Barack Obama and Shakespeare

I read somewhere that Barack Obama’s favorite literature is Moby Dick and the tragedies of Shakespeare. Listening to and reading all of his major speeches I have come to believe that Shakespeare has had a major influence on him, not only as a public speaker, but in the way he views the world. His personal complex ancestry and journey are also Shakespearean in their richness.

Barack Obama is a leader who does not try to simplify problems; he rather embraces the complexity of issues, seeks consensus and plots solutions that lie in the middle ground. Like Shakespeare he has an
antithetical mind: he just can't help seeing the other side of every problem. Great comics and debaters also think antithetically - it is their gift. He also has a wicked sense of humor, which as president he  now must control. He loves getting laughs and the truth of humor is a great teacher. He also relishes language. Were he not a great leader, he might make a fine classical actor.

My point is, if he loves Shakespeare, surely he has practiced Shakespeare out loud. The rhetorical flourishes and the rich, accurate vocabulary that imbue his speeches are not new; he has been practicing for a lifetime. I hear some Shakespearean thought whenever he speaks. I hear it most when he speaks internationally.

These two bits certainly have a Shakespearean spirit in common.

Henry V (From the St Crispian's Day speech)
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he today who sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.


Barack Obama
And every so often, there are moments which call on that fundamental goodness to make this country great again...Because if we are willing to work for it, and fight for it, and believe in it, then I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs to the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal; this was the moment when we ended a war and secured our nation and restored our image as the last, best hope on Earth. This was the moment - this was the time - when we came together to remake this great nation so that it may always reflect our very best selves, and our highest ideals. 

So, if you want your students to develop their thinking and oral communication skills, they can practice Shakespeare out loud, as I am sure Obama has, or practice the speeches of Barack Obama. They both possess accuracy of vocabulary, rich rhetorical devices, habitual use of antithesis, all the while embracing the complexity of the human experience.

Here is a bit from King Lear I am sure Obama knows:

King Lear
Hast thou seen a farmer's dog bark at a beggar? And the creature run from the cur? There thou mightst behold the image of authority - a dog's obeyed in office. 
Thou rascal beadle, hold thy bloody hand! Why dost thou lash that whore? Strip thine own back. Thou hotly lusts to use her in that kind for which thou whip'st her. 
The usurer hangs the cozener. 
Through tattered clothes small vices do appear; robes and furred gowns hide all. Plate sin with gold, and the strong lance of justice hurtless breaks; arm it in rags a pigmy's straw does pierce it. None does offend - I say none!