#4 - Hamlet

Hamlet by William Shakespeare:

1603

England
Play

The reason that I chose Hamlet as an artifact of learning to bring along, is not necessarily because of the way it’s written or the story itself, but I picked it more particularly because of the learning experience that it facilitates. Hamlet is a fascinating story that tells the tale of a young prince (Hamlet), who’s father and King dies early on in the plot. Other’s in the palace, make Hamlet aware of the apparent sighting of his father’s ghost on palace grounds and he agrees to go and see for himself if it’s true. The king’s ghost does in fact appear, and after a mysterious conversation Hamlet infers that it was actually his own uncle that poisoned his father in order to claim the throne and rise to power. To make a long plot somewhat short, Hamlet is exiled after killing Polonius, the father of his true love Ophelia and causing a number of other problems. Upon his return, he learns that Ophelia had committed suicide, and is then challenged by her brother Laertes to a fight to a duel. Laertes and Hamlets uncle (who did in fact poison Hamlet’s father) plotted to poison the tip of Laertes sword so that any cut to Hamlet would kill him. During the duel, Hamlets Mother the Queen, accidentally poisoned herself after drinking a toxic beverage that had also been prepared for Hamlet. In the end, all of the previously mentioned individuals end up dead in a devastating ending that leaves you with a bitter taste in your mouth. The thing that was so amazing to me about Hamlet, however, was that you don’t leave without learning some impactful life lessons. As you watch the show you engage in an amazing learning experience as you observe and process everything that is taking place and draw conclusions about life. Many of the conclusions in this script have somewhat negative connotations, but I believe that we really do learn as we observe and experience things like a Shakespearean tragedy and that’s why I would include Hamlet (the play) on my adventure!

#5 - The English Bible

The English Bible:

1525-26

England

Although translations of the English Bible began to come out as early as the 1380’s, it wasn’t fully translated and widely available until the First Edition in 1525-26. John Wycliffe was an Oxford professor and well known through Europe because of his opposition to some of the Church’s teaching. At the time, the Bible wasn’t available to all people and was really only available to the clergy who were trained to understand it in Latin and other complex original languages like Greek and Hebrew. (S,D,H pg. 118) This left the common people completely dependent on the clergy to interpret the Bible for them and lead them in accordance with it’s principles. Wycliffe, in the 1380’s translated the Bible into English and distributed multiple “English language manuscript copies of the Bible.” (2. JJ) Wycliffe was tried and convicted for his efforts, after his death then his body was later dug up and burned. Later on, however, a man by the name of William Tyndale came along to finish what others had tried to begin; the diffusion of a readable Bible among all social classes. William Tyndale translated and printed the English Bible and its translation and distribution is in large part the reason so many of us enjoy it even today. A funny story is told of a Catholic Bishop who went to the Netherlands in hopes of destroying any Bibles that Tyndale had printed. He offered to buy all the Bibles that had been printed. The printer agreed, and explained to Tyndale that this would be a great opportunity to sell the Bible’s to the Bishop and then use that money to be able to print and distribute even more Bibles. The idea worked and it was widely distributed but not for a cheap price. William Tyndale was executed because of his work on translating the Bible and he stands as a hero to millions of Christians today for his bravery. (S,D,H pg. 118) The reason I would include the Bible is because of it’s symbol of the importance of having opportunities to learn. For centuries, the common person was dependent on the learning of those in higher social classes to dictate their spiritual path. The English Bible, however, provided even the peasants with opportunities to observe (read) and meditate on the inspired writings which are contained in the Bible. Its distribution facilitates learning and spiritual growth for anyone that engages in a study of it. This artifact would stand as a great reminder to my people of the importance of equal opportunities for learning.

#6 - Galileo Galilei

Galileo Galilei

1564

Pisa, Italy

Italian Scientist and Scholar

Galileo Galilei was born in Pisa, Italy but then transferred to Florence once he began his formal education at the Camaldolese monastery in Vallombros.  He later studied at the University of Pisa where he became passionate about physics and astronomy. Later on in his life he began teaching and the University of Padua, where his entertaining lectures began to attract large crowds and increased his fame. He had been taught Aristotelian theories and a lot of his teaching and experiments were founded upon that. However, as he continued his studies and professorship, Galileo “began mounting a body of evidence that supported Copernican theory and contradicted Aristotle and Church doctrine.” (3)In a letter to one of his students Galileo defended his research and explained how “Copernican theory did not contradict Biblical passages, stating that scripture was written from an earthly perspective and implied that science provided a different, more accurate perspective.” (3)The Church didn’t like that at all and began to impose limitations on Galileo and dictating what he was and wasn’t aloud to teach and defend. Galileo ended up really being persecuted for his discoveries and his theories. The Church ended up putting him on house arrest and he eventually grew ill and later died after going blind and suffering other illnesses. The reason that I really wanted to bring Galileo along, is not just because of the fact that he was a fantastic teacher and scientist, but because of his example of perseverance in hard things. Galileo life reflects that of one who had observed conflict of theory and sought honestly to correct it. He was in no way ignorant, and observed and meditated on everything that Aristotle had theorized and then tried to expound upon those theories and creatively improve them. He was able to back his theories with explanations using math and became a master at linking math and physics. He sought to understand the relationship between religion and science and I appreciated his attempts to do so. He was fascinated by astronomy and I love his curiosity about the unknown world. Many attribute the development and avid implementation of the telescope to Galileo and his astronomic observations prove to be rather “astronomically” significant even still today. He was willing to stretch beyond the common belief and explore unfamiliar territory and I think that every culture needs a learner like Galileo to guide them. (S,D,H pg. 306)