The Slaphappy Shakespeare Society

          So today was kind of a big day for me. I’ll just come right out and say it… today was the day that I learned to like Shakespeare (at least so far).  It might have had something to do with the people I read with. It might have something to do with the intensity of the play. It might even have something to do with the determined mood I was in. But that’s not the point. The point is that I actually enjoyed it.

          I’ll be honest. I think I read one Shakespeare play in my lifetime. And that was yearsssss ago. The younger me couldn’t handle the Shakespearean language. So I made the decision I did not like it and am ashamed to say that I have sorta, kinda, possibly avoided Shakespeare ever since. I think it was more to do with fear and trepidation than anything else. Shakespeare is one of the most (or quite possibly THE most) famous author of all time. My brain told me I HAD to like it. How dare I dislike the work of so famous and highly regarded an author! So instead of facing the fact that I once again might not enjoy one of his plays, I decided to just not read them all together. Then I didn’t have to make a decision, right? WRONG. Sooner or later I was bound to have to come to terms with my fear… especially while taking an AP Lit class. (Did I really think I would be able to get out of that?)

          Anyway, I had been slightly behind on my reading this week when I sat down this morning to start the book. That’s when I learned about… SHAKESPEAREAN TIP NUMBER 1: clear the room of all distractions (or all little brothers and cats) so that you don’t have to look up every 10 seconds and lose your place in the Shakespearean madness… So I started reading. (Keep in mind that I was only planning on reading Act 1 and then moving on to my psychology textbook.) OH! And by the way, the play is Othello, the Moor of Venice. So I read the first words of Roderigo, “Tush, never tell me! I take it much unkindly / That thou, Iago, who hast had my purse / As if the strings were thine, shouldst know of this.” Oh great, I thought, I’ve only read the first line and I don’t even understand it. But I kept plowing through, knowing that I needed to read it to complete the assignment. That’s when I discovered… SHAKESPEAREAN TIP NUMBER 2: if you do not understand the first scene of a Shakespeare play, do not give up. Push through the old English and do your best to paraphrase what is happening in your head. You will soon forget it is old English… Ok, so maybe not forget that it is written in old English. But, honestly, that’s what happened to me. By the time I was reading scene 3 of Act 1 I found myself actually understanding what was going on! Well, that’s a start! I though out loud and continued to read about the schemes “good ol’ Will” had thought up.

          That’s when I discovered that some of my Lit friends were going to be reading aloud Act 3 of Othello over Skype. The Slaphappy Shakespeare Society. Now that sounded like fun. So, seeing that I was still on the first act, I settled down with a cup of tea and a granola bar to catch up and join this slaphappy society. That’s when I realized… SHAKESPEAREAN TIP NUMBER 3: Shakespeare is not one of those slow plot line, boring stories. There are life threats, arguments, plot twists, and comedic surprises (at least in Othello)… I looked up from my page at the end of Act 2. And couldn’t believe I had just spent about 2 hours reading almost 40 pages of something I didn’t even think I’d like. It wasn’t bad, and I was just in time for the Shakespeare society. Turns out, I was playing Othello. This should be fun. Acting is the best, especially with friends. Then I thought of… SHAKESPEAREAN TIP NUMBER 4: reading plays out loud with friends, in dramatic voices, pausing to discuss things that don’t make much sense, cracking up at the weird lines and gasping in shock at the plot twists, is the perfect way to begin enjoying a book even more… After this epic book club reading and discussion, I read back over Act 3 of Othello. Wow, I thought, I actually enjoyed that. Yes, the friends helped. Yes, the determination helped. Yes, the intensity of this specific play helped. But, guess what? Besides the extras that had helped me along, I actually enjoyed the Shakespeare play itself.

          So I’d like to give a shout out to Kathermona (Katherine/Desdemona), Abbio (Abby/Cassio), Luciago (Lucie/Iago), and Clarilia (Clara/Emilia) (and Noellers (Noelle) too for letting me be Othello (or Jennello) in your absence). Today was kinda a big day for me. I LIKE SHAKESPEARE NOW! And I’m pretty sure I can contribute about 76.2% of that to you guys. Although, we haven’t read the last two acts yet (and I’ve heard there are some tragic plot twists ;P) I’m excited to have a whole new world of literature opened up for my entertainment and reading/writing growth. So THANK YOU GIRLS. And thank you Mr. Shakespeare too. 😉

P.S.

Here’s a recording of our Act 1 reading, if you interested. This one features Noello (Noelle/Othello) instead of Jennello (Jenna/Othello) :

https://soundcloud.com/user-714348023/othello-act-1-reading-february-23-2016

Featuring our fantastic cast:

Duke of Venice: Ryan (Katherine’s brother)

Brabantio: Abby

First Senator: Katherine

Second Senator: Lucie

Othello: Noelle

Cassio: Abby

Iago: Lucie

Roderigo: Clara

Desdemona: Katherine

Sailor: Clara

Narrator of Stage Directions: Katherine

 

WARNINGS: Lots of interruptions (“What does this even mean?”), giggling, confusion over casting, and other general distractions.