fandomhigh | Modern Shakespeare, Wednesday, Periods 1 & 2

Karla's class took place in an ordinary classroom, though she'd taken a leaf from Lady Ghanima's book and had all the desks cleared out, replacing them with cushions and over-sized beanbags, as well as a few padded chairs. They were going to be watching movies this session and Karla saw no reason why everybody shouldn't be comfortable. When the class entered, they'd see her lounging across a small loveseat, waiting for them to find a spot they wanted to claim as their own.

"Ambition," she said when everyone was settled. "Pride. Love, lust, and hatred. Anger. Fear. A question of what truly is the measure of a man. A truly staggering number of puns and dick jokes. I fell in love with Shakespeare when I was a student here," in no small part due to Ender Wiggin "and it was his depiction of human nature that did it. What is the best course to take for a son who finds that his mother has married his uncle--who is also his father's murderer? How much blame can be attributed to a man who kills his king, but is urged into the deed by others? What is a suitable punishment for a man who believed lies and gossip to the point where he repudiates his bride? Or, in another play, kills her? William Shakespeare wrote a great many plays across a great many genres, but in the end, they all come back to one central theme: people's motivations. By writing about people, truly recognizable people, Shakespeare plays have survived multiple centuries--a real feat in this short-lived world--and are still popular and relevant today. Had you gone to a normal high school, you likely would have read several of his plays before graduation. In this class, we'll be watching movies."

She straightened in her seat, feet finally hitting the floor. "Not just any movies; modern retellings of his classic plays. Many old classics are filmed and then immediately shown on the Black and White Period Piece Old Lady Boring Movie Channel, or whatever it's called," Karla dismissed the question with a wave of her hand "--of interest only to people who liked the original work. But Shakespeare's plays are constantly being updated, modernized, and retold, thus reaching out to new audiences all the time. And the reason for that is because his characters and his plots work regardless of what time period they're set in. They're problems and issues that people still face today, if in slightly altered forms: fears of infidelity, questions of one's legacy, ambition and advancement, falling in love, interpersonal problems. prejudice."

No one had promised this was going to be a light and cheerful class, kids. Even if it was a summer workshop. "So, first, introductions. It's a tradition that spans back to my time here, too. I am Karla, graduate of the class of 2013, though it's been about six years in my world since I graduated, rather than three." Really, that long? Mother Night! "When I'm not teaching here, I'm the Queen of the Territory of Glacia." She also served in the First Circle of the Dark Court, but there didn't seem to be any Kaeleerans in the room this year, so she left that off. "Today, for your introductions, name and class, favorite Shakespeare play and why if you have one--no worries if you don't--and tell me what you think this Shakespeare quote means: The worst is not, So long as we can say, 'This is the worst.' Or, if you'd prefer something slightly less macabre, try God has given you one face, and you make yourself another."

And with that, she was pointing at a student. "And you are?"

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"Can we talk about why everybody thought killing was going to solve problems?" Steven said, frowning. "Because that really seemed to just make worse ones, for everyone. That was bad."

He was perhaps distracted by that fact.

Oh gods. Was he serious?

Looking at Steven, Rufus thought he was.

"... What would you have suggested they do?" he asked.

Mostly Rufus was checking to see if it was even worth arguing about how asinine he felt Steven's opinion was.

Rufus saw nothing wrong with some murder. He'd never done it himself, but it was part and parcel of ShinRa Electric Company.

"Well, sometimes fighting's almost impossible to avoid," Steven said. "But that doesn't mean it has to end that way. You have to be able to see things from other people's point of view and see what they see. People are all people, you know?"

"Look how well that worked for ~~meta for~~ Mufasa," Rufus said, a bit impatiently. "~~Meta for~~ Scar took him out because Mufasa tried to do what you're saying and keep the peace."

"But that's exactly the point!" Steven said. "He resorted to something awful and it just led to awful things happening to him. If they'd just tried to work together they probably could've figured out a way for everyone to be happy."

"But he didn't want to work together," Rufus countered. "You cannot force people to work together unless you have a power greater than they wield. When it comes to a clash between kings and princes only an emperor or a god has the power to interfere and even then, they may not have the power to make it stick."

A beat.

"Or, I suppose, you could attempt to blackmail them into good behaviour. Threatening Simba's life may have kept Mufasa in line, but I am uncertain what threat of similar leverage would have kept Scar in line."

"Can't there be room for both of them? Africa's a pretty big place, and they're just two lions. It's like..." Steven frowned a bit, "It's like wanting to destroy a planet just for a few resources, even though you've got plenty of your own already."

"But then he has no power," Rufus said flatly. "And that's what he wants. There's only one kingdom; they can't both have it. Kingdoms don't work that way."

Edited 2016-05-12 15:10 (UTC)

"But that means he has to kill his own brother!" Steven said, totally sad about this. "Nothing could be worth that!"

He was going to go find and hug Lion after this class. For a good long while.

If Rufus had been any less practiced at controlling his expression, he'd have been looking openly disgusted by this point. As he was, he just looked... a bit bored.

"I don't know how close a portrayal the lions here are to their real world counterparts, should any exist," Rufus said flatly. "But, to place myself in Scar's point of view, if my brother had everything I ever wanted and I was left with nothing, I daresay the leap to wanting to kill him would not be difficult to entertain."

... Rufus had brothers, by the way. But he was the only legitimate son and this was likely for the best.

Edited 2016-05-12 15:42 (UTC)

Steven paused.

"I think that's a pretty scary thing to say," he said.

Rufus leaned back in his chair.

"So?"

"Well, what do you think he should have done with the man that murdered his father?" Karla asked, always pleased to foster discussion. "He was the king, so it's entirely possible that Amleth might not have been able to have him arrested or anything like that."

Karla knew her stance on murder was drastically different than almost anyone else's, considering her Realm's laws on murder, or lack thereof, but she was more interested in what Steven had to say about it.

"I mean even before that," Steven said. "Why did that guy have to murder the dad? Is being king really so great you have to do something so awful?"

"No," Karla said. Look, that was definitely a question she could answer with authority. "It's a lot of hard work and compromise and dealing with annoying people, all of whom want something from you right now. It's like dealing with toddlers--" which she also had experience with "--only you can send anyone off to nap or stand in a corner."

More's the pity, too.

"But a lot of people don't realize that. They think being the ruler means you get to do whatever you want all the time." Much like how children saw adulthood, really. "So they want to be the ruler so they can have all the power and wealth and luxuries they think they deserve."

"See, if he'd just asked and they'd talked about it, everything could've worked out way better for everyone! Maybe they even could've made things better for the hyenas, they didn't seem to have a whole lot and had to live out where it was so nasty."

"But talking doesn't solve everything," Karla pointed out gently. "What if Scar would only be satisfied with ruling the pride? Or he thought that Mufasa was lying to him when he explained that there was more to being king than just getting his way?"

Modern Shakespeare, Wednesday, Periods 1 & 2

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