My Science School

William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, in April 1564. The exact date of his birth is not recorded, but it is most often celebrated around the world on 23 April.

Shakespeare’s date of death is conclusively known, however: it was April 23, 1616. He was 52 years old and had retired to Stratford three years before.

Although few plays have been performed or analyzed as extensively as the 38 plays ascribed to William Shakespeare, there are few surviving details about the playwright’s life. This dearth of biographical information is due primarily to his station in life; he was not a noble, but the son of John Shakespeare, a leather trader and the town bailiff. The events of William Shakespeare’s early life can only be gleaned from official records, such as baptism and marriage records.

The first reference to Shakespeare as a London playwright came in 1592, when a fellow dramatist, Robert Greene, wrote derogatorily of him on his deathbed. It is believed that Shakespeare had written the three parts of Henry VI by that point. In 1593, Venus and Adonis was Shakespeare’s first published poem, and he dedicated it to the young Henry Wriothesley, the 3rd earl of Southampton. In 1594, having probably composed, among other plays, Richard III, The Comedy of Errors, and The Taming of the Shrew, he became an actor and playwright for the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which became the King’s Men after James I’s ascension in 1603. The company grew into England’s finest, in no small part because of Shakespeare, who was its principal dramatist. It also had the finest actor of the day, Richard Burbage, and the best theater, the Globe, which was located on the Thames’ south bank. Shakespeare stayed with the King’s Men until his retirement and often acted in small parts.

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"To be, or not to be" is the opening phrase of a soliloquy given by Prince Hamlet in the so-called "nunnery scene" of William Shakespeare's play Hamlet, Act 3, Scene 1. In the speech, Hamlet contemplates death and suicide, bemoaning the pain and unfairness of life but acknowledging that the alternative might be worse. The opening line is one of the most widely known and quoted lines in modern English, and the soliloquy has been referenced in innumerable works of theatre, literature, and music.

While Polonius and Claudius hide and eavesdrop, Hamlet breaks into this most famous soliloquy, perhaps the best-known speech in the English language. Hamlet returns to the question of suicide, wondering if it would be preferable to end his life or not.

Though Hamlet’s language has grown more direct from its earlier references to “dew,” it still speaks to his passivity in the face of desperation. He phrases the question of death in the abstract with the infinitive verb forms “to be, or not to be”—and makes it “the question” of humanity, as opposed to a personal matter. These choices imply that the decision whether or not to exist is a constant struggle for each person, a struggle that Hamlet tries to mediate through the metric of what is “nobler in the mind.” This phrase implies that death is evaluated based on the perceived correctness or social value, as opposed to, say, a universal ethical system.

For the two options themselves, Hamlet chooses evocative images: “To be” is put in relatively more passive terms as a continuous process of “suffering” an onslaught of external attacks from “outrageous fortune”—that is to say, the constant influx of events that cannot be shifted in one’s destiny. Suicide, on the other hand, is presented as an active fight that wages war on “a sea of troubles” and, indeed, is successful in the endeavor. The phrase “by opposing end them” seems noble or glorious, but what it literally means is to vanquish one’s “outrageous fortune” by ending one’s life. Thus Hamlet presents his lack of suicide not as the result of insufficient desperation, but rather his apathy from wishing to take on such a fight. Life becomes, for him, a constant decision of whether he will finally arrive at sufficient motivation to shift course and end his and/or Claudius’s life.

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You've probably of heard the soothsayer’s warning to Julius Caesar in William Shakespeare's play of the same name: “Beware the Ides of March.” Not only did Shakespeare’s words stick, they branded the phrase—and the date, March 15—with a dark and gloomy connotation. It’s likely that many people who use the phrase today don’t know its true origin. In fact, just about every pop culture reference to the Ides—save for those appearing in actual history-based books, movies or television specials—makes it seem like the day itself is cursed.

But the Ides of March actually has a non-threatening origin story. Kalends, Nones and Ides were ancient markers used to reference dates in relation to lunar phases. Ides simply referred to the first new moon of a given month, which usually fell between the 13th and 15th. In fact, the Ides of March once signified the new year, which meant celebrations and rejoicing.

Yet when heroes in movies, books and television shows are faced with the Ides of March, it’s always a bad omen. Several television shows have had episodes named “The Ides of March.” And it’s never good news.

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Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence is comprised of 154 sonnets that were published in 1609. The vast majority of these sonnets are addressed to an unnamed attractive young man who represents beauty, love, and praise. In these sonnets, Shakespeare is reiterating to the young man that it is his duty to marry and have kids, urging him to reproduce so that his physical beauty will be eternalized through future generations.

Shakespeare’s sonnets are composed of 14 lines, each written in iambic pentameter and most with the traditional rhyme scheme of the English sonnet: abab cdcd efef gg. In addition, Shakespeare’s sonnets typically have three distinct quatrains, each of which often is constructed with a separate metaphor and a closing couplet that ties everything together.
As for the larger structure of the sonnet sequence, it is important to note that, as Shakespeare provided no explanation for the intentions behind his sonnets, the order in which he intended them to appear is unknown. Therefore, the order in which they were published might not have been the order in which Shakespeare had written them.
Shakespeare uses many nature-oriented metaphors in his sonnets. It is noteworthy to point out that Shakespeare is never afraid to portray nature in a distasteful manner.

Various themes exist in Shakespeare’s sonnet sequence. First of all, love is seen as a common theme, as it was in many of the Elizabethan sonnets. In addition, Shakespeare’s sonnets focus on the power of time, and how time can wither away beauty. In many of his poems that are written to the young man, Shakespeare (the narrator) is demonstrating the theme of the importance of reproduction. He asserts the value of eternalizing beauty through reproduction and by passing it down through generations. His sonnets focus on physical beauty rather than intellectual beauty. Regarding the theme of time, Shakespeare asserts that only love and poetry (or another type of writing) are the only phenomena that can counter time.

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A Midsummer Night's Dream is a comedy written by William Shakespeare c. 1595 or 1596. The play is set in Athens, and consists of several subplots that revolve around the marriage of Theseus and Hippolyta. One subplot involves a conflict among four Athenian lovers. Another follows a group of six amateur actors rehearsing the play which they are to perform before the wedding. Both groups find themselves in a forest inhabited by fairies who manipulate the humans and are engaged in their own domestic intrigue. The play is one of Shakespeare's most popular and is widely performed.

It is unknown exactly when A Midsummer Night's Dream was written or first performed, but on the basis of topical references and an allusion to Edmund Spenser's Epithalamion, it is usually dated 1595 or early 1596. Some have theorised that the play might have been written for an aristocratic wedding (for example that of Elizabeth Carey, Lady Berkeley), while others suggest that it was written for the Queen to celebrate the feast day of St. John, but no evidence exists to support this theory. In any case, it would have been performed at The Theatre and, later, The Globe. Though it is not a translation or adaptation of an earlier work, various sources such as Ovid's Metamorphoses and Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale" served as inspiration.

The play was entered into the Register of the Stationers' Company on 8 October 1600 by the bookseller Thomas Fisher, who published the first quarto edition later that year. A second quarto was printed in 1619 by William Jaggard, as part of his so-called False Folio. The play next appeared in print in the First Folio of 1623. The title page of Q1 states that the play was "sundry times publickely acted" prior to 1600. The first performance known with certainty occurred at Hampton Court on 1 January 1604, as a prelude to The Masque of Indian and China Knights.

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The Joker

A fictional character which I find strange but appealing is the Joker. This supervillain appears in DC Comics. He debuted in Batman #1. The Joker is the archenemy of Batman. He is a criminal mastermind, a psychopath whose strangest trait is that he does not want money or fame, but just wants to "watch the world burn." The Joker has been portrayed by numerous actors, be it on television or on the silver screen. Cesar Romero played the Joker in the 1966-68 TV show "The Batman". In the 2008 film, "The Dark Knight", Heath Ledger gave the character a whole new dimension - which eventually won him an Oscar.

Draco Malfoy

In the "Harry Potter' series, Draco Malfoy wasn't exactly a villain, even though he had a role to play in getting Hagrid fired and the murder of Buckbeak. He mocked Ron and his family several times, but even after all this, Draco wasn't bad. It's just that he was forced into all of this by his father, Lucius Malfoy. Lucius asked him to be enemies with Harry, made him a Death Eater and asked him to kill Dumbledore. But Draco didn't. Draco is also courageous and that is why I find Draco strange, but appealing.

Ready for a challenge

Professor George Edward Challenger, a character from the book, "The Lost World" is reckless, arrogant, short tempered, eccentri, but at the same time he plays a crucial role in the book. When challenged to prove dinosaurs exist, he leds a team- consisting of a hunter, a scientist and a journalist - to a remote plateau of the Amazon in South America. He hates journalist and actually has a "bodyguard" to "protect" him from them. He is also brave-he bags a live pterodactyl and is not afraid of unknown tribes. Though he is short, he is physically strong. These are the reasons why I conclude Professor Challenger is strange but appealing.

Twig, the troublemaker

One of the most strange but appealing characters I have read about is Twiggy (or Twig) from 'The Science of Breakable Things" by Tae Keller. Twig is almost indifferent to the people around her, except when it comes to her two friends, Natalie and Dari.

Twig is always ready to help her friends. Towards this end, she ends up making announcements about herself and her friends in front of a crowd and even gets herself involved with notorious things in school.

Although Twig helps Natalie many times, she often creates trouble for her as well. The reason I find Twig appealing is that she has a very good sense of humour She is indifferent to her wealthy upbringing and doesn't flaunt her wealth. She has strange opinion about her teacher, Mr. Neely, who also happens to be Natalie's father.

Dari is a very bright, Indian-origin girl. Twig almost always goes to the Principal's office for her behaviour, but always manages to leave without any repercussions.

While reading the book, I have often laughed out loud at how Twig is only focussed on helping Natalie, especially to win the egg-drop contest and to save her mother from depression.

Kylo Ren

A character who I find strange but appealing would be Kylo Ren. He is the primary antagonist in the "Star Wars" trilogy. Son of a famous space-smuggler Han Solo and royal princess Leia Organa, Kylo Ren feels betrayed when his parents send him to a Jedi temple. So, he explores the dark side with Darth Vader, an evil Sith lord as his idol.

Even though Kylo leads an evil empire, his powerful skill over the force appeals to me. He also battles with his overpowered red cross-blade in a graceful, yet startling manner. He is suave, and charming. I also like how after having control over such a large army, Kylo does not betray Rey and annihilates his entire personal squad of Knights called the "Knights of Ren". He also dies carrying a blue lightsaber- the weapon of a Jedi. Kylo is my favourite character from the "Star Wars" series and always will be.

Danny's father

A character that I will describe as strange but appealing is Danny's father in "Danny the Champion of the World" by Roald Dahl. In this book, Danny's father has many secrets. First of all, he is an eye smiler, which is quite fascinating as we rarely find an eye smiler in the real world. An eye smiler can never fake a smile whereas a regular smiler can do it easily. However, he has a very dark secret- he is a poacher, and he loves his indulgence. Due to his queer yet intriguing traits, I believe that Danny's father is a strange character and has been quite appealing.

The lovable Luna

Luna Lovegood from "Harry Potter is a character I take interest in but at the same time I find her a little strange. She and Hermione don't get along well but eventually they become good friends despite having different views. In the films, the character of Luna is portrayed by Evanna Lynch. She made Her first am her first appearance in "Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix She is shown as a determined friend because she supports Harry and believes his story of Lord Voldemort's return and even manages to persuade Rita Skeeter to interview him so that his views can be published on "The Quibbler, the magazine which Xenophilius Lovegood, Luna's father, owns.

She later joins Dumbledore's Army. Harry also forms a strong friendship with Luna. Later, in "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince", Harry prefers Luna and Neville over a group of other female students who come to ask Harry to sit with them in another compartment. And Luna was one of the sole members of Dumbledore's Army, who answers the call to protect Hogwarts when the Death Eaters attack. In "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows", Luna remains loyal to Harry and Dumbledore even though she faces many hardships. Overall, she is a good, loyal trustworthy and a true friend.

Toby, the spy

A character that is strange yet is pleasing is Toby From the series "Mrs. Smith's Spy School For Girls". Toby is the only boy accepted in the centre"- a secret spy organisation which trains spies. He is accepted only because of his exceptional tech skills. He is a big nerd and loves tech but is also a cool spy. He goes on a few missions with Abby. Charlotte, and Izumi. He makes spy devices like spy phones which help you "buy time. He also goes on to the competition to Briar academy with his friends so if they win, they would be accepted in spy school as an exception as they are below 16. But they don't accept the offer in the end as Abby is paired with her nemesis Poppy-who has self-esteem issues and doesn't accept her friends or Toby. They end up opening their own secret government organisation called "Spy school 2.0".

The mysterious Snape

Severus Snape from the "Harry Potter series is a strange but appealing literary character. He is depicted as cold, calculating, sarcastic, and bitter. He strongly dislikes Harry. Snape is a Death Eater and the one who kills Dumbledore. He looks down upon people who cannot control their emotions and classifies them as weak. But just like a coin has two sides, there is another side to Snape as well. He is truly loyal to Dumbledore. He constantly protects Harry from unexpected dangers such as the ones Harry faces in his in first year at Hogwarts. Although he kills Dumbledore, it later turns out that he did so on Dumbledore's orders. Although he was bitter towards Harry's father. Snape continues to protect Harry. He was not liked by many, but still snape showed his loyalty by sacrificing his life. His character is the most layered character in the entire series.

Grandmaster Yoda

The most strange but appealing character I have ever seen is 'Grandmaster Yoda' in "Star Wars". He is short statured but is very old and wise. He has green skin, big ears, large eyes and a tendency to talk backwards. But don't judge him by his size. He is the Jedi Grandmaster, a living library and the greatest duelist of his time. He has such great force abilities that he can pick and throw a mountain top with one flick of his finger. He has taught every single Jedi in the universe a lesson. He can force project himself in any parts of the galaxy with ease. During the 'Clone Wars' he was a republic general and also one of the best. After the Clone Wars' when the Order 66 was issued by the Evil Emperor Darth Sidious and 'Great Jedi Purge', he himself went to fight the Sith lord and due to his old age and tiredness he had to escape. He went into exile in the remote planet of Deobagh for the betterment of the Jedis after the formation of the Evil Galactic Empire. But from there also he started giving instructions to other Jedis like Ezra Bridger, Kannan Jarrus, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and other surviving Jedis.

He also uses his vast knowledge of the force to live for a total 900 years. He dies soon after completing Luke's training, but he would still guide other Jedis in his force ghost form.

Artemis Fowl

I find the character of Artemis Fowl II appealing and strange. He is a 12-year-old Irish anti-villain in the series "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer. He possesses the highest tested IQ in Europe. He is known for his mischief and seeking help from the elves that live below the earth. As the story progresses, he uses his skills to help the elf community to keep themselves a secret from the real world.

Dr. Dolittle

I read the book "The Story of Doctor Dolittle" in my summer holidays. The doctor fits the description strange but appealing. The doctor is strange because he knows the language of animals and can talk to them. He is very kind and helpful to his pets and to all the animals. He also cures them.

Paddington

One of the most bizarre and attractive characters I have ever known is the Paddington bear from the film "Paddington". With a tilted and battered hat over his head and a small note dangling, he appears to be eccentric and humorous. He has come to London from the jungles of Peru, searching a British geographers family. He is adopted by a family in London. In their house, Paddington mistakes the toothbrushes for ear cleaners and cleans his ears comfortably with them, only to get the bristles sticky with ear wax. He even takes great swigs of a detergent liquid, thinking it to be marmalade (his favourite drink). He is also a voracious eater, who readily noshes sandwiches. He overflows the entire house with water, dashing on the stairs in the bath tub. When it comes to self-defense, he turns out to be an action-stuffed bear, making the foe go nuts. As a talkative bear with funny tactics and remarkable fighting skills, the strange and chubby Paddington never fails to conquer our hearts.

Mowgli

I think Rudyard Kipling's Mowgli is a strange character because he's not a regular 10-year-old, but he lives in a jungle and befriends animals! He has such an interesting history too, as he was stolen from his human family by Sher Khan and raised by a pack of wolves.

I like the way he fears humans and refuses to go to the village, when Bagheera wants him to. He dances with Baloo and gets the red flowers for the monkeys. In spite of his torn shorts and dirty hair and all his weirdness, I really think he is appealing because of his friendliness, spunk to try new things and imagination!

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