What, what, what are you doing?!

There are a few fun things about being an English teacher. School vacations, for one thing. I'm a big fan of summer vacation.

One of the other fun things is teaching my students Shakespeare. At first they grumble and moan and whine and are about one grocery aisle away from throwing themselves on the floor and kicking their feet and screaming. But inevitably, as we read the plays (or, as they read the words and I interpret them into English that they will understand), they begin to understand the characters and realize that the themes that were relevant 400 years ago are still relevant today.

Some things aren't as relevant, however. For example, my freshman kids read Romeo and Juliet. And every year I hear the same thing:
"Didn't they just meet? Why are they getting married already?"
"Didn't you say Juliet is 13? Ewwwwwwwww, and she's getting married!?"
"Is Romeo/Juliet hot?"
"Um, why are they killing themselves?"
"This is gay."

My sophomore class reads Othello. From them, I get:
"Why is Iago such an asshole?"
"Why does Desdemona do whatever her husband says?"
"Why doesn't Othello just talk to Desdemona instead of killing her?"
"What does 'make the beast with two backs' mean?"
"Is Desdemona/Othello hot?"
"This is gay."

And my seniors read Hamlet. Their pearls of wisdom are:
"Can't you just give me a 70 and not make me read this?"
"This is gay."

So imagine my delight when I found The Second City videos of the Sassy Gay Friend. Finally! Someone to tell all of the Shakespeare heroines that they are a stupid bitch.

I love these videos because they are what every reader wishes they can do when they're reading Shakespeare tragedies. Someone desperately needs to take these ladies out for drinks and therapy and maybe a nice spa day.

They've also given my friends and me plenty of one liners to pop at one another. Look at your life, look at your choices.

Romeo and Juliet


Othello


Hamlet