Well, I have begun my research, and so far learned one very profound truth; outside of his plays and poems, Shakespeare really didn’t say much. Or if he did, we don’t know about it.
I went to the library today and got a couple of books to look through that looked like they might help me with my topic, but it’s really looking like the best I’ll be able to do is to research what people think Shakespeare’s opinions were on writing, etc. Pretty much everything we know about Shakespeare’s opinions on writing are just based on what we can infer from his actual writing, specifically looking at passages where the topic of writing comes up. For example, several of his sonnets talk about poetry, and what it is.
The first book I’ve been able to look at is called “Shakespeare’s Ideas”, by David Bevington. It actually covers a pretty broad range of topics (some of which may be useful and interesting to others in the class). But one chapter in particular focuses on Shakespeare’s ideas on writing and acting. So far, this is the closest I’ve been able to find to my actual topic of interest. I still haven’t had the chance to read the whole chapter thoroughly but here are some ideas I found intriguing when I skimmed through it:
There is a quote on page 74 of the book that says, “Shakespeare’s utterances about his craft as writer, both implicit and explicit, take it for granted that poetry and drama alike serve as important guides to human conduct.” Interesting idea.
The title of the chapter is “Hold the mirror up to nature”, which of course comes from Shakespeare’s own writing. I also find this idea of writing to imitate or portray nature, or the world we live in, very interesting.
That’s all I’ve been able to come up with so far, but I’m excited to keep digging. J
