English Presentation 2: Shades of Meaning – Three Shakespearean Sonnets

As I mentioned a few weeks back, I’ve gone back to school to get my masters; I’m in the home stretch for the first course, Graduate Studies in the English Language, and for the class, I’ve had to do a couple of presentations. And two weeks ago, I posted the first one, on word formation and blending.

At that point, I promised another one, this one focused on Shakespeare. And here it is…

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Party in the ‘burbs!

Remember how I’ve been saying (er, writing) that Measure for Measure is perhaps a little too timeless, a little too timely for our world? (how could you, I’ve been banging that subject like a drum lately… and with the discussion of bawdy coming up–you ain’t heard nothin’ yet…) Well, Willy Shakes, that sly societal observer, wasn’t afraid to mix in a little contemporary commentary in his plays.

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English presentation

As you may know (or may not, if you aren’t a compulsive reader of the blog), I’ve gone back to school to get my masters; I just started the program. In my first course, Graduate Studies in the English Language, I’ve had to do a couple of presentations. And I’m in the midst of writing my first scholastic paper in decades.

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Happy St. Crispin’s Day

October 25 is St. Crispin’s Day, the day of feasting in honor of the twin saints Crispin and Crispian. On this date in 1415, the forces of Henry V won a decisive victory over the French at Agincourt. This victory of a vastly outnumber English army over the French is depicted in Henry V.

For your viewing pleasure…

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Greetings from Ashland!

Hola, readers!

I love the Oregon Shakespeare Festival

Ashland

I’m in town for two days (three if you count arriving last night just in time for dinner)… today, it’s Pericles at the Thomas Theatre for the matinee, tonight Antony and Cleopatra at the outdoor Allen Elizabethan Theatre (which could prove interesting as my morning walk today took place in a crisp 42 degree temp), and tomorrow afternoon Much Ado About Nothing for a Bowmer Theatre matinee. Then it’s quick drive back to Medford to fly back to southern California and a night’s sleep in my own bed before delivering a Shakespeare resources presentation at the Ventura County Office of Education Library Day on Friday.

I’ll be posting post-play capsule video reviews on my Vine and Twitter feeds, then full reviews as part of a special podcast next Sunday (remember the Vine time limit is only 6 seconds, so they’ll be really capsule reviews).

CHROME WEB APP REVIEW: Shakespeare in Bits by MindConnex.com

In the past week, while sifting through stories in my news feed for content for my Tuesday This Week in Shakespeare podcast, I came across a press announcement touting the release of an app for Chromebooks, Shakespeare in Bits by MindConnex.com from Dublin, Ireland. Now, you may not know this but this blog and its podcasts are written and recorded on a Chromebook. I love that device. Anyway, I don’t often see Chromebook-specific Shakespeare apps (actually this is the first one), and since I know many of my former brethren (teachers still in the trenches) are now working with classes outfitted with Chromebooks, I figured I’d download the free demo version of their Hamlet app, and check it out.

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Save the Date: October 2

For those in Ventura County, California:

On October 2, 2015, the Ventura County Office of Education (VCOE) will be presenting Library Learning Day 2015, taking place at the VCOE Conference Center in Camarillo.

I’ll be presenting a workshop “Shakespeare in the Secondary: resources, films, books, websites and apps” for high school librarians and teachers (though none of the material is inappropriate for grades 6-8).

Details coming soon!

APP REVIEWS: Shakespeare Insult Generator, FreePlay Shakespeare Quiz, The Sonnet Project, RE: Shakespeare

Yesterday, I mentioned that I recently purchased a new phone and had downloaded some Shakespeare-related apps. In that blog post, I reviewed The Sonnets, Shakespeare Search, and Shakespeare. Today, let’s take a look at Shakespeare Insult Generator by Superior n, the FreePlay Shakespeare Quiz by Handyx, The Sonnet Project by NY Shakespeare Exchange, and RE: Shakespeare by Samsung Electronics UK in association with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

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APP REVIEWS: The Sonnets, Shakespeare Search, (Play)Shakespeare

Just got a new phone… upgraded to a new Samsung Galaxy 6. So I took the opportunity to download some Shakespeare-related apps. Today, I’ll let you know what I think of The Sonnets by Socratica, Shakespeare Search by movin’App, and the subtly-named Shakespeare by the folks at PlayShakespeare.com.

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