Shakespearean Sonnets: Discovering a New Resource!

As I was on the hunt for a good article or blog about Sonnet 116, I struggled to find something that related to the sonnet in a more focused way (rather than a sketchy misquote). While going through this process, as irritating as it is, I irritably gave up and, in a fit of desperation, I googled "Sonnet 116 analysis." To my surprise, I found this intriguing new website called schmoop.com.

Schmoop contains all kinds of interesting little factoids and information all divided up under subheadings. For instance, under Analysis (on the topic bar), they give several different subheadings, such as Symbols, Imagery and Wordplay,  Steaminess Rating, and Allusions.

Just glancing through, the style of writing is very much like someone who is speaking, and it's clearly geared towards a teenage group learning the elementals about Shakespeare. However, I felt like they made some good, worthwhile observations about the poem:

• "The marriage described in this poem is not a formal contract; rather, it is a "marriage of true minds," a phrase that suggests a deep understanding between two equals, rather than a mere legal bond."
•  "The poem’s central extended metaphor is the comparison of love to a star – specifically the North Star, which doesn’t ever change position in the night sky. This made it particularly important to sailors, who calculated the location of their ships based on the stars."
• They also talk about the conventions of Petrarchan sonnets (although they don't call them that) and the view of love in those poems. 
• In the theme section, the website writers list the themes and then give questions to spur the readers thinking about the poem. 

All in all, I feel like the website actually increased my understanding of Sonnet 116. They bring up the issue of true love in the poem which is basically the antithesis of my main focus. The main aspecto of true love is eternity, according to Shakespeare. I think what it comes down to is the way love can hit you in an instant, but it can also stay with you forever.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Forum at BYU

Zuckerberg, taken by BYU News

As Dr. Burton suggested we do, I went to the interview in the Marriott Center last Friday in order to listen to Mark Zuckerberg talk about social media. Although it had little (if not, nothing) to do with Shakespeare, it was enlightening to hear him talk about Facebook becoming a digital platform for different digital applications.

I think this is important to our class's study of Shakespeare because so much social learning can be (and is) done through Facebook. Some of the most entertaining and interesting things about life I have learned from Facebook.

There have been numerous debates in the Communications 101 class that I TA for about whether Facebook will replace our current news sources. People in older generations look down on the current rising generation for their dependence on social media for news. But having a centralized location for all news sources is actually quite beneficial, especially considering it is a more likely place for a 20-year-old to spend their time.

Facebook can also be beneficial for news gathering. Many reporters have a separate work Facebook account where they can receive tips from people that associate with their beat. How much more timely can information be if you have a constant feed to it?

It is my hope that this interview will spark a lot of innovation coming from all quarters, not just Facebook, so that the current social media can be perfected.

Sock Puppets: Connecting With Shakespeare Creatively

In helping Janelle prepare for her Shakespearean puppet show this last Wednesday, I had an opportunity to reflect on how it helps to engage Shakespeare on a more creative level. I haven't done much of a creative so far this semester, at least as far as Shakespeare is concerned, so it was fun on that level. It was also fun because we had to pick and choose how all of our sock characters looked. It was interesting to see how different perceptions of characters showed in our interpretations of how the sock puppets should look.

For instance, I was in charge of making the Mercutio puppet (the scene we're performing is from Romeo and Juliet). I took considerable joy in making this particular puppet because Mercutio is such a comical, yet round character. I gave him a mustache and a sword belt, knowing his feisty nature. It just seemed to fit.

I know this doesn't go very deep, but it really fascinated me to see how I interpreted characters through their appearance. And when we were making sock puppets, which only retain a few humanoid characteristics, it was interesting to see which characteristics were consistent.