‘We Are Such Stuff As Dreams Are Made On.’
By Isabella S. Garcia Hernandez
Dreams have a way of brewing quietly, sometimes over months, other times over years until, without warning, they arrive fully formed, waiting only to be realized.
Ninth grade advanced English class, the first time I learned about Shakespeare and the Globe Theatre. It was in that classroom where my teacher, Kalpana Arun, graced me with the wonders of Shakespearean drama. I had always heard horror stories about reading and trying to understand his plays. But I have yet to understand those complaints.
At first, it was the sonnets, then Romeo and Juliet. But the turning point, the moment my love for Shakespeare moved from interest to admiration came when I read The Tempest. The language danced off the page and turned my imagination into a stage. It was unlike anything I’d felt before. The characters, the layered meaning, the storm both literal and emotional, it consumed me.
Afterwards, I was left wanting more. “ What else is there for me to read outside of class?” I naively asked my English teacher. Kalpana Arun graduated from Oxford University with an English Master's Degree, with a concentration in Shakespearean Drama and looked at me with hundreds of recommendations in her gaze. I took it upon myself to read most of his work outside of the classroom, no extra credit involved, just for my pleasure and enjoyment. Although sometimes hard to digest, Kalpana explained every twisted metaphor, oxymoron, and dramatic irony in sight with passion.
My favorite part of Shakespeare's dramas is understanding the story behind the story, who he is targeting in the audience, who he compares his characters to with relation to their reality and seeing the ways he pleases every social class. I believe the Globe Theatre is the single most quintessential piece of his dramas. The trap doors, cannon balls used to emulate the roll of thunder, the organization by social class in attendance. That is the spectacle itself. The Globe Theatre became more than just a stage in my mind; it became a symbol of that timeless universality.
By senior year, I understood that this wasn’t just admiration for a playwright. It was the foundation of my own intellectual journey. As I graduated high school, I realized that this was the biggest lesson of admiration I had ever learned. “Thank you for teaching me that writing with passion is powerful, criticism is our pathway to perfection, and giving me a glimpse of what I want my wisdom and wit to be when I am older.” I said to Kalpana as I handed her a limited-edition copy of Shakespeare's Complete Works as my final gift of gratitude. She unearthed what it means to hold passion behind your interests and showed me the importance of the determination behind accomplishing what you dream of, things I take with me wherever I go. It was that same day I made a quiet promise to myself that I would someday visit where my favorite pieces of historical literature took life.
Fast forward two years later, Spring Break 2025, an amazing learning opportunity arose coincidentally taking place in London. It suddenly occurred to me that I was going to step foot in the birthplace of one of the greatest playwrights of all time. Although I was already accomplishing so many other career and academic goals by being there, I had an itch to accomplish a dream that had been brewing for years.
Suddenly there I was walking up to where it all originated, tucked in a quiet neighborhood edging the River Thames, there it was, The Globe Theatre. It was a reconstruction of the original of course, but being there brought me to tears. A full circle moment, where only one thing came to mind. “ We are such stuff as dreams are made on.” a quote from my favorite Shakespeare play, The Tempest.
Our imagination and determination are what dreams are made on. “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players.” So why care what everyone else has to say, no matter how big or small your dream, passion is the biggest driver in getting you to accomplish those goals. Whether your dream is to meet someone who inspires you or to chase a lifelong goal, dream it with fervor. With enough determination, every dream, no matter how long it brews, can become reality.
For the longest time I have dreamt of leaving my mark everywhere I go, as well as learning as much as I can, wherever I can. During my past two years at Uconn, I have accomplished so much of that, including dreams I didn't know I had. My imagination and longing for creation have led me to become the founder of an organization, a better leader, team player, writer, but most importantly of all, come to the realization that I am capable of accomplishing all I set out to do. In London, I found new dreams to chase. But I also fulfilled one that had been quietly waiting for its cue.