Shakespeare Returns! #ShakespeareReturns

Irony. The expression of one's meaning by using language that normally signifies the opposite, typically for humorous or emphatic effect.

Situational Irony. The difference between what is expected and what actually occurs.

Shakespeare was a big fan of irony. A majority of his plays center on a misunderstanding, sometimes a fatal one, that sends each character onto a trajectory completely opposed to what he or she had planned and prepared for. The sheer humor of it is that if only the characters had been able to talk one moment longer, had gotten the information one instant sooner, the whole fiasco would have been avoided. But of course, this is what makes Shakespeare so genius: He knows how impulsive people are and uses this rashness to create conflict and intrigue.

It seems it would be impossible for a modern version of one of Shakespeare's plays to actually occur in today's environment. A person cannot avoid getting information even if they're trying to remain ignorant! We are bombarded with messages, updates and news stories as if our ability to live depended on it, and according to Shakespeare, sometimes it does. If you think about it, situational irony almost doesn't make sense anymore. Everyone would be yelling, "Use the phone!!! Where's the ipad???" Instant gratification is kind of our thing.

Taylor Swift was able to evoke all of the emotion and tragedy of Romeo and Juliet in her song Love Story. Three minutes of drama, emotion, love, and heartbreak-- and you can get the whole story between classes.

What songs would you pair with your favorite Shakespeare plays? Choose any genre, any length, and tweet away!  #ShakespeareReturns

I'll go first! I would pair:  Katy Perry's Hot N Cold and Hamlet's To be, or not to be... Soliloquy,


"To be, or not to be--that is the question:

Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep--

No more--and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to..."

Let's see what you've got!