Connolly+LENS1+(King+of+Shadows)

Caitlyn Connolly Dr.Sherry Lit for Young Adults 3 February 2012 LENS 1 (King of Shadows) Reader Response: Of what experiences in your own life does this text remind you? Does it seem like a story with which young adults can identify? What effects does this text (or a particular passage of it) have on one as a reader and a person?

As a text, I can see how the King of Shadows could be a useful text to use in a young adult literature classroom. The contemporary aspects of the story would be engaging to young students and the added historical elements can be a useful way to introduce Shakespeare to students. I found the depiction Shakespeare to be very interesting and engaging. As strange as it sounds, I have never really thought about Shakespeare a real human being. In school we are simply taught to read the plays because they are brilliantly crafted, but I was very rarely taught about the man behind the writing. He is such an icon of literature that he is almost larger than life. Collins is able to humanize this icon for the reader and therefore makes his writing more attainable to readers.

I also think that young adults will be able to identify with Nat’s struggle to develop his own identity. Although most readers have probably not experienced such a tragic loss as losing both parents, they may be able to connect to Nat’s feeling of loss and emptiness in life. Readers may also identify with the way that Nat copes with his troubles. He tends to bury and hide his feelings to others and tries to forget about things that upset him. However, the longer that he is kept in Shakespeare’s time, the less he is able to hide behind acting and is forced to confront himself.

One passage in particular that I found to be powerful was when Nat emotionally breaks down with Shakespeare on stage when rehearsing lines. It was nice to see how both characters were able to release their pent up emotions and find solace in each other. I feel like that moment was a real turning point for Nat as he develops throughout the story. Because he is no longer in his comfort zone with modern technology and familiar faces to distract him, he is forced to confront his emotions and learn how to grow from them.