I was leery about teaching Lear
wondering what my students
might understand about dynamics
of family life.  Young faces found
dreams and fairy dust appealing but
“Midsummer Night’s Dream”
seemed silly as a Puck, to them,
is a hockey item.  And Hero
definitely would be “Much Ado
About Nothing” since comedy
has four-letter words spouted by
jeans-clad entertainers.  “Hamlet”
tragedy isn’t as terrible as a broken
cell-phone or wondering where is
a wi-fi hookup.  1603.  Sounds like
a zip code with missing numbers.
“O, blood, blood, blood!”, “Othello”
more suited to students television
preferences.  “To be or not to be”
teaching Shakespeare, “that is
the question.”

– Lois Greene Stone

Note: This piece was originally published by The Lake in May 2016 and reprinted by Scarlet Leaf Review in June 2020.