Mrs. Nelson English Class and a certain Girl's distraction | Eastern North Carolina Now

    It is hard to memorize Shakespeare, be a soda jerk and flirt with a preacher's daughter, but I did my best.

    Mrs. Nelson was a more dedicated literature teacher than there may exist today. One of her many assignments, was to require us to memorize various parts of Shakespeare plays. One of her assignments was to memorize the speech from Macbeth:

    To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
    Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
    To the last syllable of recorded time;
    And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
    The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
    Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
    That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
    And then is heard no more. It is a tale
    Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
    Signifying nothing.
    Macbeth Act 5, scene 5, 19-28

    I was a soda Jerk at Dunaire Pharmacy and had to work on the Sunday before the recitation was due on Monday. I still have distinct memories of a 3x5 card with the quote written on it. I kept it at the end of the counter next to the cash register. When you worked the Sunday shift at Dunaire the hours were noon until ten (12 to10 we called it). On that Sunday, I kept trying to remember the speech and would pace back and forth behind the counter repeating partial lines. Sunday afternoon and evening could be very busy times for the after-church crowd. It included both the daytime services and the nightly services. One family came in whose father was a radio preacher. Their daughter was a very pretty teenager who .... Well that is a story for another day.

    Needless to say, my mind was distracted but I eventually did learn the lines and with a little thought, I can recite the lines today. Thanks Mrs. Nelson

    Macbeth in the classroom

    Another short memory from Mrs. Nelson's class was her requirement that students would perform certain portions of Shakespeare plays. Three of us guys were chosen to perform the scene from Macbeth where the Witches mix up a brew in the cauldron and recite the ingredients. This part I do not remember but one line in the recitation I do remember vividly. After mixing up the brew several apparitions appeared to Macbeth. One called out his name: Macbeth! Macbeth! Macbeth!

    His answer was "Had I three ears, I'd hear thee."

    I had prepared for this line. I forgot which student said the line but when they did I reached under my robe (A sheet I think) and pulled out three ears of corn. Get it, 3 ears.

    It got a laugh but did not go over well with Mrs. Nelson.

    Publisher's note: Join Bobby Tony and others so inspired to discuss the "Teachers We Remember", a new, ongoing, and fully participatory series here on BCN.