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GreatGazoo

(4,635 posts)

32. I find that era fascinating

Wed Apr 1, 2026, 09:47 PM

Wednesday

So much was happening at once and so much of it set in motion the world we live in now.

I have researched Henry Hudson (1565 - c1611) off and on for about 7 years now. London is a fairly small community at that time. Smaller still when you get down to only those who can write and who have access to patrons. Walter Raleigh, John Dee, Haklyut, Hudson, etc. London was the last place in Europe to get printing presses and there were only 25 master printers. England goes from forgotten Roman backwater to globe-spanning empire in one sustained push.

I assume the sonnets were never intended for publication. They are cryptic unless we know who is writing to whom.

This is some of Shakespeare's best:

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.

But is it any better than this:

“When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies?
Perhaps to be too practical is madness.
To surrender dreams — this may be madness.
Too much sanity may be madness — and
maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”
- Cervantes

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5 Reasons Why Shakespeare Should Not Be Required in Schools [View all] GreatGazoo Wednesday OP

Shakespeare's themes are timeless. Unless this is an April Fool's prank, I find it ridiculous. hlthe2b Wednesday #1

I'm sincere GreatGazoo Wednesday #4

What total BS. Just like all but claiming the UK has no tanks but only royal horses hlthe2b Wednesday #7

I have said nice things too about the UK GreatGazoo Wednesday #21

Then you haven't read my post(s) hlthe2b Wednesday #22

Um GreatGazoo Thursday #37

Once again, you have NOT read (or at least comprehended) my posts that do counter you. hlthe2b Thursday #39

Nonsense. Reasons why Shakespeare SHOULD continue to be taught in schools. wnylib Wednesday #18

Thanks for your well reasoned response GreatGazoo Wednesday #23

I was not saying that Shakespeare's plays are wnylib Wednesday #27

I find that era fascinating GreatGazoo Wednesday #32

That "tomorrow" quote from Macbeth is one that I've memorized. wnylib Wednesday #35

My car broke down near Mechanicsville (appropriate name) CA GreatGazoo Thursday #38

Popular quote. wnylib Friday #60

This message was self-deleted by its author NNadir Friday #61

Then you are rather an idiot, good sir, Jilly_in_VA Friday #79

The trolliest trolls are the trolls A-Schwarzenegger Friday #91

Remind us of anyone in the here and now? Mme. Defarge Wednesday #9

Guillotine! Guillotine! MyOwnPeace Wednesday #31

So many shrouds Mme. Defarge Wednesday #33

I was one of the 2 kids..... MyOwnPeace Wednesday #34

Semi agreeable. It would close off connections with cachukis Wednesday #2

We'll, as the old joke goes... perfessor Wednesday #3

Or Cunk's line: GreatGazoo Wednesday #8

Yeah! "To bee or not to bee" was first said by an apiarist! Wonder Why Wednesday #11

I note your earlier post is asserting UK has 501 royal horses & only 334 tanks. (eyeroll) hlthe2b Wednesday #5

Nix on "Streetcar". Never understood why that piece of crap is considered art. eppur_se_muova Wednesday #6

I finally saw 'Glass Menagerie' last year GreatGazoo Wednesday #12

Tennesse Williams' voice was eloquent and urgent. CTyankee Thursday #41

The fact they may not understand it is the reason we have schools... appmanga Friday #88

Thank you! Jilly_in_VA Friday #81

Agree with you MorbidButterflyTat Friday #95

Exactly! Throw some deeply damaged, disturbed individuals together to see how, and how much, they can damage each other. eppur_se_muova Friday #97

Yes MorbidButterflyTat Saturday #99

When I was in seventh grade, I read through all of the Shakespeare comedies. I loved them. Walleye Wednesday #10

How did you feel about having to sit through them GreatGazoo Wednesday #13

I saw a magnificent stage performance of Macbeth wnylib Wednesday #20

Not A Fan ProfessorGAC Wednesday #14

All the titles from 6, except the angry men were studied between jr high and high school questionseverything Friday #78

There is one for today "King Leer"[sic] Wonder Why Wednesday #15

You're not considering the historical significance... Rizen Wednesday #16

Didn't mention it but yes Shakespeare is printed at roughly the same time GreatGazoo Wednesday #25

I love the King James Version of the Bible. My father's Masonic Bible is a treasure I handed down to my son. CTyankee Thursday #42

Love Shakespeare. Always have, since first reading his plays in 6th grade. Years ago, two highplainsdem Wednesday #17

You forgot the sarcasm tag. malthaussen Wednesday #19

I listed five plays from the 20th century GreatGazoo Wednesday #28

You must be fun at Shakespeare parties. A-Schwarzenegger Wednesday #24

Get me to a nunnery! GreatGazoo Wednesday #30

Did Timothy Chalamet post this? Sneederbunk Wednesday #26

Ohhh. GreatGazoo Wednesday #29

When I still lived in Louisville, Bayard Wednesday #36

Anti-intellectualism at its finest. Coventina Thursday #40

Is the grammar of this sentence correct? GreatGazoo Thursday #44

By that logic, we shouldn't study art or music of the past either. Coventina Thursday #45

Music is subjective. Grammar isn't. GreatGazoo Thursday #47

Shakespeare has never been taught as "proper grammar." That notion is silly. Coventina Thursday #49

"greatest writer" implies that the grammar is as good as it gets GreatGazoo Friday #64

It implies no such thing. Please cite scholars who claim this. Coventina Friday #65

If you insist GreatGazoo Friday #72

Both of those links are not actual support of your argument. Coventina Friday #85

Can you not see or feel A-Schwarzenegger Thursday #48

Yes - I love that line GreatGazoo Thursday #50

Those arent errors. A-Schwarzenegger Thursday #51

We can't know what the author intended because they were deceased when The Tempest GreatGazoo Friday #63

Curious, snot Friday #70

"On" for "of" GreatGazoo Friday #73

That's one; but I disagree that it's an error. snot 14 hrs ago #101

Literature is not required to follow the rules of grammar FSogol Friday #80

You A-Schwarzenegger Friday #94

Or, MorbidButterflyTat Friday #96

I fear we are not taking earnestly enough A-Schwarzenegger Friday #98

... Xavier Breath Thursday #43

Can anyone make sense of this? GreatGazoo Thursday #46

This is bullshit. Maybe modern high school students could handle it just fine Ocelot II Thursday #52

Bach is perfect GreatGazoo Thursday #56

Omigawd YES! snot Friday #71

I've always loved Shakespeare. I took Shakespeare in my college English Dept. and acted in Twelfth Night... wcmagumba Thursday #53

I will take Shakespeare any day over some of the other dreck we read in high school. 3catwoman3 Thursday #54

I had a personal hatred for Shirley Jackson and Flannery O'Connor Coventina Thursday #55

I found many of the 19th century English novels in secondary school canon boring Ilikepurple Thursday #57

One big problem with writing at that time is that writers were paid by length. Coventina Thursday #58

When I learned that Dickens had been paid by the word, it explained a lot about why Great Expectations... 3catwoman3 13 hrs ago #102

Most of them were, except for one Jilly_in_VA Friday #86

I had a hard time getting into A Tale of Two Cities and haven't revisited it as I have other 19th century novels. Ilikepurple Friday #92

I'm right with you there with the Russian literature JoseBalow Friday #93

None of the plays you listed in number one would be here were it not for Shakespeare. OldBaldy1701E Thursday #59

Yeah, let's do away with beauty. It's trivial. Video games on cellphones are far more relevant to modern life. NNadir Friday #62

Sounds serious Torchlight Friday #66

Now do "Beowulf." Iggo Friday #67

Totally disagree, and snot Friday #68

You make your case well GreatGazoo Friday #74

Thanks; understood. snot 14 hrs ago #100

Ugh. Our Town. In the top ten of the most boring plays ever written. mwmisses4289 Friday #69

Thank you, I DETEST "Our Town" Jilly_in_VA Friday #89

Our Town? Doodles 12 hrs ago #103

I couldn't tell if this was supposed to be satirical or not. Aristus Friday #75

There is a reason why Shakespeare's plays have endured Zorro Friday #76

My high school sure did Jilly_in_VA Friday #84

You must have attended a very progressive high school Zorro Friday #87

I rather think not Jilly_in_VA Friday #90

"4. The subject matter is elitist and no longer relevant. " DBoon Friday #77

Totally disagree ABC123Easy Friday #82

I view teaching Shakespeare the same way I view teaching poetry. walkingman Friday #83

Yes, to Shakespeare! Doodles 12 hrs ago #104

Here's an obvious point no one has raised as of yet. Morbius 11 hrs ago #105

Apocrypha GreatGazoo 4 min ago #106