Good Preparation

November 20, 2008

Jim Schulz

Working in our play group has been a challenge, yet it has been a great learning experience. It has taught us how to make changes at the last minute, to be prepared for the unexpected, how to work along with the other group members, and how practice helps to bring it all together. The group I have been working with is outstanding. We all try to work together so that everything works out and moves along as smoothly as possible. We all took the time to meet and rehearse which helped to make everything come together. If we encountered a problem, we put our heads together to rectify the situation. All in all I would say I was very fortunate to be part of this play group.

Witches Good and Bad

November 12, 2008

Jim Schulz

The first thing I thought of when discussing the witches in Macbeth and whether they represented "good witches" or "bad witches" was The Wizard of Oz. Up until our discussion of Macbeth,The Wizard of Oz was the only movie/play that I recall that had a "good witch" and a "bad witch." In The Wizard of Oz the "good witch" was not only good but beautiful, where as the "bad witch" was not only bad but ugly. My interpretation of the witches in Macbeth are far from beautiful and by what I have read so far they appear to be up to no good. Like it was stated in our discussion they seem to manipulate. Perhaps as I read further, my thoughts will change, but up to now I feel these witches can be classified as "bad witches."

Lear and Parenthood

November 05, 2008

Jim Schulz

Until our discussion in class regarding King Lear and the possibility that it is a commentary on parenthood, really made me think. There are many reasons why children treat their parents the way they do. But then, we also have to examine the way parents treat their kids. There were definite problems between Lear and the daughters. The lack of love, the daughters treated as just property, and problems that were never corrected seemed to play a big part in the problems that Lear faced. When we look at today's society we seem to be facing many of the same situations. There seems to be a lot of anger in today's kids. Don't take me wrong there are a lot of happy families but there are many situations similar to Lear's in today's society. We may live in modern times but the problems are much the same. My question is; do you really think Shakespeare would write a play examining parenthood?