shakedsetc

Well, let’s cool our jets just a bit there, hoss. As a historian who always starts my show with quotes from Shakespeare’s plays, I’m clearly not denying the value of studying his language at a textual level. I’m saying introducing anyone to Shakespeare for the first time is best done in the theater. There’s a magic there and an illumination of his plays that’s irreplaceable. If you want to inspire a generation of future scholars to find joy in textual sleuthing though the words of early modern plays, you have to show them why it matters and demonstrate how those words come to life in performance. Shakespeare’s plays were not originally conceived primarily as books to be read in isolation; they were written to be heard and embodied. I think that position has at least as strong a scholarly foundation as any other, and I certainly didn’t make it up. As for nolo contendere, it’s an elegant phrase, but declining to argue is not quite the same as winning an argument.

Oh my gosh, what will we do when we step outside? Early modern rap battle? Line by line smackdown? Im almost intrigued but as Shakespeare put it, “Nothing can come of nothing” (King Lear, 1.1). I elect to leave this conversation here. I’m confident in my perspective, and I don’t need you to agree with me in order to hold it. I’m happy for you to feel vindicated and have the last word; I do not need to defend myself in this silly manner. I’ve supplied the text; you’ve supplied the performance. Take care.