Sunday, 16 June 2019

Write-In 2019: 'Emailing Shakespeare for answers' by Alison Powell




Hi Mr Shakespeare,
Does Macbeth have PTSD? Or is he just evil? I need to know for my essay (due on Tuesday).
Thanx,
Jayden


Dear Jayden,
I’m guessing you want the bard. I don’t know what they’re teaching you in school these days, but you’re 400 years too late.

I don’t think he would have used email anyway. He’s always seemed like a man who would respect his quill and ink.

But, if it’s of any interest, I think Macbeth was set up by the witches. His downfall was the result of his attempts do battle with fate. There’s not a person on this earth who’s strong enough for that.

Best wishes,
Bill


Hi Mr Shakespeare,
I’ve been thinking - what is Lady Macbeth’s real name? Is it a bit like Curley’s wife in Of Mice and Men where she hasn’t got a name because women weren’t seen like proper members of society? Cos she seems a bit tougher than that, so I was thinking she could be called BeyoncĂ© or Taylor, or something.

Also, do all women in books die? It don’t seem right. There should be a book where a woman is the ruler of everything and lives forever. Can you write one like that?
Thanx,
Jayden


Dear Jayden,
Everyone dies in the end. Men. Women. Authors.
You and me.

Sorry.

Bill


Hi Mr Shakespeare,
When I leave school, I’m going to be an astronaut. What’s the point of reading plays if that’s what I’m going to do? How will poetry help me when I’m on the moon?
Thanx,
Jayden


Dear Jayden,
It’s a beautiful thing, the moon.

Did you know that it reflects the light of the earth? The ashen light. We see the same light twice. Is that not a thing worth pondering?

Best wishes,
Bill







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