The Bard of Avon : Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon

This section is devoted to Shakespeare! I am going to create more and more pages on Shakespeare since I adore Shakespeare and I am studying Shakespeare!

To start the Shakespeare Slide Show

There are 3 photos and 9 effects.

Owing to bad teaching and boring classes, many people both in England and in Japan think that Shakespeare is difficult and boring, which is, I think, a monstrous mistake. Actually, Shakespeare is fun and really useful for all of us. His works teach us a lot. I think that I am studying Shakespeare but I am ultimately studying "life" and "human being." What a wonderful subject to learn! I think that his works are the best manual for life and Shakespeare is the best teacher of ‘school of life.’ If you do not believe me, I understand you, since I myself used to think that Shakespeare was boring until I met a marvellous professor in my third year of my undergraduate in Japan. If I had not taken his lecture course, I would be completely different from what I am now and it would be the greatest pity of my life. Now, I love Shakespeare and came to England to study him.

Ben Jonson says, "He (=Shakespeare) was not of an age, but for all time." I think that the greatness of Shakespeare is, first, its universality as well as the beauty of the language. Shakespeare is not only for all time but also for everyone anywhere. His works are beloved in all over the world in different culture, races, religions and times because his works dealing with "natures of human beings." Even though cultures, races, religions or times are different, we, human beings are same! I am a living proof of it. I am a Japanese and came from a completely different background and time from Shakespeare and yet his works fascinate me and teach me a lot. Secondly, everyone can enjoy his works in his/her own level and the same person is able to have different understandings of lines according to time of his/her life. No matter how many times he/she reads and sees it or no matter how he/she "thinks" that he/she understood the line before, he/she may find different interpretations of lines. For instance, on the course of my life, I sometimes experience a thrilling moment when Shakespeare’s lines directly talk to my soul and realise, "Oh, my God, this is what Shakespeare may mean!" and give me a new insight od the line, even though the line was familiar to me. This kind of moment is extremely moving and very addictive as well as didactic. That's why I believe that Shakespeare is the best teacher for me.