Darmowe konto pozwoli wrócić do niego później.

4.3. a procedure to ensure the high quality of texts on Shakespeare’s work?

4.4. comfort brought by the appreciation of Shakespeare’s plays?

LINCOLN’S LOVE OF SHAKESPEARE

A. When asked about Abraham Lincoln, the 16th American president, most people think about

his assassination or his role in the Civil War and the abolition of slavery. Fewer people know

about the tragedies in his private life or his love of Shakespeare. This was one of the topics

at the prestigious Wooden O Symposium hosted by Southern Utah University, where scholars

annually present their scientific work on Shakespeare. The term Wooden O is a direct

reference to Shakespeare’s theatre, The Globe, which was a round wooden structure. Most

of the content presented at the conference, attracting participants not only from the US,

is devoted to the playwright.

B. One of the speakers showed that Lincoln’s lifelong admiration for Shakespeare helped him

cope with the strain of the turbulent years of his presidency and gave him consolation after

his son passed away. The president memorized many lines from Shakespeare’s works, was

a keen theatregoer and became acquainted with actors, for example James Hackett, who

appeared in a production of Henry IV. Lincoln’s letter to Hackett testifies to his love of

Shakespeare. In the letter, he challenged the standing of the highly acclaimed Hamlet

monologue To be or not to be, arguing it was surpassed by O, my offence is rank delivered

by Claudius. Hackett was indiscreet and had the letter printed, thus exposing Lincoln to

public ridicule because of his literary judgement.

C. This story about Lincoln, alongside other titbits and serious scholarly findings, can be found

in the Journal of the Wooden O, an annual publication featuring articles on Shakespeare and

containing selected research papers from the symposium at Southern Utah University.

Submitted articles must be peer-reviewed. Sometimes they also undergo a second review

process. This approach means that the publication is a valuable source of accurate

information for both scholars and non-academics who derive great pleasure from

the playwright’s dramas.

adapted from https://theamericanscholar.org; http://www.bard.org

PRZENIEŚ ROZWIĄZANIA NA KARTĘ ODPOWIEDZI!