My sweet daughter is on the move – and, of course, is obsessed with my books. She is always pulling them off the bookshelf. Instead of moving the books out of her reach, I have decided to indulge her interest by reading her a Shakespeare sonnet a day.
We are only about a week in, but so far, I have learned:
- Keira likes when I read to her, but she is NOT overly impressed with Shakespeare. The first sonnet we read, she acted appalled that I was making her sit through it. Then, when I finished the sonnet and said it was time to interpret the meaning, she got so offended that she turned to her Gammy for support. Despite her annoyance, I am pressing on with the plan. There must be a reason she keeps pulling that particular book off the shelf, right?
- Shakespeare is weirdly preoccupied with procreation. The earlier sonnets are mostly about preserving your beauty by passing it on to your offspring. I knew that many of his sonnets focused on beauty, but, honestly, I wonder how disappointed he would give that I waited until my thirties to have a child – and that she looks more like her daddy than me.
- Shakespeare is kind of a misogynistic at times, but… yeah… I still like his work.
Though the below line deviates from the theme of passing along ones looks through procreation, it’s a beautiful line and I had to share it.
Making a famine where abundance lies,
Thyself thy foe, to thy sweet self too cruel.
My interpretation: Recognize your worth and be kind to yourself.
I’m sure there will be some sonnets we like more than others, but I am more than a little delighted that Keira will be able to say that she has read all Shakespeare’s sonnets before age 1.
#LiteraryGoals
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