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New Class: Shakespeare and Star Wars!

| astronut1
Course title image

Using self-paced online activities, your child(ren) will compare the plot and characters of Star Wars to Shakespeare’s plays. We will also discuss  Shakespeare writing by looking at “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars” by Ian Doescher.

Course Description

  1. Concept: To compare and contrast the plot, characters, themes, and language of Shakespeare’s plays with Star Wars
  2. Student Description:
    1. Epic battles, quests for revenge, pirates, funny characters, powerful warriors swinging swords. Star Wars has something for everyone. But did you know that in many ways, Star Wars is based on the ideas and writings of William Shakespeare? In this course we’ll peer beneath the veil of Shakespeare and Star Wars to find the universal stories of love, revenge, power, and growing up, using games, artwork, and dramatic readings by professional actors!
    2. Did you know that Star Wars is based on the ideas and writings of William Shakespeare? This class will teach you about writing and characters though games, interactive activities and dramatic readings of both Star Wars and Shakespeare!
  3. Course organization (the class is divided into 6 parts that students can complete at their own pace over a week-long period.
https://www.thecorestandards.org/ELA-Literacy/L/9-10/

Outline

Unit 1: How Is Shakespeare Like Star Wars?

Class I- Setting the Scene

  1. That is the Question:
    1. What is Star Wars about?
    2. What parts of the Star Wars story are like Shakespeare’s plays?
    3. Are Shakespeare and the Star Wars movies saying anything similar about war? Families? Growing up?
  2. Lesson Objectives
    1. To teach about the characters and plot of Star Wars by comparing them to Star Wars
    2. To introduce the concept of archetypes, tropes, 
  3. Set the Scene
    1. Star Wars is about an evil empire trying to take over the galaxy. They have more ships, more soldiers, and a fearsome weapon that can blow up planets. The rebels on the other hand, though fewer in number, are faster, smarter, and have the advantage of fighting for a good cause. 
    2. In addition, the story is about growing up- Luke becomes a Jedi Knight. He takes revenge on the man who destroyed his father.
  4. The Players (slides)
    1. Luke
    2. Obi Wan/ Yoda
    3. Vader
    4. Leia
    5. Han
    6. R2D2 and C3PO
    7. The Emperor
  5. Words Words Words
    1. Epic
    2. Parody
    3. Theme
    4. Plot
    5. Archetype
    6. Character 
    7. Trope
    8. Theme

Class 2: The Journey of Han and Leia

  • Han and Leia vs. Beatrice and Benedick
    1. Show videos of Han before Leia
    2. Plot summary of Much Ado
    3. Clips of the bickering of Benedick and Beatrice
    4. Read blog and look at the writing.
    5. Activity- how would you write a love letter to Han or Leia?
    6. Play the scene from Jedi

Unit 2- The Prequels and Shakespeare’s Histories

  1. A Crash Course in Shakespeare’s Histories
  2. The Rise of Palpatine/ Richard III
    1. Emperor Palpatine in Star Wars rises to power through a combination of manipulation, intimidation, and by killing his opponents. 
    2. Bio of Richard III
    3. Slide- Richard’s rise to power
    4. Slide- Palpatine’s rise to power
  3. Quizlet

Unit 3- The Verse of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher

  1. What is William Shakespeare’s Star Wars
    1. Introduce the plays
    2. Explain how Shakespeare’s verse works
    3. Look at the common verse elements
      1. Sonnets
        1. Show the chorus of “Verily a New Hope”
          1.  It is a period of civil war. The spaceships of the rebels, striking swift From base unseen, have gain’d a vict’ry o’er The cruel Galactic Empire, now adrift. Amidst the battle, rebel spies prevail’d And stole the plans to a space station vast,Whose pow’rful beams will later be unveil’d And crush a planet: ’tis the DEATH STAR blast. Pursu’d by agents sinister and cold,Now Princess Leia to her home doth flee, Deliv’ring plans and a new hope they hold:Of bringing freedom to the galaxy .In time so long ago begins our play,In star-crossed galaxy far, far away
          2. Stychomichia
          3. Half lines
          4. Enjambment
          5. Title Crawl (make a gif via Canva)
  2. Side By Side Comparisons
    1. Read/ watch segments of the play
      1. To Be Or Not To Be
      2. All the World’s a Stage
      3. St. Crispin’s Day Speech
    2. Try to turn a Star Wars line into verse, and then look at the reveal.

Unit 4- Literary Devices of William Shakespeare’s Star Wars

  1. Using the educational guide, we’ll learn about the following literary devices:
    • Extended Metaphors (Luke’s green lightsaber)
    • Anaphora (Luke’s call to action in Jedi)
    • Premonatory Dreams (Calpurnia)
    • Stichomythia Richard III vs. Han and Leia

Unit5- The Hero’s Journey of Luke Skywalker

Class 1: What is a Hero’s Journey (Slides)

  1. Learn a little about Joseph Campbell’s monomyth. using the Percy Jackson post, Crash course video about monomyth
  2. Chart Luke’s monomyth journey
  3. Activity- Mad libs- write a star wars movie!
  4.  Quiz on plot elements from the monomyth (Quizzes or Quizlet)

Class 2 :  Hamlet and Luke Skywalker

  1. Plot comparison
    • (use infographic)
    • Quote from Doescher:
      • Hamlet The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is Shakespeare’s most famous play. It’s also the play I make the most references to in William Shakespeare’s Star Wars.
  2. To Be Or Not to Be
  • Use my video about the speech to explain the structure
  • Note how Doescher repurpuses every line in the Star Wars Trilogy:
    • Sometimes it expresses fear: 
    • Sometimes concern: 
    • Frustration: “The whips and scorns of time”
    • Hope: “The undiscovered galaxy” “Tis a consummation devoutly to be wished.”
    • Activity: write your own paraphrase of Hamlet’s speech, using the 6 beats I provided.

Unit 6- Become a Bard Warrior (Slides and Sites)

Notes

Resources:

Web: https://americanshakespearecenter.com/2011/05/in-the-force-of-his-will-shakespeare-and-star-wars/

Close Reading: Shakespeare’s Star Wars (Empire Scene) https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2024/04/17/close-reading-william-shakespeares-star-wars/ 

The Journey of Han and Leia: https://shakespeareanstudent.com/2023/06/16/new-podcast-william-shakespeares-star-wars-part-ii-the-journey-of-han-and-leia/ 

Darth Vader Does Shakespeare

Review of Jedi:

Review: “Star Wars-  the Jedi Doth Return .” by Ian Doescher

Video

  1. William Shakespeare’s Star Wars and the Power of Iambic Pentameter – Summer of Shakespeare the First
  2. The Wampa From “William Shakespeare’s Star Wars”
  3. Han Solo Does Shakespeare
  4. Emperor Shakespeare
  5. Darth Vader does Shakespeare
  6. Dagobah Cave Vision: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0otvBA0iAA0 
  7. Duel between Luke and Vader: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars excerpt: the Duel from “The Empire Striketh Back.”
  8. Comparison:
    1. 1st 10 minutes of Jedi: Star Wars Episode VI Return Of The Jedi Opening Scene HD720p
    2. Doescher’s version: Darth Vader Reads Star Wars Shakespear The Jedi Doth Return Vader Reviews

Podcast:

  1. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5BJ6TuhFO699OxWRLZNL2U?si=_cRGo7FzQjakUuZuPT0KwA 
  2. https://open.spotify.com/episode/1E3Eh9OpcR7lpMHI8edU4o?si=p-PrlRzQStqwGnoz4Y88pA 
  3. https://open.spotify.com/episode/5SFDcMAfF14ANVIki6xxr8?si=0YWtFyWoQE2CtG8fAEK22A 

https://roomescapemaker.com/u/kuhz1234/egregree#google_vignette

Close Reading: William Shakespeare’s Star Wars

| astronut1

For my Shakespeare club, my actors and I are reading William Shakespeare’s Star Wars: The Empire Striketh Back. We started staging the scene today and I’d like to publish some of our work and our discoveries going through the text.

The Scene In Context

Han and Leia have a fight before he leaves in “The Empire Strikes Back”

The scene is the first moment where Han Solo and Princess Leia display their repressed feelings for each other. Han wants to stay with Leia, but he has a bounty hunter trying to hunt him down. Also, Leia has not directly given him any sign of affection, (though Han suspects that she does have feelings for him). He wants her to ask him to stay, not because of his service to the rebellion, but because she loves him back.

Ian Doescher’s Version

Poster art for my podcast based on this scene.
Leia And Han, Act I, Scene ii
[Enter Han SL, Leia enters after. stops.
L: Han, halt!
		H:[Turn to her, bows]  What is thy pleasure, Highness?
		L: I did believe that thou had chos’n to stay.
		H: [Center Stage turn out] The bounty hunter we did meet on Ord
		Mantell hath chang’d my mind
		L: 				-We need thee Han.
		H: [Turn to her] What “we?” Why speakest thou of “we?”
		(circling her) Dost thou in royal terms speak her of “we?”
		(Hands on shoulders) Hast thou a rodent in thy pocket such 
		That thou and he are “we? (holding her hands)” What meanest thou?
		What need is there that thou dost share with all? [moving her center stage]
		[Turning to audience] Speak not of “we,” but “I.” O princess, what
		Dost thou most need? Not “we,” not “they,” but thou?
		L: [Turning to him] I know not what thou speakest of.
		H: [pointing at her]		- ‘Tis true.
		Most probably thou dost not know thyself.
		L: Thy vanity [takes his pointer finger and points it to the sky]
		Hath puffed up thine imagination. 
		H:					-Aye?
		(Smiling) Then why doest thou yet follow me? Wert thou
		Afraid I would depart without a kiss? [He stands behind her, looking at her as if he's about to kiss her cheek. She steps on his foot]
		L: I would as eagerly kiss Wookie lips.
		H: That can arran`ed be. [He turns SR, starts to leave, then turns back to her.] By heaven’s breath,
		A kiss would suit thee well! [Exits SR}
My podcast episode about the scene

Like Han in the original script, Doescher latches on to the fact that Leia says “We need you Han,” instead of “I need you,” (which would confirm Han’s suspicions that she has feelings for him). Doescher’s Han has a mocking speech where he tries to coax Leia into saying what she truly wants from him. In both versions Leia, (annoyed with Han’s childish behavior), retorts by saying that she would rather kiss a Wookie, but in Doescher’s version, she also has a soliloquy where, like Beatrice in Much Ado About Nothing, she laments that she would admit her affections if Han could put his ego aside and woo her gently, instead of his accustomed taunts and mockery.

The Verse

If you read my review of the first Shakespeare’s Star Wars play, you know that Doescher put almost every line in iambic pentameter- the standard verse for Shakespeare that has 10 beats per line. I like to call verse the heartbeat of a character and iambic pentameter is sort of a baseline for a character who is calm or in control of their emotions. What’s great about this scene is that Doescher intentionally breaks from the norm of iambic pentameter, which is appropriate because these characters are bubbling with emotions; anger, jealousy, fear, and of course, love.

Leia’s Verse

Leia only has two regular verse lines- right after she enters and right before she leaves:

		L: I did believe that thou had chos’n to stay. 
Leia is a princess, used to giving orders and being obeyed. Accordingly her first line is a simple two word command "Han halt." Then Leia clearly. simply, and in standard iambic pentameter, asks Han to explain why he is going. From that point on, none of her lines are 10 syllables long- they either complete his or his lines complete hers. This kind of rapid-fire call and response is called Stichomythia, and it indicates how intelligent these characters are, how passionate they are, and how impatient they are with each other. It's not unlike some of Shakespeare's other great lovers like Beatrice and Benedick, or characters who dispise each other like Richard III and Lady Anne:

Notice that in this “keen encounter of wits,” the characters talk on top of each other. The verse lines indicate that Han and Leia need to keep topping each other and pick up the tempo. This helps convey how frustrated Leia is with Han and is trying to get him to get to the point! The only other regular verse line is her coup-de-gras at the end where she says “I would as soon kiss Wookie lips!” At that point, she’s done talking to Han and just wants him to go, and the verse reflects her decisive choice.

Left- Ruiz Burgos “Princess Leia & Han Solo” Right- Juliet by Philip H. Calderon (1888)

However, as you can hear in the podcast, alone in soliloquy, Leia reveals to the audience that she is still conflicted with her feelings for Han- listing all his best qualities like his hands, his face, his eyes, etc. This rhetorical technique is called anaphora, and it helps Leia build in excitement getting lost in Han’s attractive qualities. For my staging of the scene, Leia puts her hand on her cheek while standing under a balcony to emulate Juliet’s famous musings on Romeo:






    

  • Juliet. ‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;
    Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.
    What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
    Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
    Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
    What’s in a name? That which we call a rose
    By any other name would smell as sweet;
    So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,
    Retain that dear perfection which he owes
    Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,
    And for that name which is no part of thee
    Take all myself. – Romeo and Juliet, Act II, Scene ii.
    • 






Han’s Verse





While Leia’s verse is quick and direct, Han’s is slower and longer. His sentences spill over from one verse line to another because he’s taking his time. Again, his objective is to basically “neg” Leia into admitting that she loves him, so he’s enjoying goading her. He’s sort of like Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing, though Han speaks verse and Benedick speaks prose:













Han’s Extended Metaphor





Again, Han’s goal is to tease Leia into admitting that she loves him, so when she says: “We need thee Han,” he feigns ignorance and asks her to clarify her phrasing- going through all the permutations of “we” (including the colloquial, “Do you have a mouse in your pocket?”) to get her to specify what she means by “we.” If you look at Doescher’s official education guide for the William Shakespeare’s Star Wars series, you can see how Shakespearean characters often go into lengthy metaphors or comparisons to explore an idea or theme: 





shakespearestarwars_educatorsguideDownload





Characterization







As I was writing William Shakespeare’s The Empire Striketh Back, I was surprised to realize I had made more references to Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing than any other play. Much Ado is a comedy—probably my favorite of Shakespeare’s comedies—so it was strange that lines from it kept popping up in the darkest of the original Star Wars® trilogy. –































Both of my actors are female and obviously, they aren’t Carrie Fisher or Harrison Ford. Since this play is a parody of the original Star Wars, I wanted to incorporate some physicality and vocal elements, without telling them to impersonate the Star Wars actors.





Han





Harrison Ford is much taller than Carrie Fisher and he uses his height to mock and irritate her. He also crosses his arms and points his index finger at her frequently in this movie, so I used that in the blocking. He also has a “cowboy stance”- legs apart, slight bend in the knees, slow, deliberate gait. Ironically, another man who has this kind of walk is David Tennant in his performance as Benedick in “Much Ado About Nothing.”








David Tennant and Catherine Tate in “Much Ado About Nothing,” Act I, Scene ii.





As for Carrie Fisher, she has a faster pace and keeps her arms close to her body. She looks like a ball of stress and anxiety, which is appropriate. After all, not only is she going to lose the man she loves, she’s under attack from an empire and living on a cold, dark planet made of ice! I told my actor to put these characterizations into her performance to not imitate Carrie Fisher, but to get the essence of how her emotions affect how the character moves and speaks. That’s the difference between acting this scene, and just doing impressions of the original actors. 





I’m excited to see how my actors bring these techniques to life, and I hope you have enjoyed this little insight into how Doescher’s writing once again pulls back the curtain on how Shakespeare used his verse to show the hearts of his characters!










-More Star Wars coming soon!

			

	


				
					


	

			
Great Classes Available for April!
		

			

					

				

						 | astronut1					

				

		

I’m teaching lots of cool classes online via Outschool.com  during April. All the ones below are asynchronous, which means that, rather than interacting live with a teacher, you will interact with websites, videos, digital escape rooms, and other fun activities at your own pace. When you sign up, I’ll send you the materials and give you a handout, and be available via chat if you or your child needs help. Check out some of these amazing activities!






https://outschool.com/teachers/The-Shakespearean-Student?usid=MaRDyJ13&signup=true&authTrigger=follow_teacher&utm_campaign=share_leader_link











1. “Macbeth Digital Escape Room”





 In this virtual version of my popular “Macbeth” course, you will engage with William Shakespeare himself and learn about his play in a fun, spooky, and interactive way!













 2. “An Interactive Guide to Shakespeare’s London”: 





A virtual tour of Shakespeare’s London will get kids to interact with the culture of Elizabethan England.





To teach kids about the Elizabethan era and the background of Romeo and Juliet, The Instructor will interact with the class (via pre-recorded videos), pretending to be Shakespeare. The class, pretending to be actors in Romeo and Juliet, will get a virtual tour of The Globe Theater, Hampton Court Palace, and a virtual visit to an Elizabethan doctor's office. This activity is an immersive way for them to learn about the period, how it relates to the world of the play, and how Shakespeare changed theater.






Intro image for my “Immersive Guide to Shakespeare’s London.”










3. “Shakespeare: The Lost Play:”





 You must find the lost play of William Shakespeare before a mystery thief destroys it! Solve the clues and learn about Shakespeare’s writing and theater to uncover a historical mystery! 













4. “Gravity Falls-Inspired Escape Room:” 





Save the Mystery Shack from Bill Cypher, and learn about secret codes!













5. THe Violent Rhetoric of Julius Caesar:












Scan the QR code to see my list of classes.

Digital business card for my online classes with a QR code if you want to know more





https://outschool.com/teachers/The-Shakespearean-Student?usid=MaRDyJ13u0026amp;signup=trueu0026amp;authTrigger=follow_teacheru0026amp;utm_campaign=share_leader_link





Special Discount!





Get $5 off all these classes with coupon code HTHESED9SM5 until April 30th, 2024. Get started at https://outschool.com/classes/gravity-falls-inspired-game-crack-the-codes-and-beat-the-cypher-IvpT5sea and enter the coupon code at checkout.

			

	


				
					


	

			
Great Classes Available for April!
		

			

					

				

						 | astronut1					

				

		










Exciting, fully immersive, fully online classes for you and your children to enjoy in April 2024. Go down to Gravity Falls and solve codes and ciphers. Travel to Ancient Rome to learn about Julius Caesar, and visit Shakespeare’s Globe with a fully virtual tour!





Screenshot of my April schedule of classes, 2024





All the ones below are asynchronous, which means that, rather than interacting live with a teacher, you will interact with websites, videos, digital escape rooms, and other fun activities at your own pace. When you sign up, I’ll send you the materials and give you a handout, and be available via chat if you or your child needs help. Check out some of these amazing activities!





1. “Macbeth Digital Escape Room”





 In this virtual version of my popular “Macbeth” course, you will engage with William Shakespeare himself and learn about his play in a fun, spooky, and interactive way!













 2. “An Interactive Guide to Shakespeare’s London”: 





A virtual tour of Shakespeare’s London will get kids to interact with the culture of Elizabethan England.





To teach kids about the Elizabethan era and the background of Romeo and Juliet, The Instructor will interact with the class (via pre-recorded videos), pretending to be Shakespeare. The class, pretending to be actors in Romeo and Juliet, will get a virtual tour of The Globe Theater, Hampton Court Palace, and a virtual visit to an Elizabethan doctor's office. This activity is an immersive way for them to learn about the period, how it relates to the world of the play, and how Shakespeare changed theater.






Intro image for my “Immersive Guide to Shakespeare’s London.”










3. “Shakespeare: The Lost Play:”





 You must find the lost play of William Shakespeare before a mystery thief destroys it! Solve the clues and learn about Shakespeare’s writing and theater to uncover a historical mystery! 













4. “Gravity Falls-Inspired Escape Room:” 





Save the Mystery Shack from Bill Cypher, and learn about secret codes!













5. THe Violent Rhetoric of Julius Caesar (Asynchronous Edition)










Using self-paced online activities, and a helpful handout, your child(ren) will analyze the rhetoric and persuasive power in Shakespeare’s “Julius Caesar.” The course will also cover the history and culture of ancient Rome.





Scan the QR code to see my list of classes.
Digital business card for my online classes with a QR code if you want to know more






https://outschool.com/teachers/The-Shakespearean-Student?usid=MaRDyJ13&signup=true&authTrigger=follow_teacher&utm_campaign=share_leader_link






Special Discount!

			

	


				
					


	

			
Is Percy Jackson Hamlet?
		

			

					

				

						 | astronut1					

				

		






I’m really excited about the Disney Plus release of the Percy Jackson TV show. My family and I are really enjoying it and I think it’s a very good adaptation, (much more faithful than the previous movie versions). The tone is darker, the characters are better fleshed out, and also there’s a much more nuanced take on Percy’s character, which I believe is at the core of the series. The movie is essentially just a fetch quest where Percy is going from location A to location B looking for various magic items and fighting monsters. Movie Percy is a very static character but in the books and the show, they keep all of those journeys but also delve into his complicated relationship with the gods, his own insecurities growing up without a father, and his overwhelming feeling that this world of gods and mortals is fundamentally flawed and that he is the one to fix it.







“Families are messy. Immortal families are eternally messy. Sometimes the best we can do is to remind each other that we’re related for better or for worse…and try to keep the maiming and killing to a minimum.” 

-Percy Jackson, The Sea of Monsters






In short, what makes the show great is that it emphasizes the elements of the book that make it a classic story of a young man who is trying to find his place in the world and complete the quest that his father set for him. Of course, once I started watching it, my Shakespeare Brain activated, and I immediately compared him to Shakespeare’s ultimate example of a hero trying to complete a quest given to him by an absent father- Hamlet.
So today I’ll Talk about why I think Percy Jackson is actually a descendant of Hamlet or rather that Hamlet and Percy Jackson are both descendants of the same common ancestor in Greek mythology and touch on what these classic stories can say to us today.





1. The Plot





AI Art I created of Percy Jackson. Nightcreator.com.





As I touched on earlier, there are some glaring similarities between the plots of Percy Jackson and Hamlet- we have a young man who has who hates his stepfather, who is deeply protective of his mother, who goes on a magical quest given to him by his father, (who cannot directly aid him because he’s not physically there). In Percy Jackson, his father is a god- the ancient Greek water god Poseidon, while Hamlet’s father is a ghost. Both heroes have to deal with treachery, uncover a plot, avert potential wars, and get caught up in great military and political power schemes. While Hamlet is trying to restore the rightful heir to the throne (himself), Percy is trying to avoid a war between the gods. Both heroes have stoic sidekicks- Hamlet has Horatio whereas Percy has Annabeth and his friend Grover the Satyr. Hamlet’s friend l Horatio is kind of like a combination of Annabeth’s intelligence and Grover’s kindness and empathy. Finally, both stories conclude in a duel (spoiler alert) where they fight against a near-impossible adversary, and in the end, succeed in their quest, although in Hamlet’s case, he does so at the cost of his own life.





The main difference between these stories is connected to tone and genre- Hamlet is a revenge play, and most Revenge tragedies end in the death of the avenger. Percy Jackson is an adventure quest so based on the conventions, he can succeed, survive, and go off to fight another day. Nevertheless, in terms of the broad outline, the plots are very similar. I would argue this is probably because Hamlet has its roots in many ancient mythological stories like Oedipus, Orestes, and of course, the Danish Viking myth of Amleth. I would argue that both Percy Jackson and Hamlet have a very clear direct common ancestor: the ancient Greek myth of …





2. A Common Ancestor- Perseus













https://prezi.com/btk3m_bamkmh/hamlets-monomyth/





As this funny cartoon illustrates, the plots of Percy Jackson and Hamlet can be seen as a modern incarnation of the Perseus myth, from the villainous stepfather to the hero’s protective feelings to the mother to the magical quest to get rid of a stepfather who takes away his birthright. These plot elements follow a very similar formula; as Jake also alluded to, all three of these stories are part of what writers and scholars like to call the monomyth or the “Hero’s journey,” a concept in mythology and storytelling that has inspired works such as Percy Jackson, Star Wars, and many others.





What Is the Monomyth?













Crash Course Mythology- The Monomyth





In 1949, scholar Joseph Campbell wrote a book called “The Hero With a Thousand Faces,” which posited that every culture has stories that fit into universal archetypes- that essentially all human cultures have unique stories, but also call to mind universal truths about humanity. He then distilled the common archetypes and plot tropes of these myths into something called “The monomyth” or “The Hero’s Journey,” a 17-step process that is at the core of many ancient myths, modern adventure stories, or revenge stories such as Hamlet. Below are some of the common tropes of the Hero’s Journey. When you see it spelled out like this, it is very clear that both Hamlet, Percy Jackson, and Perseus follow the Monomyth formula:





Infographic of the Monomyth from David R. Jolly.com





Part I: The Call To Adventure:







Where’s the glory in repeating what others have done?

The Lightining Thief





Every Greek hero starts with a call to adventure- Theseus finds his father’s sword and sets out to find him. Oedipus needs to lift the plague on Thebes, and Hamlet needs to find out why his father’s ghost has returned.







A Half-Blood of the eldest gods, Shall reach sixteen against all odds 
And see the world in endless sleep
The Hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap
A single choice shall end his days
Olympus to preserve or raze.

The Oracle- Sea of Mosters










Part II: Refusing the Call







If my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself.

The Lighting Thief 







I won’t go looking for trouble. I usually don’t have to







Neither Hamlet nor Percy outright refuse to go on their quests, but both experience doubts. Percy, looking at how the gods have cursed and fought and betrayed each other, wonders whether or not they deserve his help:








Percy watches the story of the gods in the Tunnel of Love (Episode 5, Disney Plus 2024.) 





Hamlet on the other hand, is so worried that the ghost is trying to deceive him into killing an innocent man, that he nearly kills himself in the most famous speech in all of Shakespeare.













Part III: Supernatural Aide





Supernatural Aid – A magical helper appears or becomes known















Go on with what your heart tells you, or you will lose all.

The Nereiads, Lighting Thief Chapter 17





Both Percy and Perseus get help from the gods- magical weapons, advice, etc. Hamlet gets the revelation from his father that his uncle killed him and how. What sets Hamlet apart from any number of myths is that, since there’s no tangible evidence that his father was there, Hamlet is not sure if his father helped him, or if he is going insane.















Suspecting and knowing are not the same.

-The Lighting Thief





Crossing the first threshold













In Perseus, the first threshold would be when he leaves Acrisius’ palace and sails to the island of Cerebos. In Percy Jackson, this would be when he leaves Yancy Academy and goes to Camp Half-Blood, and in Hamlet, it would be when he meets the ghost.







My fate cries out, and makes each petty artery in this body as hardy as the Nemian Lion’s mane. Still am I called!

Hamlet, Act I, Scene iii.





Belly of THe BEast










There’s always a part of the story when a character feels they are in too deep. Sometimes it’s a literal belly of the beast- Pinocchio and the whale, Luke Skywalker and the Sarlaac pit, Frodo when he reaches Mordor, and Agent K in Men In Black when he literally gets eaten by the Bug. In Percy Jackson, it would definitely be when he journeys to Hades, like many Greek heroes like Orpheus or Hercules.







I’d love to tell you I had some deep revelation on my way down, that I came to terms with my own mortality, laughed in the face of death, et cetera.

The truth? My only thought was: Aaaaggghhhhh!.







Usually, the belly of the beast occurs near the climax of the story- the ultimate test of the hero’s courage and resolve. For Hamlet, this would be the duel with Laertes- he’s in a situation where Claudius has total control of what he does. 







“You weren’t able to talk sense into him?”
“Well, we kind of tried to kill each other in a duel to the death.”
“I see. You tried the diplomatic approach.” (The Sea of Monsters)







I’ll get into a deeper summary of the steps of the Hero’s journey on my podcast later this month, but to summarize, the Hero’s Journey is essentially a story of growth, maturity, and enlightenment. It’s not a coincidence that all three of these heroes are young men who leave home and then return to confront an evil stepfather or uncle. Campbell regarded the Hero’s journey as a metaphor for young men growing up, learning about themselves, gaining confidence in themselves and their abilities, and taking their rightful place in society by displacing a corrupt older authority figure. This is also  why these stories often resonate with young people, and why storytellers like Disney often use the Hero’s Journey as a template for children’s movies.













These universal stories of growing up, maturity, and a life worth living have always inspired people and even though the stories have different purposes and the plots take different forms, the core of what makes them universal remains the same.

			

	


				
					


				
					


	

			
Special Discount For My Online Class:
		

			

			Scan the QR code to see my list of classes.		

				

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This Friday is the grand premiere of my new online class: “Shakespeare: The Lost Play,” where you discover who stole Shakespeare’s play. Below is the latest trailer.













Since I want as many people to play as possible, I’m creating a coupon: Get $10 off my class “Shakespeare’s Lost Play Mystery Game” with coupon code HTHES4OXNY10 until May 8, 2023. Get started at https://outschool.com/classes/shakespeares-lost-play-mystery-game-ny9HhlxI and enter the coupon code at checkout.

			

	


				
					


				
					


	

			
The Weirdest History Show on YouTube
		

			

					

				

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No, you aren’t hallucinating. This is a clip from the short-lived Warner Brothers kids cartoon show “Histeria,” an educational variety show, sort of like Horrible Histories or “Who Was.” This clip is a song about the life of Henry VIII.





The show was produced by Worner Brothers for the WB back in 1996. It starred many successful voice actors from other WB projects like Billy West (Renn and Stimpy), Tess McNeill (Tiny Toon Adventures), and Frank Welker (The current voice of Curious George). In addition, the show was created by Tom Ruegger, Executive Producer of Warner Animation, who also created Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, and Pinky and the Brain. Those of you who grew up in the 90s know that the WB occasionally sprinkled their shows with educational sketches especially with Animaniacs:













So the idea of using these creative people to create a show about history was not a bad one in and of itself. It could have been a modern-day Schoolhouse Rock. The problem is that the characters are TERRIBLE.While Tiny Toons had likeable characters who were the modern-day successors to classic Warner characters like Buster Bunny, Plucky Duck, and Hampton pig, Histeria has lame characters nobody knows or has any interest in like Froggo, World’s Oldest Woman, and Big Fat Baby. In addition, there is no through line to any of these sketches so it seems like a bunch of random skits. While the Animaniacs was about crazy weird characters trying to escape from the Warner Bros. lot, it seems unclear as to why these characters are talking to me about history.





In short, Histeria feels like a bunch of talented people were forced to make it, and they gave little thought to how to make it a popular series. Still, the animation is good, the voice acting is top-notch, and occasionally, the jokes land very well, and the songs are very catchy. Not surprisingly, my favorite song is this one, where the cast summarizes in song, all 37 plays of William Shakespeare:













https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WesternAnimation/Histeria





This video, of course, is about the life of Henry VIII.