless high school movies and shows where the students are mocking Shakespeare, and the same for to be, or not to be, that is the question. I think that Shakespeare is so popular because he was one of the first great writers to introduce ideas for literature such as a love story like romeo and juliet and etc. I think that his works are classics and classics whether it be a classic little black dress or whatever never gets old or tired out.

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  3. I believe, like the author states, that many authors/writers borrow their ideas from Shakespeare even without knowing sometimes. It has rained so long, it seems as though it has rained for 40 days and nights. This is reference to Noah's Arc which is a well-known event. Unfortunately i really don’t remember any of the allusions in the chapter. I believe Shakespeare is so popular today because his plays contain issues and characters that today’s society can relate to.

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  4. i believe it is as the author states the writers do use shakespeare. i haven't read the books that are stated in the chapter so i not sure about how close they are to Shakespeare's works. i believe shakespeare is popular today because of the love, murder and war they so often have relates to society today

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  5. Shakespeare is widely known for his well rounded stories and plays. In this chapter Stratford- upon- Avon is mentioned within the first or so pages. Movies have been made out of this just like Shakespeare's other story Romeo and Juliet. I mean some of his terms and stories are used today in everyday life. All of his plays dealt with something that anyone can endure today. Sure we don't go marry someone we've met within 24 hours. But some of the trials of the story are like some modern ones. I, myself, have a favorite Shakespeare quote which is " All the world's a stage,/ And all the men and women merely players". I mean he's easily one of the most popular play writers of our time. He can relate to so many people, i personally think that he was so popular in his time because not just one audience could relate i mean, he made sense to the rich, poor, and middle class. He had a wide audience.

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  7. I think Shakespeare is so popular and still used even today because all of his works can somehow be related to something modern. Everything may not match up perfectly with a literary work but there will still be some general allusion to Shakespeare. The main one I can think of that can be compared to Shakespeare is a line from the newer batman movie "The Dark Knight". A quote from the movie says "You thought we could be decent men in an indecent time." which is cohesive to the question from page 45 in our book " What does it mean, though, to become a worthy successor in an unworthy enterprise?"...I've read a lot of Shakespeare so many of the quotes mentioned in the beginning of this chapter sounded familiar, especially Romeo and Juliet!! : )

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  8. Shakespeare's plays as we all know are famous, and still famous today. I mean a lot of them are movies. 10 Things I Hate You, Williams Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, and many others. Who hasn't quoted Shakespeare, or seen his play? I believe we are all impacted by him. He defined writing and story telling just like Poe and Stephen King. Actually, they were impacted by Shakespeare. The quotes listed, I know most of them. Shakespeare will always be popular today, 100 years from today, and I'm willing to bet on that.

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  9. I always hear in movies and stuff using shakespeare quotes. He is popular because he basiclly invented romance and tragedy. We borrow movies and ideas from him all the time. So, as long as we keep having sappy romance comedys and such, and sad movies, then we will always be a culture affected by shakespeare.

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  10. None of the allusions in chapter 6 sounded really familiar and Im not a Shakespear expert in anyway at all. I can recall some of the quotes Shakespear has used such as to be, or not to be or double, double, toil and trouble but besides that Im Shakespear illiterate. But I believe Shakespear is so popular because everything he has written about does contain to our lives now and even peoples lives in the future. Death and everything will always be a part of our daily lives and Shakespear has hit the nail on the head on writing dramas about pretty much our lives so people reflect back on older times and literature and see that and relate to it.

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  11. Although I read quite a bit, there has never been a time that I have read a book that had an allusion to Shakespeare in it, at least with me have any knowledge of it. However one of the quotes from chapter 6 did look familiar, I remember "To Thine Own Self Be True", I heard it in a song by one of my favorite singers. I believe that Shakespeare is so popular because, he was on of the most amazing writers of his time, and many people have you his works to refer to before, so they still you use them because they are so easy to relate to.

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  12. I can remember a lot of movies or shows on t.v. quoting Shakespeare and what not. The most common quote that I have heard is "To be or not to be, that is the question." I was also familiar with"double, double, toil, and trouble" though I'm not sure where from. Shakespeare is popular because his writings all seemed ahead of their time, and that is why everyone can relate to his works.

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  13. I've heard so many of those quptes in movies and T.V shows. Shakespeare was popular, I think, because he was romantic...although I don't think I would ever kill myself...idk for sure..."To thine own self be true." is a line from the Reba song "Fancy"

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  14. The only allusion from Shakespeare that i can remember right now is West Side Story. In that story, the jets and sharks are battling gangs. It is an allusion to Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. In that story, the two families are fighting the whole time too. I believe Shakespeare was so popular because he wrote different types of stories and pretty much everyone could relate to them.

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  15. Shakespeare is widely know because he , to me, is the father of plays. He wrote various kinds of them. Back in the day Will Smith had nothing on shakespeare. I think of star wars as an allusion to Romeo and Juliet. The balance of the force is battling and fighting. Shakespeare is the best.

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  16. the only work that ive, read/watched that followed a story of shakespeare closely is westside story. Im not too familiar with shakespeare, but in west side story there are two gangs that dont get along and then a person from each gang falls in love with eachother and it is an allusion to romeo and juliet. Shakespeare is probably still used so much today because he wrote about real life, things that happen everyday

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  17. i have read a few shakespeare allusions in stories, but i didnt really know any of the allusions in the chapter. i think that shakespeare is so popular is because he used things that happen in real life in his plays.

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