Understanding Shakespeare & Family Names

It is proven that Shakespeare’s Language is difficult. He uses complex language that we may never have used in that context before. As we read in “Reading Shakespeare’s Language,” “reading Shakespeare’s language can be a problem-but it is a problem that can be solved.” In reading the excerpts on Shakespeare’s language, my fears in reading Shakespearean works was spelled out. However, unlike freshman year when I used to hate to read Romeo and Juliet, I feel that if I take the time to try and understand what Shakespeare is saying, I actually find it enjoyable to read. So far we have read Act 1. At first it was difficult to follow because of Shakespeare’s use of words, sentence structure and references to historical content. However, as I read more and more of Hamlet, I began to adjust to his style of writing and it has become more enjoyable to read.

In class we discussed the origins of our own name and what responsibilities one carries if they hold a family name because in Hamlet Hamlet carries his family's name. Personally, if I were a boy I would have been named Merrick, which is a family name. I would have felt honored to have that name because it is in honor of my grandpa and in memory of my uncle. However, I am a girl, obviously, so I was named Rebecca, which does not have any family significance. I personally would feel proud to have my family name, but carrying a family name also requires responsibility and there is a certain expectation to live up to it as well.

Leaders vs. Laws

This week as I was beginning to write my essay on Antigone and Oedipus the King, I was struggling to find a topic to write about. I kept going back and forth between writing about the law and then writing about leadership. It took me five separate introduction paragraphs, and lots of notes to realize I wanted to write about the relationship between the law and leaders. Combining these two topics opened up a lot of room for discussion. For my blog today I wanted to write about the difference between law and leadership.

The two paralell, yet contrasting topics of law and leadership can be used hand in hand to help guide citizens. Laws are straight foreword guidelines that set the standards and rules, while leaders are more in depth characters that lead by example. There is only one set of written laws, and there are thousands of different types of leaders. There are those who are elected, those who silently lead others, those who are elected through god and there are leaders who simply provide guidance to ordinary people in their life. Although there are different types of law, artificial-made by people and natural- made by god, laws are set in stone and straight forward. I think it is easier to break a law, than to stop following a leader because leaders are more than words. They are personal and human, so they are easier to relate to and fore connections with. As I conclude my thoughts, I want to leave my readers thinking, how do they decide who guides their life? Is it the laws or rules? Or is it the people, their values and morals that guide them?

The Morality of Leaders

This week in class we explored the qualifications of a good leader. We looked at an obvious example of a leader, Martin Luther King, and we looked at Goodwins "Secrets of Great Presidents", which outlined the top ten qualifications of a good president and leader. After gaining all this information on leaders, I thought, so now is there a sole definition of the word leader? The answer is no. I think peoples backgrounds, views of life and morals help them decide what constitutes a leader. For instance, one who is highly religious might view a person different than a person who gains most of their views from the mass media or school.

In our big discussion groups in class this week, we talked about this topic of morals constituting a leader and several different points came up. Some people thought that a leader should lead based on his own personal morals, yet some believed personal morals should not get in the way of leadership. This question regarding morality and leaders is difficult to address. I feel that the only way one can get an accurate answer is to use examples from history and literature. I believe Creon did not really incorporate his own personal morals in Antigone because he had a strong desire for power and strength and left behind his morals instilled by friendship and family to achieve that. However, I believe in some parts of Oedipus the King Oedipus used some of his morals to guide his leadership. For instance, at the end he thought about the fate of himself and impact on his family, and thought the best way to go about this was to gauge his eyes out, so he can bring about a better life for the future for his family.