Integritus Prime

Recently, we read a book called Shakespeare Saved my Life. We each read it within one or two sittings: it was gripping. We were very moved by the theme of this book, and it came soon after the launch of our book: Awakening the Sacred Order of Divine Poets. The common theme was working with prisoners to give them a chance to redeem themselves and leave a positive footprint in this world.

In Shakespeare Saved my Life, a Professor of English Literature, Dr. Bates, volunteers her time in a correctional facility, educating prisoners using the works of Shakespeare. In these plays, such as ‘Macbeth’, ‘King Richard’ and ‘Taming the Shrew,’ Shakespeare writes about negative experiences such as, murder, plotting revenge, and being imprisoned. The speeches and soliloquies include reflections of main characters. By introducing these plays to prisoners, Dr. Bates encourages them to look at similarities to their own circumstances and emotions. Little by little, the prisoners open up and start looking at the choices that put them in prison.

The main character, Larry, was sentenced to life imprisonment, with his right to parole waived at age 16, for killing someone while under the influence of drugs. He was in solitary confinement for ten years. He shared that he felt angry, frustrated, worthless and thought many times about taking his own life. Even after he was moved into the maximum-security section of the prison, his quality of life was difficult with the constant threat of violence and abuse. Either you stand up for yourself or get beaten by some other more violent inmate – that was the prison code.

It was by chance that Larry was allowed to attend Dr. Bates’ classes, albeit being locked behind steel doors, communicating through a slit in the door. He took to classes as a duck takes to water. Soon, he realized the similarities between his and his fellow inmates’ circumstances to those captured by Shakespeare’s writings. The prisoners started examining the characters’ plights that put them in prison, either literally or figuratively, and compared their experiences to events from their own past.

The revelations were eye opening! The inmates realized that it was their life and they could have made better choices, had they known better. More importantly, they realized they could choose differently now. Larry changed his attitude completely. He learned that his poverty, abuse and past choices did not define his future. He had a life that he could live according to his standards and he did not have to prove to anyone that he is strong.  Larry faced his fears and even helped Dr. Bates face hers.

Larry became an ardent student of Shakespeare and started writing workbooks for the other inmates. His interpretations of the bard’s works, and engaging style of describing and introducing plays captured the attention and interest of inmates. Larry’s ability to interpret Shakespeare in varied ways was intuitive and deep, and superior to many other scholars of Shakespeare.  

Another example of Larry’s growth and brilliance was the way he structured workbooks and plays for inmates. He understood that Shakespearean situations had to be relatable to inmates in order to inspire them to change their behavior. So, he compared plays to various popular films, cartoons or TV shows to grab inmates’ attention, and then changed the storylines of some plays to focus on the decision to plot revenge or not – for example in Romeo and Juliet.

Through his experiences in Dr. Bates’ classes, Larry decided to pursue a PhD, and to never hurt anyone or try to escape from prison again. He stopped retaliating to abuse in the prison by inmates and prison wardens. At times, he was strip searched twice daily for weeks and he said that he knew it was to frustrate him but his reaction was ‘it is what it is’. He healed and became free in a maximum-security prison – something that no one can take away from him.

There are similar themes in this book to our book: Awakening the Sacred Order of Divine Poets. Read on next week to learn more.

Drs. Margaret and Marilyn Cornelius wrote this blog series.