Question 5 - Students often have difficulties relating to Shakespeare or other writers from the past. However, they do not have as much trouble relating to characters that are set in the past, as in historical fiction. Choose one of the main characters, Peter, Kit, Sir Philip or another (approved by me first) and persuade me that as characters we can still relate to them today. You may want to start with their characteristics and then think of present day examples that are similar.
Shakespeare, kings and queens of the past, and great explorers of their time, do you think you can still relate to them now? Although it can be difficult to relate to characters in the past, it is usually because of the narrow thinking about the changes of the time frames, people tend to think that there are no connections between themselves and the past. Different places, dress attire, and language, make people think that too much is different to relate to any of it. And though how it seems , it will be easier to do so if you examine their character traits, lifestyle, living standards, and personal goals, and compare them to our own. For example look at the novel Cue for Treason and the character “Kit.”
Everyone has character traits, and this is in the past, the present and will be in the future. Kit is a fifteen year old girl who lived during the Elizabethan era in England. She is very smart, cunning, and witty. She can get what she wants done, done. Also very resourceful and thinks fast to avoid anything potentially harmful to herself.
“‘Yes I have no father or mother. Or five sisters,’ she added with a laugh. ‘I had to invent them to account for the way I knew how to curtsy and all that.’” Pg. 86
These days, kids, teens, even adults, quickly make up things to please, control or just to avoid hurting others. For example, parents tell young kids that Santa didn’t give them gifts because he forgot to visit the house, to avoid seeing their children unhappy, while the real reason could be because of bills waiting to be paid, resulting in the inability to provide their children gifts for that Christmas.Gifts, food, clothes and such were also dependent on the social status and how well off your family was.
Even during the Elizabethan era, there was a large gap between the high class and the lower class. Kit is considered to be a “higher class” person during that time. She lived in a mansion, on a large estate, which will soon become her won when she is old enough to take over the name of the land. Although at first it does not seem like it, she has the manner of a fine lady, is used to eating fine foods, and living in comfort. This description of the “high class” hasn’t changed much from then till now. On the other hand the “lower class” has. From farmers then, farmers now who sell their produce become large companies. But compared to today’s people holding lower paying jobs or none at all now, shows that the economy has changed as so has the government. Even though there are the "high class" they also had their own problems to deal with, often it was family related if not otherwise.
Kit has changed throughout the book as she disguises herself as a male character to flee from an arranged marriage with Sir Philip Morton, a noble who wants her land to expand on his own. Even though many people do not notice it, arranged marriages still do exist today. The joining of two large companies or groups for better business is not unusual. Many top line businesses in Hong Kong have their children arranged to marry, just to stabilize or affirm their future plans for the business or themselves.
What is the purpose of life? To achieve the goal we want. All goals are different; meaning for some people will have to go the extra distance just to achieve what they want. Kit is very persistent, and will go as far as she can to achieve her goal. Because of this persistence, she goes such lengths to disguise herself as a male, not only so she can be unrecognized by Sir Philip, but to also sneak into a traveling theater company, to go far from her home in Cumberland. During this time she finds her love for theater, hoping to become a better actor (actress).
Seeing how present day lifestyles, living standards, goals and character traits can show how many things are similar, whether in the past or the present, we can relate to characters, even if it is set a century ago.
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