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Shakespeare for all seasons
Dr Pamela Mason, Fellow of the Shakespeare Institute at the University of Birmingham, visited Haileybury on Tuesday 16 September.
Her lecture showed Haileybury at her diverse best, as the crowd of students who turned out to study two Shakespeare plays – Much Ado About Nothing and Othello – were largely wearing games clothes in preparation for going directly to sport! This was particularly appropriate since Shakespeare the living playwright, the man for all seasons (including, as demonstrated, the rugby season) was a focus of her lecture.
It was impossible not to be infected by Dr Mason’s enthusiasm for the concept of Shakespeare alive in every performance. For her, Shakespeare on the page opens up Shakespeare on the stage, and her meticulous analysis was an education on the techniques of English Literature as well as the topics concerned.
The relevance of the discussion grew even wider after the lecture, when we had the chance to ask questions, and her answers were thoughtful and interesting. I know all the students involved are grateful to the English Department for the opportunity to attend this genuinely exciting presentation.
Isabel McCann, Lower Sixth.