To learn, or not to learn, that is the question (19.04.2022)
On the 23rd of April the whole world celebrates the birthday of William Shakespeare, the greatest English poet and playwright of all times. On this occasion we had a small tour to the 16th century, the time of the reign of Elizabeth I, when the art of theatre thrived.
To gain new knowledge about Shakespeare, there was an informative trivia in which we had to guess whether the fact about Shakespeare was true or not. In a pleasant way we learned that his father was a glove maker, he had 7 siblings, that at the age of 18 he married to Anne Hathaway who was older than him (26) and already pregnant, that in the famous picture of him a hoop earring was real and many other appealing facts from his biography. We received sweet prizes for the correct answers. As people say, the brain works better after sweets.
After the presentation there was a video about the Globe Theatre, its history and unusual facts about it. In addition to the video, we were to make some exercises on understanding of the new phrases which were coined by the great dramatist and which gained popularity today. We also got acquainted with the brilliant quotations by William Shakespeare: “All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players”, “When words are scarce they are seldom spent in vain”, “Wisely, and slow. They stumble that run fast.”
And, as the pearl of this day, our group learned by heart the most well-known sonnet by Shakespeare – Sonnet 18. Each student prepared a certain part of the sonnet and recited it in front of the camera for the next generations.
Here’s a way for you, the reader, to celebrate this day. Reread your favorite sonnet by Shakespeare, watch one of his plays at your local theatre or on the Internet, and drink some fine tea (or grape juice) with fine film “Shakespeare in Love”. We wish you happy Shakespeare day!
(by Violetta Pavlova and Anastasia Makarevich)
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