Hello
In this blog post, I would like to tell you about what I and my fellow classmates in English have been studying this preceding period.
As it is an obligation for almost all pupils and a very integrated part of the curriculum - which not only applies to the Danish school system but is a literature that is known and read on a global basis, we have been studying the Shakespearian genre and the works of the famous William Shakespeare.
So, before we could begin reading Shakespeare we had to build a foundation giving us the insight about the development of the English language, in order to understand Shakespeare. This was necessary since Old English is barely understandable in comparison to the Modern English we speak today, and Shakespeare is kind of a middle way between Old and Modern English.
Even though linguistics can be very dry, it has actually not been that dull. It has been rather exciting as well as enlightening to find out that many English words actually originates from Denmark and other Scandinavian countries from the time the Vikings sailed across the North Sea to England.
Not to forget, many English words do come from France and Latin as well, but obviously, I paid more attention to the influence of my own country.
With this settled, we could begin the study of the Shakespearian works. Shakespeare wrote plays and he wrote Sonnets. His sonnets are of a specific kind of poetic structure called Shakespearean. The words and grammar are foreign in addition to Modern English and it actually took a little practice to get the message in the sonnets. But at last, I got a hold of it. When I learned the important requirements of a Shakespearean sonnet, I learned how much effort that has been put in, in order to maintain the strict structure along with the rhythm and the rhyme scheme, still managing to use beautiful words with a deeper meaning that is thoughtful and love filled.
William Shakespeare has definitely earned my respect with his fascinating writing and talent.
I don’t know if I would read sonnets again in the near future in my spare time, but either way, his sonnets have definitely touched something inside of me. It is now a while ago we worked with this theme and what has actually stuck with me is the phrase “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” which is the first line and the title of one of Shakespeare’s most famous Sonnets, Sonnet 18. It gives me happy and positive associations whenever the phrase pops into my mind.
It is cool to now have the ability to read such old and different English, and also have the understanding out from the structure and the grammar, since it is something that many would find difficult if they haven’t learned what I have.
It is always cool to have the skill to do something that others can’t, and even though Shakespeare is not often the matter in hand, it is nice to know how his works should be understood anyways.
