In Jean Anoulih's Becket and Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, there are many controversial issues in their plots that some people may find offending or think is a bad influence. Everyone has a different opinion on what they believe is appropriate for children to read. Parents may want to protect their children from seeing the ugly side of the world. But, I think everyone should be exposed to the good and the bad in the universe; otherwise, they will never truly be living in the real world. Some issues that are probably the most commonly argued about are the topics of religion and love.
In Becket, there is much debate on the subject of religion vs. state. When Becket becomes Archbishop, he begins to fight for the church and creates contention between himself and the King, severing their ties of friendship. There has always been various problems concerning how much power church and state should have. Becket believes that the church should have higher power in governing England, and the King obviously wants to stay in power. Those of the clergy probably think that things are best off in the hands of God. In the story, Becket transforms from a man who joins the King in all his indulgences to a righteous, God- loving Archbishop. This may offend religious people by saying that someone like Becket can turn into a leader of religion overnight. I do not agree that this book should be banned because of the religious aspects of it. Religion plays a crucial role in everyday life, and it would be a shame to not let people read about the struggles of religion in a political government-run place.
Throughout time, love has always been a strong subject to write about. Romanticists maybe be offended by Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream since all of the love that the characters have in the book for each other may not even be real. As you read the story, one finds out that the fairies use potions to make the people fall in love with each other.
