Harry, Haylofts and Hamlet (continued)
Breathing in the smell of fresh baled hay, Harry settled near the big door to get the best light. Pulling Shakespeare's Hamlet from his suspenders, he began to read.
Breathing in the smell of fresh baled hay, Harry settled near the big door to get the best light. Pulling Shakespeare's Hamlet from his suspenders, he began to read.
Harry turned to the beginning of the play. He was soon lost in the musical
rhythm of the characters' lines, and began to imagine he was at the theater
watching.
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| Sometimes Harry dreamed that Bess Wallace was the heroine, and he the hero in the stories he read. He was not always the lead character, but always came to the heroine's rescue in the end. |  |
A few days later, Harry returned his books to the library.
"Afternoon, Miss Wallace. I finished Hamlet. It was great! That ol' Shakespeare can really get your imagination going. I've decided that I like Hamlet, King Lear, and Othello best, because they are also about great leaders. Even though they were indecisive, and prideful, and unable to prevent to wreck of the ship of state, they also taught valuable moral lessons. Just listen to this:"
Harry began to read from the last scene of Hamlet:
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". . . let me speak to the yet awakening world How these things came about. So shall you hear Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts, Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters, Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause. And in the upshot, purposes mistook Fall'n on the inventor's heads . . . But let this same be presently perform'd. lest more mischance Even while men's minds are wild; On plots and errors, happen." |
"I sure do know, Miss Wallace. My Grandma Young and Mama both made sure I could read the Bible when I was only four! And then Mama gave me that set of biographies for my birthday. Soldiers and Sailors and Statesmen and Sages are my favorites, so far. And when you wear glasses, there's not much else you CAN do but read and play the piano."
"Both of which you do quite well, I might add." said Miss Wallace.
"Thank you." Harry blushed. "At least, I learned the value of books and the great influence they can have if you pay attention to the messages. That's why I like biographies and history so much. You can't argue with facts. The lives of the great leaders are perfect examples of what men can do to be successful or not. Take Hannibal, for instance, who won many of the battles he waged against the Romans. He even had the skill and leadership to lead his armies across the Alps on elephants to defeat them. He never actually succeeded in taking Rome. But, he sure didn't give up trying. He stayed in Italy for fifteen years with little support from home! His people were inspired by his tenacity, and he became a very powerful influence on the citizens of his time. He, like Hamlet, made mistakes, but was still the greatest general of all time."
"Well, Harry, I'm sure you will be great one day, too, given your resolve and integrity. Besides, you already know more about history than most of the folks in this town, and if anyone can use those men's examples of leadership to good advantage, it will be you."
Harry smiled at her compliment, knowing that the men he liked best never thought they were great when they lived. That was part of his attraction to them. Their bold courage and humility matched his own humble nature. He admired them for serving their country for the people's well-being rather than their personal glory.
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