TO SHAKESPEARE, WITH LOVE

               TO SHAKESPEARE,WITH LOVE

The title is akin to E.R. Braithwaite’s autobiographical novel To Sir,With Love isn’t

it?Yes! When I crafted the title , this novel came to my mind and I thought to put down a few words

on it as well.This novel recounts the story of a teacher who successfully tamed a bunch of good for

nothing students with his unconventional teaching techniques.One remarkable quality in that teacher

is his patience!Ultimately, the students couldn’t help but love the teacher whom they hated the

most…All student will have and should have a teacher of that sort-constantly monitoring

them,inspiring them,encouraging them and ofcourse putting up with their occasional or frequent

follies.This is one of the best teacher-student novels in English Literature and my favourite of the

like(other than this) includes The Professor by Charlotte Bronte. Well! If you ask me to describe Shakespeare I would say “What a piece of work is

[THIS] man!How noble in reason!How infinite in faculty!”I owe these words to Shakespeare himself

because at times our feelings would be too deep to be expressed in language.Not all admire

Shakespeare,In fact not all are lucky enough to fathom his greatness and love him!

But none can deny

that his unanimous fame remains incandescent till date.He is not one of the greatest but the greatest

of all the writers.Literature has witnessed many great dramatists,great poets,great sonneteers but not

many great writers.But Shakespeare was an exception-his pen was very agile and flexible with every

genre.It is as if words and genres voluntarily submitted themselves to his deft artistry.Some baser

words felt ashamed to stand infront of this great dramatist so they hid behind his face subsequently

new words were born out of his pen and found place in English Literary Canon.How great are the

works of his hands!

Can you imagine Shakespeare who penned the farcical love episode between

Titania and the clown in The Midsummer Night’s Dream was the man behind the Evergreen and Ever

lofty a love between Romeo and Juliet.The same is true of his characterization.There is seldom any

scholar who has not heard of Falstaff’s buffoonery in Henry Plays and Iago’s treachery in Othello.Two

contrasting characters of equal worth!People say Shakespeare was not a sacrosanct original!Yes..But

how does that matter…. his version surpassed the original! If he has managed to prove adept than the

original writer he should be commended and not condemned.

Regarding Shakespeare’s History Plays, a great writer of Twentieth Century opined that Shakespeare “glamorized and falsified a ruinous case

of sensual indulgence and debauchery.” But Shakespeare was neither a historian nor a chronicler, we

cannot expect him to document precise details ,besides he can only exalt his protagonists and not the

contrary. Shakespeare has always been a People’s Playwright.His plays were not meant to

be from the Ivory Tower of the Universities.The plays of this dramatist of “small Latin and less Greek ” were equally applauded by The Queen and by the Groundlings.Another silly yet grave censure we

hear of Shakespeare is that “He was not handsome!” Helena of Midsummer Night’s Dream has the

answer- “Love can transpose to form and dignity.Love looks not with eyes,but with the mind.And

therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”Therefore you cannot defy his admirers for coveting

him.This is Shakespeare’s distinctiveness, he himself can refute the censure against him!Coming to his

command on Language,his bombastic use of striking words are unparalleled…Dubious Hamlet who

shouted violently at Ophelia “Get thee to a Nunnery,go,farewell.Or,if thou wilt needs marry,marry a

fool;…….To a nunnery,go;” is a foil to Othello who in the beginning trusted his beloved Desdemona as

he would himself “I know that my wife is fair,loves company and feasting…………but where virtue

is,these qualities are virtuous.I must have proof before I think her dishonest.” Coming to his women

characters-Juliet’s yearning for her Dearest Romeo “O Romeo,Romeo! Wherefore art thou

Romeo?…..Refuse thy name for my sake;or if thou wilt not,be but my sworn Love,” can easily be

contrasted with Imogen’s agonized outcry in Cymbeline “My dear Posthumus,thou art a false one!” Be it Love or Hatred,Pangs of separation or Mirth of Togetherness….Shakespeare can do Miracles!

Shakespeare,The Eternal Lover is equally at home with other kinds of Love.The

Fatherly Love Prospero had for Miranda in The Tempest would wet the readers’ eyes “My love! You

were a little cherub that did preserve me.Your innocent smiles made me to bear up against my

misfortunes.” And the pure love Cordelia had for her father in King Lear would arouse our pity over

her misfortune- “I cannot heave my heart into my mouth.I love your majesty According to my

bond;no more nor less.” The sisterly love Celia had for Rosalind in As You Like It makes us yearn for a

sister like her “I pray you,Rosalind,my sweet cousin,be merry.” The longing Antipholus of Syracuse had to meet his long lost brother makes The Comedy of Errors sound tragic “I to the world am like a

drop of water,that in the ocean seeks another drop.” As I’ve given a glimpse into Shakespeare’s writing I hope you understood on what

grounds do I admire him! I also presume that you would like to read Shakespeare…I suggest you begin

reading him with Tales from Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb.

It is a must book in any

Literature Student’s personal book collection and the best book to get the outline of Shakespeare’s

plays.It is a compilation of the summaries of Twenty of Shakespeare’s Tragedies and Comedies.Since

it is an abridged version it’s much easy to read…………Beauty fades ,so does Glory……People die,So do

their memories…But not yours Shakespeare…..!Some of us will always be there to rejoice in you..Take

pleasure in your writings and spread your glory around! “Doubt thou stars are fire;Doubt that the Sun doth move…..But never doubt I love.I love thee best, O most best,believe it.Adieu.”

-Santhwana Thomas