News

May 1, 2009

Old characters help students learn new lessons

By Sherry Long slong@timesleader.com
Staff Writer

DALLAS TWP. – Lady Macbeth, Gertrude, Shylock and Iago – four characters from William Shakespeare – stood trial Thursday in a modern-day court at Misericordia University.

Students of Constitutional Law and Studies in Shakespeare classes, taught by professor Brian Carso and English Department Chairwoman Rebecca Steinberger, respectively, joined forces to stage the four separate mock trails of literature’s vixens and villains.

Students are not receiving a grade for their work, but this service learning project allows them to work together to plan the court proceedings, handle the public relations promoting the trial to the entire campus and then plan a dinner to follow, Steinberger said.

“We wanted to bring in the community, as well as the college campus community, and show how Shakespeare is still relevant today, especially in law,” Steinberger said.

Carso’s pre-law students served as the defense and prosecution lawyers, requiring them to develop their arguments and then present them in a court setting for the four cases based on Shakespeare’s plays “Othello,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Hamlet” and “Macbeth.”

“So much about law is about persuasion. So they’ve had to craft a persuasive argument and figure out how to persuasively present that argument,” Carso said.

Steinberger’s students portrayed the defendants and witnesses – all of whom were Shakespearean characters.

Julianne Oliver, of Pittston, was one of the prosecuting attorneys in the “Othello” case.

When Oliver, a pre-law/philosophy major, enrolled in Carso’s class, she didn’t know exactly what the final creative project would be but expected it to be fun.

“This is what I want to do for the rest of my life, so I am scared. But at the same time, it is very exciting,” Oliver said.

Rachel Thompson of Montague, N.J., portrayed character Roderigo in the “Othello” case.

For Thompson, president of the Misericordia Players Drama Club, this was both fun and a little challenging because she will not be relying strictly on a script.

Students serving as witnesses and the main characters are allowed to use note cards, but mostly have adapted to thinking on their feet.

“It is kind of different because you are not going scripted. You are going to be asked questions, and some you may not expect. So I have to really think like I am that character and pull answers out of my head based on him,” Thompson said.

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