How to Think Like Shakespeare

My review of How to Think Like Shakespeare by Scott Newstok is simply, "Read it." If you are in anyway interested in education, you should read this book. If you love traditional things and don't want to see them lost, you should read this book. If you are a parent and want to see your children succeed, not in economic, but in the human sense, you should read this book. If you wonder what it means to be human and why we are not all machines, you should read this book. If you want to be more human, more thoughtful, more conversant, and more free, you should read this book. And if none of these summaries apply to you, you should read this book.

It is not a hard book to read. The chapters are relatively short, which is good because they are packed full of things to think about. They also progress in a way that only becomes evident as you near the end, from why we should think like Shakespeare, to how we can think like Shakespeare, to what will be the result if we do think like Shakespeare. But it isn't really about who Shakespeare was, it is more about Shakespeare as a representative of human expression. The way he conveys what it means to be a human still resonates for a reason. The book, naturally, is filled with quotes by Shakespeare, but also by a multitude of other authors, who whether consciously or unconsciously, have shaped the way we think today. 

None of the ideas set forth in this book are revolutionary, in the sense that they are new or set out to bring radical immediate change. Instead, it encourages us, educators especially, to transform one individual at a time, by helping them become the best human they can be. This is done through having a rich understanding of the past, debating (not simply accepting) the present, and making our heritage our own in the future. By reading, conversing, applying knowledge, not in a formulaic or mark the checkbox way, but in a free-flowing, logical, creative, human way, we become more ourselves. This brings freedom to never stop learning, to never stop applying what we know to new situations, to never be ashamed of our history, but to own it, learn from it, and grow out of it. 

One of the joys of reading, acting, and watching Shakespeare is the ability to relate to any given character because they are so much like me. The beauty of thinking like Shakespeare, is not imitating another human, but that the more we think like Shakespeare, the more we are able to become ourselves. Perhaps this is only a step away from the concept of the Incarnation (God becoming human) incarnating us (changing humans into real beings). The more we become like Him, the better able we are to express the child of God He created us to be. I do not lose my identity when I follow Jesus, but rather loose it - give it the freedom to truly express itself.

Could I go so far as to say Christian education will be one where students are taught not only believe in Jesus, but to also to read like Augustine, trust like Amy Carmichael, to write like Paul, to dig like John Patton, to reason like Solomon, to dream like Martin Luther King Jr, and to think like Shakespeare?