Henceforth

In My Portion Forever, the teacher is guiding her freshman English students through Shakespeare’s play, Romeo and Juliet. Anyone who has read Shakespeare in high school knows that the language is beautiful but can be challenging to understand in certain parts of the play.

One of my college professors believed that none of Shakespeare’s plays should be part of the high school curriculum. Maybe that’s why some textbooks have Shakespeare’s words on one page and a modern translation on the facing page. While some words are completely changed, a few familiar passages are only slightly different than the original. For example, Romeo’s famous words, “But soft! What light through yonder window breaks? It is the East, and Juliet is the sun!” becomes “Hush, I see light coming through that window up above. The light comes from the east, and Juliet is the sun.” I think that something was lost in that version.

Shakespeare wasn’t called “The Bard of Avon” for no reason! His words are romantic and eloquent, and he is still celebrated centuries after his death. His words are part of our daily lives; in fact, one can hardly solve a difficult crossword puzzle or understand a modern story without some knowledge of Shakespearean plays. Many common expressions originated in Shakespeare’s plays. We wouldn’t have “break the ice,” “clothes make the man,” or “wild goose chase” without Shakespeare.

When I taught Romeo and Juliet, I had a high-functioning student with special needs, who made me happy that I was a teacher. The test I created for my students consisted of quotes from the play, which required them to identify the speaker, the person spoken to, and the meaning of the words. Let me set this up: Juliet’s lifelong nurse (nanny) knows Romeo and Juliet have secretly married, but she encourages Juliet to marry someone else after Romeo is banished. Juliet is angry and disappointed when she says, “Thou and my bosom henceforth shall be twain.” Essentially, this means that Juliet no longer wants any kind of relationship with her nurse. My special needs student answered it this way: “Juliet doesn’t want to do zippity doo dah with her anymore.” I think that student should have explained the whole play to the class.

I’m thankful that we can rely on God’s Word, which remains unchanged, and He helps us to understand it.

“Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”

Proverbs 30:5 RSV

“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the words of our God will stand forever.”

Isaiah 40:8 ESV

May God open His word to you today with fresh revelation to give you exactly what you need.