Tickling the Bard

    Someone who is bound to arise during your high school career is Shakespeare. Good old Willie!  What intellect and style he doth possess!  Someone who was born 350 years ago in Britain might care a bit more than you.  After all, he writes in an English dialect that may as well be written in the Cyrillic alphabet, and let’s face it, his work is tremendously outdated.  But still, you should care about good old Willie, the bard of Avon.  His work possesses such beauty.  Unfortunately, the sophistication of his works have a tendency to discourage readers from developing a true appreciation for the beauty they possess.  Secondary sources are vital in the world of Shakespeare, not only for comprehension, but as reminders of what Shakespeare created his works for: entertainment.  There are various secondary sources which are useful for interpreting Shakespeare, and obviously some prove themselves to be more beneficial than others.  One which is particularly useful and sets itself apart from others is Good-Tickle Brain.  Good-Tickle Brain’s comical nature engages the audience and provides sufficient detail to help the audience attain a basic understanding of Macbeth, but is concise enough to permit the audience to develop their own understanding of the play.

A recurring issue with many secondary sources is they fail to incorporate any aspect of engagement.  While the main priority of any secondary source (especially one related to Shakespearean works) should be to educate, an audience can take away a lot more from a source that is made somewhat interesting.  Good-Tickle Brain is an excellent example of a secondary source for Macbeth that provides a comical, light hearted nature that intrigues the audience without compromising information which is essential to the comprehension of Macbeth.  It's comic-strip style presents the story in a manner which is familiar to high school students, which is extremely useful because a large portion of Shakespeare's contemporary audience is composed of high school students.  Its use of humor permits it to again add to its relatability and pique the audience’s interest.  Early on in Act One, Scene Two, there is a specific passage that serves as a good example of Good-Tickle Brain’s engagement through humor.  In this excerpt, a battered sergeant is expressing Macbeth’s courage and valiance in battle to King Duncan:

Doubtful it stood;

As two spent swimmers, that do cling together

And choke their art. The merciless Macdonwald--

Worthy to be a rebel, for to that

The multiplying villanies of nature

Do swarm upon him--from the western isles

Of kerns and gallowglasses is supplied;

And fortune, on his damned quarrel smiling,

Show'd like a rebel's whore: but all's too weak:

For brave Macbeth--well he deserves that name--

Disdaining fortune, with his brandish'd steel,

Which smoked with bloody execution,

Like valour's minion carved out his passage

Till he faced the slave;

Which ne'er shook hands, nor bade farewell to him,

Till he unseam'd him from the nave to the chaps,

And fix'd his head upon our battlements (1.2.8-23)

From this, the general concept of what is occurring can be perceived, but chances are, most readers are probably a bit bored by this seventeenth century diction and style.  Good-Tickle Brain can be used to make sense of this.  In order to achieve its full effect, it is necessary to view the comic strip which portrays this scene on Good-Tickle Brain:

The first things an individual is likely to observe are the illustrations.  This is something very few other secondary sources can claim they have.  The simplicity and playfulness of the illustrations contribute to the humor.  The irony showcased by the sergeant, in the sense that he is portrayed as battered, yet speaking freely, is another humorous aspect.  If attention is directed to the text, it can be noted that there is a sarcastic, lighthearted tone being conveyed.  For example, the box which refers to the excerpt from the actual play states, “Things weren’t going well until our general, brave Macbeth, unseamed the rebel Macdonald from the nave to the chops, which was pretty messy.”  This is a decent paraphrase of the actual excerpt, yet still includes the “which was pretty messy” portion at the end, intending to add a little something extra to make the audience laugh.

    Although no secondary source can be successful without incorporating necessary information, there are numerous sources which provide far too much information.  This can be harmful to a reader’s Shakespeare experience; too much information can limit a reader’s ability to think critically about a piece and develop their own ideas regarding the piece.  Good-Tickle Brain does an excellent job of permitting leeway for an audience to formulate such judgment without compromising necessary information.  An example of this can be showcased by viewing a portion of Macbeth’s “dagger” soliloquy from Act 2, Scene 1:

Is this a dagger which I see before me,

The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee.

I have thee not, and yet I see thee still.

Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible

To feeling as to sight? or art thou but

A dagger of the mind, a false creation,

Proceeding from the heat-oppressed brain?

I see thee yet, in form as palpable

As this which now I draw.

Thou marshall'st me the way that I was going;

And such an instrument I was to use.

Mine eyes are made the fools o' the other senses,

Or else worth all the rest; I see thee still,

And on thy blade and dudgeon gouts of blood,

Which was not so before. There's no such thing:

It is the bloody business which informs

Thus to mine eyes (2.1.34-50).

As was the case with the initial excerpt, it is possible to grasp a general idea of what is occurring here.  It is evident that Macbeth is experiencing visions of a dagger, but as is typical for Shakespeare, difficult language presents a barrier in front of a complete understanding.  Good-Tickle Brain can be used to make sense of this:

From the illustrations, it is clear when Macbeth begins to experience the dagger visions, and he makes it clear that they are in fact visions when he exclaims, “It’s just a figment of my imagination!”  The illustrations also make Macbeth’s perplexion clear, but show that he is to kill Duncan in the final box.  These concepts are those which are vital to understanding the scene.  Once the audience has grasped such understanding, they can begin to more critically analyze and dissect the passage for themselves.  In-depth analysis is crucial to understanding Shakespeare, but must be done in a manner which is not reading such analysis directly from a secondary source.

   Understanding Shakespeare without the use of secondary sources is close to impossible, but there are many which at first glance appear as useful.  Good-Tickle Brain is able to stand out as one of the best sources due to its engaging nature and its ability to be concise.  Promoting critical thinking while still restoring entertainment to Shakespeare are two unique things Good-Tickle Brain has to offer.  Shakespeare, although old-fashioned, continues to play an important role in social aspects of life; being well-versed in Shakespeare can give an impression of a nurtured intellect, and many issues Shakespeare writes about can be connected with real-world events in contemporary life.  In order to fulfill this important role, understanding of such literature must be developed, and secondary sources like Good-Tickle Brain must be used to develop this understanding.