Hamlet

So, this year I decided it was time for Melissa to study Shakespeare. It was a brilliant move on my part because her mind can really wrap itself around the Bard. She gets it! Not everyone gets or understands Shakespeare, but since her mind has always been about words, it was a great subject for her.

Since we have access to the Folger Shakespeare library right here in D.C., I checked the schedule of what would be performed and planned accordingly. As luck would have it, the current play being performed is Hamlet, so I saved it for last in our studies. Yesterday was the big day of our performance, and it was wonderful! Even though it was very hot and muggy walking from the Metro to the theater, Melissa and I had a great time. The theater itself is a very intimate reproduction of an Elizabethan Theatre, so there was not too big a crowd for Melissa to deal with (sensory issues always need to be considered). The guy playing Hamlet was superb (www.grahamilton.com)! More importantly, Melissa really enjoyed the performance.

Like I said above, Melissa just "gets" Shakespeare. As a result, was was able to really enjoy watching the play being performed. Her mind is so quick that she was often laughing at funny lines first, which amazed me as my brain has to process the archaic language before it realizes something is funny. She was fully engaged throughout the entire play, and was frustrated at the intermission because she wanted to keep going. When we got home, she told everyone how good the play was, then confessed to her sister in an aside that "the guy playing Hamlet was so cute" (it was such an age-appropriate observation that I wanted to cry).

All in all, studying Shakespeare this year was a great success. Melissa has found a new literary passion, and has expressed interest in seeing other Shakespeare plays live (which is huge considering her aversion to crowds and doing anything outside of the normal routine). Tailoring Melissa's education to her strengths has opened up many new worlds to her, and I am always amazed at the knowledge she can acquire if given the chance.