Reflection

Learning Outcomes
1. Gain Shakespeare Literacy
Phineas and Ferb... and Shakespeare?
The Merchant of Venice: Play Production
Comparisons of Hamlet 
Love's Labour's Lost Performance
2. Analyze Shakespeare Critically
We are Such Stuff as Dreams are Made of
Princess Potential
The Merchant of Venice
Friendship
Music in Myself
Character Analysis: Merchant of Venice
The Merchant of Venice: Play Production
Comparisons of Hamlet
Confession? 
Intertextuality 
Character Analysis: Hamlet
Not More Man-like than Cleopatra
Love?
Antony and Cleopatra and Romeo and Juliet
Antony and Cleopatra: Character Analysis
Character Analysis: King Lear
Colors and Love's Labour's Lost
Love's Labour's Lost Performance
Breaking Iambic Pentameter
3. Engage Shakespeare Creatively
Character Analysis: Merchant of Venice 
Character Analysis: Hamlet
Antony and Cleopatra: Character Analysis
Possible Rendition for Final Project
Character Analysis: King Lear
Validation
Shakespeare Pranks
Possible Scene for Final Project
Puck's Love
Prank Rendition
4. Share Shakespeare Meaningfully
The Merchant of Venice
Music in Myself 
Antony and Cleopatra and Romeo and Juliet
Puck's Love
5. Gain Digital Literacy
Band of Brothers
Phineas and Ferb... and Shakespeare?
The Merchant of Venice
Music in Myself
Religious Intolerance
Confession
Possible Rendition for Final Project
Shakespeare Pranks
Possible Scene for Final Project
Prank Rendition

Looking back through this semester, I have noticed how much I have grown, particularly with respect to digital literacy. I have never been very tech-savvy. And now I have a blog, I've used recording equipment for my final project, and I have learned how to more effectively research information. I say that was a success this semester for me. I still have difficulty sharing my opinions with others, but I am more open about it now. I have linked my blog to Facebook a couple times and I've shared with some of my friends about Shakespeare. I know I progressively got better at analyzing material. I often took what we learned in class one night and tried to include it in my later blog posts. I have a new appreciation for Shakespeare since taking this class, and I get excited when I realize something in the media and life can be connected back to Shakespeare. I honestly never knew how much of a contribution to society Shakespeare really was. We have so many phrases to thank him for. From this class I have also discovered that I really love food. Why else would I compare Shakespeare's characters to so many different food products? Shakespeare is so adaptable. You can really easily relate him and his works to whatever you feel like, and it works. I think that's partially why Shakespeare has become such a powerfully influential man. He knew how to relate to others. 
Throughout the semester I steadily improved my habits in our class assignments. I started with trying to scrape together a blog post that I could talk about to writing little notes beside my reading to go back to and research. Just doing that made blogging so much easier. I also figured out a better way to guarantee I read the assigned Shakespeare works and I tried various formats. The one thing I know I could have done better was communicating with others-commenting on their blogs. I was slowly improving but then our final project preparation started and I focused solely on that on my group members blogs. Overall, I think I've done good :) I can definitely see the improvement and learning that has occurred throughout the semester.

Breaking Iambic Pentameter

Shakespeare would often break iambic pentameter to show feeling in his plays. Whether it be contemplation, anger, or general emphasis, several examples can be found of when he does break from the norm. 
Examples:
1. "To be, or not to be: that is the question" (Hamlet III.i.)
          -this phrase of Hamlet's is eleven syllables, rather than the traditional ten. The break in iambic pentameter gives the appearance of contemplation for the reader. 
2. "Where hast thou been, my heart? Dost thou hear, lady?" (Antony and Cleopatra III.xiii.)
          -this phrase of Mark Antony's is eleven syllables, and emphasizes the emotion in his voice as he is about to head off to war, and perhaps never see Cleopatra again.
3. "Had I your tongues and eyes, I'd use them so/ That heaven's vault should crack. She's gone forever!" (King Lear V.iii.)
          -this phrase of King Lear's is eleven syllables, and emphasizes the anger and heart-wrenching emotion in his voice as he laments the death of his favorite daughter: Cordelia. Through his experience he not only realizes she's gone, but how wrong he was to act how he did originally. 
As I was researching breaks in iambic pentameter, I did realize something though. Typically when Shakespeare breaks one line, he tends to break another line or two following it. I never noticed that before.

Prank Rendition

So it's not very long, but I figured it could go something like this. Keep in mind this is probably occurring while Puck is on his mission to find the "Forget-me Juice" ingredient of Oberon's. So while traveling through the forest, Puck decides to have a little fun :)

Puck:
My dearest Ortegia, be thou like
the dew upon these trees, fresh to behold. 
For our love forever replenishes.
And gives life to all that comes before it.
      [pauses, sees two individuals]
Ah, now what be of these two travelers? 
Man and lady beneath the canopy,
They maketh the leaves their chamber.
To alter their way, prolonging their stay
Such merriness it shall be! To fool,
Mislead, and cause them genuine distress, 
Ensureth me as Robin Goodfellow.
     [picks up some of their possessions, stashing them elsewhere]
With this compass, no longer they be fixed,
To know where their destination shall be.
Hither and thither, forever they'll go.
All caused to their now misplaced property.
     [Travelers stir]
Now quick I retreat, to watch distantly
And let their confounding begin shortly.


Traveler 1: 
Awake, my precious, for we must now go
For the sun soon descends the horizon.

Traveler 2:
The time pass too quickly, nevertheless,
Let us gather what we behold. Now wait,
where hast our compass gone? 
For beside me no more can it be found. 


Traveler 1:
To cause, our lost position, what can'st be done?


Puck: 
     [to self]
What fun! What fun! I enjoyeth this so!
My task for Oberon I now must go.