Grab yourself a cup of coffee (or tea, if you prefer), sit back in a comfy chair, and let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time there was a young woman, a senior in high school who dreamt of one day becoming an author. She was super stoked to have the opportunity to take the Advanced Placement English class where she would read and learn from over a dozen classic novels, everything from Dante to Dumas to, of course, Shakespeare.
Excitedly (and perhaps naively), she dove into her first classic novel, relishing every moment…until she got a C on her exam.
Wait…what? She’s spent a lot of time studying and formulating her thoughts. Her opinions were intelligent…weren’t they?
It took reading all the way through the next two novels and receiving fair-to-middling exam grades to recognize what was happening. The teacher wanted to see HER thoughts on those exams.
So what was the point? Discouraged, the young lady stopped reading the classics, one of which was King Lear, and instead brushed over the plots in Cliff Notes (remember those?). Then she’d regurgitate the teacher’s thoughts on the exams, and suddenly she was back to receiving A’s again.
She didn’t even know what she was missing. What a shame.
Nearly forty years later, now a Publishers Weekly Bestselling Author with over a million books in print and a Granny, she was finally, truly and wonderfully exposed to Shakespeare in the form of favorite actor Paul Gross in a live rendering of King Lear.
Did you know there are a lot of laugh-out-loud funny lines in King Lear’s tragedy? Of course, there are many tearful moments, as well. One Howl, much less three, gripped the Granny’s throat and nearly strangled her as tears poured down her cheeks. Under Paul’s deft hand, three hours passed in the blink of an eye as King Lear went from a narcissist to stark raving mad to a sad and broken old man. And then everybody dies.
Because it’s Shakespeare, don’t you know.
The short version:
I’m sure you’ve figured out by now that the young woman/Granny in question was/is me. And as King Lear wound down and the actors came out for their curtain call, I could only think about what a grave disservice my high school teacher had done me. Every classic novel I missed back then would have eventually made me that much better of an inspirational romance novelist today. And yes, I now intend to make up the gap in my education by studying the classics. I had no idea what I was missing!
And because I’m a romance author who loves happy endings to my stories, I want to share the rest of this particular story. You see, I’d gone to SEE my favorite actor Paul Gross in King Lear. I hadn’t expected to have the amazing opportunity to MEET him, but as I was walking toward the coat check to return my hearing device, I was thinking about how nice it would be to be able to thank Paul in person for making Shakespeare so very alive and accessible and how much it had moved my heart. I turned the corner, and then…
Blink. Blink. Blink. Hello, Paul Gross.
Let’s just say I got to offer him my genuine, “Thank you.” Totally a God thing.
Deb’s next Harlequin Love Inspired romance, Bonding with the Babies, is now available for preorder.
That’s so amazing you were able to meet Paul Gross!
I live in England and have been lucky enough to see Shakespeare plays at the Globe theatre in London, and the RSC doing Hamlet at Stratford, which was a great experience.
What a tragedy when people aren’t able to be kind enough to be competent in their roles. You certainly missed out on enjoying the classics when you learned how to work within the teachers system. A teacher has such an opportunity to inspire students, alas they do not always receive the support they need to become successful at it. So happy you were able to enjoy King Lear and meet Paul Cross. :)
So encouraging to hear you were able to meet the actor
How wonderful that you got to meet Paul Gross!! I have to admit, I did read the classics I needed to in high school, but I HATED having to dissect them!! I’m sure the authors never thought we’d be picking their works apart!! There were a few that I enjoyed, but I’d have liked them more if we didn’t have to pick them apart.
As an AP English Lit and Comp teacher, I want to apologize to you for your experience. I’m sorry you lost so much back then. I pray every day that God will help me be the teacher my kiddos need so they get the learning they deserve. I don’t ever want to be a teacher who hurts learning more than helps.
I love that you got to meet Paul Gross. What a very cool moment that must have been. 😀
what a wonderful and inspiring post. thanks so much for sharing. woohoo that you got to meet him in person.
Oh, I’m jealous! What awesome experiences you’ve had.
I agree that sometimes teachers don’t receive the support they need to teach well. I’m just sad for the glitch in the system that allowed interested students to miss the classics.
It was pretty cool and totally unexpected. He’s a genuinely nice guy.
Hi Trudy. I felt that way about poetry both in high school and college. I just feel poetry needs to be left as is and not be ripped to shreds. I guess the same things could be said about books, although it’s helped my writing to dissect a few in my time.
I’ve always been someone who enjoys meeting those whose work I respect, whether actors or musicians or authors. You sound like a wonderful teacher.
I so respect what teachers do. I can’t imagine how hard their jobs are. I just wish for my own sake I hadn’t been discouraged in my quest for learning.
How wonderful to meet him. It was certainly a God moment. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
Wow that is amazing getting to meet the actor.
I wonder about the teacher. while you got those C’s you probably learnt more than the rest of the year.
I never read any of these books. I was in a lower level English so didn’t have to read Shakespear. I think I would have struggled. first year in high school we read Lord of the Flies and that was so hard. Thankfully didn’t have to do Jane Austin or the likes.
This is fantastic! I was just in London and finally got to tour Buckingham Palace. What an experience. Next on my list is to watch a Shakespearean play at the Globe – you’ve inspired me to make that happen :)