http://todayshistorylesson.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/the-pride-of-shakespeare/ I don’t fully understand the connection here, but I’m intrigued. This history web site tells us about Ie Shima, a small island near Okinawa that apparently fell pretty easily during World War II. Big deal, you say? Fair enough. But the island “has a Shakespearean tragedy-legend all its own”, we learn. A girl named Hando-gwaa wanted to marry her love, named Kanahi. But it turns out he’s already married, so she climbs Tacchu Mountain and hangs herself with her long hair. …and?? There’s nothing else in the post about this story. So I’m a little confused on why the author makes the leap to associate it with Shakespeare. While our man in Stratford did write a few doozies, he does not have a monopoly on tragedy. I’m hoping that there’s something else to the story to merit the Shakespeare connection. Anybody got more to the story? Should we throw a yellow card on Today’s History Lesson for unnecessary Shakespeare references?
Thanks for linking and mentioning the story. You are 100% correct in your observations…the connection between Shakespeare and Ie Shima is tenuous at best.
Today’s History Lesson is meant to be a quick look at something historical on any given day…and occasionally we try to inject a tiny bit of humor or goofiness into it. In prepping the piece, I came across the “Kanahi” bit when linking to Wikipedia and thought, “Hey, that reminds me of Romeo and Juliet…Shakespeare could have done that story proud.” It’s not really to try and make a serious comparison of the two.
The following day’s piece uses a silly reference to the Yugo to introduce Yugoslavia’s surrender to Germany in ’41, so it doesn’t get a whole lot better.
Anyways…
I appreciate your astute comments, and for only giving me a Yellow-Card.. And it got me to your blog, so it’s doubly good.