Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made Of

This year is the 400^th anniversary of William Shakespeare’s death, an event the UK government, including my Embassy, is commemorating in a series of activities (check out our Facebook page UKinLaos for more details). He is perhaps England’s earliest, and certainly greatest, cultural export. One element of the commemoration is to invite individuals to share their favourite Shakespearean quote or moment. It made me reflect upon my own memories of the great playwright’s work.

Like most Britons, I first encountered the Bard of Avon, as he is also known, at school. With my upbringing “north of the border”, Macbeth (dubbed “the Scottish play”) has always been special for me. Setting the atmosphere for this brooding tale of greed, ambition and personal destruction is that memorable opening scene of the three witches on the heath cackling “fair is foul and foul is fair”. The more I explored the complexity of the plot, the detailing of the characters and the elegance of the verse, the more captivated I was.

I’ve been hooked on Shakespeare ever since. I’m not alone. I’ve never served anywhere in the world where his plays have not been performed. Laos is no different. Last July, a visiting Globe Theatre troupe performed Hamlet to a packed audience at Vientiane’s Culture Hall. More recently, Daniel Foley, a British actor, staged a light-hearted introduction to Shakespeare in a city hotel. Later this week, I will make opening remarks at the Vientiane International School’s production of As You Like It. Please let me know of any other Shakespeare themed events coming up in Laos.

Shakespeare is rightly famous for transforming the theatre. But his impact on the English language is no less startling. I never fail to marvel at how many of the phrases he coined or popularised are still in everyday use. If you don’t believe me, then, “with bated breath”, I would tell you, “for goodness sake, that “it’s high time” you did and that I would never “play fast and loose” with “the naked truth”!

Indeed, the English that has evolved since Shakespeare’s death remains very much the language he shaped. It has been further enriched by interactions with other linguistic traditions. And, over the last century, it has emerged as the lingua franca of international business, travel and diplomacy.

As noted in my previous blog, it is the international importance of the language that has persuaded the Lao government to make English a mandatory subject for all Lao children from primary school.

We are doing what we can to support Lao policy. The Embassy completed two projects on English language training (ELT) with the Ministry of Education and Sports (MOES) last year and has collaborated with Beeline on a free SMS service to learn English vocabulary. Of course, we couldn’t let the 400th anniversary pass without getting Shakespeare in on the act, too. We are offering English language teachers a British Council-designed “Shakespeare Lives teacher resource pack” that enables them to explore and share Shakespearean themes with students at all levels – an ideal tool for connecting English learning with soft skills development (feel free to comment to request access).

And talking about the British Council, I trailed in my earlier blog that we would commission a BC expert to help the MOES develop its approach to ELT. She arrives in Vientiane later this month. I anticipate that her report will make recommendations that underpin the UK’s longer term engagement in this sector.

The potential of this initiative, however, extends beyond bilateral assistance. The UK is already engaged in successful collaborations with Singaporean and Australian colleagues to provide ELT to government ministries and the Mayor of Vientiane’s staff respectively. I am aware of other great work being done on ELT here, including by the US Embassy. The upcoming BC report offers an opportunity to bring together a wide range of stakeholders in support of the government’s approach and to identify further opportunities for practical cooperation. Meanwhile, we remain interested in hearing from anyone involved in the ELT sector in Laos.

Shakespeare appreciated better than most that communication should never be just a one way process. He drew inspiration from the international sources of the time. His plays continue to engage with audiences on themes – such as love, leadership, family conflicts, corruption and the rule of law – with universal appeal. We hope to support a company this year seeking to produce the first translation of some Shakespeare plays into Lao, making him accessible to a new audience. I’d also like to know more how Lao literature has dealt with some of the themes that Shakespeare dramatised. If you have any pointers, please do get in touch.