Shakespeare discussion questions 23-11-17 pm by Sean https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc University of Barcelona en-us 2017-11-07 13:34:25 UTC 2025-11-24 16:09:04 UTC hello@padlet.com s_e_murphy https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765318 2017-11-23 17:59:46 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765318 Tricky question https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765446 Well, there are many things that I lan like or dislike, I could write an entire essay. But briefly, I like the way Shakespeare takes the tragedy to the highest level, how he exagerates it. Also I like the issues, which are quiet universal and can be applied even nowadays.
By the other hand, I detest his ambiguity and his lack of compromise. I understand that it was difficult in his times, but you really never know whether hi is deffending or critising something (especially the power).]]> 2017-11-23 18:00:30 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765446 s_e_murphy https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765499 We have different opinions. We all agree that there is quality everywhere but his language is tricky for non native speakers. The fact that he adapted plots from much earlier plays makes the cultural gap even bigger than it could have been otherwise (Juan). Moreover this makes his intentions more difficult to interpret.]]> 2017-11-23 18:00:46 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765499 Like https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765587 I really like the way the characters are built. They do not looms imple at any moment and they evolve to more and more complex characters as you read his works]]> 2017-11-23 18:01:24 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765587 https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765615 We find especially appealing his plots, the complexity of the characters and the underlying moral of the plays.
It's not a dislike, but the difficulty in understanding the plays makes their reading difficult]]> 2017-11-23 18:01:39 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765615 What I like abt Shakespeare is his way of expressing his thoughts in a very sophisticated way. https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765631 2017-11-23 18:01:42 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765631 What we like the most are the plots of the plays and the characters, especially how they are constructed. https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765796 2017-11-23 18:02:47 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765796 Characters https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765880 As much as characters are really well build up, there are a lot of characters in his works so sometimes it is hard to remembers all the characters and the relationships between them. If you miss any detail, everything messes up. ]]> 2017-11-23 18:03:23 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765880 https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765914 The language he uses. ]]> 2017-11-23 18:03:37 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765914 His words, lots of characters... https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765958 2017-11-23 18:03:54 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765958 The metaphores Shakespeare uses are maybe the most difficult part, because the use of the language results in being even more tricky. As not native speakers, the vocabulary is also problematic for us https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765976 2017-11-23 18:04:02 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209765976 https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766113 We find quite tricky that readers need a lot of previous knowledge about the history of Britain and the Classic Greece and Rome to understand the meaning and the context of Shakespeare's stories.

]]> 2017-11-23 18:04:53 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766113 https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766251 Broad vocabulary
Old English
Verse structure
Enjambenments of lines
Little knowledge of the historical context
Metaphors and double meanings ]]> 2017-11-23 18:05:43 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766251 s_e_murphy https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766399 He uses a language that is quite archaic and difficult, not only the vocabulary but also the use of metaphors. Knowing the context, mostly when it is implicit in the text, helps to understand the language. ]]> 2017-11-23 18:06:38 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766399 https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766579 We like the plot, but we're not sure about the meaning behind the stories. There are a lot of theories about the meaning but not real ones.]]> 2017-11-23 18:07:46 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766579 The Taming of the shrew https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766684 This one was especially tricky since I didn’t have any kind of context. ]]> 2017-11-23 18:08:27 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766684 The Taming of the Strew https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766766 This one was especially tricky since I didn't have any kind of context and moreover, there are a lot of words in the extract that have different meaning to the one we are "used to".]]> 2017-11-23 18:08:53 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766766 The Taming of the Shrew https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766813 2017-11-23 18:09:12 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209766813 He treats women bad. They always die. https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767325

]]> 2017-11-23 18:12:05 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767325 s_e_murphy https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767430 We all agree that the most difficult one is extract 2 because the construction is more poetic and also because the context is less clear than in the others.]]> 2017-11-23 18:12:47 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767430 https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767526 Above all the language. The grammar and arcaic words are sometimes difficult to understand. ]]> 2017-11-23 18:13:28 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767526 Tricky question https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767727 Well, there are many things that we can like or dislike about Shakespeare. I could write an entire essay about that. But briefly, I like the way he takes tragedy to the most radical level, how he exagerates things. I also like the issues, which are quiet universal and can be understood even nowadays (as long as you understand the play).
By the other hand I dislike his ambiguity and lack of compromise. I understand that it was difficult in his time, but you really never know whether he is deffending or critising something.]]> 2017-11-23 18:14:46 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767727 The most difficult to understand is the second one. https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767825 2017-11-23 18:15:28 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767825 https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767939 For us the most complicated extract is Much Ado About Nothing, precisely because of the lack of context]]> 2017-11-23 18:16:18 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209767939 His plays leave you constantly thinking. https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209768250 2017-11-23 18:18:18 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209768250 I think it's quiet remarquable that his language is not easy. The vocabulary, t'he structure, the language itself difficults the comprehension. Moreover, being a non-native speaker is even more difficult. If reading Don Quijote for example is already complicated, Shakespeare is even worse. https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209768334 2017-11-23 18:18:55 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209768334 https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209769030 Definitely it is t'he second one. From the third word it's quiet incomprehensible, because there are many unknown words. Also, first he speaks about politics, then about an animal and then about "she". ]]> 2017-11-23 18:23:24 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209769030 Very interesting session! Learned a lot! https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209785485 2017-11-23 20:17:36 UTC https://padlet.com/s_e_murphy/bu724u5jzxbc/wish/209785485