The
children were asked what they knew about Shakespeare. Here are some of the
answers:
Maxine
VIasman, 10: "Nuttin'."
Christine
Marshall, 10: "He wrote plays."
Catherine
Sammons 10: "I think Shakespeare was a poet and wrote books and plays. My
Dad's got one, a play. When people make speeches, my Dad always says, 'That
was Shakespeare'."
Thacy
Hennessey, 11: "He lived in Queen Elizabeth's time. The Queen liked him. He wrote
a lot of books and plays, romances and mysteries. I've seen his plays on
TV. They were nice to watch."
Paul
Edwards, 10: "He was a famous playwriter. Everyone used to like him. He wrote
mostly about romance. There was a love potion and the first person who woke
up and drank it fell in love. We've got a book about it at home. Shakespeare
used words like hath and yea.
Peter Weston, 10: "He made
films, He was in a lot of films. I think he wrote Swan Lake, about swans
dying. It was always on TV. Most of his plays were about dancing. He had
a lot of patience, if something went wrong he'd scribble it out and start
again."
Lynne
Williams, 11: "He was a famous writer ‑ Caesar Shakespeare."
Christine Parshouse, 11:
"I've heard his name: he acts."
Kevin
Dowd, 11: "He's a good actor and likes to write plays. He wears Tudor costumes."
Catherine
Price, 10: "He wrote plays and sometimes acted. I think he came from London.
He lived in Victorian times. They were very good plays. Everyone liked them."
Alan
Coughlan, 11: "He opened a few theatres. He wrote a lot of plays, some funny.
They were about jesters. He wouldn't allow women to act. I think he went
to college and travelled to America. The plays were written in a very complicated
language. I think it was Latin."
Michael
Bateman, in "The Sunday Times Magazine" 18 April 1976, p.17