Out, out brief candle......

Getting the chance to watch the modernised version of the play, ‘Macbeth’ really surprised me. It’s show the brutal side human can be to achieve its own need and desire. Something to ponder about, Is Macbeth bad luck? Producing Macbeth is supposed to be unlucky. Fires, falls, and weapon injuries have plagued past productions. Superstition requires those involved in productions not to say the play's title, but rather "The Scottish Play". There are silly urban legends about the boy actor who first played Lady Macbeth getting sick and Shakespeare having to fill in, and Queen Anne closing the theaters after people thought the deviltry of the play had caused a bad storm. Some people think that the play's vision of evil, with witches, demonic familiars, and so forth explains the bad luck. You will have to decide for yourself. However, portrayal of Macbeth tells us that we need to do what you feel like doing but not what other intended you to do. Lady Macbeth plays a chief role in influencing Macbeth to proceed with the witches’ prophecies. As truthful as it seems for Macbeth he never think of the consequences before intended to take over the Kingdom from King Duncan. Well, I make to believe that there is always a price to pay with any actions that we take!

Love or to be loved?

In Shakespeare’s King Lear, the value of love sees by Lear is measured by the utterances of his three daughters rather than their actions. In act 1 Scene 1, Lear has divided the kingdom to his three daughters. Lear first addresses his two eldest daughters, asking them to express their love for him before they and their husbands will receive the land he has allotted for them. Goneril says she loves her father more than she can say. Lear thanks her and gives her Third Prize. Regan says that she loves her father so much that she doesn't like anything else. Lear thanks her and gives her Second Prize. Cordelia says that she loves her father exactly as a daughter should. Lear angry and disowns her, and banishes the Earl of Kent for speaking in her defense. First Prize is divided between the other two daughters. You can decide whether King Lear is showing early signs of mental illness (as his other daughters think), or whether he just wanted an excuse to give Cordelia the best share of the kingdom and she just spoiled it. As a father, Lear acted in such an improper way and he is like playing a childish game of asking his three daughters for words to flatter him in order to get good fortunes. In reality life, does this ‘childish’ game exist?

Speak what you feel, not what we ought to say.......

I believe that the heart is always stronger than the mind. The idea of follow your instinct is obviously portrayed at the end of the play ’King Lear’. We have come to the end of the play and a lesson to learn from the audiences and a piece of advice to keep at the back of mind is that don’t speak in a way others wanted us to speak. Be it honestly, truth or something real others always forced us to do so. Sometimes we are place in a situation where people take advantage of us being honest or truthful. It is not wrong to be good and nice towards others but at times, we need to make up our mind whether to say what you feel like saying or rather be left behind being unsatisfied. Sometime, there is an urge in us to speak up what we feel but the opportunity is not there. On the other hand, being outspoken is fine but often perceived by others as stubborn or shows off. Also I believe that those who ‘speak what they feel but not what they ought to say’ are independence, able to make decisions and individualistic. Therefore, be wise in what you feel like saying and intelligent with what you do!

Improve for the better!

Evaluation is the best instrument in revealing about the strengths or weaknesses in everything we do. In Bloom’s taxonomy, it is the highest level of thinking and being evaluated is a positive way of develops one’s skills. I evaluated myself after have carried out my simulated teaching and to know whether I’m in the right track or the other. It’s seems to me that teaching literature is something subjective as well as studying about it. As a teacher trainee and students, I have to think in the light of these two positions in designing my lesson plan. What is good and effective for me may not be effective to my students. I may want to try out a few practical activities or approaches found in a book but there are certain items that need to be put into consideration. For instances, I need to identify my targeted students. Are they of low level of proficiency or intermediate or advance learners? This then will help me in designing my exercises and lesson plan. In planning for set induction, I need to make sure that the activity will help my students to get interested to the lesson. I learnt that without having a good set induction, students may not pay attention to the lesson. They wouldn’t even know what they are going to learn in class. Therefore, I need to be as creative as I can in developing my lesson plan so that I won’t spoil students’ interest in learning.

The one and only....WaLLah!

Wallah! The one and only, but what’s that mean? Watching the play, ‘Wallah’was really the first –time experience for me and probably the last thing I want to have in my CD collection! However, experience of watching it is really a worthwhile as the play brings in totally two different cultures and beliefs. I never thought of watching Bollywood kind of movie when our lecturer first mentioned to us about a play called ‘Shakespeare’s Wallah’. It is something different in this Shakespearean film because there’s a mixture of English and Western culture. I would say this is a love story because I noticed there are feelings of love, jealousy, hatred and caring between the actors. According to the producer, there is only tiny budget in production of the film. To create a mist in one of the scene, they have to lead four bombs which they took from the army! However, when this film was published in America, they make money in just one week. At this point, the Indian film industries have making their first move in expanding their work out of India. It is the love for India that makes this film a success.