Category: Shakespeare
We’re excited that you’ve joined the conversation! At HMU, we want to continue the great authors’ conversations in a contemporary context, and this blog will help us do that. We look back to Aristotle and the early philosophers who used reason and discourse to gain wisdom and now we endeavor to do the same every day.
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April 24, 2026
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
In my undergraduate coursework, I took a class on Shakespeare’s tragedies. We read Romeo and Juliet first. I will never forget my second day in that class because it was mortifying. The professor, a white-haired theatrical visiting professor from England, was only interested in how we could read Shakespeare out loud. On our second day in class,
» Read more about: An Honor That I Dream Not of: The Practice of Reading Aloud »
May 30, 2025
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
Did Shakespeare’s Richard III believe in God? In the plays that lead up to Richard III, such as the First and Second Parts of King Henry the Fourth, a series of royal figures claim a divine right to the throne. Ironically, however, this “divine right” culminates in a very bloody culture of brothers killing brothers and cousins killing cousins known as the War of the Roses.
March 14, 2025
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
“You should see me in a crown/ Your silence is my favorite sound.” – Billie Eilish
In Act II, Scene 3 of the First Part of Shakespeare’s Henry VI, the French Countess of Auvergne attempts to trick Talbot, the leader of the English army. She invites the soldier to her castle in order to trap him.
March 25, 2022
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
Sometimes, because I love language, I like to make language lists. On a recent walk, I was thinking about the phrase “the whole ball of wax,” which turned into a game of listing phrases that mean everything…. And I quickly realized that we have a lot of ways to say everything. Each one is uniquely different, but all fun and silly.
March 11, 2022
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
Last week marked the end of HMU’s Winter Film Series. I cannot express how much I love this series. If you were unable to join us, never fear, we will host another film series next winter. In the meantime, the following thoughts resulted from this wonderful discussion.
As usual, leader Gary Schoepfel opened discussion with some quotations focused on the idea of Truth.
» Read more about: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, Film Discussion »
June 18, 2021
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
Have you ever attempted to restate another person’s idea in your own words? Often, we listen to a discussion and get the gist, but when asked to recreate the argument, we stumble. At Harrison Middleton University, listening is key. We try to identify logic and reasoning behind someone else’s ideas, whether the argument is presented in conversation or from a text.
June 11, 2021
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
When looking through the Syntopicon under “F,” I find Family, Fate, and Form. Yet, the more I think about it, I want to find Forgiveness.
Merriam-Webster defines “forgive” as: to cease to feel resentment against; to give up resentment or requital; to grant relief from payment; to cancel an indebtedness. It comes from Old English (OE) “for-gifan” which had various meanings,
May 28, 2021
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
Pericles, Prince of Tyre: written about 1607, by William Shakespeare
”Comus”: written about 1637, by John Milton
Last week, I discussed the character of Pericles from Shakespeare’s Pericles, Prince of Tyre. This week, I will continue to explore Shakespeare’s play, but focus on Marina,
May 21, 2021
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s blog.
One thing that I love about Shakespeare is his ability to develop rich characters. King Lear, Hamlet, Falstaff, Henry V, Richard II: though problematic, they have vivid internal battles and complex natures. I can imagine Richard lamenting his fallen status on the beach as he recalls many sad tales of deposed kings. Or I think of Lear walking the heath,
February 12, 2021
Thanks to Alissa Simon, HMU Tutor, for today’s post.
Language has the power to both escalate and de-escalate tense situations. Sometimes a well-intentioned comment fits perfectly, and sometimes it causes more harm than good.
Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is often considered a love story. However, over the years, I have come to see it more as a story of war. The very first scene of the play introduces a family feud,