Death Ain't Nothin'

                 There's a great scene in the movie Ray, in which the young musician Ray Charles and his band's bus driver are small-talking about their lives prior to getting involved with music. The bus driver reveals that he used to be in the army (World War II) and lived through some brutal combat. The odd thing, however, and the reason why this scene is so unique is that the bus driver comments unexpectedly that "Death ain't nothin' ". Oddly enough, Ray Charles agrees instantly with him, and then he experiences a flashback to his early childhood when he witnesses his brother quickly drown, while attempting to swim in a small pot of water. Normally, watching someone die is depicted as this painful, extravagant, and life-altering experience, but Ray opened me up to the idea that there is something very nonchalant about death, something almost disappointing, as if the process of dying was not played out enough- it just happens. Act 5, Scene 1 of Hamlet intensified this feeling of death's casualness and helped me understand the powerlessness and finality of death.

                 "What ceremony else?" This is the response of Laertes to the death of his sister, Ophelia. It does not sound like the devastated, depressed response of someone who has just found out about the death of a dear loved one, but its bluntness helps to convey a sense of hopelessness. I can feel the grief and, in a way, confusion of Laertes as all his memories of his sister flash before his eyes. Her death is so sudden, not anticipated by any of her family, and her death is nothing honorable or extravagant. In this instance, Shakespeare helps to present the odd part of death: the effects of the death of a loved one can change a life, but the actual death is nothing grand. Furthermore, the process of celebrating and remembering the life of  a person (through wake, funeral, and burial) often is not enough to satisfy people who knew the deceased. The process seems a bit incomplete, as voiced by Laertes with his short question. You just have to accept this feeling of powerlessness, that no matter what you do, you can't save the dead. I was surprised that those three simple words could move me so much and help to paint a picture of death that I will never forget.  But this is the exact reason why I decided to take the Shakespeare class in the first place.

                   One of the things that always amazed me about Shakespeare is his ability to teach such valuable and detailed life lessons in only five acts. In Othello and Macbeth, I learned about betrayal and how those closest to you can end up doing you the most damage. In A Midsummer Night's Dream Shakespeare showed me how love is not at all a logical or rational idea, but a feeling that one must simply embrace when it comes to you. Hamlet and The Tempest both helped to show me how to live a fulfilling life and to do what pleases you. Thus, Shakespeare, although he is an entertainer, is a teacher for me, someone who is able to paint such vivid pictures to illustrate life's greatest lessons.