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Mark, Wes, and Dylan conclude our discussion of Shakespeare's play. We talk about the exchanges about art in the play: How does art relate to life and to commerce?
In the full discussion, this leads us to consider more generally Shakespeare's language and how we moderns can be good spectators of these plays. Are we meant to just get the gist, or is study and preparation necessary before experiencing one of these plays? Is it OK to modernize the language at all so that today's audiences will understand?
In the version of the play we used, there are notes not only to explain the more difficult language but also notes about the stage directions and variations used for a few different prominent performances of the play, so we talk about ways people have used this to help the play connect with audiences.
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