Variations on a theme of Shakespeare...

During the Maturita exams, it was often amusing how some students would try & get their pet theme into a topic - for example, sport. One student made a valiant attempt to include it in the Commonwealth question, but his teacher limited him & refused a couple of repeated efforts.

With the student who failed with GB & NI, it seemed as if all they knew was Shakespeare - and so Shakespeare HAD to be included...it made me wonder afterwards whether it was really possible to include Shakespeare 'genuinely' in every topic...so, here goes my attempt!

1. Learning English and other foreign languages

"Learning English is very difficult, especially if it is Shakespearian English. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

2. My life, plans for the future.

"The thing I like most about my life is literature, and I really like Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

3. Family life, house and home.

"If I could have a dream home, it would be in Stratford-Upon-Avon, which interestingly is the place where William Shakespeare was born. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

4. Student's life, schools, education.

"I have really enjoyed my time at S.G.O., because during my time here I learnt a lot about Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

5. Friendship, personal qualities.

"To be, or not to be - that is a question about personal qualities asked by Hamlet, who was a character in the play of the same name, written by William Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

6. Hobbies and leisure time.

- same answer as Life & Plans for the Future

7. Sports and games.

"Shakespeare was a footballer who played for Stratford-Upon-Avon F.C. He was in a solid defence which also included Romeo, Hamlet, Othello, with Macbeth in goal. Their greatest victory was against the Merry Wives of Windsor, with Julius Caesar getting the crucial goal..."

8. Health and diseases, healthy way of life.

"Shakespeare had a lot to say about this topic. A lot of his characters, for example, Hamlet, suffered from some kind of mental illness. In those days there was no medication and so he died. Romeo & Juliet died of love-sickness combined with accidental suicide..."

9. Travelling makes the world smaller.

"Even though he never travelled a lot, William Shakespeare had much to say about this topic. He wrote about many far away places, such as Rome & France. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

10. Shopping, money, economy.

"The Merchant of Venice wanted a pound of flesh as payment. It was a different type of economy, but it just shows what a great writer & economist William Shakespeare was! Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

11. Cooking and eating habits.

"'A horse, a horse! My Kingdom for a horse!' These are words uttered by Richard III, who was so hungry that he could have eaten a horse. Indeed, had he been alive today, he would have had no problem having a snack in IKEA. Richard III was a character of Shakespeare's. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

12. Fashion, dressing, youth culture.
"I am old-fashioned, and don't like wearing modern styles. I would love to bring back the fashion from the middle-ages, perhaps to dress as Shakespeare did. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

13. Weather and environmental problems.
"We can have different types of weather. Another word for a storm is a 'tempest'. My favourite time of the year is midsummer. Interestingly, Shakespeare also wrote a play called 'The Tempest', and one called 'A Midsummer Night's Dream'. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who also wrote many other famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

14. Means of communication, mass media.
"There are many different ways to communicate. These days, a lot of people use modern technology, but this was not the case in Shakespeare's time. He could only communicate through his plays and sonnets, and perhaps using pigeons too. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

15. Cultural life here and in English speaking countries.
"I love going to the theatre & watching a good play, especially plays by Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

16. My experience with English and American literature.
:-) no comment!! This is the moment you've been waiting for! You can use all of your pre-prepared information in a parrot-like fashion, hardly pausing for breath. Of course, your teacher will try & guide you to other writers...and it might be tricky with American ones...but hey, you can always keep Hemmingway's 'The Old Man & the Sea' in reserve... ;-)

17. Holidays, festivals, customs and traditions.
"Around the middle of March is St.Patrick's Day. The middle of March is also known as 'the ides of March', which interestingly is a phrase that was used by Shakespeare in his play, 'Julius Caesar'. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

18. The United Kingdom.
"There are many famous places in England, and one of them is Stratford-Upon-Avon, which was also the home of William Shakespeare. He didn't like to travel much, and so he didn't know a lot about other places, though he wrote about them, which is a bit like me. He was a famous British writer who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

19. London and other places in the UK.
Same as above, but you can also speak about The Globe Theatre.

20. Canada, Australia, The British Commonwealth.
A tricky one to do...but using your preparation for GB & NI, you can try & stay focused on The British Commonwealth, exclusively through Britain...but if you must, you could also try: "Britain sent a lot of criminals to Australia, which was then only inhabited by aboriginals. They were uncultured, so they introduced some culture in the way of Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

21. The United States of America.
"The Pilgrim Fathers went to America a long time ago. The winters there were very long and dark, and they had nothing to do at night but to read the works of Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

22. Washington D. C., New York and other places in the U. S. A.
As above - but with New York, you could also focus on Broadway, and the possibility of seeing Shakespearian plays there!

23. The Czech Republic.
"In the Czech Republic we have long winters. "Now is the winter of our discontent" is a quotation from the writer, Shakespeare. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

24. Prague and other interesting places in our country.
"In Prague there is the National Theatre. On a visit there, you could possibly see one of Shakespeare's plays. Shakespeare was a famous British writer who also lived in Stratford-Upon-Avon & who wrote many famous works, such as 'Hamlet', "Romeo & Juliet' etc..."

25. Olomouc, my town, my birthplace.
As above - but use 'Moravian Theatre' instead of 'National Theatre'.

And there you have it!! Perhaps it can be done?! :-