Tuesday, September 30, 2008

"A Comedy of Errors" Shakespeare

Last Wednesday I attended the play “A Comedy of Errors” written by William Shakespeare. The Blackfriars stage company presented the play with their own sort of kick to it. The play was about identical twin sons who are separated for twenty-five years. Both of the sons have identical servants with names to match. When the two sons arrive in the same city everyone is confused. No one knows there are two of them and the twins do not know about each other. The play is a comedy of confusion and laughs all around when the twin’s parents figure out they have found their long lost child and the family is reunited. The Blackfriars Company used the original text of Shakespeare but the way they act it out made it so much more enjoyable. I have read a lot of Shakespeare, but I find his plays are easier to understand when acted out. They are also more enjoyable when you get to see how these actors interpret the text and how they each decide how they are going to make their character look. I had the pleasure of sitting onstage during this play, which was quite an experience. Being onstage opened my eyes to a whole new way to watch a play. Not only are you anxious under those hot fluorescent lights you are also completely aware of every surrounding. It is as if you become an actor on the stage. The actors liked to include the few of us on stage in the play. They would lay props on us, use our hands to fan themselves or even ask us questions. I was serenaded a bit in the beginning of the play, which was both embarrassing and hilarious. After the play I realized that I was really lucky to experience something like that. It made me think of all the opportunities our school gives us students to experience new things.
In the Kolvenbach it says, “If the measure and purpose of our universities lies in what students become, then the faculty are the heart of our universities.” I found this statement connected to our English 101 class because we are required to attend these sorts of cultural events. If this class had not required me to write a review on an event I probably would have never gone and seen this play, and I would have missed out on fun experience. I realized by having our faculties at Loyola require students to attend events and get involved we become well rounded. Isn’t the main idea of a Jesuit education giving back to the community and getting involved? Without that push we probably would never really get out and see what new things we like and dislike. These sort of events help shape us into cultural and responsible adults. In the words of Shakespeare “We know what we are, but know not what we may be." By experiencing these new things we will find out new things about ourselves, which could ultimately help us find the path to our future career and life.

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